[DougD]

  I drive my 400i from the speaker terminals of my integrated amp.

 
 

Same here.

Mine sound phenomenal off of me HE-6 rig, folks that haven't heard them off of a speaker amp don't know what they are missing.

 
Are you "direct connecting", or do you have a box/adapter with some protective circuitry in between ?

 

[Fearless1]

Depends on the watts, I gave a couple of different set-ups, I use both.
Are you "direct connecting", or do you have a box/adapter with some protective circuitry in between ?

 

[Soundizer]

In general opinion are they better than the Fidelio X2 for:
1. Music enjoyment.
2. Long time listening fatigue.
3. Physical comfort.

 

[spdtdl]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. gluegate / glueghazi avoidance 

 

 

[spdtdl]

Been using my ATH-M40X's at work all day, good can in it's own right.
 
Now home and I've slipped on the 400i's, damn, feels so nice.
 
Sound is on a whole different level, and comfort is off the scale.
 

 

[nahpungnome]

In general opinion are they better than the Fidelio X2 for:
1. Music enjoyment.
2. Long time listening fatigue.
3. Physical comfort.

1. Depends on the type of music, I find the X2 is great for anything that would accentuate its bass characteristic.  400i is awesome with bass tracks as well though and more controlled.  X2's definitely the more fun of the two though.
 
2. Neither one induces listening fatigue for me.  Both are great headphones, which I think compliment each other quite well in any collection since they sound so different, but good in their own ways.
 
3. 400i is more comfortable to me, but the X2 is comfortable as well.  The Monoprice 8323 I use at work, well, those are vise grips lol.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  Been using my ATH-M40X's at work all day, good can in it's own right.
 
Now home and I've slipped on the 400i's, damn, feels so nice.
 
Sound is on a whole different level, and comfort is off the scale.
 

​I have a M40X and agree, it is a nice headphone, quite nice actually. I bought the M40X to use when I played the drums, but when I used it for dedicated listening it impressed me, especially considering the price! Now my daughter has confiscated them so I doubt I will ever see them again. She took my M80 also, but my 400i is not going to her anytime soon. 

 

[nokialover]

 
I have both DT990 and HE400i. I agree with your impression of 400i. It's really great but as far as DT990 lacking dynamics and poor bass response, I would respectfully disagree with you. DT990 plugged to an SMSL M8 and Little Dot Mkiii with Mullard tubes will really blow you to bass and dynamics nirvana. I was even tempted to sell my DT990 after I got my HE400i but this pairing changed my mind. I think its about the pairing, equipment and materials, different headphones really shines on perfect pairings. There is really no perfect headphone for all types of material and all sorts of device pairings.

 
At least from my Sony UDA-1, I like the sound from the 400i more than from the DT-990 pro.  I wouldn't say the bass response from the DT-990 was poor, but the 400i went deeper and felt cleaner.  I'm not really a believer in tube amps as when I tried the woo audio firefly paired with an LCD-2 I thought it sounded a bit too grainy for my taste, but when I switched it to the audeze deckard everything was much cleaner.  Maybe tube amps works well with dynamic driver headphones and planar work better with solid state amps. 

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
At least from my Sony UDA-1, I like the sound from the 400i more than from the DT-990 pro.  I wouldn't say the bass response from the DT-990 was poor, but the 400i went deeper and felt cleaner.  I'm not really a believer in tube amps as when I tried the woo audio firefly paired with an LCD-2 I thought it sounded a bit too grainy for my taste, but when I switched it to the audeze deckard everything was much cleaner.  Maybe tube amps works well with dynamic driver headphones and planar work better with solid state amps. 

I heard the LCD 2 through the Firefly as well and I agree, it wasn't that good a match although people who own the Firefly tell me the DAC is the weak link in it. Who knows, but it is a damn nice looking piece of gear.

 

[jimdandy]

I did not know where to say this so but since this is impression thread I figure this is it. First I got Modi2 Uber DAC and Magni2 Uber amp. Now I started the new year off right and got the HE-400i while it was on sale on Hifiman Store web site. Straight from Hong Kong. Arrived sooner than I thought. They said Tuesday of next week but it arrived today. Awesome. I must say I wanted too long for a good headphone to listen to. I wish I would have done this sooner. So much time wasted. But past is past must rejoice in the now and I'm loving what I'm hearing. Drums,guitars everything is sweet. I'm coming from closed back HDJ-2000s. OH MY GOD These are so much better. I can hear the pick on the guitar when listening to Echo Of My Scream from Fear Factory. The sneer drum on I Will Follow amazing. I'm 53 wish I would have done this sooner. So glad I did not miss this. Wow there really is a difference isn't there?! Now I know why you guys seek what ya'll do. The tubes,the amps. For THE SOUND. Yes magical when it all comes together yes? So glad I did not miss out even if it is late. Dr. Fang Bian thank you for a truly eye opening pleasure in music. So glad I did not miss it this time. I'm going back and re-buying some music I lost when I was younger as will as re-copying CDs in FLAC instead of MP3. Truly amazing difference, planar magnetic experience. I will not be going back to the Dark Side of the Force now that I have experienced the Light.

 

[E8ArmyDiver]

 
Quote:

I'm 53 wish I would have done this sooner. So glad I did not miss this. Wow there really is a difference isn't there?! Now I know why you guys seek what ya'll do. The tubes,the amps. For THE SOUND. Yes magical when it all comes together yes? So glad I did not miss out even if it is late. Dr. Fang Bian thank you for a truly eye opening pleasure in music. So glad I did not miss it this time. I'm going back and re-buying some music I lost when I was younger as will as re-copying CDs in FLAC instead of MP3. Truly amazing difference, planar magnetic experience. I will not be going back to the Dark Side of the Force now that I have experienced the Light.

You are still a Padawan  young apprentice.Only when you have fully embraced the light will a full fledged Jedi  you be!

 

[jimdandy]

The Original Soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom Of The Opera is simply amazing. Sarah Brightman never sounded so clear. The little details are awesome. I have heard her in person so I know what to look for. The airiness of the Hall and echo flowing around your head when you are seating there. Must say the HE-400i brings it back pretty close.Michael Crawford on Music Of The Night made my hair stand up a little on my arms and I got goose bumps. Closed my eyes and poof,I was back in time. Not too analytical to enjoy the music but enough detail to bring a tear when Sarah Brightman sings Think Of Me. So I listen to EVERYTHING through these. Metal and Opera, Korn to Sarah Brigthman all is awesome. Planar Magnetic and open back does give you AWE when you listen to the right recording. Wow. I'm sure movies will sound good to since The Phantom of The Opera sounded good. Will there is my judgement. The HE- 400i takes you where you want to go just close your eyes and tilt your head back and enjoy.

 

[jimdandy]

   
Quote:

I'm 53 wish I would have done this sooner. So glad I did not miss this. Wow there really is a difference isn't there?! Now I know why you guys seek what ya'll do. The tubes,the amps. For THE SOUND. Yes magical when it all comes together yes? So glad I did not miss out even if it is late. Dr. Fang Bian thank you for a truly eye opening pleasure in music. So glad I did not miss it this time. I'm going back and re-buying some music I lost when I was younger as will as re-copying CDs in FLAC instead of MP3. Truly amazing difference, planar magnetic experience. I will not be going back to the Dark Side of the Force now that I have experienced the Light.

You are still a Padawan  young apprentice.Only when you have fully embraced the light will a full fledged Jedi  you be!

LOL Spoken like a true fan. Yes tubes are next I think.

 

[Bonobo Loco]

OK so this is a 400i impression thread. For some background, I've been listening to the Sennheiser HD650 for the last several years as my primary set of headphones. I bought these as an impulse purchase when I saw they could be had at $299. The price was too good to pass up. I wasn't sure whether I'd keep them, gift them, or re-sell them. I received them in the mail a few days ago and considered reselling them unopened but the temptation proved too much to handle. I opened them tonight and was blown away. They really sound amazing. It kind of pisses me off how good they sound because I wanted to earn that profit from selling them. Also I've been a loyal Senn fan for so long and it makes me sad that these are superior in every way (as far as I can tell from a first impression). 

Anyway if you guys want to give me any advice I'm listening. I'm using my macbook pro with high quality files, flac etc. I don't know what amp/dac to buy but I'd like to know about the best price to performance combo. Thanks in advance.

 

[Headphone4Life]

I purchased one of those cheap Nobsound hybrid tube amps and for what it costs it sounds quite good.  I bought it just to see what a $50 amp would sound like using my 400i and after a few days of listening I think its every bit as good as my Schiit Vali in terms of SQ.  Now I'm wanting to buy a straight tube amp and was wondering if anyone has used one with the 400i and how they sound?  I'm looking to spend around $300 so any suggestions would be welcome.