[pbarach]

   
I hear more detail with a set of 400i's regardless of your lengthy post defending your purchase.  I was not judging any HP but merely giving an idea to a gentlemen that reported a problem.

It's not the recordings that I listen to. I listen almost exclusively to classical music. The distortion shows up in the midrange on some minimally miked audiophile CDs and SACDs of performers I know well from live performances, including disks that have gotten good reviews by the audiophile press, and disks that I have heard on a friend's very high-end system with speakers. 
 
I also own some AKG Q702 cans, which are very clear in the midrange despite their other flaws, and I don't hear the same distortion that shows up in the 400i headphones. 

 

[NA Blur]

  My god these things sound amazing with Metal, listening to 'Cowboys From Hell' is a whole new experience again ...

Give this track a listen:
 
Album:Tantric
Artist:Tantric
Track:Hate Me

 

[drwlf]

   
I wouldn't describe it as uncontrolled, it's just a lot less precise in comparison to the HE400i, on the verge of being out of control but never quite losing it's grasp.
 
If the HE400i is a surgical scalpel in the low end, the THX00 is like a chefs knife.  You can still make cuts, but a lot of the precision is lost.

Yup, misunderstood your initial post.

 

[0pethian]

Hi there guys, is Fiio K5 with E17K be able to run HE400i?
I have this amp combo n my 400i are on their way ... Don't wanna spend right now on some amp combo ...

Sent from OnePlus 3T

 

[wigglepuff]

how does the he 400i (late production model) compare with the Fidelo X1 in sound quality and tonality? I currently have the X1 and plan to shift to planar types but I cant audition the he 400i in my area, an honest opinion of what really is and not a baised one, anyone?

 

[DavidA]

  how does the he 400i (late production model) compare with the Fidelo X1 in sound quality and tonality? I currently have the X1 and plan to shift to planar types but I cant audition the he 400i in my area, an honest opinion of what really is and not a baised one, anyone?

400i would be brighter, have better defined bass but less quantity, and slightly less sound stage.

 

[wigglepuff]

  400i would be brighter, have better defined bass but less quantity, and slightly less sound stage.

ahh, how about the hi area compared to the X1? rolled off and laid back?

 

[Jesse Oh]

So my Modi 2/Magni 2 arrived a few days ago and my 400i's will be here on monday. Can't wait to try them out!
Just listening to my MSR7's through the schiit stack, i sense more separation and now understand what is meant by "clean" sound. I often found even with my low impedance, high-sensitivity MSR7's, i just couldn't get the volume to levels i would have liked when listening to certain genres such as dub techno through my onboard sound card. Now they go as loud as i want and i'm starting to see how powerful the bass on these cans really is! Magnificent, pounding and punchy. 
(also bought some used lcd-2's, RIP bank account)

 

[Mr Makarov]

 
ahh, how about the hi area compared to the X1? rolled off and laid back?

Hi!.
In my opinion X1 is inferior to HE400i in all areas except bass extension...but bass on X1 is just...not as good (trying to be polite) as the bass on the HE400i. It extends better (bloated crappy uncontrolled bass) yes, but that´s all. Everything else is off. I would never ever choose X1 over HE400i. Highs on HE-400i are noticeably better. In short: X1 (and X2) is veiled and artificial, HE400i is not. HE400i sound refined and NATURAL/organic, mids on the HE400i (including vocals) destroy X1 in all areas (more on male vocals), but X1 are...just good (like M50  of closed-back headphones). X1 cant even beat Denon AH-D600. It is a good (Fidelio X1) Mid-Fi can but nothing else.
I have both...and X1 is by far far far far far far (sorry for that unnecessary emphasis) inferior. But again, it is my personal opinion.
*comfort-wise - X1 loses.

 

[wigglepuff]

  Hi!.
In my opinion X1 is inferior to HE400i in all areas except bass extension...but bass on X1 is just...not as good (trying to be polite) as the bass on the HE400i. It extends better (bloated crappy uncontrolled bass) yes, but that´s all. Everything else is off. I would never ever choose X1 over HE400i. Highs on HE-400i are noticeably better. In short: X1 (and X2) is veiled and artificial, HE400i is not. HE400i sound refined and NATURAL/organic, mids on the HE400i (including vocals) destroy X1 in all areas (more on male vocals), but X1 are...just good (like M50  of closed-back headphones). X1 cant even beat Denon AH-D600. It is a good (Fidelio X1) Mid-Fi can but nothing else.
I have both...and X1 is by far far far far far far (sorry for that unnecessary emphasis) inferior. But again, it is my personal opinion.
*comfort-wise - X1 loses.

Honest opinion is really appreciated, there is so much marketing and fan shipping bs all over the net that you can't really trust even those review sites. Thank You.

 

[InsTwin]

 
Yup, misunderstood your initial post.

 
No worries! I'm still learning how to try and describe what I'm hearing, or how something sounds, so I probably wasn't clear enough.
 
I'm enjoying both headphones a lot, but I'm a little shocked how much more I think I like the HE400i over the THX00.

 

[DavidA]

 
ahh, how about the hi area compared to the X1? rolled off and laid back?

X1 is a decent headphone and if you are only using a phone or DAP it might actually be better.  HE-400i is not hard to drive properly but it does like a little better setup over the X1.  The highs are a little rolled off compared to the 400i but to some its okay if you are sensitive to treble.  While I agree with the other poster that the 400i is a better headphone it also depends on your preference, for me the X1 was a fun sound while the 400i is more what I expect from a higher quality headphone but a few of my friends who are not into headphones like the X1 better due to its more familiar and easier to listen to sound signature.
 
FWIW I've sold my X1 and the 400i get almost no use these days, moved on to other headphones that have more of a sound that I like.

 

[drwlf]

   
No worries! I'm still learning how to try and describe what I'm hearing, or how something sounds, so I probably wasn't clear enough.
 
I'm enjoying both headphones a lot, but I'm a little shocked how much more I think I like the HE400i over the THX00.

Good to hear that you love the 400i!
On the hunt for closed cans for the office, and a bit familiar with the THX-00, (and I kinda read that you described the THX-00 bass being better controlled than the 400i), which woulda surprised me!

 

[HirschiAUT]

Good to hear that you love the 400i!
On the hunt for closed cans for the office, and a bit familiar with the THX-00, (and I kinda read that you described the THX-00 bass being better controlled than the 400i), which woulda surprised me!

I use the Oppo pm3 for in the Go and Office, and am really happy with them , maybe you should try them

 

[InsTwin]

 
Good to hear that you love the 400i!
On the hunt for closed cans for the office, and a bit familiar with the THX-00, (and I kinda read that you described the THX-00 bass being better controlled than the 400i), which woulda surprised me!

 
The THX00 is definitely not better controlled by any measure than the HE400i.  I don't know if the speed of the HE400i gives the illusion of accuracy or precision, but it's definitely a very different listening experience.
 
The THX00 is semi-open, so it still leaks some sound but nearly as much as true open headphones.