[peter123]

Yeah, these slam/impact things are quite YMMV, and no, I wasn't saying that about the 650! Might have had a few vodkas!
The genres you listen to have a tremendous impact, along with my personal annoyances about some genres, which bring the 400i down more. The 650 is more forgiving in a broader sense.

Lucky you, it might be that I've have too few

To me the forgiving nature of the HD650 makes them a bit unengaging with some music but then again I typically like headphones with a bit more attack. For reference I prefer the upper frequency presentation on the HE400i over that on the HD650 by quite some margin, again different strokes for different folks.

Although I find the HD650 to have a extremely good midrange presentation I'm having a hard time with some of the bold statements about them in here, the roll off in both ends really limit their usage for me. I do like them a lot though

 

[Mikko Peltonen]

I decided between HE400i and the HD650. I got the Hifimans. I find them to be more exciting and overall "funnier". The Sennheisers are softer and somewhat muddy.

 

[Mani ATH 87]

I decided between HE400i and the HD650. I got the Hifimans. I find them to be more exciting and overall "funnier". The Sennheisers are softer and somewhat muddy.

 
Keep in mind that the 650's also offer exceptional scaling, so if money isn't an object for you, the 650's offer a very high ceiling.
 
I agree though that the presentation of the he400i is more "fun" sounding (funnier I guess? haha). The 650's are very laid back and warm sounding.
 
I've A and B'ed the heck out of the 650's and 400i's as I own both. The 650's have been my go to for the last couple of years, but I feel the he400i is a slightly better headphone overall. I don't have unlimited funds as mentioned above, so it's possible with the right equipment the 650's exceed the 400i, but for what I use, I prefer the 400i now. It has a better sub bass, quicker with more impact, and also a more detailed and clean treble. The sweet midrange of the 650 still wins out, but the 400i's is competitive. Overall the 400i works a bit better for me with the music I listen to, for that reason they are my daily driver now. 

 

[mib91]

Have anyone tried it with Schiit Fulla 2?

 

[DavidA]

Interesting discussion. To me the HD650 is more genre dependant and the HE400i the better all-round headphone. I also fail to hear that the HD650 has more slam than the HE400i. To my ears the HD650 is thick and soft but doesn't offer much slam, the HE400i has more and better subbass bass slam the way I hear things.

As always (and obviously) YMMV.

The slam on the HD650 is amp dependent IMO, on my Asgard2 its very close to the HD600 but on the BH Crack its very different, quite a bit more than the HE400i, where the slam on the HE400i seems pretty much the same with most of my amps but my preference is either the UD301 headphone output or Ember.
 
@dwolf, agree about the genre making a difference and Vodka is one of the best for bringing out great sounds from almost all systems

 

[peter123]

The slam on the HD650 is amp dependent IMO, on my Asgard2 its very close to the HD600 but on the BH Crack its very different, quite a bit more than the HE400i, where the slam on the HE400i seems pretty much the same with most of my amps but my preference is either the UD301 headphone output or Ember.

@dwolf
, agree about the genre making a difference and Vodka is one of the best for bringing out great sounds from almost all systems

Of course bass is amp dependant. I find it to be so on pretty much every quality headphone that I own.

Personally I find all the talk about the HD650 being so amp dependent to be blown out of proportions. I totally agree that nuances in the characteristics of the amp can often be crucial for the listening experience, again I find this to be true with most quality headphones. I'm just having a hard time understanding what kind of amp that would add a lot of bass impact to the HD650 if it's not lack of power we're talking about (and tbh they're not THAT hard to drive). I've tried my HD650 with a quite large variety of sources and none of them makes the bass on them have more slam than what the HE400i has to my ears and with my music (a quite large variety of different one). More midbass hump and lusher yes, more slam no. Maybe the difference is in what we define as "slam"......

Please note that I don't use eq (for no other reason than being lazy) and normally don't touch the" bass boost" button so that may also be a part of the explanation.

Can't argue about the Vodka part though

 

[WriterHead]

Of course bass is amp dependant. I find it to be so on pretty much every quality headphone that I own.

Personally I find all the talk about the HD650 being so amp dependent to be blown out of proportions. I totally agree that nuances in the characteristics of the amp can often be crucial for the listening experience, again I find this to be true with most quality headphones. I'm just having a hard time understanding what kind of amp that would add a lot of bass impact to the HD650 if it's not lack of power we're talking about (and tbh they're not THAT hard to drive). I've tried my HD650 with a quite large variety of sources and none of them makes the bass on them have more slam than what the HE400i has to my ears and with my music (a quite large variety of different one). More midbass hump and lusher yes, more slam no. Maybe the difference is in what we define as "slam"......

Please note that I don't use eq (for no other reason than being lazy) and normally don't touch the" bass boost" button so that may also be a part of the explanation.

Can't argue about the Vodka part though

+1000

 

[DavidA]

Of course bass is amp dependant. I find it to be so on pretty much every quality headphone that I own.

Personally I find all the talk about the HD650 being so amp dependent to be blown out of proportions. I totally agree that nuances in the characteristics of the amp can often be crucial for the listening experience, again I find this to be true with most quality headphones. I'm just having a hard time understanding what kind of amp that would add a lot of bass impact to the HD650 if it's not lack of power we're talking about (and tbh they're not THAT hard to drive). I've tried my HD650 with a quite large variety of sources and none of them makes the bass on them have more slam than what the HE400i has to my ears and with my music (a quite large variety of different one). More midbass hump and lusher yes, more slam no. Maybe the difference is in what we define as "slam"......

Please note that I don't use eq (for no other reason than being lazy) and normally don't touch the" bass boost" button so that may also be a part of the explanation.

Can't argue about the Vodka part though

The best way to notice the change in the bass is to get an amp that you can change the output impedance like a Ember or Polaris, changing the output impedance from 0.1 to 35 to 120 ohms has a noticeable effect on the bass quality and quantity (and also the highs).  And with the BH Crack the power tube also has a effect on the bass presentation since the tube used has an effect on the output impedance of the amp.  This change in output impedance is not limited to the BH Crack but most OTL amps from my limited experience with only a handful of them.
 
I also don't use EQ but for logistical reasons in my setup and you are probably correct in what we define as "slam" being the difference.

 

[snellemin]

I have a lot of "slam" out of the 400i, that I can feel the vibration on my cheek bones.  Impressive for a open back planar.  That HD650 was just sad compared to what the 400i is capable off in the bass department. The 400i also response better to EQ vs the HD650. And I'm not using some overpriced amplifier for the so called "slam". 

 

[rez11]

https://open.spotify.com/track/122OsPK7OUSixdjpnbZJdX
 
Mortal Share, such a beast Metal track on these
 

 

 

[Rudi64]

Hi,
 
I have the opportunity buying a Ibasso DX90 or a Fiio X5 II secondhand for about the same price.
Wich is the better in combination with my Hifiman 400I and into a Neco V5 amp? 
Any suggestions, advice, opinions?

 

[drwlf]

Interesting mentions in the LCD-2 thread, two users describing 400i as veiled! We must be comprehending the term quite differently. Like slam etc., eh?

 

[marhol]

  Hi,
 
I have the opportunity buying a Ibasso DX90 or a Fiio X5 II secondhand for about the same price.
Wich is the better in combination with my Hifiman 400I and into a Neco V5 amp? 
Any suggestions, advice, opinions?

I can say that I like DX90+ HE 400i very much. I would say DX90 sounds quite neutral to me and is a good match with HE-400i. Sorry I don´t have experience with Fiio X5 II , thus I can´t make any comment here.

 

[Sinox33]

Just ordered this cable:
 
https://www.amazon.com/NEOMUSICIA-Replacement-Hifiman-HE-400I-headphone/dp/B01N5O8S4M/ref=sr_1_cc_4?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1489376042&sr=1-4-catcorr&keywords=OFC+cable+hifiman
 
I read about OFC wires and wanted to give this a try

 

[Rudi64]

I can say that I like DX90+ HE 400i very much. I would say DX90 sounds quite neutral to me and is a good match with HE-400i. Sorry I don´t have experience with Fiio X5 II , thus I can´t make any comment here.

Thanks, had to make a quick decision and choose for the fiio X5 II.
Have to rely on some reviews...But i think it's a close call.
Thanks for sharing you're experience..