[Mani ATH 87]

  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?

 
There's a lot of silly jargon that floats around these forums, most of which isn't true.

 

[drwlf]

   
There's a lot of silly jargon that floats around these forums, most of which isn't true.

And they were comparing against the ESP950 and normal Ether, and talking about imaging/detail retrieval, which seemed to be the "veil".

 

[chowmein83]

 
And they were comparing against the ESP950 and normal Ether, and talking about imaging/detail retrieval, which seemed to be the "veil".

 
Personally, having heard both the 400i and the regular Ether on the same setup, I'm not even sure how they could say how the 400i is really "veiled" in comparison. The 400i is a lot closer to the regular Ether than one might think given the price difference (the Ether Flow is a different story).

 

[atkhan]

I never found the 400i veiled.
I can say though that the LCD had a more closer, nearer sound in comparison to the little distant, much more wider sound of the hifiman. Maybe that's veiled... according to them lol.

My pick for price and other reasons was still the Hifiman, and I love them for what they do.

 

[WriterHead]

compared to HD800s: veiled
 
compared to HD650: crystal clear

 

[Selfish Android]

Ok i pulled the trigger with the HE400i's this is my first pair of planar magnetic cans, my previous headphones were the HD558, Grado SR325e, HE350 Massdrop.

I didn't like the 558's but i loved my Grados, comfort wise they are **** even with G-Cush pads, the HE350 are good Headphones but they lack detail in every area and treble becomes sibilant too early, so i was looking for something not as bright as the HE350, with detail in the treble area, not receded mid range and tight bass, my first concern with the HE400i were the treble, i have seen some people calling them warm, which i don't like, but other people calling them bright to the point they need to mod them, so i was very afraid to make the purchase (here in Colombia there are no "audiophile stores" so audition was not possible.

Yesterday they arrived the box was impressive to say the least, build quality is good, tho i would liked more metal, then i putted then on my head, they are certainly heavier than the HE350, earpads are obviously better than the cheapo velour of the HE350.
 
OK now to the point, the sound, i will not go all technical in my experience with the headphones, this is not a review mind you (only one day with them), just my first impressions, my setup consist on a FiioE10K as a DAC, a Little Dot i+ with  Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV, to be honest once i putted on my head with some metal i intermediately noticed that they are not as bright as my Grados or my HE350, at first i was quite looking for that increasing the volume, then i noticed everything else, bass is tight, extended and detailed, mid range details are so nice so smooth, treble was not as impressive than my Grados, but i noticed that it was still there but in a different presentation, cymbals were hitting harder than ever, i could hear every detail meanwhile the HE350 give the false impression of detail, sounds stage is smaller than the HE350, but not to the point it worries me (i will play videogames with these), in general i gotta say the HE400i gave me a very nice first impression, in regards to the treble i think my tubes are giving the HE400i's a warmer presentation, i think i will invest on a Magni 2 which is considered a bright amp.
 
later i will try to elaborate with either a review or a comparison with the SR325e's, HE350's and the Senns HD558's.

 

[drwlf]

Welcome to the bunch @Selfish Android! Give them time, the initial change from dynamics to planars is interesting!

 

[Ceteru]

  Ok i pulled the trigger with the HE400i's this is my first pair of planar magnetic cans, my previous headphones were the HD558, Grado SR325e, HE350 Massdrop.

I didn't like the 558's but i loved my Grados, comfort wise they are **** even with G-Cush pads, the HE350 are good Headphones but they lack detail in every area and treble becomes sibilant too early, so i was looking for something not as bright as the HE350, with detail in the treble area, not receded mid range and tight bass, my first concern with the HE400i were the treble, i have seen some people calling them warm, which i don't like, but other people calling them bright to the point they need to mod them, so i was very afraid to make the purchase (here in Colombia there are no "audiophile stores" so audition was out impossible.

Yesterday they arrived the box was impressive to say the least, build quality is good, tho i would liked more metal, then i putted then on my head, they are certainly heavier than the HE350, earpads are obviously better than the cheapo velour of the HE350.
 
OK now to the point, the sound, i will not go all technical in my experience with the headphones, this is not a review mind you (only one day with them), just my first impressions, my setup consist on a FiioE10K as a DAC, a Little Dot i+ with  Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV, to be honest once i putted on my head with some metal i intermediately noticed that they are not as bright as my Grados or my HE350, at first i was quite looking for that increasing the volume, then i noticed everything else, bass is tight, extended and detailed, mid range details are so nice so smooth, treble was not as impressive than my Grados, but i noticed that it was still there but in a different presentation, cymbals were hitting harder than ever, i could hear every detail meanwhile the HE350 give the false impression of detail, sounds stage is smaller than the HE350, but not to the point it worries me (i will play videogames with these), in general i gotta say the HE400i gave me a very nice first impression, in regards to the treble i think my tubes are giving the HE400i's a warmer presentation, i think i will invest on a Magni 2 which is considered a bright amp.
 
later i will try to elaborate with either a review or a comparison with the SR325e's, HE350's and the Senns HD558's.

I don't have any other amps to compare it too, nor have I heard any Grados, but I can say that with my O2+ODAC (solid-state, known to be pretty neutral and bright-leaning)  the 400i sound fairly bright. So I think your idea of using a brighter amp with these might be accurate.

 

[Iron-Buddha]

I had the Grado 325i's for ages.  It's lacking in the bass and a bit overly bright for my tastes.   I use it on my digital piano and they sound fantastic for that purpose.
 
That being said, I feel the HE400i is a better all-around headphone.  

 

[Godel Von]

How does it compare to HE350?

 

[peter123]

How does it compare to HE350?

Look three posts up....

 

[mib91]

What about Little Dot MK II? Will it bring any significant improvement over the likes of Little Dot I+?
 
@trivium911 @DavidA and @peter123 could you guys share your insights if you happen to know anything about it? Thank you!

 

[DavidA]

  What about Little Dot MK II? Will it bring any significant improvement over the likes of Little Dot I+?
 
@trivium911 @DavidA and @peter123 could you guys share your insights if you happen to know anything about it? Thank you!

The LD 1+ is a better amp for the HE400i since the LD Mk2 is a OTL or more correctly a SEPP design for higher impedance headphones like the HD600/650/800 or T1.  If you look at the specs i think the power output is less at 32ohms than at 300ohms, but it you really want the tube sound then it might work for you.  FWIW I tried my HE560 on my BH Crack and a Elise (OTL) with stock tubes and while both will produce sound its really muddy and overly warm.

 

[peter123]

What about Little Dot MK II? Will it bring any significant improvement over the likes of Little Dot I+?

@trivium911 @DavidA and @peter123 could you guys share your insights if you happen to know anything about it? Thank you!

What DavidA said. I have no experience with the LD MK2 but OTL amplifiers usually has higher output impedance than what be considered ideal for the HE400i. My experience with the HE400i and the I+ is that they work great together.

 

[Barndoor]

Agree. LD I+ works well, even better with upgraded opamp and tubes.