POST UPDATED
Quote:
The only thing that concerns me is the fact Chowmein says the HE-500 was slightly less veiled sounding than the 400i. The 400i will go for 500$, while the HE-500 I see at 500$ from time to time as well. Maybe the 400i's price will go down to 300$ later on, but if it is slightly concerning if the apparent detail is slightly less. And yeah, the 400i and 560 seem to differ most in the mids, the 400i being slightly recessed and the 560 being slightly emphasized (keyword slightly). Also, no one has really had personal time with the 400i, either -- unlike the HE-500 and HE-560. If the sound is on-par with the HE-500 at least, with the improved weight, comfort and driveability I'd say it's still quite the good value. If I didn't want a bigger soundstage and gobs of apparent (keyword apparent) detail, I'd definitely go for the HE-400i. It seems like it'll be a very musical and intimate headphone, with a very forgiving sound while still retaining a lot of detail. ---- but it should also be emphasized it's way too soon to draw conclusions about the HE-400i or judge it's character. I'd like to see some more concrete reviews and more lengthy comparisons first.
I actually know of a HE-500 that can be bought for $400, lol. Hmm, it'll be awhile till it hits $300 I feel, but when it does, oh man, it's gonna crap on everything, lol, even at $400 it's going to really be kicking some serious butt. Yes, the mids is really where they differ the most. True. That's the best I could find so far regarding the 400i.
In the review(s) the soundstage wasn't that much bigger, and as far as the detail goes, seems to be plenty enough, but how much less than the 560? I don't know. Pianoman says this: Even though the sound was a little thicker the detail was on par with the perceived detail of the Audeze LCD's there, maybe a tad less than the LCD-3. So, quite great enough.
WAY too soon? Nah. Needing more concrete reviews and more lengthy comparisons? Yes.
I feel that the treble detail, air, (how much more treble detail and air is not known) soundstage (width being not as large as a gain in depth that you get with the 560), imaging, (imaging being slighter) and detail gain (again, how much more is not known) with the 560's while bass quantity gained on the 400i is not worth $400 more than the 400i at all. Now take into account the 560 can be had for $720 with 20% off, then $220 difference is more debateable. If the 400i can be had for 20% off as well, then that's a $320 difference, while 10% is $280 (still a good chunk - enough for a great quality amp if bought used). The pads may also be revised when the 400i comes out featuring pre-prod pads with prod durability. Time will tell. While the amount of treble and overall detail as well as airiness gain of the 560 over the 400i is not known exactly, it certainly is no slouch. I wouldn't say that it would be that much more anyway. A HFM rep did say they tailored it to be like the HE-500.
Also make note of this post:
Originally Posted by
chowmein83 
It's been a while since I heard the 400i back at the THE Show several months back (see my post lots of pages back for detailed impressions), but having heard the Q701's for a while (and I believe their soundstaging/imaging is at least relatively similar to the K712 Pro/Annie) I think the 400i's soundstage is smaller - but not by much. There's definitely a noticeable amount of more width to the soundstage of the AKG's compared to the 400i, but I remember the 400i having more depth. I would classify the soundstage on the AKG's as being more oval-shaped, and the HE-400i more like a circle (though not entirely circular - I still think the 400i's soundstage has more width than depth).
As for imaging, I believe the 400i is more precise. While it's easy to tell in the Q701 whether something is supposed to be coming from the right or the left, to me the AKG headphone didn't do an excellent job of placing things more precisely - like making it easy to tell whether something is coming from slightly left/right of center, etc. I believe the 400i in this respect did much better - if something was supposed to be placed right between, say, the extreme right and the center, you could clearly hear that on the HiFiMan.
Haven't heard the HD800's for a good amount of time, so can't help you there.
The Q's are known to be gaming beasts. So as far as gaming is concerned, I know I will be more than satisfied with the 400i's, as I would suspect many others to be as well. In regards to music, would certainly feel the same.
UPDATE: Quote from Chowmein:
Yeah, that's about how I would judge the two headphones in comparison to each other. Sorry for the confusing response, lol.
Yes, I've also heard the 560 (at the same show). The 560's soundstage is definitely bigger in both width and depth compared to the 400i. But from what I remember, you gain a lot more in depth than in width in the 560 compared to the 400i. As for imaging performance, I think that the 560 had slightly more precise placement of different sounds, but honestly the 400i wasn't that much worse here.
This just may be the tipping point here, as I was waiting for someone to chime in to say where there was bigger difference, rather than slight, between the two. Honestly, up to you all. The 400i seems like a no brainer if you can get a 10% or better yet, 20% discount. If not and have to buy it for $500 vs $720 for the 560, then ehhhh, much harder choice. I feel the 400i will hold it's value longer than the 560 though. Just look at the HE-500, now $599 compared to $899 release. Can find it used for $500 or even as low as $400 if you're lucky. I'd pickup the 400i at 10-20% discount, sell it later to upgrade to a potentially revised, lower priced 560 down the road, with all the information I have now. Then again, all the slight and unknown gains over the 400i that the 560 has coupled with the larger soundstage (especially in depth) seems to tip it in favor of the 560 for the price. Certainly no risk in getting the 400i, selling later, then upgrading to the 560 though.
