If you feel the bass is lacking at 10Hz or below it's probably because of a lack of seal rather than the headphone driver. It's been shown many times via measurements that the 400i and most planars for that matter can go to 5 Hz with little to no drop off in frequency response.
If you feel the bass is lacking at 10Hz or below it's probably because of a lack of seal rather than the headphone driver. It's been shown many times via measurements that the 400i and most planars for that matter can go to 5 Hz with little to no drop off in frequency response.
Nah, the 400i physically cannot produce anything "audible" under 20hz. Besides the specs saying that, I tested it out myself with https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ . Try and bring it down to 20hz and if you have a good seal, you will faintly hear it. Anything under that, I couldn't.
None of the 4** HFM cans produce a flat output from say to 60 Hz to 20 Hz. They all fall off a bit. Not a big deal per se to me. Nothing under 30 Hz is of great interest to me - although I'll take it when its there.
The problem in my opinion is they all have a rise in the mid-bass and upper-bass to try and hide what is missing lower and seem bassier. It makes for a slowed stew like sound in the bass, some love it, but me being a fan of well recorded and played back music - don't like it.
I hear ya there for sure @bagwell359. I enjoy the midbass emphasis, but it sounds subtle to me. Still, the 400i is an amazing headphone and can be found new for under $200.
I think you can get deeper bass from planars if you work on getting a better seal around your ear. Part of the low bass is lost and filtered from the stock pads. This is partially why closed headphones can have better bass response or at least deeper. The trick is avoiding unwanted resonances in a closed headphone.
I hear ya there for sure @bagwell359. I enjoy the midbass emphasis, but it sounds subtle to me. Still, the 400i is an amazing headphone and can be found new for under $200.
I think you can get deeper bass from planars if you work on getting a better seal around your ear. Part of the low bass is lost and filtered from the stock pads. This is partially why closed headphones can have better bass response or at least deeper. The trick is avoiding unwanted resonances in a closed headphone.
Closed will get you the best bass, but I just can't find a natural midrange and treble in a closed headphone. As for planars two of my 4 cans go below 20 Hz, the other three (two planar) are good to about 32 Hz (one needs a tubed amp to do it) Getting that sort of bass w/ all being open works for me.
I think you can get deeper bass from planars if you work on getting a better seal around your ear. Part of the low bass is lost and filtered from the stock pads. This is partially why closed headphones can have better bass response or at least deeper. The trick is avoiding unwanted resonances in a closed headphone.
Isn't having a good seal to get deep bass a common occurrence for any headphone/earphone?
At least from my experience with the HE-400i, no matter how I position it, I've been getting the same bass quality and quantity. It's pretty circular with a decent clamp force so it should seal appropriately. The HE-400i doesn't really have a lot of sub-bass impact, nor does it have an elevated mid-bass to have the bass stand out. The bass is just there.
I have them in storage atm. Will give you an update eventually, but that could be months sadly.
I don’t think these burn in. If anything it’s planar driver differences which if you dig around in the internet you can prove to yourself that there are some pretty serious driver differences from unit to unit with planars.
I’ve listened to the older 400i extensively and can say with certainly that the overall sound signature is intact, but the treble is less bright and less fatigu
I have an E30 and Heresy coming for my work setup...main rig is in storage...and will give amped impressions next week.
My biggest gripe has to do with the ear cup swivel point. The entire headphones looks and feels high-end right up until you swivel the ear cups. They swivel so freely, with no resistance, that is feels as if the ear cups are just hanging off the headband. Not a dealbreaker especially since I found them on Amazon for $169 USD new! I mean you get very close to the best headphones in regard to sound quality for 1:10th the price.
Oh I should mention the cable is once again terrible. It’s super stiff and has that weird 90 degree jack plug on the player end. You can find a good replacement for under $25 shipped so no worries there, but HiFiMAN should just swap the cable for something less stiff and with a straight connector.
I do like that the new modes have the 3.5mm plugs that go to each earcup. They are stronger and less likely to break upon insertion.
My biggest gripe has to do with the ear cup swivel point. The entire headphones looks and feels high-end right up until you swivel the ear cups. They swivel so freely, with no resistance, that is feels as if the ear cups are just hanging off the headband. Not a dealbreaker especially since I found them on Amazon for $169 USD new! I mean you get very close to the best headphones in regard to sound quality for 1:10th the price.
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