[CB7FB8KgYh24E]

HE400i 2020 -- The 2020 version, with the padded Deva headband. These may not be available anymore in North America, as they're no longer listed on Amazon for US sale, and HiFiMan's website says they only can sell them to the EU. $169.

What? It's no longer for sale in the US? Why?! What a great headset.. I'm confused. Luckily I bought it when it was still available.

I tried 400i 2020, 5XX and 4XX. The 400is were better than those two noticeably. I opted to return the other two and keep the 2020. It was an easy decision. Personal opinion/taste.

 

[pk4425]

What? It's no longer for sale in the US? Why?! What a great headset.. I'm confused. Luckily I bought it when it was still available.

I tried 400i 2020, 5XX and 4XX. The 400is were better than those two noticeably. I opted to return the other two and keep the 2020. It was an easy decision. Personal opinion/taste.

Well, I swear hand on The Bible the 400i was gone yesterday and today on Amazon. Now it's back but unavailable to ship until April 1. The restocks with some Chinese goods on Amazon are a bit wacky at times.

 

[calumniate]

So I just ordered these:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07T87DYFB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Probably cheaper elsewhere in the USA for example, but that's the cost of being Canadian.

Overall, way thicker pads.. and lint free. Mounting took some effort.. the ear mold is not circular, so needed to take some care to line everything up properly and even give them a slight twist to make sure the left and right were aligned properly not only for the the earpad angle but the ear opening.

Anyway, big success! The bass extension seems to be quite a bit more present now. One interesting thing is that perhaps because the drivers are further away from me, I'm finding a higher 'happy zone' on my k5 pro volume, which is almost welcomed. High noon on the volume is now quite enjoyable whereas before it would have been a little much. Juicy.
Can now call these my own lol.. (new cable, headband mod and new earpads). They are definite keepers!

 

[ultraman31]

Well, I swear hand on The Bible the 400i was gone yesterday and today on Amazon. Now it's back but unavailable to ship until April 1. The restocks with some Chinese goods on Amazon are a bit wacky at times.

The HE400i 2020 version was apparently replaced by HE400se.

https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-Headphones-Audiophiles-Great-Sounding-Comfortable/dp/B08Z2SK5C4

 

[Dobrescu George]

I made a video review about the 400i 2020

I like them quite a bit, good overall build quality, makes Sundara a bit redundant now, since those sound really close, but at a much better price

 

[adhoclex]

I think it's nearly a year since its release. How are these holding up as to its build quality? If you did replaced some parts, how long did it took you to replace them? I am planning to buy one, but I am hesitating as I see a few comments regarding bad QC with Hifiman here and there. Thanks!

 

[FastAndClean]

I think it's nearly a year since its release. How are these holding up as to its build quality? If you did replaced some parts, how long did it took you to replace them? I am planning to buy one, but I am hesitating as I see a few comments regarding bad QC with Hifiman here and there. Thanks!

hi, my pair is holding up well, i use them every day (i don't have other headphones) blasting them when i listen to electronic music, no issues at all, i only changed the stock pads but not because there is something wrong with them, i just like a bit fuller sound and leather pads do the job

 

[Fulci]

Hello! I got one HE400i 2020 and while they sound very transparent and fast, they also sound extremely shrill and painful in the highs. Hihats and crashes are peircing and make my tinnitus ring as hell…
I also have some X2HR and I could listen with them for hours but not with these.

I’m going to try EQing them to lower the 8000hz region and get better bass, which is non existing but I find them very fatiguing for now.

I’m using a Tempotec Sonata Pro HD amp, and it gets loud enough at 30%. Could it be the amp or do they just need burn in?

Also, they sound terrific for Jazz and Classical, Borodin’s Quartet recording of Shostakovich Quartet no.8 was amazing, but they do nothing to prog rock or metal. Do you feel the same? Is this because they lack bass?

Will a better amp improve it?

Thank you all in advanced.

 

[benneyb]

Hello! I got one HE400i 2020 and while they sound very transparent and fast, they also sound extremely shrill and painful in the highs. Hihats and crashes are peircing and make my tinnitus ring as hell…
I also have some X2HR and I could listen with them for hours but not with these.

I’m going to try EQing them to lower the 8000hz region and get better bass, which is non existing but I find them very fatiguing for now.

I’m using a Tempotec Sonata Pro HD amp, and it gets loud enough at 30%. Could it be the amp or do they just need burn in?

Also, they sound terrific for Jazz and Classical, Borodin’s Quartet recording of Shostakovich Quartet no.8 was amazing, but they do nothing to rock or metal. Do you feel the same? Is this because they lack bass?

Will a better amp improve it?

Thank you all in advanced.

Burn in will definitely help. Give them 100 hours or so and see if they improve for you.

 

[Fulci]

Burn in will definitely help. Give them 100 hours or so and see if they improve for you.

Thanks! But is it common? It’s usually this shrill during burn in?

 

[treecloud]

Burn in can help a bit, but to go from shrill to musical is probably too much to hope for. Planers do well with powerful amps, if you can borrow one it would tell you if that's the problem. I'm a Schiit fan, good bang for the buck, I'd guess either of the Magni's would make a big difference in musicality if power is the problem.

 

[ClayCamera]

Hello! I got one HE400i 2020 and while they sound very transparent and fast, they also sound extremely shrill and painful in the highs. Hihats and crashes are peircing and make my tinnitus ring as hell…
I also have some X2HR and I could listen with them for hours but not with these.

I’m going to try EQing them to lower the 8000hz region and get better bass, which is non existing but I find them very fatiguing for now.

I’m using a Tempotec Sonata Pro HD amp, and it gets loud enough at 30%. Could it be the amp or do they just need burn in?

Also, they sound terrific for Jazz and Classical, Borodin’s Quartet recording of Shostakovich Quartet no.8 was amazing, but they do nothing to prog rock or metal. Do you feel the same? Is this because they lack bass?

Will a better amp improve it?

Thank you all in advanced.

Mine were so shockingly muddy when I got them, thought I got a defective piece or they got damaged in shipping. They cleared up dramatically after about 150 hrs. of burn in. Give it a shot. A high current amp helps. I use the Fiio K5 Pro. To my ears, the quality of bass is a bit of a let down from the original He400 though.

 

[tinyman392]

Hello! I got one HE400i 2020 and while they sound very transparent and fast, they also sound extremely shrill and painful in the highs. Hihats and crashes are peircing and make my tinnitus ring as hell…
I also have some X2HR and I could listen with them for hours but not with these.

I’m going to try EQing them to lower the 8000hz region and get better bass, which is non existing but I find them very fatiguing for now.

I’m using a Tempotec Sonata Pro HD amp, and it gets loud enough at 30%. Could it be the amp or do they just need burn in?

Also, they sound terrific for Jazz and Classical, Borodin’s Quartet recording of Shostakovich Quartet no.8 was amazing, but they do nothing to prog rock or metal. Do you feel the same? Is this because they lack bass?

Will a better amp improve it?

Thank you all in advanced.

I found the OG 400i to be quite neutral in tonality (though it's been a long while since I listened to mine). I'm not sure if the 2020 version still is neutral though, HiFiMan tends to have many silent revisions of their headphone lineup which could be annoying for their own reasons. That said, the X2HR is more of a V-shaped signature if I remember correctly so they have completely different tonal signatures. I know a lot of people are telling you to burn them in; that can help, but it won't turn the 400i from a neutral-ish headphone to a V-shaped one. I'd wager that the sound of the 400i likely isn't your cup of tea.

 

[Fulci]

I found the OG 400i to be quite neutral in tonality (though it's been a long while since I listened to mine). I'm not sure if the 2020 version still is neutral though, HiFiMan tends to have many silent revisions of their headphone lineup which could be annoying for their own reasons. That said, the X2HR is more of a V-shaped signature if I remember correctly so they have completely different tonal signatures. I know a lot of people are telling you to burn them in; that can help, but it won't turn the 400i from a neutral-ish headphone to a V-shaped one. I'd wager that the sound of the 400i likely isn't your cup of tea.

It’s not the mids that bother me, it’s the highs that are piercing to the point of annoying. I don’t dislike the sound, just don’t think they’re great for every type of music.

I’m EQing with more bass for a thicker sound and reducing the 8khz region in about 3dB and sound fine. I’ll give it a bit more time to burn in, but I really don’t want to depend on EQ.
With the Sonata HD Pro they are more than loud enough at 50% volume, so probably it’s powerful enough but I may try a HipDac or a more powerful amp someday for a bass boost.