[Shane D]

I find that the 4XX don't scale up as much as some cans: HE-6, HE-500, HEX V2, HE-5LE. Even the Senn HD-600 scales more. But they do scale a bit. With a potent amp with good damping the bass gets more authority, but not much flatter. There isn't a lot under 50 Hz, but there is quite a bit from there thru the low mids.

I like them with the rears screens replaced with 1/2" grills, and some use made of felt and dynamat. Haven't used an EQ on them, but it might even them out.

I use them with a FiiO X3 when on the move outdoors and they object less than my other cans to that amp.

I would agree with that. My new amp is changing all my headphones.
1) HUGE difference with Grado's.
2) Improves the Beyer's, not night and day, but improved.
3) HE4XX's have been on my head every day for almost a week. Is there a difference? I think so, but it is not a huge difference. If I had bought this amp for just these headphones, I would be TICKED OFF.

Honestly, I am not sure where these fit in my collection for the long haul.

Shane D

 

[bagwell359]

Where did you put the dynamat? I got a ton left over from my car

Outer facing part of the cup along the edge where the black felt meets the "wall". Too hard to get a clean cut with the metal backing of the dynamat and basically made a small snake, and pressed it in. It works well with the HE-500 which has more nooks to use. The idea is to cut bass resonances.

 

[WildSeven]

Does anyone have driver flex issue with their pair? Mine seem to have problem on the right side.
Whenever my jaw move there are slight popping sound from the driver that's audible, the left side is fine.
I even took it off my head and close the cup together then push them, there is a pop sound coming from the right cup.

They sound great with my new Audio-GD R28 but this is annoying. Any fix suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[Shroomalistic]

I had the same thing. I notified massdrop and they sent me a new set and free return shipping in the bad ones

 

[egokun]

Guys, can you help me understand if the 4XX may suit my tastes?

Background: my desktop chain is PC -> Topping D30 DAC -> Magni 3. I also have a Topping A30 (with Burson V5 opamps) but the Magni sounds slightly warmer and less dry so I usually go with the Magni.

My other headphones at the moment are:
- Audio Technica AD2000 - outstanding mids, energy and vocals, but very small soundstage and kinda weak bass;
- Massdrop TX-00 Ebony - incredible sub-bass, excellent for electronic music, piano and orchestra and good soundstage, but distant vocals and somewhat piercing highs, not ideal for listening to rock and vocal performances at high volume;
- MeZe 99 Classics - these are going back to Amazon, I find them shouty, congested and not very fun despite the engaging bass. Definitely not as special as reviews would have me believe.

I enjoy a variety of musical genres but it seems that with the AD2K and the TX-00 there’s really no middle ground. I either lose soundstage and bass but I get a fantastic rock can with the AD2K, or lose vocals and intimacy and get hot highs with the Ebony.

I’m looking for some sort of middle ground that can be enjoyed with a variety of genres without losing much, so I’m currently looking at the HD600 and the HE4XX.
I don’t like distant, recessed vocals, I enjoy a good bass but not boomy (boomy bass quickly gives me a headache, the bass in the Ebony is more focused on sub-bass so it’s better for me), I especially like my guitars to be crisp for rock. I really can’t stand shouty vocals, sibilance and piercing highs. I tried the original HE400 in the past, albeit with poor amping and the bass was outstanding but it had very recessed, sibilant vocals.

Now the impressions I’m reading on the HE4XX seem to be discordant. Some say it has amazing bass, some say it doesn’t. Some say the vocals are forward and intimate, some say they’re recessed. Some say the highs aren’t excessive, some say they can be hot and piercing.

Yeah, I know the 4XX is pretty cheap so I could easily buy and resell if I don’t like it, but I’m in Europe so what with customs and the chance of defective units I’m not too inclined to take a gamble and lose some money unnecessarily if there’s a serious chance I’m not going to keep the headphone in the end.
Oh, and please don’t recommend me something more expensive at the moment. Right now I’m looking at the sub-400€ range and I’m particularly interested in suggestions about the two cans I’m considering.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Themilkman46290]

Well i am not to fond of high treble, i tried a few heaphones, and in the end i was also between the hd6xx and he4xx.
Compared to ech other, hd6xx has less sub bass and treble, but fantastic mids and a smaller stage.
The he4xx flatter, has a slight sub bass roll off ( only slightly) and the treble is all there but not very boosted with the mids taking only a small step back, soundstage i felt was a bit better on these

At the end its a hard decision but i felt the hd6xx was a bit too smooth and polite, losing some detail compared to he4xx and i like the sub bass rumble on the he4xx, in my opinion its a better all round headset, but hd6xx are better for vocals. i can say when i play the beetles seargent pepper album, the highs do get a little sharp but not too bad, no where near as bad as the m50x that i sold to buy these

 

[egokun]

Well i am not to fond of high treble, i tried a few heaphones, and in the end i was also between the hd6xx and he4xx.
Compared to ech other, hd6xx has less sub bass and treble, but fantastic mids and a smaller stage.
The he4xx flatter, has a slight sub bass roll off ( only slightly) and the treble is all there but not very boosted with the mids taking only a small step back, soundstage i felt was a bit better on these

At the end its a hard decision but i felt the hd6xx was a bit too smooth and polite, losing some detail compared to he4xx and i like the sub bass rumble on the he4xx, in my opinion its a better all round headset, but hd6xx are better for vocals. i can say when i play the beetles seargent pepper album, the highs do get a little sharp but not too bad, now where near as bad as the m50x that i sold to buy these

Ah, this is relevant to my interests because I like The Beatles a lot!
I agree on the M50x, I bought it based on the mad praise it gets but it’s as V-shaped as they get. Nice bass but that’s pretty much it for me.

The Beatles can get a little shouty and sharp even with less treble-leaning headphones so I’m not surprised at your comment. The Beatles were the first thing I listened to on the TX-00 Ebony and it wasn’t the best introduction to that can, LOL.

I enjoy smooth sound, in fact my reference IEM is still the Sennheiser IE80 even after all these years. There’s such a thing as too smooth though. I briefly owned the HD650 and found them simply boring.

 

[Themilkman46290]

Ah, this is relevant to my interests because I like The Beatles a lot!
I agree on the M50x, I bought it based on the mad praise it gets but it’s as V-shaped as they get. Nice bass but that’s pretty much it for me.

The Beatles can get a little shouty and sharp even with less treble-leaning headphones so I’m not surprised at your comment. The Beatles were the first thing I listened to on the TX-00 Ebony and it wasn’t the best introduction to that can, LOL.

I enjoy smooth sound, in fact my reference IEM is still the Sennheiser IE80 even after all these years. There’s such a thing as too smooth though. I briefly owned the HD650 and found them simply boring.

Well the hd6xx is a bit better then the hd650 in my view, they have better soundstage, but at the end of the day i took he4xx and love it, there very versatile

 

[turbomustang84]

Guys, can you help me understand if the 4XX may suit my tastes?

Background: my desktop chain is PC -> Topping D30 DAC -> Magni 3. I also have a Topping A30 (with Burson V5 opamps) but the Magni sounds slightly warmer and less dry so I usually go with the Magni.

My other headphones at the moment are:
- Audio Technica AD2000 - outstanding mids, energy and vocals, but very small soundstage and kinda weak bass;
- Massdrop TX-00 Ebony - incredible sub-bass, excellent for electronic music, piano and orchestra and good soundstage, but distant vocals and somewhat piercing highs, not ideal for listening to rock and vocal performances at high volume;
- MeZe 99 Classics - these are going back to Amazon, I find them shouty, congested and not very fun despite the engaging bass. Definitely not as special as reviews would have me believe.

I enjoy a variety of musical genres but it seems that with the AD2K and the TX-00 there’s really no middle ground. I either lose soundstage and bass but I get a fantastic rock can with the AD2K, or lose vocals and intimacy and get hot highs with the Ebony.

I’m looking for some sort of middle ground that can be enjoyed with a variety of genres without losing much, so I’m currently looking at the HD600 and the HE4XX.
I don’t like distant, recessed vocals, I enjoy a good bass but not boomy (boomy bass quickly gives me a headache, the bass in the Ebony is more focused on sub-bass so it’s better for me), I especially like my guitars to be crisp for rock. I really can’t stand shouty vocals, sibilance and piercing highs. I tried the original HE400 in the past, albeit with poor amping and the bass was outstanding but it had very recessed, sibilant vocals.

Now the impressions I’m reading on the HE4XX seem to be discordant. Some say it has amazing bass, some say it doesn’t. Some say the vocals are forward and intimate, some say they’re recessed. Some say the highs aren’t excessive, some say they can be hot and piercing.

Yeah, I know the 4XX is pretty cheap so I could easily buy and resell if I don’t like it, but I’m in Europe so what with customs and the chance of defective units I’m not too inclined to take a gamble and lose some money unnecessarily if there’s a serious chance I’m not going to keep the headphone in the end.
Oh, and please don’t recommend me something more expensive at the moment. Right now I’m looking at the sub-400€ range and I’m particularly interested in suggestions about the two cans I’m considering.

Thanks in advance.

I love my HE-4XX but to me from what you are describing you need the Sennheiser HD,-58X Jubilees.
Best all round headphone I own with great Bass and no flaws to think of .

 

[Themilkman46290]

And the sub bass roll off is easily fixed with new earpads(or hair roller mod)
If you love sennheiser house sound and you listen to the beatles or other music with sharp highs ( alot of old rock) then you might enjoy the senns better, they are like a nicely warn in chair, never uncomfortable, but sometimes a little discomfort can be good.

 

[egokun]

I love my HE-4XX but to me from what you are describing you need the Sennheiser HD,-58X Jubilees.
Best all round headphone I own with great Bass and no flaws to think of .

Hmm.

Hmmmmmmm.

Been reading some reviews. Always amazing how different people’s opinions on a headphone can be, LOL. Some say it’s the best compromise in the HD line, some say the mids disappear when the bass kicks in, some say the highs are non-existent, some say the highs can be too bright...

Can’t really decide based on impressions, but seeing that the HE-4XX seems to have a worrying rate of defective units, maybe for the price I could just check out the Jubilee. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[turbomustang84]

Hmm.

Hmmmmmmm.

Been reading some reviews. Always amazing how different people’s opinions on a headphone can be, LOL. Some say it’s the best compromise in the HD line, some say the mids disappear when the bass kicks in, some say the highs are non-existent, some say the highs can be too bright...

Can’t really decide based on impressions, but seeing that the HE-4XX seems to have a worrying rate of defective units, maybe for the price I could just check out the Jubilee. Thanks for the suggestion!

I think the issues with the 4XX are not nearly as bad as people lead you to believe but the HD-58X we're the best thing I've bought in the last several years .

Think of them as a Fun Headphone from Sennheiser.

OH and I liked them so much I bought a second pair in fear of a replacement not being available in the future .

But owning the 4XX and the 58X is a great option.

Those are two that will always be in my collection

 

[rafaelo]

I have 6xx, 58x and 4xx. I love them all. While I have a strong preference for the sennheiser signature when I am changing to 4xx I do not feel to downgrade sometimes quite the opposite. I do not regret owning any of these headphones.

Only problem I can see is the quality issues for Hifiman but sound quality wise this might be the best value introduction proposition for planar headphones ...Unless I am lossing something and there are other so much better planars than this one with not so much higher price.

One thing to be said for potential buyers is that 4xx is let's say an open headphone squared (^2) in the sence that they are bidirectional, sound fires outwards as well. So the sound leakage is much more than the 6xx and 58x open headphones. So if you listen really loud at night people might listen to you in an other room as my wife usually does. So some people might take this into consideration regarding their particular situation.

But everything depends on preferences, this is a fine sounding headphone. If m1060, or sundara or whatever else sounds so much better than this then I will consider myself to become a planar convert.

 

[dgindlespergerd]

I own them also and for planar the next step is the m1060.... I love them

 

[DavidA]

@egokun, while I haven't heard the HE4XX I own the HE400 (modded), HE400i, HE560, HD650, HD58X and a few other headphones, see my profile if you want to see what I have/had.
Since you have a decent amp (Magni3) you have a few more options open that I'd suggest:
HD700, yes many say its too bright but I think that those who say that have never listened to them since many that own them don't think they are overly bright and you Magni3 is a touch on the warmer side so it should be a decent pairing with the HD700, granted it might be more than a HD600 but used ones can be had pretty cheap these days.

HE560: this might have to be used but at $300 new I think its just a bit more than the HD600, it doesn't sound anything like the HE400 but for some the highs can get sibilant and don't get caught up with some who say they need a lot of power, its just a matter of finding an amp that pairs well and the Magni3 is s decent start but I like mine with the headphone output of my Teac UD301 (100mW) so power is not an issue for me.

If you can build (DIY) then I'd suggest a Nhoord Red V2 build, looks like a Grado RS2e but with drivers from Nhoord, very easy to drive but cost of parts put them in the $275-400 range depending on what you select (wood used for cups, headband assembly, cables, etc) but if you can't build then there are a few that will build them for you. If you want info on those that build let me know in a PM.

I'm not sure if you can find one but an Audeze EL-8 open might be something to consider, they were selling them off for $300 a few months back and to me its a pretty good deal, its like an improved HD650 to me, better sub-bass, no mid-bass hump, mids almost as good as the HD650 and highs that are cleaner and more extended than the HD650, but never sibilant.

FWIW I tried the M1060 and found them lacking/boring at times and also with a ringing issue at times, granted I only listened to two different stock units and it seems that many that like them mod them so its something to consider.

The last suggestion is a Grado SR225e with G-pads, while brighter than the HD58X, HE400i and HD650 they are much smoother so the treble is not harsh or sibilant to me. From there they are also easy to mod with dynamat, felt and sorbothane to tune the sound and these have a fairly noticeable impact on the sound from what I've found so far.

Good luck with your search and hope my suggestions help.

David A