[Philimon]

Good but too bright. Couldnt tell difference between grills and no grills.

 

[kilonewt]

Can anybody recommend good quality upgrade cables for the HE4xx. I tried the NewMusica ones from amazon and hate them cuz theyre short and the braid is made of plastic.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Can anybody recommend good quality upgrade cables for the HE4xx. I tried the NewMusica ones from amazon and hate them cuz theyre short and the braid is made of plastic.

If from US: Norne Drausk Lite
If from europe: Forza Audioworks Copper Series HPC Mk2

 

[BobSmith8901]

Can anybody recommend good quality upgrade cables for the HE4xx. I tried the NewMusica ones from amazon and hate them cuz theyre short and the braid is made of plastic.

I've been happy with a couple of 16 core copper cables (a 3.5mm single ended and a 2.5mm balanced) from Lunashops. I ordered from their ebay equivalent a couple years ago. Both are high quality, relatively cheap, 40-50 bucks. Nice soft material and quality hardware, no micro-phonics. I use them for my HE4-XX's and HE-X4's both with the dual 3.5mm connectors at the cups.

 

[Philimon]

4XX driver.

 

[Themilkman46290]

Hey guys, I have been enjoying these 4xx so much for the last couple years, so I've decided to ubgrade to the sundara, before I did, I got a used Dx200, bought a brand new amp 8, made a spiffy 4.4mm cable fore the 4xx then plugged it in, I was really enjoying it, I turned on high gain and was really impressed.............
Then it happened, the right side made a nasty crackling noise, then got quite, then it stopped...
I am pretty upset, I only had them 2 years but I now realize why people keep saying qc is not hifiman strong point, I didn't mind the pads coming un glued, I didn't mind having to fix the 3.5mm on the cup, and I had no issues fixing the headband twice.....


But I realize that buying a pair of sundaras doesn't make sense, it maybe good but I understand it won't last long.

It's really a shame.. I really loved them

So now I am looking to replace them, and I am in the market for another planer that can compete with the 4xx
Can anyone recommend some other planars that compete with the he4xx or sundars
At similar price point?

I don't like dark or overly bassy. I prefer open (allready have a modded m565c)


Thanks

 

[PROblemdetected]

Hey guys, I have been enjoying these 4xx so much for the last couple years, so I've decided to ubgrade to the sundara, before I did, I got a used Dx200, bought a brand new amp 8, made a spiffy 4.4mm cable fore the 4xx then plugged it in, I was really enjoying it, I turned on high gain and was really impressed.............
Then it happened, the right side made a nasty crackling noise, then got quite, then it stopped...
I am pretty upset, I only had them 2 years but I now realize why people keep saying qc is not hifiman strong point, I didn't mind the pads coming un glued, I didn't mind having to fix the 3.5mm on the cup, and I had no issues fixing the headband twice.....


But I realize that buying a pair of sundaras doesn't make sense, it maybe good but I understand it won't last long.

It's really a shame.. I really loved them

So now I am looking to replace them, and I am in the market for another planer that can compete with the 4xx
Can anyone recommend some other planars that compete with the he4xx or sundars
At similar price point?

I don't like dark or overly bassy. I prefer open (allready have a modded m565c)


Thanks

Hi mate, an ex-user of 4xx.

Im recomending right now, if u are from europe, Sash Tres, a handmade 106mm planar from ukraine. Its around the price of sundara's an for my taste it gives u so much more.

He4xx its a great planar, maybe better than sundara in some areas, but TRES is better in all ranges (maybe its less comfy than hifiman's)

Another option could be the new deva pros...

 

[Themilkman46290]

Hi mate, an ex-user of 4xx.

Im recomending right now, if u are from europe, Sash Tres, a handmade 106mm planar from ukraine. Its around the price of sundara's an for my taste it gives u so much more.

He4xx its a great planar, maybe better than sundara in some areas, but TRES is better in all ranges (maybe its less comfy than hifiman's)

Another option could be the new deva pros...

Any idea how they are on longevity? QC?

 

[SolaVirtus]

Hey guys, I have been enjoying these 4xx so much for the last couple years, so I've decided to ubgrade to the sundara, before I did, I got a used Dx200, bought a brand new amp 8, made a spiffy 4.4mm cable fore the 4xx then plugged it in, I was really enjoying it, I turned on high gain and was really impressed.............
Then it happened, the right side made a nasty crackling noise, then got quite, then it stopped...
I am pretty upset, I only had them 2 years but I now realize why people keep saying qc is not hifiman strong point, I didn't mind the pads coming un glued, I didn't mind having to fix the 3.5mm on the cup, and I had no issues fixing the headband twice.....


But I realize that buying a pair of sundaras doesn't make sense, it maybe good but I understand it won't last long.

It's really a shame.. I really loved them

So now I am looking to replace them, and I am in the market for another planer that can compete with the 4xx
Can anyone recommend some other planars that compete with the he4xx or sundars
At similar price point?

I don't like dark or overly bassy. I prefer open (allready have a modded m565c)


Thanks

Check out DCA's AEon - probably Open X or RT Open. The OG Flows (non-RT) might be worth a look too. They're a little pricier than Sundaras. Build quality is great. Not easily detachable pads is a downside, but they're super comfortable and sound awesome when adequately driven.

 

[Themilkman46290]

I checked out the sash tres, checks all the right boxes but there is no website, only a face book, and I stopped using Facebook about a year and a half ago

 

[PROblemdetected]

I checked out the sash tres, checks all the right boxes but there is no website, only a face book, and I stopped using Facebook about a year and a half ago

U could find sash on this forum, on the post of the sash tres. But I recommend u to contact with him via fb, it will made the things easier.

About aeon recommendation, Ive got the original aeom flow, and they got some similarities with He4xx, but they are so much more expensive.

 

[PROblemdetected]

Any idea how they are on longevity? QC?

They are builded to the infinite. All parts are easily replaceable, meanwhile sash maintain the store open. U could open them, try new damper materials, or just new pads.

 

[Themilkman46290]

Sounds really tempting, I sent him a message.

If all is good, I think I maybe purchase them in the next month or 2

 

[kyotousa]

Why would you trust an individual builder who could decide hang it up anytime than manufacture for warranty types of issue is beyond me.
Did you even try to ask HifiMan to repair HE4XX?

 

[Themilkman46290]

Why would you trust an individual builder who could decide hang it up anytime than manufacture for warranty types of issue is beyond me.
Did you even try to ask HifiMan to repair HE4XX?

Well, I can explain this fairly easily, even though I did love my he4xx.
If you study economics and related subjects, you would realize that large companies invest alot in planned obsolescence and marketing, where small boutique manufacturers tend to be better quality.
people said hifiman had terrible QC, I don't think they do, but it was amazing how one earpad came un glued after 2 years, then a month later the other pad came unglued, so I fixed them, then the headband broke, so I fixed that, then the other side of the headband broke, so I fixed it, then the right driver sizzled and crapped out, I don't have warranty, so it's fairly easy to see that it was not made to last longer then 2-3 years.
Then the plastics become frail, the glues begin to dry and since I am out of warranty then my only option is to buy another pair (exactly what the genius company executives hope for)
This model stands for any major company
Planned obsolescence is how most big companies design there products.
It's funny that even tho it was first invented by an American economist, it seems most Americans are oblivious to it, though its the reason why we are now close to environmental disaster (pollution caused by planned obsolescence)
Like apple, first they use a slightly smaller battery, then they removed the 3.5mm, so you are forced into Bluetooth (meanwhile Apple lobbies to take away the right to repair) so you will need 2 charges a day, that's roughly 600 cycles in a year, on a battery that starts breaking down at 500 charge cycles and to make it worst, they add so much glue that it's barely fixable.

So by supporting Apple I show the market that they can make more money by following apple, and we all end up with crappy over priced phones, that are difficult to fix and need replacing every 2 years.....
Like my precious he4xx. It was my first planar, I love it, I was ready to purchase the Sundaras.
But QC is an issue, there glue won't last longer then 2-3 years, and the membrane can fry at any moment (I was only pushing around 600mw when it happened)
So because hifiman has done so well at making sure there cheaper headphones don't last too long, and I am not a rich man, I am considering the boutique headphones, yes you are right, they can simply close shop, but if I can purchase a replacement diaphragm (hifiman does not do this) and since it was not built with planned obsolescence then it it's much higher value, not to mention that with small boutique goods you get better materials vs mass produced cheap plastic headphones that will end up in a landfill, killing the environment, little by little

You see, a large corporation knows it can make mistakes, they now that for every bad review they can generate 20 good ones, they know that marketing is king.
But a small boutique can't afford a mistake.
I understand we have been trained to beleive big corporations make better products, while small companies are not dependable.
So as much as I had my heart set on Sundaras, I don't want to pay 450 dollars for something that will crap out a year or 2 after warranty (extremely common issue for all hifiman models)
So by not purchasing another hifiman, I will be showing this company that it has made a mistake, and maybe it will fix it. Or I could be like most sheeple and buy the same headphones again and again..........

If only people understood........


And before you tell me I am wrong, my wife is an analyst, she literally studied this exact types of topics, and I am a production artist (I have extensive knowledge of materials, including plastics, chemicals like glue and paints, fixatives, woods, metals etc.)
So, some plastics go brittle after 2-3 years (has to do with the chemicals used to soften and type of plastic) cheap glues dry after a year or 2
But the fact that everything failed in a 4 month period means that this was planned