HiFiMan HE4XX
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ronfifer
100+ Head-Fier
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anyone tried this headphone on the pseudo-balanced XLR output of the SMSL SP200 amp using balanced cables? If yes, did you notice any improvement?
bagwell359
Headphoneus Supremus
pseudo? No. Rewired for balanced - on a Rag 1 and made no real difference. They don't scale. Beginner planar, much like the Sundara or 400.
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bagwell359
Headphoneus Supremus
Planned obsolescence? I call it cutting expenses and paying attention to the core product. HFM is driver first. Excepting HEK and Susvara which have somewhat upgraded materials. All my HFM (listed below) have crappy cables, pads... the good ones are worth modifying.
Some outfits go w fancy rare wood cups, general appearance, quality to name a few. Personally driver first makes the most sense.
I own/owned these HFM products: 400, 4xx, 500, 5LE, 5se, HEX v2, 6se v1. No QA or obsolescence has befallen and the 500 is 9 years old and 5LE 13.
Some outfits go w fancy rare wood cups, general appearance, quality to name a few. Personally driver first makes the most sense.
I own/owned these HFM products: 400, 4xx, 500, 5LE, 5se, HEX v2, 6se v1. No QA or obsolescence has befallen and the 500 is 9 years old and 5LE 13.
ronfifer
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anyone noticed bass bleeding on the HE4XX? when gaming competitively, explosions mask all other sounds when they happen and i have to wait for them to fade away so i can hear footsteps and treble-based details again.
The Dekoni pads are a lot more comfortable than I expected. They looked too thick from pics but no theyre actually close to stock dimensions. And the shape contours the head better.
Edit: Dekoni foam is softer than stock and compresses easier. I think in use the Dekoni depth dimension might actually be shallower than stock when combined with clamp. Dekoni just more comfy.
Edit: Dekoni foam is softer than stock and compresses easier. I think in use the Dekoni depth dimension might actually be shallower than stock when combined with clamp. Dekoni just more comfy.
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bagwell359
Headphoneus Supremus
I wouldn't call it bass bleeding. I call it poorly damped bass. You can somewhat fix it. Dynamat better than tack. Not as good as sorbothane but stays stuck. On the outer side, at the edge of the rim. 60% coverage 3 pieces interspersed with space.
Attached are some eq tweaks with Loki+.
4XX and 6XX are great as complimentary headphones (with eq + mods). Used prices are great making these headphone very good value which is very satisfying. I would argue that retail prices are still great value as well but getting them used for cheap is oh so sweet.
*For graph legend: DEH Loki+ = Dekoni hybrid elite pads, and Loki+ is not active despite the name, it was just what I named the save file. The other two measurements are with Loki+ activated.
My advice: EQ is a must otherwise audiophile hobby is a pita.
4XX and 6XX are great as complimentary headphones (with eq + mods). Used prices are great making these headphone very good value which is very satisfying. I would argue that retail prices are still great value as well but getting them used for cheap is oh so sweet.
*For graph legend: DEH Loki+ = Dekoni hybrid elite pads, and Loki+ is not active despite the name, it was just what I named the save file. The other two measurements are with Loki+ activated.
My advice: EQ is a must otherwise audiophile hobby is a pita.
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4xx definitely needs eq and is a great phone witn movies. Although I am sennheisser fan myself I thoroughly enjoy an eqed 4xx with my es100 and LDAC codec from my firestick 4k MAX.
4xx is an underestimated headphone I believe.
4xx is an underestimated headphone I believe.
Yeah, without eq they were barely listenable for me. Fatigue would set in after about 5 minutes. But with eq, they are quite an acceptable entry-level planar. Good enough to make me want to start climbing the Hifiman lineup.
Next stop for me from the Sundara, which are much better than the 4xx IMO, are either the Ananda, EXS or Arya. Haven't decided yet.
What's so wrong about them, that EQ is a must? What do you EQ in them?
There's nothing inherently wrong with them. For the price, they're not bad at all. Just unlistenable for me because of the fatigue they caused for me. I'm definitely a proponent of using eq in general anyway for dialing in your preferred sound signature.
I'm not sure exactly how I eq'ed them because it's been quite some time since I had them, but I'm pretty sure I had to reduce them 2 or 3dB in the 4 to 8kHz range. I also suffer from tinnitus in my right ear, so that compounds the problem.
bagwell359
Headphoneus Supremus
They don't scale:
* going from meh DAP to Rag 1
* going from SE to Val did nothing (on the Rag every other can shows the large diff)
* very good pads made no difference
* upgraded cable - nothing.
Other issues:
* little low bass
* mid bass sloppy and underdamped
* mids lack def and depth
* soundstage a blob
* treble often harsh and lacks subtley
The good:
* headband pretty decent
* decent outdoor can on a DAP because it's cheap and efficient
* EQ helps a bit, but the XS, HE-500, HE-6se walk all over them. Need a real amp to drive the last two.
When I say it needs eq we can take that also as a compliment. It means it behaves well under eq especially the bass.
When I first bought them they were terrible for 20-45 minutes and then they were very good in my old main set up even without eq. (Fastest burning effect ever)
But the bass improves a lot with eq especially on a Bluetooth device like es100 and for watching movies it makes a serious impact. Now I cannot revert back to the previous setting.
I have seen decent improvements with a 35£ balanced cable and from more powerful amps (xcan etc.). I personally love so much the sennheiser sound signature but for some kind of music like instrumental I find these cans more technical and better.
When I bought the 4xx it was the only available cheap decent planar. Nowadays maybe does not make a lot of sense to invest on these ( I do not know I have never tried a more expensive planar) when i see the price of sundara at 250£ sometimes but i personally i do not have the time and cannot be bother to upgrade.
When I first bought them they were terrible for 20-45 minutes and then they were very good in my old main set up even without eq. (Fastest burning effect ever)
But the bass improves a lot with eq especially on a Bluetooth device like es100 and for watching movies it makes a serious impact. Now I cannot revert back to the previous setting.
I have seen decent improvements with a 35£ balanced cable and from more powerful amps (xcan etc.). I personally love so much the sennheiser sound signature but for some kind of music like instrumental I find these cans more technical and better.
When I bought the 4xx it was the only available cheap decent planar. Nowadays maybe does not make a lot of sense to invest on these ( I do not know I have never tried a more expensive planar) when i see the price of sundara at 250£ sometimes but i personally i do not have the time and cannot be bother to upgrade.
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