HiFiMAN: Here to stay or FOTM?
Apr 5, 2013 at 10:02 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 69
semicoln

semicoln

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Hello all,

It seems like every head-fier and their mom is talking about Hifiman these days, especially the HE-400 and HE-500. Lots of noodles are being eaten and pennies are being scrounged for these it seems. Are they here to stay or a flash in the pan? Discuss...
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 10:09 PM Post #2 of 69
I can't say about the two you mention but the 6s have been my favorite since inception, only challenged by the HD 800 and the LCD-3.

Pardon to the Stat mafia of course.......:xf_eek:
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 10:20 PM Post #3 of 69
I thought HE400 and 500 have been around for a while now. Before that there was/is the HE6 as well.
 
I'd like to give the HE500 a try but am concerned about the infamous ortho weight.
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 10:26 PM Post #4 of 69
I think they're gonna stick around for a bit. The HE-400 seemed to be FOTM still when I bought them 8 months ago and they've still got traction now. There may be FOTMs for different models, but I think HiFiMAN is going to keep producing new models and keep selling them for a while.
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 10:44 PM Post #5 of 69
sound....comfort...price/value.....quality of make...
these top cans will be measured against such criteria over time,
and how they match the users' tastes.
 
i am still waiting for a comfortable...light...well made...medium priced can( <$500)
that has some/sub bass...big soundstage...clean highs.. captivating mids,
guess i am asking for the world.
(ok, i am settling down to a hd650...n tweaking from there.)
 
ksc75smile.gif

 
 
when i had the he5, the sound was a treat...
but the earpad attachment, the metal hinges, n fit on my head
put a caution on my reaching out for the latter models.
 
the LCDs are just too heavy... n $heavy on my pocket.
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 10:50 PM Post #9 of 69
Hifiman has produced a lot of FOTM products in the past; I wouldn't be surprised if many of their current offerings suffer the same fate. They seem to be selling a lot, though, so I'm sure the potential is there for the company to start building up credibility by beginning to produce products that are well thought out from the beginning, and don't have reliability issues or need a lot of revisions to get right.
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 11:04 PM Post #11 of 69
Quote:
semicoln said:
Haha well I realize that "the month" doesn't literally mean a month and can in fact be several months. Like "15 mins of fame".
Click to expand...

Does 2 years still count within the relaxed definition of "the month"? Because that's how long HE500 has been respected in the headphone community.
 
Don't forget HE6, that's long since earned its spot in summit-fi.
 
I think the only thing you are questioning with this thread is whether or not HE400 might be overhyped. It's not FOTM because it is definitely extremely competitive in the price bracket, but yeah sure it could be overhyped because of the sheer volume of new audiophiles being funneled into getting them, and having a huge jump in sound from their previous entry-level cans.
 
Apr 5, 2013 at 11:15 PM Post #15 of 69
There's no question there was an extraordinary amount of hype surrounding hifiman and audeze when they first ventured into the market only few years ago.  Audeze came out in flying colors sporting a fresh new prototype that had the best measurements anybody had seen before.  After a couple years though I think it's safe to say that everybody accepts them and their products as very well performing.  They're both still occasionally suffering growing pains and product reliability issues, but the both of them can still only grow and get better.  I don't foresee either taking a turn for the worst.
 
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