While Hifiman is a great company with great products for those that dig it (not for me though), 3 things I hope Hifiman can improve on is consistency and quality across the builds of there headphones given the vast amount of various revisions there have been and this goes for Audeze as well but again planar magnetic transducers are a hard thing to get right consistently as well. The third thing I do wish for Hifiman and HE audio to do is release a brand new Jade successor/new electrostatic headphone.
The HiFiMan line of headphones may not be for everyone. I just so happen to like the majority of headphones in the line up. HE-6, HE-5LE, HE-500 and the HE-4. so I guess you can say - They're for me.
For me - I will pick any of these I listed over the LCD-2.2. The LCD-3s are a different story. FOTM - no way, these bad boys are here to stay.
FOTM? More like flavor of the decade, HiFiman has been around for more than 6 years and it's products have received consistently positive reviews. Personally i only like the RE0 and the RE262 but the headphones have been very well received around here as well. I found the HE400 too sibilant, the HE500 too heavy (coming from a HD650...) and the HE6 too hard to drive but if those limitations work for you, you will like the sound and they are one of the few orthodynamic manufacturers around, and the others are a lot more expensive.
No, certainly not FOTM by any standard. The real question for me, is where they will go with their success. How long do they wait until they release a new product? Will it be a refresh of the current product or something that pushes the envelope?
Will HFM address the issue with the pads given the current trend in the modding community to make something more acceptable? Hmmm....
^ ok, how about a floorstanding speaker using planar tech. Stax tried it and failed (was unsustainable, still a great speaker though) you know, for when i get tired of headphones or want to share a song?
Magneplanar speakers use that technology; many consider them to be excellent speakers. See http://www.magnepan.com For the past 10 years, my own reference system has included Magneplanar MMGs; it also has a 1987 NAD amplifier and a Pioneer universal (SACD/CD/DVD-A) player. Electrostatic speakers also exist. Possibly the most famous non-hybrid electrostatic speaker maker is Quad:http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/Index.aspx?lang=En There are also several manufactures of hybrid dynamic-electrostatic speakers, such as Martin-Logan: http://www.martinlogan.com
Interesting. It's kinda good to see some negative feedback about the t50rp and the mods. I'll be finding that out for myself soon, but apparently a lot of headfiers don't agree. Now I'm even more interested to find out!
It's interesting to read about the he-400's being overhyped, especially given that they are an entry-level planar targeted at mainstream listeners using budget gear & lossy tracks. For that demographic, they are pretty solid - and introduce a new audience to the HiFiMan brand, if not planar-magnetic technology. Look... the HE-400's can't compete against flagships, they don't feature stellar technicalities, and they won't scale well with better gear.
But they don't have to do those things; that's not their intent.
Related: It's difficult to set expectations on a $399 pair of planar magnetic headphones.
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