[tdockweiler]

Quote:

8400 are very promising! ... The 6400 aren't that fantastic though not bad. Put some impressions in the 8400-thread. Feel welcome to comment! 
 
Was nice to get a chance to compare them side by side. From the measurements at Innerfidelity, the 6400 indeed seemed to be the better headphone and I almost ordered them. Thank goodness I didn't since this was not the case at all however based on today's experience. 

 
Just comes down to which one is better for your favorite music

It seems most now prefer the 8400, but not me!
I still do think any who listen to metal, classical or acoustic music should be better with the 8400.
Felt the 6400 had the edge when it came to vocals, but again, I use these just for fun and not as a studio monitor.
The 6400 also did a little bit better for gaming, but highly unlikely anyone would buy them for that!
I think in my reviews I always said that for studio use, I'd always pick the 8400. It IS technically better.
 
As I've said before in another post, it's like comparing the K501 vs the K702, but the differences are even minor. Some will pick the K702 and others the K501.
I guess for those on a budget and can't fork over the extra $50, the 6400 isn't a huge drop in sound quality. At least not for me.
The second main reason overall I prefer the 6400 is that it's mids sounded far more forward. I love my forward sounding mids, even if makes it less neutral!
The mids on the 8400 were a tad relaxed for me. Not recessed or not forward sounding. One review I read called them "scooped out" and this makes no sense to me!

 

[electropop]

Hmm, as I said I didn't pay that much attention to the forwardness of the mids, but the 8400 were much more clear to me and at least seemed as forward. Don't know though... The 8400 had a bit more tone to them. I'm not sure how to say this, since they didn't seem "fuller" per se, but maybe are just able to more accurately present reverberations and such. Thus, at least the brass section I listened to, was MUCH more engaging for me with the 8400. Didn't listen to vocals though, so can't comment
 
I've probably said this before, but using vocals to test mid-range is quite interesting. People who evaluate tv's look at skin tone as well. But one would think that absolute color performance would contain absolute skin tone reproduction as well... I don't know if it's right to use this as a metaphor to pitch accuracy. Kind of makes sense though: shades of color vs. pitches of sound spectrum. But it's also funny, that it doesn't guarantee musical bliss even though when a headphone measures seemingly perfect. Maybe there's issues we can't completely extrapolate from the tests... Auditory masking, etc.
 
Go figure 

 

[Mooe]

I just got these yesterday and I have to say that Daft Punk have never been heard better!

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I just got these yesterday and I have to say that Daft Punk have never been heard better!

I also love them for any type of ambient music. Stuff like Helios and Boards of Canada.
It seems like ambient music loves a headphone with tons of detail and a clear sound.
 
BTW the Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides CD sound pretty good on these too.
 

 

[Mooe]

Quote:

I also love them for any type of ambient music. Stuff like Helios and Boards of Canada.
It seems like ambient music loves a headphone with tons of detail and a clear sound.
 
BTW the Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides CD sound pretty good on these too.
 

I'll try it out thanks
 

 

[stolid]

How does the 6400 compare with Grado 60i ?
 
Edit: I ask because i am not a producer or anything just buying purely for pleasure of listening to music...so i was wondering if my purchase of 6400s was valid or should i have gone for something else...
 
(thought ill just edit this post instead of creating a new one)

 

[soundstige]

I've owned the Grado SR125i previously and the KNS 6400 are a bit better, IMO.
 
Quote:

How does the 6400 compare with Grado 60i ?

 

 

[tdockweiler]

Here's MalveauX's review of the KRK KNS-6400 for those that are interested:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/krk-kns6400-studio-headphones/reviews/5632
 
You will either find out if you will possibly love them or HATE them based on this review.
Of course demo them both at Guitar Center if you can.
 
Their sound isn't for everyone. I guess I just really love studio monitors like this and lots of detail

 
 
 
 
 

 

[Reticuli2]

There's is definitely either something wrong with the discrepencies between the Headroom and Innerfidelity response graphs, or there is a huge variation in the production units.  I'm also troubled at how easy it is on Tyll's measurements to lose the low end just based on positioning for a closed headphone.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

There's is definitely either something wrong with the discrepencies between the Headroom and Innerfidelity response graphs, or there is a huge variation in the production units.  I'm also troubled at how easy it is on Tyll's measurements to lose the low end just based on positioning for a closed headphone.

Heya,
 
There's a lot more to the actual sound of a headphone than the graph, for sure. Lots of weird variations exist that do not correlate with their frequency response graphs. Some seem to correlate very well. But several do not even come close. We just happen to have a good example of the graph being basically wrong in terms of what your perceived sound is going to be.
 
Here's something wild to look at:
 

 
Please note, I'm not comparing these headphones at all as they are not at all like each other or even in the same tier. I'm simply comparing graphs of headphones that I know the sound of very well as I have them. Notice the KNS6400's response shows it's actually well pronounced and very much similar to what a D2000 and the HE-500 have for bass response. Well, my point is, the sound is anything but that. The amount of bass coming out of the HE-500 is huge, warm, lush and full. The D2000's bass is authoritative down that low and very full. The KNS6400's bass just doesn't do that. At all.
 
I can only chalk it up to graph error or housing interface acoustics or something.
 
Very best,
 

 

[Reticuli2]

Good grief my headphone jacks suck.  Thank goodness I'm getting an O2.
 
O.k.  It's definitely the source and headphone amp at fault.  I just tried one of my room mates' Denon AVR-591 receiver and it's not bright or lacking in deep bass at all.  Not boomy, but very deep, musical, acoustically-correct lows with Time Warner music channels.  Startling.  It sounds flat and controlled to me now, in that way that really good subs and very high end amps in combo can sound when put in a proper space.  Not boomy, but pure.  I know none of the other jacks *should* work, and they don't.  Also, the laptop's DAC, the Syba USB dongle, and the Sansa Clip's DAC are all really harsh.  The Cowan U5's is fine, but the jack is no where up to snuff so the DAC on it can't sing quite like it should.  The Denon sounds like a higher grade U5 with a proper jack.  I can conclude now I have no clue how the Emu actually sounds, I don't think, because its jack can't really translate its DAC, either.  The Denon, by the way, uses "AK4358VQ x 2 per channel differential".  High end performance from a home theater amp.  I would bet money the jack on it HAS to be low impedance, not to mention surprising reserves to drive very loud without distortion or compression.
 
I would still like to know how the graphs above can be so different.  Maybe the only way to confirm anything would be to send Tyll another pair of 6400s to confirm there is consistency in the units.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

  Maybe the only way to confirm anything would be to send Tyll another pair of 6400s to confirm there is consistency in the units.

You know I'm a sucker for that stuff.
 

 

[NA Blur]

Quote:

Heya,
 
There's a lot more to the actual sound of a headphone than the graph, for sure. Lots of weird variations exist that do not correlate with their frequency response graphs. Some seem to correlate very well. But several do not even come close. We just happen to have a good example of the graph being basically wrong in terms of what your perceived sound is going to be.
 
Here's something wild to look at:
 

 
Please note, I'm not comparing these headphones at all as they are not at all like each other or even in the same tier. I'm simply comparing graphs of headphones that I know the sound of very well as I have them. Notice the KNS6400's response shows it's actually well pronounced and very much similar to what a D2000 and the HE-500 have for bass response. Well, my point is, the sound is anything but that. The amount of bass coming out of the HE-500 is huge, warm, lush and full. The D2000's bass is authoritative down that low and very full. The KNS6400's bass just doesn't do that. At all.
 
I can only chalk it up to graph error or housing interface acoustics or something.
 
Very best,
 

I agree, but I certainly utilize the graphs to ensure what I should be hearing.  If for example you do not hear bass on the AH-D2000 and the graphs shows an upward tilt there then there probably is something wrong in the setup somewhere.  Even the 50Hz sign wave response is not tremendously bad aside from the dip in the middle for the 6400.  I am going to have to pick up a pair and give them a listen.  Perhaps, like you have mentioned, there are differences from unit to unit as it appears to be an audible lack of bass regardless of what the graphs tell us.

 

[Reticuli2]

I guess I must have just volunteered.  All right, I'll send it off.  Tell myself I'm burning them in for a week.  You want me to send some other cans to you, too?  I've got the isolation moddified HD25s, the Extreme Isolations, and a pair of Sporta Pros, if you haven't got any of them yet.  And have you gotten ahold of the ER4S?  I know you had the ER4T.  Give the word and I'll ship whatever you want off and paypal the cost of shipping back to the address you used last time.  Then I'll have to learn to enjoy the Fostex for a month.
Quote:

You know I'm a sucker for that stuff.
 

 

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Cool. Um, put what you want in the box and I'll measure it!