[MrTie84]

I keep going back and forth, but my gut says when we elevate treble region on this driver too much it sounds harsh to my ears. I hate the over ripe mids and 4.5khz spike aggravation that the stock pad gives, but I'm not totally in love with the treble presentation or effect on Bass impact(not level) that the vegan gives. I seem to find my favorite FR with ALOT of rear damping to account for the HF drop off with pads outside of the vegan, however that's not a free lunch scenario either, as it def makes the can sound more "wall-of-sound"/closed in. If nothing else I love how responsive this driver is to tinkering.

 

[fpantalone]

So I am looking for a headphone in or around $300 and so far I am looking at 1) HiFiMAN HE400S new for $300. 2)Monolith m1060 also for $300. 3)HiFiMan HE400i factory refurbished for $230.
Any suggestions? Even other headphones around this price range?

I have some excellent used 400s in the for sale section here ...

 

[Sgnardellis]

Ok. Still burning in my pair. Going on day 2 of round the clock playing zipped in their case so as to not piss off the dog. They sound amazing. I've done the paper towel mod with a single layer, about tissue thickness, of black party napkin on top for aesthetics. Here's my issue. The cups squeak when rotated and while on my head, the left earcup where the yolk meets the headband creaks. I've also had the caps atop the nut that holds the headband to the yolk come off. For good measure I hot glued them as a temporary fix. Anyone have a similar issue? Know of anyway to fix?

 

[VRacer-111]

I keep going back and forth, but my gut says when we elevate treble region on this driver too much it sounds harsh to my ears. I hate the over ripe mids and 4.5khz spike aggravation that the stock pad gives, but I'm not totally in love with the treble presentation or effect on Bass impact(not level) that the vegan gives. I seem to find my favorite FR with ALOT of rear damping to account for the HF drop off with pads outside of the vegan, however that's not a free lunch scenario either, as it def makes the can sound more "wall-of-sound"/closed in. If nothing else I love how responsive this driver is to tinkering.

Thinking aloud here, what about an attenuator plate inserted into the back portion of the pads like has been done with pads on the Fostex TH-X00's? Been thinking about trying this out, though may be hard to keep from increasing the bass qty too much. Maybe perforated plate...hmmmm. Lots of things to experiment with... one of the reasons I picked these up was having a can that was easy to mod with.

 

[Marlowe]

Since I just received a $204 Amazon gift card credit for trading in several items I no longer used (about 2/3 from a wireless Sennheiser RS185), Monoprice's Amazon pay option looked very tempting. However, when I tested it (was not ready to buy yet), using my Amazon account on Monoprice gave no option for using a gift card.

 

[juanix]

I'm interested in the Audeze Earpads mod, but I'm worried about removing the pads. They appear glued on. Will swapping pads require me to reapply glue every time? I have the V2.

I'll try the paper towel mod once I've hit the 100 hour mark.

In terms of what these mods do, I'm not really interested in more treble and bass if it causes the mids to be recessed. I have the TH-900s and those have all the treble and bass I need. I looked at these headphones as "easy listening" since they flatten that treble down. Just wondering if these mods will cause the sound to be sharper and ear-piercing (on some songs).

 

[fpantalone]

Ok. Still burning in my pair. Going on day 2 of round the clock playing zipped in their case so as to not piss off the dog. They sound amazing. I've done the paper towel mod with a single layer, about tissue thickness, of black party napkin on top for aesthetics. Here's my issue. The cups squeak when rotated and while on my head, the left earcup where the yolk meets the headband creaks. I've also had the caps atop the nut that holds the headband to the yolk come off. For good measure I hot glued them as a temporary fix. Anyone have a similar issue? Know of anyway to fix?

If you carefully squeeze the nut cover (the open end) with pliers, just a tiny bit, they should force-fit on. That's what I did with V1 1060's and it worked fine. Of course cover with cloth first so no damage done.

 

[Sgnardellis]

Good suggestion. Any idea how to tighten that joint? My left one wobbles but I can't seem to get it to tighten.

It's frustrating, but I'd hate to return working cans for some squeaks. Maybe I'll be tempted to replace everything from the cups up with the entire LCD-3 headband mechanism. $130, but maybe safer for long lifetime use.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

I am not a 100% sure but is the new 2.5mm connector type for the M1060 the same ones used on something like the HD700, Oppo pm1 and 2? I am sorry if It has been addressed already have not had time to go through every page in thread.

 

[fpantalone]

Good suggestion. Any idea how to tighten that joint? My left one wobbles but I can't seem to get it to tighten.

It's frustrating, but I'd hate to return working cans for some squeaks. Maybe I'll be tempted to replace everything from the cups up with the entire LCD-3 headband mechanism. $130, but maybe safer for long lifetime use.

It's a very 'inexpensive' design. Crap actually ... Just have to live with it I think.

 

[RojasTKD]

Just got my M1060 and gave a quick listen. Here are my initial impressions:

- Found them a little on the bright side.
- They sounded pretty good but I wasn't blown away.
- Vocal seems to have an "edge" to them, not sure how to describe it.
- I felt as these was some grain or somehow lacking clarity. Maybe it's just adjusting to the new headphone.
- I do see promise in these.
-I'm content with the build quality, though I do find the gimbal (I think that's what it's called) a little thinner than I'd like.
- They also double as desktop speaker... lol they leak a lot more sound then my HE-500s.

I'm not a big believer in burn in. I know I can have a different opinion on second and third listen with or without burn in, but will burn them in today regardless, as to not incur the wrath of those here.

The Audeze pad I ordered from B&H are back ordered, so I wont have those for some time. But I hope they make as big a difference as suggested here.

 

[RojasTKD]

So I am looking for a headphone in or around $300 and so far I am looking at 1) HiFiMAN HE400S new for $300. 2)Monolith m1060 also for $300. 3)HiFiMan HE400i factory refurbished for $230.
Any suggestions? Even other headphones around this price range?

My understanding is that the 400S is a planar headphone that lacks the planar bass, kinda defeating the point. So it not really interested me.

Having owned the 400i and having just gotten the M1060 (literally an hour ago), I think it's a tough call. That price for the 400i is pretty good.

I remember listening to the HE-400i for the first time and thinking, "wow, sounds so clear". Something I didn't experience with the M1060. Maybe it's because I was new to "good" headphones and they where my first planars. Who knows?

I know some will be quick to say M1060, but I think a lot of that is due the the excitement and hype of the moment. Not that it's not warranted, heck I've bought into it to some degree. I just like to be more objected and not swayed by the excitement of the moment.

Also not having heard what the Vegan + paper towel mod can do, I can't say I've heard the M1060 at what many consider their best.

 

[SirZalez]

Just got my M1060 and gave a quick listen. Here are my initial impressions:

- Found them a little on the bright side.
- They sounded pretty good but I wasn't blown away.
- Vocal seems to have an "edge" to them, not sure how to describe it.
- I felt as these was some grain or somehow lacking clarity. Maybe it's just adjusting to the new headphone.
- I do see promise in these.
-I'm content with the build quality, though I do find the gimbal (I think that's what it's called) a little thinner than I'd like.
- They also double as desktop speaker... lol they leak a lot more sound then my HE-500s.

I'm not a big believer in burn in. I know I can have a different opinion on second and third listen with or without burn in, but will burn them in today regardless, as to not incur the wrath of those here.

The Audeze pad I ordered from B&H are back ordered, so I wont have those for some time. But I hope they make as big a difference as suggested here.

Same here man. I wasn't blown away by them either. IDK maybe my ear is not there yet but I was hoping to be wow'ed by them. Either way I left them playing all night and today to burn them in. I'm a beginner in the audio space but I been into Video for awhile and TVs do change in color saturation after multiple hours of viewing.. So maybe there something there...

 

[Rider2403]

i would say give them some time, at first i really liked them but was like, well, the hype is somewhat real, i don't know what happened but by the third day the bass was there, this smooth bass on the background was just singing to me, the vocals sounded better (there's still this weird ringing on high female voices i think due to the pleather pads) and the highs didn't felt as harsh, so call it burn in or placebo, but they in fact sound a lot better to me after some time

 

[RojasTKD]

Same here man. I wasn't blown away by them either. IDK maybe my ear is not there yet but I was hoping to be wow'ed by them. Either way I left them playing all night and today to burn them in. I'm a beginner in the audio space but I been into Video for awhile and TVs do change in color saturation after multiple hours of viewing.. So maybe there something there...

i would say give them some time, at first i really liked them but was like, well, the hype is somewhat real, i don't know what happened but by the third day the bass was there, this smooth bass on the background was just singing to me, the vocals sounded better (there's still this weird ringing on high female voices i think due to the pleather pads) and the highs didn't felt as harsh, so call it burn in or placebo, but they in fact sound a lot better to me after some time

Already gave a second listen and my impression has already improved. Honestly, this happens often with or without burn-in, so I think "brain/ear adjustment" is also a thing.

I'm not saying burn-in has no effect at all, just that it's likely more subtle and and far less then many give it credit for. I think "brain adjustment" plays as much if not a bigger role, it probably some combination of the two.

It like when you go to the gym and to a chest press for the first time. It hard to stabilize the weight and keep it controlled. But by the second set you body adjust and the second set is much better. At least I think so.

I look forward to trying the Audeze pad + PT upgrade.