Of just about every open back headphone I have tried besides the hd650 these have the smallest soundstage. I don't feel this headphone is in the same league as the hd650 otherwise. Through a bottlehead crack or something like that forget about it. Actually I can't think of an open back I have tried that doesn't perform with more technical prowess. However a lot of them can be grainy, oddly balanced, peaky or in someway offensive. The he400s does have a buttery smooth sound that can be a technical merit all in itself. There is a refinement there a little unusual for its price. It has great midrange balance and smooth highs but otherwise its a just a good headphone at an affordable price that offers a decent amount of fidelity. I don't even think it has above average imaging or instrument separation for its price. In example by 199 pioneer hrm-7 kills in every technical aspect except for that refined smoothness it but its too bright to earn a recommendation over the he-400s. Im not totally knocking the headphone and think its a good buy but since we are on a forum where we nerd out on expressing our opinions, I personally IMO think this headphone doesn't earn its place with higher tier offerings at allll. 249 - 299 is its value nothing more nothing less. A good well spent 249 IMO.
I agree the HD650 can scale up higher. I used to be a really big fan of the HD650, but I actually now prefer the HD600.
I personally feel like the strength of the HD600/HD650 is its sound signature tuning rather than technical aspects. While universally-lauded, I do feel like the technical strengths of the HD600/HD650 do get a bit exaggerated. I do think that there are many other mid-tier headphones have better imaging and soundstage and speed in relative comparison. Detail resolution and midrange smoothness is hard to match for the Sennheisers though. The Sennheiser overall sound signature balance is exceptional and it has great potential with scaling. The HE-400S provides a really similar midrange smoothness and is tuned with a great overall sound signature balance (though differences between the Sennheiser that you can hear while doing direct comparisons). The HE-400S also has different faster presentation. I think it is really more a personal preference thing which one is more suitable and whether you would like to invest in more expensive amplifiers. I can certainly see the aspects where the Sennheisers outperform the HE-400S, but the HE-400S also has some strengths over the Sennheisers as well.
I do think it is interesting how thoughts evolve on headphones. I recall back in the day, the old HE-400 was compared to have better (or at least on the same level) technical attributes in clarity, imaging, soundstage, and speed against the HD650. The HE-400S has a bit less impact & not has hard-hitting attack compared to the HE-400, but I do feel like it does offer better overall performance and much improved overall tuning.
I agree that the HE-400S will have a difficult time outperforming flagships, but with diminishing returns, the amount required to get a real flagship set-up will be more than three times the price point not including an amplifier. I do feel like the HE-400S can compete well against all the sub-$700 pair of headphones. There are some options in the mid-tier category that I would personally pick over the HE-400S, but I think it can hold its own very well with overall technical performance.
I have never heard the hrm-7, so I cannot comment on that. However, I do agree with you that price point does not always correlate with technical performance. For example, I do feel like the Q701 has better imaging and soundstage than almost every other sub-$700 pair of headphones and the Q701 is easily found for $150.
I do personally find that a lot of times there is a mistaken correlation with price point and technical performance, but when you start doing direct comparisons with the same tracks, often times the results are quite surprising. I do think that many of the options I talked about have quite a lot of merit and there will definitely be people who have different preferences compared to me.
Thank you for expressing your perspective. Very interesting thoughts that I really enjoyed hearing.
After reading several mostly positive reviews on HeadFi and elsewhere, I have come to wonder if it is worth it to shell out three hundred bucks for a set of cans that, as compared to the X2, appear to possess poorer build quality, poorer fit and finish, and absolutely require modding in the form of after-market earpads to wring out the best sound from them. And following the installation of the new pads the new-and-improved sound quality of the 400S is perhaps only slightly better than the X2 and does not represent a major improvement, overall. Ultimately, I have to say I'm not very impressed. Honestly, I would like a set of good planars...and certainly, the price is right with the 400S...but perhaps I will wait a while and see how things shake out before I jump in and buy a pair.
Just depends on what kind of sound signature you like. If you like the richness of the X2 and the emphasis on the lower mids & mid-bass, the HE-400S will likely not be a move in the right direction as they have a thinner overall presentation and a faster sound.
Build quality of the HE-400S is fine. Plastic in the construction, but not flimsy feeling at all. I actually don't think modding is required for these headphones. I personally think the majority of differences in measurements is likely just due to the seal rather than the earpads. there are some people who swear by the focuspads though which are definitely nice earpads. $40 for a set.
). As for the bass, I am not really sure if it really did extend lower, but for me the bass became more cleaner and refined.
