[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't like the scaling excuse. Why? Because EVERY SINGLE HEADPHONE EVER that people like always scales. That is what people will always lead others to believe. There are no exceptions. Whether it's true or not, you are never going to hear unanimously that a Headphone doesn't scale.

 

[obsidyen]

I don't like the scaling excuse. Why? Because EVERY SINGLE HEADPHONE EVER that people like always scales. That is what people will always lead others to believe. There are no exceptions. Whether it's true or not, you are never going to hear unanimously that a Headphone doesn't scale.

I know some people exaggerate but that doesn't make it unreal. For instance, Fidelio X2 sounds very good from the headphone jack of a laptop. It sounds much better from Meridian Explorer2. And it sounds absolutely amazing from iDSD Micro. The base sound character is the same, but Fidelio X2 can take up to 500 mW power and as it gets more power, it becomes a more capable headphone. From iDSD Micro, low end is punchier and tighter, treble is smoother compared to lower tier amps. Also you get much more headroom which provides better dynamics than a smartphone or laptop.
 
In my opinion, iDSD Micro has a very high value/price ratio, one of the highest in my opinion. It's very flexible and very powerful, also it has really pleasant and analog sounding dac chips inside (dual Burr Brown 1793) instead of the digital sounding ESS Sabre chips which I avoid like the plague. The bit-perfect mode of iDSD Micro makes it sound like very smooth sounding high-end audiophile gear, like true AMR products (iFi is a sub-brand of AMR). This is why I recommended this dac/amp to him, I believe he won't need any other amp, ever. iDSD Micro can do it all at a very good price.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'm not saying you're wrong. What I AM saying, is that regardless of any headphone, if it is generally liked, the vast majority of users will say it scales.

"It scales" has become a general term for me, the same as "This headphone is good", because you know people are going to say this, whether you agree it's good or not.

At this point, I just consider it as them liking the additional flavoring of their amp/dac with the particular headphone in question. And as you know, people will always, ALWAYS recommend what they own. There is a tendency to justify what you purchase. Human nature.

As for my gear, I don't personally recommend the X7 as it's a bit lean sounding and I only really recommend it for thick, slower sounding headphones.

 

[obsidyen]

I'm not saying you're wrong. What I AM saying, is that regardless of any headphone, if it is generally liked, the vast majority of users will say it scales.

"It scales" has become a general term for me, the same as "This headphone is good", because you know people are going to say this, whether you agree it's good or not.

I see. I agree that some people exaggerate, as I said before. Some headphones don't scale at all, some do a bit, some scale a lot more. Full size headphones usually scale, even if it's just a bit. That doesn't really show how good that headphone is though. Beyer T90 for instance, scales a lot more than Fidelio X2. It's quite expected given its specs. That said, I prefer Fidelio X2 over T90. It just suits my tastes more, I prefer a more natural, fun sound signature. I wouldn't pay even 100$ for Beyer T90, but there are many people who prefer its sound signature.

 

[jkteddy77]

I'm gonna wait and read some first impressions, and read what everyone thinks of it.
If it truly has the sound signature of the HE400, and is more refined, I am definitley selling my HE-400i for it.
 
He-400i is just too warm for me, I miss the dryer, darker sound of my old HE-400. I'd gladly "Downgrade" to the HE-400s, now that it has the same comfortable design, and the sturdier cable design the He-1000 has .
(Every stock Hifiman cable I've ever used has broken. The He-400i's broke in first 10 days for me... About time they stop simply hot gluing black cables to TRS tips) Example A:https://i.imgur.com/dJ6z4Zu.jpg
 
Those who like the HD650, even the X2, I'd recommend you try the HE-400i. Many call it the "superior 650", very similar. They sound great, just too warm and a tad too boring for me.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Pretty sure the 400s is gonna be warmer than the 400i.

 

[john57]

Now I wonder what the difference between a warm and a dark sounding headphones? I thought my HE400i was a bit on the dry(very tight quick decay) sounding side. 

 

[grizzlybeast]

^^I just think he means thick and slow. Not warm as in bass heavy. Just warm as in inviting and lush.

I am guessing the 400s to have some treble and bass. I'm sure its a single magnet as well. I heard/read that the single planar design doesn't produce as weighty of a bass as the two magnet design. My experience though is that the he 400 and 500 hurt my ears(not just because of its balance, the driver design was painful..dont know how to put it), but not the he6, he4, and he560. I hope this one isn't fatiguing and has clean and fast treble.

Its a bit confusing, yet kinda exciting that Hifiman has so many releases. Hopefully this one is some sort of a classic or one that stays in production for a while.

 

[jkteddy77]

Hmm, I would think that it will have a different signature than the 400i and 560 have.
Being a lower cost, it likely won't be as neutral or lush, which is what I actually preferred with the 400. Thicker, lusher drivers are almost always more expensive to produce. I'm sure it will have more of a fun sound to it like the original 400 had.
Guess we won't know til next week though.

 

[money4me247]

I'm not saying you're wrong. What I AM saying, is that regardless of any headphone, if it is generally liked, the vast majority of users will say it scales.

"It scales" has become a general term for me, the same as "This headphone is good", because you know people are going to say this, whether you agree it's good or not.

At this point, I just consider it as them liking the additional flavoring of their amp/dac with the particular headphone in question. And as you know, people will always, ALWAYS recommend what they own. There is a tendency to justify what you purchase. Human nature.
 

@Mad Lust Envy, I think you are right about the scaling comments. Almost all headphones are said to scale by someone.
 
I've personally found that easy-to-drive low impedance over-ears generally don't usually benefit too much from climbing the amplifier ladder. I think all headphones will 'scale' from dacs to a certain extent depending on what dac you are upgrading from. After all, some of the dac products on the market are targeted at consumers who just have any random entry-level or mid-tier headphones. Its really the coloration of the headphone and its resolution that limits the 'scalability' I think. I've found generally neutral-oriented headphones (or bright headphones as I am sensitive to overt treble sharpness) are usually more unforgiving with more set-ups.
 
Every headphone I plugged into the WA7 warm-sounding tube amplifier picked up its characteristics, but some headphones (like the Audezes) already sound closer to that presentation just out of a solid-state amplifier. I think it's even arguable if that specific pairing is scaling up or just adding pleasant tube coloration.
 
I do think that the term scaling is nice as it implies that the person realizes that the headphone is the limiting factor. At a certain point, the subtle differences between components may not be able to be picked up by certain headphones.

 

[wildlife2011]

 
 
 
I'd agree with the suggestion but first we would need a budget. He may not have that much to spend. If you need to work on a lower budget look at the Schiit products. 
 
Remember that this hp was designed to be powered from a smart phone, so he may not need anything at all. 

 


Sorry i forgot to mention my budget. I would probably spend $300 max. How about Fioo e18 $159? Do you think it would be a good pair?

 

[rovopio]

 

   
 
 
I'd agree with the suggestion but first we would need a budget. He may not have that much to spend. If you need to work on a lower budget look at the Schiit products. 
 
Remember that this hp was designed to be powered from a smart phone, so he may not need anything at all. 

 


Sorry i forgot to mention my budget. I would probably spend $300 max. How about Fioo e18 $159? Do you think it would be a good pair?

 
even a fiio e10k would be enough I think.
There's a lot of dac and amps at $300, but I seriously don't think he-400s needs that much power.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ +1

 

[conquerator2]

I'm not saying you're wrong. What I AM saying, is that regardless of any headphone, if it is generally liked, the vast majority of users will say it scales.

"It scales" has become a general term for me, the same as "This headphone is good", because you know people are going to say this, whether you agree it's good or not.

At this point, I just consider it as them liking the additional flavoring of their amp/dac with the particular headphone in question. And as you know, people will always, ALWAYS recommend what they own. There is a tendency to justify what you purchase. Human nature.

As for my gear, I don't personally recommend the X7 as it's a bit lean sounding and I only really recommend it for thick, slower sounding headphones.

I just wanna add that if your headphone is not warm, rolling the op-amps does help quite a bit. I think the stock combination is quite bright, which really only benefits dark/earm phones.

 

[raybone0566]

Got an email from head -direct this morning. They said my order is due to ship today. Hopefully I'll have them by the weekend. Really looking forward to hearing these phones.