Burned these in overnight. Nothing dramatic to report. As I'm getting my mind around the signature there is something that stands out to me that I wasn't hearing last night. There is a dip somewhere in the upper mids, that gives them a darker presentation. They sound an awful lot like the 400i. But it's been a good while since I heard that headphone.
Last night I said that you might call these a planar version of the hd600. Today I'd revise that slightly and substitute hd650 for hd600. Anyway, they are back on the cooker for another few days.
Again, if it sounds like I'm being critical it's because I am
I have hi expectations for hifiman...and for all new products tbh. There is no reason to lower expectations at this stage of the game. That being said, these are very good headphones at very reasonable price. Here are a few things that I'm struggling with regarding hifiman in particular:
1. There are too many he400 series models. Yet none of them delivered the goods. An improved he400 would have been insanely popular IMO.
2. The he400i was supposed to be tuned as a replacement for the he500. But the he500 was appreciable better across the spectrum. IMO
3. The he4 was very close to being special, but has fallen into obscurity. Shame. Just a change from V shape to U shape would have been amazing.
4. The he-6 needs a successor. It's jaw dropping on a good amp. If it were retooled to be more efficient and more comfortable, people would flock to it in droves.
5. The he-1000 is sublime and after spending several weeks with it my opinion of it just grows fonder. My only quibble is the price. The pricing puts it into the hands of a very select and finite group. I'm hoping for some trickle down tech on the middle tier hifiman products.