[conquerator2]

Mids are on the more forward side. Details are Ok and so is transparency, but they are on the smooth and musical side. 

 

[chekock1]

   
Mids are not recessed but not exactly forward either.
 
Details are OK I think the much cheaper MSR7 has better details actually.

Thanks,  the ATH MSR7 were my other option. You made things lot easier

 

[peepr]

So I swapped out my D2000 pads and put them on the 400S, big difference in bass slam and texure. Very nice. Also more comfortable than the stock pads, which suck. I've got an emotiva mini-x amp coming in tomorrow will report in on any improvement over the Magni 1.

 

[Gino]

Love it or hate it.

 

[peepr]

Love it or hate it.

Focus pads? How are they, comfort wise and for bass?

 

[Gino]

it really depend on whether I use a fan or an AC. I live the the Manila and It gets hot and humid. Think 86-77 and 50-86% humidity in my room.  On the hot days, they feel warmer than the stock pads. On cold but humid days slightly bett. On cold days and low humidity I can go on for hours. 

But that is one aspect. What I did before entering the room affects how I feel dramatically. So I can't really pin it on temp.

What I can say is generally for me, it ranges from half an album to 2-3 albums worth of bliss.

 

[Miknoboes]

Please I really need someone to set me straight. Should I get the X2s and and be satisfied? Or should I get the Hifiman he 400S with focus pads and grill mod and be fine with that? Both of them for me will cost about the same but I just really need someone to tell me to make a choice. I'm getting the "fun" Master Dynamic MH40s. So should I stick with a fun closed and a more detailed Hifiman HE400S just to have both options or should I stick with a fun closed and a fun Philips Fidelio X2s? I really love mids more than any other frequency but coherency is what constitutes a good headphone.Since I have a closed back I would like an open back with a wow soundstage but then again, I love detail and the idea of that Planar bass. I just really can't decide between a fun sound with more soundstage but less detail and more treble graininess. And a really detailed headphone that is more intimate yet not as fun sounding. Someone just please tell me what to do!!!

 

[conquerator2]

Please I really need someone to set me straight. Should I get the X2s and and be satisfied? Or should I get the Hifiman he 400S with focus pads and grill mod and be fine with that? Both of them for me will cost about the same but I just really need someone to tell me to make a choice. I'm getting the "fun" Master Dynamic MH40s. So should I stick with a fun closed and a more detailed Hifiman HE400S just to have both options or should I stick with a fun closed and a fun Philips Fidelio X2s? I really love mids more than any other frequency but coherency is what constitutes a good headphone.Since I have a closed back I would like an open back with a wow soundstage but then again, I love detail and the idea of that Planar bass. I just really can't decide between a fun sound with more soundstage but less detail and more treble graininess. And a really detailed headphone that is more intimate yet not as fun sounding. Someone just please tell me what to do!!!

Well, 400S, 400i, X2, R70x, K7XX, MA900
Do research I owned every one of these except the R70x, which I wanna hear. All are good the 400i being a bit pricier.
Depending if you can stretch The X2 is also easy to recommend. Fairly balanced with nice bass.

 

[peepr]

sound quality on the 400S is superb. Never heard the X2 but I would say overall the 400S is a better headphone than the denon D2000, unless you are a basshead...

 

[sheldaze]

  sound quality on the 400S is superb. Never heard the X2 but I would say overall the 400S is a better headphone than the denon D2000, unless you are a basshead...

Not to disagree on the quality of the sound from the HE-400S compared with the Denon AH-D2000, but the Denon more easily plays higher and lower frequencies than the HiFiMan. When making a recent DAC upgrade, I first listened to the DAC through the Denon headphones. And I was very happy with my decision to upgrade. I later listened to the same upgrade on the HE-400S, NAD VISO HP50, and Sennheiser HD650 headphones. With these three other headphones, the upgrade was not nearly as apparent to me as it was listening through the Denon. The Denon simply responded well to the upgrade, particularly in the high frequency registers where the new DAC was cleaner than the old DAC.
 
I have not tried to listen to the same since working on the suggested headphone improvements, the grill mod and the pad replacement.

 

[Capt369]

The X2 is getting more head time for me than the 400S. I like them for small jazz groups as that`s my favorite genre. Their warmth is addictive to me.

 

[bixby]

My impressions of the HE400S are up on my blog
 
http://digitalaudiodirections.blogspot.com/2015/10/orthodynamic-headphones-two-new-stars.html

 

[peepr]

  Not to disagree on the quality of the sound from the HE-400S compared with the Denon AH-D2000, but the Denon more easily plays higher and lower frequencies than the HiFiMan. When making a recent DAC upgrade, I first listened to the DAC through the Denon headphones. And I was very happy with my decision to upgrade. I later listened to the same upgrade on the HE-400S, NAD VISO HP50, and Sennheiser HD650 headphones. With these three other headphones, the upgrade was not nearly as apparent to me as it was listening through the Denon. The Denon simply responded well to the upgrade, particularly in the high frequency registers where the new DAC was cleaner than the old DAC.
 
I have not tried to listen to the same since working on the suggested headphone improvements, the grill mod and the pad replacement.

my whole life has been a lie....
 
But now that my Modi is the weakest link in the chain, I need to stray away from looking at DAC upgrades.. MUST RESIST1!!!!

 

[Youth]

  my whole life has been a lie....
 
But now that my Modi is the weakest link in the chain, I need to stray away from looking at DAC upgrades.. MUST RESIST1!!!!

 
R2R gogo!! 

 

[sheldaze]

  my whole life has been a lie....
 
But now that my Modi is the weakest link in the chain, I need to stray away from looking at DAC upgrades.. MUST RESIST1!!!!

  R2R gogo!! 

My mistake was not so much upgrading to R2R, and I agree with @Youth on this one. Take the plunge! Do it!
 
My mistake was upgrading from an entry class DAC (i.e. Modi and Bifrost) to a higher class of DAC (i.e. Gungnir and Yggdrasil). Once I heard that kind of detail retrieval, it was hard to go back!
 
Now how do I save this post from being way too far off topic - I simply did not hear that much detail on the HE-400S. And I think it is designed with that in mind. When I brought it to a recent meet, people loved it. But they also said it was a midrange (i.e. not high or low frequency) focussed headphone. Lots of details in the miss, and what I heard in terms of R2R sound improvements was mostly in the highs. Anyways, I think I've derailed enough