[jjgr]

HiFiMan case works well, i think, but have not had opportunity to use a Pelican case.  For 11 bucks more i would try that.
 
As for the sound of the cans with the various pad and grill combinations - this is my experience:
- stock pads and grill are really quite good.  I would have been happy had i not even tried the mods, but why not?  They are actually quite easy and fully reversible (more like "options" than "modifications", really).
- first i tried the FocusPads (without any grill changes).  right away (within an hour of detailed listening), i knew that i loved the fit but really didn't like how the midrange seemed to get dialed down.  I didn't appreciate whatever lower end boost may have came along.  I listen more for bass definition, detail and lack of distortion than i do for amplitude.  Something was up with vocals and guitar tones that i didn't like.  Mids were one of my favorite aspects of the stock cans - and whatever trade-off came with FocusPads wasn't worth it. 
- next came FocusPad-As - the fit was a bit looser on my ears which was nice, the quality of the pads actually seems to be a step down from the FocusPads.  But when i put them on and listened - the mids came back, the bass seemed lower than the stock pads and more defined/clear.  I was happy and could have stopped there, but i found how easy it was to remove the grills, and I liked the sound with the grills removed.  
- i disliked the idea of having a magnetic grill (i had a kitchen magnet that could lift the stock grills entirely up off the cans from further away than the stock magnet-to-grill distance), so went with this aluminum grill: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3FJYSQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
I'm really enjoying the sound with these grills.  I do perceive a bit greater extension and smoothness to the upper treble, and maybe even some increased definition to the low bass (the mids are still great).  The hardest part of the mod project was the 20 minutes spent sanding the thickness of each aluminum grill around the edges down enough (by hand, i had no power tool for this) so that the plastic grill holders could do their job.  First world problems, indeed.  I decided against he dust cover for now (will store them in the HiFiMan case i have) - but am considering using an old speaker grill clothe if i see any increase in dust inside the cans.
 
My recommendation: try the sound without any grills.  If you like the sound - for about $25 and an hour of your time, you can't go wrong with the grill mod.
Skip the FocusPads entirely - the stock pads actually sound better.  If you can afford to try the FocusPad-A - do it - you will not regret it.  They are a nice match for the 400S.   

 

[JPlaquia]

  If reports are true that they are initially thin and get better, that's great!

 
Actually it is also mentioned in the manual that the HP needs at least 160 hours (6 days) of breaking in.

 So the SQ should improve over time. 

 

[394216]

I ordered the focus pads yesterday. Lets see if there is more improvement from the grill mod.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[nwavesailor]

  HiFiMan case works well, i think, but have not had opportunity to use a Pelican case.  For 11 bucks more i would try that.
 
As for the sound of the cans with the various pad and grill combinations - this is my experience:
- stock pads and grill are really quite good.  I would have been happy had i not even tried the mods, but why not?  They are actually quite easy and fully reversible (more like "options" than "modifications", really).
- first i tried the FocusPads (without any grill changes).  right away (within an hour of detailed listening), i knew that i loved the fit but really didn't like how the midrange seemed to get dialed down.  I didn't appreciate whatever lower end boost may have came along.  I listen more for bass definition, detail and lack of distortion than i do for amplitude.  Something was up with vocals and guitar tones that i didn't like.  Mids were one of my favorite aspects of the stock cans - and whatever trade-off came with FocusPads wasn't worth it. 
- next came FocusPad-As - the fit was a bit looser on my ears which was nice, the quality of the pads actually seems to be a step down from the FocusPads.  But when i put them on and listened - the mids came back, the bass seemed lower than the stock pads and more defined/clear.  I was happy and could have stopped there, but i found how easy it was to remove the grills, and I liked the sound with the grills removed.  
- i disliked the idea of having a magnetic grill (i had a kitchen magnet that could lift the stock grills entirely up off the cans from further away than the stock magnet-to-grill distance), so went with this aluminum grill: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3FJYSQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
I'm really enjoying the sound with these grills.  I do perceive a bit greater extension and smoothness to the upper treble, and maybe even some increased definition to the low bass (the mids are still great).  The hardest part of the mod project was the 20 minutes spent sanding the thickness of each aluminum grill around the edges down enough (by hand, i had no power tool for this) so that the plastic grill holders could do their job.  First world problems, indeed.  I decided against he dust cover for now (will store them in the HiFiMan case i have) - but am considering using an old speaker grill clothe if i see any increase in dust inside the cans.
 
My recommendation: try the sound without any grills.  If you like the sound - for about $25 and an hour of your time, you can't go wrong with the grill mod.
Skip the FocusPads entirely - the stock pads actually sound better.  If you can afford to try the FocusPad-A - do it - you will not regret it.  They are a nice match for the 400S.   

WOW.......Thanks for sharing your impressions of the various pad options and mods you did to your HP along the HIFIMAN 400S path. I'll cool it for now and listen to the stock configuration at least until I hit 150-200 hours. Too many folks have reported improvement after break in so it must be a real phenomenon.
 
I'm figuring out which size Pelican case will work for these HP. I think another brand HP ships with the Pelican 1300 series case.
 
Again, thanks for your long and in-depth reply! I appreciate the help.

 

[mejoshua]

+1 for grill mod and focus-a's!

 

[conquerator2]

For my preferences, Focus > Focus-A all day.
See, mileage varies 

 

 

[AutumnCrown]

From the beginning I had a similar experience but I recommend at least 200-300 hours of burn in. It takes a while to get used to because the original HE-400 and HE-400i are very different cans. I also noticed the amp I used for the HE-400 does not work well for my HE-400i and I used the magni. The amp I'm currently using is the GEEK OUT 1000 and I promise it turns the HE-400i into completely different headphones.

I was wondering if you have found the .47 or 47 impedance better for the 400i. I know conventional wisdom would say the .47, but I was just wondering.

 

[money4me247]

  I was wondering if you have found the .47 or 47 impedance better for the 400i. I know conventional wisdom would say the .47, but I was just wondering.

typically planar magnetics don't really change much with difference amplifier impedances. I would personally go with the lower amplifier impedance for more versatility (like really sensitive IEMs and low impedance dynamic headphones).
 
refer to the electrical impedance graph here. credit to tyll & innerfidelity. 

 

[AutumnCrown]

  typically planar magnetics don't really change much with difference amplifier impedances. I would personally go with the lower amplifier impedance for more versatility (like really sensitive IEMs and low impedance dynamic headphones).
 
refer to the electrical impedance graph here. credit to tyll & innerfidelity. 

Thanks for the info. I have found slightly better bass detail with the lower impedance, but a pleasant "airiness" (perhaps this is just noise/distortion) with the 47. Would the flat impedance graph mean that the orthos are more easily dampened by a less than 8/1 headphone/amp impedance ratio?

 

[mrk]

Would the 400s be an upgrade over the AKG K7XX? I really like the XX sound, but am interested in having a 2nd pair of cans and have never owned Planar ones before.
 
I'm reading great things about the "Planar Sound" and it's mighty tempting. My amp is a NAD D 7050 btw.
 
I would of course do the grille mod (perforated aluminium).
 
Thanks!

 

[money4me247]

  Would the 400s be an upgrade over the AKG K7XX? I really like teh XX sound, but am interested in having a 2nd pair of cans and have never owned Planar ones before.
 
I'm reading great things about the "Planar Sound"and it's mighty tempting!]]My amp is a NAD D 7050 btw.
 
I would of course do the grille mod (perforated aluminium).
 
Thanks!

the he-400s will present faster bass notes & better bass texture with an overall smoother frequency response curve (imo). the akg k7xx edges out in soundstage and treble detail/brightness (though can be fatiguing). sound signature comparison, the k7xx has more sub-bass focus with a brighter overall treble for relatively more v-shaped in relative comparison (though the K7xx is NOT actually a v-shaped pair of headphones). The HE-400S has a more mid-bass focus to its bass presentation with a pretty linear overall mid and treble response that I think is quite an pleasant listening experience.
 
If I had to pick regardless of budget, I would move up to the HE-400s or HE-400i as my only pair of headphones. however, I don't think there are really any headphones that can touch the k7xx in terms of overall valuerice point. still one of the most competitive budget-orientated headphones though the HE-400S does present enough difference that I can see some people preferring it as a very worthwhile upgrade without really getting into diminishing returns. At the same time, I think some people will prefer the K7xx or HD600 or HD650 or DT880 or etc. All really solid picks imo and just depends on specifically what you are looking for.
 
I personally really enjoy the 'planar presentation' so I would pick a planar magnetic mid-tier if playing in that budget range. One of my friends actually picked the Ether followed by the HE-400S out of my entire headphone collection as her favorites (with direct comparisons and I did not disclose any info on any of my headphones). She could tell the improvement in soundstage of the open models over my closed collection of the Prime, PM-3, and K553. The K7xx and HE-560 was too bright for her tastes. She thought the HE1k was too bling and the LCD-X too heavy. So I do think at the end of the day, it is a bit of a matter of taste as well.

 

[mrk]

  the he-400s will present faster bass notes & better bass texture with an overall smoother frequency response curve (imo). the akg k7xx edges out in soundstage and treble detail/brightness (though can be fatiguing). sound signature comparison, the k7xx has more sub-bass focus with a brighter overall treble for relatively more v-shaped in relative comparison (though the K7xx is NOT actually a v-shaped pair of headphones). The HE-400S has a more mid-bass focus to its bass presentation with a pretty linear overall mid and treble response that I think is quite an pleasant listening experience.
 
If I had to pick regardless of budget, I would move up to the HE-400s or HE-400i as my only pair of headphones. however, I don't think there are really any headphones that can touch the k7xx in terms of overall valuerice point. still one of the most competitive budget-orientated headphones though the HE-400S does present enough difference that I can see some people preferring it as a very worthwhile upgrade without really getting into diminishing returns. At the same time, I think some people will prefer the K7xx or HD600 or HD650 or DT880 or etc. All really solid picks imo and just depends on specifically what you are looking for.
 
I personally really enjoy the 'planar presentation' so I would pick a planar magnetic mid-tier if playing in that budget range. One of my friends actually picked the Ether followed by the HE-400S out of my entire headphone collection as her favorites (with direct comparisons and I did not disclose any info on any of my headphones). She could tell the improvement in soundstage of the open models over my closed collection of the Prime, PM-3, and K553. The K7xx and HE-560 was too bright for her tastes. She thought the HE1k was too bling and the LCD-X too heavy. So I do think at the end of the day, it is a bit of a matter of taste as well.

 
Hmm interesting, thanks for this! It seems like it's much of a muchness and boils down to preference then!
 
I really like the K7XX soundstage and high end detail - My ones are port modded for increased sub-bass. Not noticed any harshness at all but I use a NAD amp and in typical NAD fashion, the highs and presentation is smooth and warm, so any headphone harshness which could cause fatigue, is toned down and well controlled.
 
Perhaps I should save my money for longer then and up the game to the next level up, somewhere the details and soundstage would offer a significant enough difference to be worth the upgrade over the K7XX?
 
I'd really like to demo the 400s, but there is nowhere near me that stocks them

 

[conquerator2]

I'd keep the K7XX and wait until you can upgrade to something else 

Headphones like the HE400S and Fidelio X2 offer a different sonic presentation but don't really perform better technically than the K7XX.
Though they are all excellent headphone for their price and certainly have their place 

 

[394216]

I have both K701 and HE-400S and to me they complement each other very well. K701 has a more open sound with more soundstage width and airier presentation. HE-400S has a meatier sound especially in the mids and a more intimate soundstage presentation. Bass is faster on the HE-400S but goes deeper on the K701.
 
HE-400S gets more listening time as of now because I listen to a variety of genres and it is a better all rounder for me. When I get my Chord Mojo come november lets see if my K701 will scale better than the 400S. Im using Fiio E17/E9 combo right now.
 
I personally think that the 400S is an upgrade over my K701 but for classical K701 is still better.

 

 

[mrk]

All points come to one conclusion in my mind then, to keep the K7XX and do a full on upgrade! It's not completely necessary to have 2 cans, but it would be nice. I guess then the K7XX can become the 2nd pair for dossing about with around the house (and for games), and the true upgrades for the main listening.
 
Cheers guys!