[shagrasniper]

after much listening
i think that the (hifime 9018 DAC) is clear, but it is too warm, i need a neutral sounding smartphone to drive these headphone (exynos s7e is clear, but not powerful enough, htc 10 is clear but warm, v20 requires a dangling extender) fiio x3 1st gen was worse on the 400s than the senn 598 out of the box
i want something like the headphone jack of the MacBook pro, it sounded clear and neutral. yet i want portability

 

[musicfan145]

Santa is bringing me a set of HE400S headphones, so I've been reading up on this thread. (I've probably read the most recent 1500 or so posts.) With all that information swimming in my head, there are still a few things I'd like to clarify:

Grill Mod: For the 400S, is the recommended grill mod to simply remove the dust screen material from the back of the grill, or also to replace the grill itself with a more open screen? Is the grill replacement just a 400/400i thing and not necessary on the 400S?

Pads: I'm coming from the Ultrasone HFI-580, so it sounds like a pad upgrade is in order to enhance the bass response. The Focus/Focus-A pads are the easy route, but I'm willing to wrestle with the mounting rings (perhaps even 3D print my own) if it extends the sub-bass without bloating the midbass. It seems that the preferred pad for this is one of the Brainwavz HM5-compatible pads. However, it's not clear which one people are preferring: Angled or non-angled? Hybrid, all-pleather, or sheepskin? Could those of you who have had success here share which exact model you prefer?

Thanks!

 

[DavidA]

Santa is bringing me a set of HE400S headphones, so I've been reading up on this thread. (I've probably read the most recent 1500 or so posts.) With all that information swimming in my head, there are still a few things I'd like to clarify:

Grill Mod: For the 400S, is the recommended grill mod to simply remove the dust screen material from the back of the grill, or also to replace the grill itself with a more open screen? Is the grill replacement just a 400/400i thing and not necessary on the 400S?

Pads: I'm coming from the Ultrasone HFI-580, so it sounds like a pad upgrade is in order to enhance the bass response. The Focus/Focus-A pads are the easy route, but I'm willing to wrestle with the mounting rings (perhaps even 3D print my own) if it extends the sub-bass without bloating the midbass. It seems that the preferred pad for this is one of the Brainwavz HM5-compatible pads. However, it's not clear which one people are preferring: Angled or non-angled? Hybrid, all-pleather, or sheepskin? Could those of you who have had success here share which exact model you prefer?

Thanks!

If you haven't received your HE-400S yet don't worry about doing mods until you have had a chance to listen to them on your setup.
 
For the grill mod, best way to determine what you prefer is to remove the grills and listen, if the results are to your liking then you should get a fairly open mesh and use a dust screen like silk organza if you have dogs or cats or a dusty enviro.
 
Pads are an individual preference, for me I like the Focus Pads as it provides the best compromise between sound and comfort to me.

 

[Rish732]

I wholeheartedly agree with DavidA I took out the grill cloth and loved the airy sound. Sound stage increased. I left the stock grills in

BUT
I missed that bass slam. The smoothness of the sound. I had changed the tuning to something different so I went back.

 

[Gino]

My setup:

I removed the stock grill/cloth. Replaced with new wider mesh. Sound opened up with more detail and air.

Brainwavz Angled Pleather pads. It is a miracle that it "fit" the stock rings. Bass is thicker and deeper.

 

[draden]

Any help here would be appreciated as I am new to headphones. I have had the 400s for about 3 months and love them but I want a longer cable so I can get comfortable on the couch. I currently plug these into an Emotiva xmc-1 processor so I have to be within a few feet of my equipment rack.

I am looking for advice on a quality cable/extension cable that won't noticeably degrade the sound. Distance from processor to couch is 12ish feet. I am looking to try and keep the cost at $100 of lower. Thanks!

 

[KepinCemit]

Any help here would be appreciated as I am new to headphones. I have had the 400s for about 3 months and love them but I want a longer cable so I can get comfortable on the couch. I currently plug these into an Emotiva xmc-1 processor so I have to be within a few feet of my equipment rack.

I am looking for advice on a quality cable/extension cable that won't noticeably degrade the sound. Distance from processor to couch is 12ish feet. I am looking to try and keep the cost at $100 of lower. Thanks!

 
You can probably contact this seller on ebay
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Replacement-Audio-upgrade-Cable-For-Sennheiser-HD700-HD-700-Headphone-/261317123574?var=&hash=item3cd7b6ddf6m0LZbWdFb_s7iao0N_ssiVA
 
and ask him to make a custom one for you ?
 
I've bought that similar cable for my 400s from him
 
 
Hope this helps

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Any help here would be appreciated as I am new to headphones. I have had the 400s for about 3 months and love them but I want a longer cable so I can get comfortable on the couch. I currently plug these into an Emotiva xmc-1 processor so I have to be within a few feet of my equipment rack.

I am looking for advice on a quality cable/extension cable that won't noticeably degrade the sound. Distance from processor to couch is 12ish feet. I am looking to try and keep the cost at $100 of lower. Thanks!

 
Grado makes a good 15' extension cable, so does ProAudioLA.  A quick Google search will find both for you.

 

[jimbop54]

Impact Audio Cables also makes a very nice cable for around $100. You can find them on Etsy and possibly Facebook

 

[nwavesailor]

My setup:

I removed the stock grill/cloth. Replaced with new wider mesh. Sound opened up with more detail and air.

Brainwavz Angled Pleather pads. It is a miracle that it "fit" the stock rings. Bass is thicker and deeper.

Same here!

 

[draden]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I am going to look into these suggestions.

Another question came up though while doing some looking. Most of these extension cables have 1/4 connectors so should I be aware of 1/4 to 1/8 adapter quality? I have found some adapters for $2 but would like to hear some opinions of you experienced folks regarding this.

 

[Rish732]

For the most part a solid adapter has no moving parts. I would pay at least 3-5$ for an adapter as that seems to be the bare minimum I have found for quality. It needs to be solid enough to not be pulled apart after many insertions and removals. The ones I got off of eBay for $2 apiece have come apart on me. I also sent you a PM draden regarding cables. Let me know !

 

[CoFire]

Any help here would be appreciated as I am new to headphones. I have had the 400s for about 3 months and love them but I want a longer cable so I can get comfortable on the couch. I currently plug these into an Emotiva xmc-1 processor so I have to be within a few feet of my equipment rack.

I am looking for advice on a quality cable/extension cable that won't noticeably degrade the sound. Distance from processor to couch is 12ish feet. I am looking to try and keep the cost at $100 of lower. Thanks!

Off ebay, I got a 25' Mogami 2534 cable with 6.3mm male to female ends and it works great. I think it came to about $50 and it's great as a versatile extension for the front room for any headphone when I can't listen to the speakers.

 

[ricemanhk]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I am going to look into these suggestions.

Another question came up though while doing some looking. Most of these extension cables have 1/4 connectors so should I be aware of 1/4 to 1/8 adapter quality? I have found some adapters for $2 but would like to hear some opinions of you experienced folks regarding this.

 
Interesting, most processors and headphone amps will use 1/4 plugs but not your Emotiva.  So in your case you need to use the 1/8 -> 1/4 adapter that came with the HE400S, then the extension cable that's all 1/4, then another 1/4 -> 1/8 adapter?  I suggest to just get 1/8 extension cable, or get a longer replacement cable for the whole thing.  Generally the fewer adapters the better.

 

[ricemanhk]

Hello everyone, new to the thread here, but I've read everything from page 1 (!) and decided to order it after about page 100...just got my HE-400S yesterday and they sound pretty awesome out of the box already, especially with vocals.  I can actually hear separate backup/harmony singers in the background in songs now that I never realized were there!  Burning them in now, will consider swapping out the velours with the focus pads (got them together) and maybe do the grill mod.
 
I'm coming from the ATH-M50x, I do like the fun sound of those but the closed back made my ears warm after extended use.  I also prefer a less mild V shape generally. Finally took the leap to get an open back and these are wonderful already from my smartphone and even better on my PC with a dedicated DAC+amp module (ESS SABRE ES9023P DAC + TI RC4580 amp).  The amp can push up to 2V into 600ohm headphones, and I find I do prefer the high gain setting with the 400s, gives it a more rich and fuller sound.  Will try them with my Denon AVR tonight and see if any difference...
 
Questions:
1. I may consider the grill mod later, but I tried putting my hands on top of the stock grills and it makes the bass and lower mids go away, which I guess they are being cancelled out with the sound rebounding off my hands. Why would a more open grill actually improve the highs then? 
 
2. Any recommendation for portable DAC+amp to pair with these and under 200 USD?  I don't want to spend more than the headphones, and these will most likely be my best headphone for the time being (I need to balance my budget across all my other hobbies...LOL).  Considering the Fiio Q1 and audioquest dragonfly (anyone tested the red vs black?).  Will most likely be using these with my android phone and tablet as my PC has the dedicated DAC+amp already, but if it helps I don't mind plugging it into my PC as well.  I also don't have much spare room on my desk, so a bigger desktop DAC+amp stack will likely not work for now.
 
Thanks!