[wje]

Quote:

I've been enjoying mine since it was returned to me from being fixed from the original batch.  Seems so long ago.  No problems yet.  

 
Yours was just fixed?  They didn't provide you with a new replacement?  I thought the "replacement" policy was part of the 1-year warranty.  But, those who also purchased from the first run on the HE-400s, were also offered some other incentives: 1) The warranty was extended from 1 year to 3 years, and: 2) The original purchase who pre-ordered the HE=400s and encountered issues, were offered the chance to upgrade to the HE-500 for just $150 more.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Crap. I think I need to borrow these from somebody.
 
I have candy I am willing to trade. Serious offers only.
 
No seriously though I like the idea of a bigger, bolder, albeit less refined HE-500. The HE-500 was awesomesauce on a McWin burger but I don't exactly listen to "reference" music. I don't need pure neutrality and like the most pure mids that Odin_Himself could produce. I think I need some excitement in my life. I think I need an HE-400.. but the thing is ditching the LCD-2 for HE-400 is a risky endeavor so I'm going to need some help with my choice here. I'm just looking for a more engaging sound at the expense of a little neutrality.
 
Also I don't have long before my girlfriend finds out how much these LCD-2's cost... I mean I had to tell her I bought the wood box at a garage sale. She still thinks these are Grados.. but uh it says AUDEZE LABS on the side, I'm counting down the days since I haven't bought her anything nice in like a year yet I bought all this crap. Heck if I can condense my setup to something I enjoy more than the LCD-2 for less money, this might be my saving grace. We all know I love HFM build quality already!

 

[wje]

Quote:

Crap. I think I need to borrow these from somebody.
 
I have candy I am willing to trade. Serious offers only.

 
Chris,
 
Just a word of caution regarding the mailing of such headphones - even if you were to get a set to try out.  When I sent a pair back to HeadRoom, I used their box, the HE-400 box and the HE-400 headphones inside.  USPS Priority Mail + $400 insurance + Delivery confirmation ran me nearly $23.00.  This was for USPS!  Not FedEX, Not UPS.  I mean ... shipping has gotten really crazy unless you have access to corporate accounts.  Then, when you're selling something in the forum here, people think that shipping is only about $10 for a pair of headphones.  Yeah, you could send a box for $10 -- via the Parcel Post (slow) method, with no delivery confirmation and NO insurance.  Then, because they only wanted to pay $10 for shipping (with all of the risks), they'll bust you hard when the delivery never arrives and call you a thief.
 
Whew.  It felt good to let that out.

 

[IEMCrazy]

Quote:

 
Nice price on 400.
 
I am interested in getting the 400. Are the new batches problem free? I don't think I could trust buying these without a warranty.
 
BTW, can someone suggest a good place to buy where order processing is fast. I'd like to have them asap, thanks....

 
"Fast" has less to do with the dealer, more to do with the mfr.  Most of the A-list dealers are fast (same or next day shipping.) But HE-400 seems to run out of stock somewhat often, so sometimes there's a delay of a few days to a few weeks when the next batch arrives.  I'm sure production is ramping up as popularity grows, so that may become less of an issue.
 
Quote:

Personally, my original pair of HE400s were fine, sounded fantastic, but has this weird issue where the right driver becomes quiet for a day if the local weather changes (e.g. high / low pressure system moves in); in addition the impedance measurements seem to be off (could just be my measuring method). Those things added together doesn't mean the pair is unlistenable, but I just want a more perfect issue-free pair so I opted to send it back to Hifiman for replacement. It costed me ~35$ shipping, so I'm pretty much paying full price despite having pre-ordered. A bit of a bummer but hey, just listen to these cans sing makes it all worth it.

 
Two questions for you: Didn't those headphones work fine for weeks until the problem developed?  Also, I thought you said yours were second-batch.  If they were, how did you get the pre-order discount?

 
Quote:

$400 is absolutely worth it imo. With its weight, its polished look, and its strong drivers, these headphones really feel like a heavy duty luxury car!

In a way though that's kinda proving to be somewhat of a nuisance for me - I'm almost reluctant to use it, the same way someone would be reluctant to casually use a luxury sports car everywhere 

 
Hehe, I agree with that.  If I were to get one of the ultra-detailed cans (HE-500, LCD-2, etc) I'd treat it that way...  It wouldn't be my regular headphone but would be the "sunday drive" sort of thing.  If you listen to something like that too often you get immune to what makes it special.
 
HE-400 though...it's just too balanced an all rounder to treat like that.  It's not my only headphone, but it's the first one in the mix! The build is just a nice everyday bonus

 
Quote:

Crap. I think I need to borrow these from somebody.
 
I have candy I am willing to trade. Serious offers only.
 
No seriously though I like the idea of a bigger, bolder, albeit less refined HE-500. The HE-500 was awesomesauce on a McWin burger but I don't exactly listen to "reference" music. I don't need pure neutrality and like the most pure mids that Odin_Himself could produce. I think I need some excitement in my life. I think I need an HE-400.. but the thing is ditching the LCD-2 for HE-400 is a risky endeavor so I'm going to need some help with my choice here. I'm just looking for a more engaging sound at the expense of a little neutrality.
 
Also I don't have long before my girlfriend finds out how much these LCD-2's cost... I mean I had to tell her I bought the wood box at a garage sale. She still thinks these are Grados.. but uh it says AUDEZE LABS on the side, I'm counting down the days since I haven't bought her anything nice in like a year yet I bought all this crap. Heck if I can condense my setup to something I enjoy more than the LCD-2 for less money, this might be my saving grace. We all know I love HFM build quality already!

 
"Can I have your orthos, I'll give you a Snickers!"
 
LCD-2 has rarely been accused of being neutral when lined up next to more neutral cans, so I'm not sure HE-400 would be fairly called "less neutral."   But it does just have a nice sound all the way around and never tries too hard to be a certain sound.  It's both exciting and easy to listen to.  It's engaging with a nice strong bass (but not the famed LCD-2 and Denon "I just glued a 14" sub to your skull, but don't worry it's properly calibrated" bass.)  It's very engaging and exciting, yet still features a somewhat rolled treble to keep it from getting tiring.  It's honestly a hard headphone to describe in traditional terms.  There's so many things that just "are" about it.  One doesn't ask the wizard why there's a man behind the curtain, one just accepts that he's there!  I'm convinced it will be among the headphones to achieve "legendary" status before the end of its run.
 
HD650:

 
Denon:

 
Grado:

 
HE-400:

 
 
I'll caution that it does change characters very significantly moving from hybrid-tube to SS.   On the hybrid it's a smooth, syrupy, ride.  On SS it picks up more of that dry articulation that HE-500 is known for.  None of my other cans have as significant a "dual personality."  I consider it a feature, but YMMV.
 
Quote:

 
Chris,
 
Just a word of caution regarding the mailing of such headphones - even if you were to get a set to try out.  When I sent a pair back to HeadRoom, I used their box, the HE-400 box and the HE-400 headphones inside.  USPS Priority Mail + $400 insurance + Delivery confirmation ran me nearly $23.00.  This was for USPS!  Not FedEX, Not UPS.  I mean ... shipping has gotten really crazy unless you have access to corporate accounts.  Then, when you're selling something in the forum here, people think that shipping is only about $10 for a pair of headphones.  Yeah, you could send a box for $10 -- via the Parcel Post (slow) method, with no delivery confirmation and NO insurance.  Then, because they only wanted to pay $10 for shipping (with all of the risks), they'll bust you hard when the delivery never arrives and call you a thief.
 
Whew.  It felt good to let that out.

 
That's why I seldom consider "warranty" service on anything under $200 or so to be even worthwhile to use.  By the time I end up paying $30-40 to UPS something (I don't trust USPS in most cases), I'm 25% of the way to just buying a new mint condition item rather than banging the old one from here to timbuktu and back again to have one flaw fixed before the next one appears.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

 
 
Two questions for you: Didn't those headphones work fine for weeks until the problem developed?  Also, I thought you said yours were second-batch.  If they were, how did you get the pre-order discount?

 

1) They worked fine because there wasn't any major weather change since I received them until the first time the imbalance issue occurred. By major weather change, I mean how sometimes suddenly the pressure outside your house suddenly gets really high or low due to a weather system moving in, and you get a very dramatic generation of airflow/wind at your home windows as your house adjusts to the new atmospheric pressure level.
 
2) Because the first batch was only for people who preordered before January 10. I (and many other preorder people) preordered on the 12th or so and got the damn 2 month delay with promise of no no-sound defect any more...which is indeed true, my pair just happen to get this different issue.
 
 
 
 
 

 
Chris,
 
Just a word of caution regarding the mailing of such headphones - even if you were to get a set to try out.  When I sent a pair back to HeadRoom, I used their box, the HE-400 box and the HE-400 headphones inside.  USPS Priority Mail + $400 insurance + Delivery confirmation ran me nearly $23.00.  This was for USPS!  Not FedEX, Not UPS.  I mean ... shipping has gotten really crazy unless you have access to corporate accounts.  Then, when you're selling something in the forum here, people think that shipping is only about $10 for a pair of headphones.  Yeah, you could send a box for $10 -- via the Parcel Post (slow) method, with no delivery confirmation and NO insurance.  Then, because they only wanted to pay $10 for shipping (with all of the risks), they'll bust you hard when the delivery never arrives and call you a thief.
 
Whew.  It felt good to let that out.
 

 
Only $23? I did CanadaPost (equivalent to USPS) 2-day shipping to the USA headquarters, only $300 insurance, and delivery confirmation. $37.

 

[IEMCrazy]

Quote:

1) They worked fine because there wasn't any major weather change since I received them until the first time the imbalance issue occurred. By major weather change, I mean how sometimes suddenly the pressure outside your house suddenly gets really high or low due to a weather system moving in, and you get a very dramatic generation of airflow/wind at your home windows as your house adjusts to the new atmospheric pressure level.
 
2) Because the first batch was only for people who preordered before January 10. I (and many other preorder people) preordered on the 12th or so and got the damn 2 month delay with promise of no no-sound defect any more...which is indeed true, my pair just happen to get this different issue.
 
 
Only $23? I did CanadaPost (equivalent to USPS) 2-day shipping to the USA headquarters, only $300 insurance, and delivery confirmation. $37.

 
Well the pressure rose recently here, no issue, but I'm not sure it's the same level of change.  You didn't happen to take barometric readings did you?

 
Oh, you had to pay the $14 Canuck penalty.  We charge it to keep you out, but it doesn't always work.  Seriously, though, import/export is always more expensive because you're literally paying both governments to hold it in a warehouse for a month, file batteries of paperwork stating that what you said you sent is really what you sent, and to make sure it's not one of those infamous Canadian headphone bombs used to destroy the American way of Beats life

 

[DannyBai]

Quote:

 
Yours was just fixed?  They didn't provide you with a new replacement?  I thought the "replacement" policy was part of the 1-year warranty.  But, those who also purchased from the first run on the HE-400s, were also offered some other incentives: 1) The warranty was extended from 1 year to 3 years, and: 2) The original purchase who pre-ordered the HE=400s and encountered issues, were offered the chance to upgrade to the HE-500 for just $150 more.

 
My mistake.  I believe it is the second batch.  Incentives wise, I have a warranty card written in Chinese and that must indicate the 3 year warranty.  I did not upgrade since I already own the HE-500 so they included an extra pair of leatherette pads.    

 

[LarsHP]

@ jerg + others concerning uneven mids of the HE-400:
Earlier in this and/or the other HE-400 thread I said I didn't think it had a hump+dip around 1k-2k Hz.
You - jerg - mentioned this hump+dip a couple of times, and said you thought of trying to do a mod to remove it, but at that time you didn't find a way of doing it.
 
Here is what I found out (if you didn't already yourself):
Recently I put on the pleather pads to see how it sounded  with those (I put the old velour pads on mine just after receiving them and they stayed like that). And there it was!
The hump+dip in the midrange is because of the pleather pads. With velour pads the mids is very smooth.
 
Edit: Sorry if this has been adressed already.

 

[wje]

Quote:

@ jerg + others concerning uneven mids of the HE-400:
Earlier in this and/or the other HE-400 thread I said I didn't think it had a hump+dip around 1k-2k Hz.
You - jerg - mentioned this hump+dip a couple of times, and said you thought of trying to do a mod to remove it, but at that time you didn't find a way of doing it.
 
Here is what I found out (if you didn't already yourself):
Recently I put on the pleather pads to see how it sounded  with those (I put the old velour pads on mine just after receiving them and they stayed like that). And there it was!
The hump+dip in the midrange is because of the pleather pads. With velour pads the mids is very smooth.
 
Edit: Sorry if this has been adressed already.

 
I should find this same experience out later tomorrow, if my velour pads arrive as expected.
 
Edit: It looks like Monday will be day of arrival.  They used USPS 1st class mail and not Priority Mail.  

 

[TMRaven]

Got my Velour pads in today, some initial thoughts and pictures:
 
-They're definitely not Beyerdynamic soft, more akin to the cheaper, itchy stuff that Sennhesier uses.  I prefer the feel of the Pleather, but I'd probably prefer the long term comfort of the velours because they won't get hot.  
-They do feel more firm than the Pleathers, but their greater thickness I question.  My pleathers are worn in on their top ends because of the shape of my head and how I position the headphone.  The thickness of the velours matches the thickness of the bottom half of my pleathers.
-One thing I'm not sure how many people brought up is the actual opening of the pads.  Both my ears and pictures can confirm the opening is a tad bigger on the Pleathers. To me the pleathers feel more spacious while the Velours feel more cramped like HD650 pads.
-My initial impressions can't say much about how they compare sonically, but judging off a couple reference songs I used right away, it seems like they minimize the 1khz hump the HE-400 has with the pleathers.  Most noted by less energy and decay of brass instruments and harshness on certain female vocals  (I would love to see Tyll measure the HE-400 with velour pads)
-My aural memory is weak, but based off test tones, it seems like the velours have a slightly less pronounced 40hz test tone.  Both start to grow anemic for me at 30hz (with the MKII amp) but I don't remember the 40hz and 50hz being so different in energy with the pleathers.  I don't really think the Velours affect bass rolloff that much at all-- if any.
-These hifiman pads are very easy to take off and put back on (nothing compared to the nightmare that was the Denon and Beyer pads) so I will A/B them more down the line, and probably correct my initial impressions if I was wrong.
 
 
Opening of velour vs pleather

 
 
Brand new velour vs compressed half of pleather

 
 
HE-400 sporting velour

 
 
HE-400 driver

 

[wje]

Quote:

-These hifiman pads are very easy to take off and put back on (nothing compared to the nightmare that was the Denon and Beyer pads) so I will A/B them more down the line, and probably correct my initial impressions if I was wrong.

 
I suspect that you've also heard that the previous version of HifiMAN pads were pretty frustrating to take on and off.  I'm looking forward to getting the newer style of velour pads to try them.  Also, in comparison to the Sennheiser pads, fortunately, the HifiMAN pads don't cost $40+ to replace.  

 

[TMRaven]

I did yes, these will be a welcome upgrade.  I'm averaging only about a minute to take a pair off and put a new pair on.  In fact I think taking them off is a bit too easy, I wish Hifiman would implement an earpad system more... sturdy.
 
I'm really trying to like these Velour pads because they don't get hot at all and they do a great job at reducing that 1khz resonance, but I just can't seem to get past the smaller opening and the less than optimal feel of the velour compared to the pleather.  I'll give them a good weak of breaking in so they hopefully conform to a nice shape that fits me nicely.  At least my ears don't even come close to touching the fabric covering the driver.

 

[DannyBai]

Listened today going back and forth with the velour and leatherette pads and surprisingly I am quite fond of the velours.  Music feels a little bit more intimate, bass seems to be tamed a bit but when I hear vocals it makes the most difference for the better I think.  Plus the velours being more firm, it has a stronger clamp but doesn't feel uncomfortable.  I think I'll go with the velours for awhile since I'm enjoying it currently.  IMO, pads make a bigger difference in sound more than cables and much cheaper.  

 

[Drastion]

I was wondering what al your opinions on this headphone for movies compared to the denon 5000. Would either be a good a choice? I am leaning to the 400 as I like the open sound of my akg q701 just wishing they had better bass presenc. That and i would think an open headphone would sound more naturally like being in a theater.

If not I am open to sugjestions since I am a bt lost since headphones specifically for movies don't seem to betalked about much here.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

 
Chris,
 
Just a word of caution regarding the mailing of such headphones - even if you were to get a set to try out.  When I sent a pair back to HeadRoom, I used their box, the HE-400 box and the HE-400 headphones inside.  USPS Priority Mail + $400 insurance + Delivery confirmation ran me nearly $23.00.  This was for USPS!  Not FedEX, Not UPS.  I mean ... shipping has gotten really crazy unless you have access to corporate accounts.  Then, when you're selling something in the forum here, people think that shipping is only about $10 for a pair of headphones.  Yeah, you could send a box for $10 -- via the Parcel Post (slow) method, with no delivery confirmation and NO insurance.  Then, because they only wanted to pay $10 for shipping (with all of the risks), they'll bust you hard when the delivery never arrives and call you a thief.
 
Whew.  It felt good to let that out.

 
Sheeeit..
 
I got dat cable money mang, I make it rain nickels and dimes up in this.
 
Yeah no I'm willing to pay shipping, it's better than I get rid of my LCD-2's with their now silver cables just to find out that the HE-400 wasn't my cup of tea.
 
Blergh.. wish I kept the HE cables I had =(