[Nepenthe]

If you look directly before your post Fang ( Nankai ) addressed this "detailed and more laid back" thing

Yes, thanks. His post was exactly one minute mine, so hadn't seen it.
 
I think I will order these... that is if, if HiFiMAN doesn't hate me when they receive my HE-500s back.

 

[blankdisc]

Fantastic writing! I am SO relieved that I am not the one who was impressed by the performance of HE-400, and more importantly will not be so solely responsible for building up the hype. LOL... ^_^
 
Have been doing quite a lot listening with HE-400 during the past Holiday driven by EF-6. I am actually liking it more and more mostly because of the weight and fun sounding.
 
I certainly wouldn't call HE-400 a light weight headphone, but it has hit a sweet spot and no longer feels heavy if you know what i mean.
I still think that HE-500 is a better headphone with more refined sound, but listening to HE-400 is just a lot of fun. 

 
Quote:

I could write much more about the experience, but I would prefer doing so at a later date.  At $399 I can't imagine doing any better than the HE-400s assuming the production version will be at least as good as this.  For $349 it's a steal.  I predict a very favorable reception at CES--which is where this particular demo unit was headed--and a following critical and commercial success.  At near commodity-level pricing these are simply a must buy, even for owners of existing HE models.  The HE-400 fills in a gap very nicely, not just in the model lineup and price range, but as a genuine alternative to much higher priced headphones in general.

 

 

[blankdisc]

It seems to me that you should give HE-400 a try. I am serious.
 
Quote:

Thanks. Would you say the higher treble is emphasized vs. mids or about the same vs. mids when compared to the HE-500? I listen at low volumes.
 
My issues with the HE-500s, keeping in mind my low level listening, when weighed against being A) open and B) $700, were 1) I was missing a bit of the tactile impact in the bass that something like the M50s give at very low volume, 2) I was missing some expected wetness / shimmer in the treble, and 3) I wasn't hearing a clear advantage in transient response or detail. I liked them, just didn't love them.
 
For $350 instead of B) $700, I can overlook A) open and 3) average transient / detail response. And it sounds like 1) tactile bass is more developed on these. Wondering what the treble is like for a low volume (60-65 dB) listener.
 
Thanks!

 

 

[blankdisc]

I have been asking myself the same question these days. If i were to buy a headphone today, would I get HE-400 or spend more for the HE-500? I used to have the HE-4, and upgrading to HE-6/HE-500 was a no brainer. This time i am not so sure. $300 is a lot of money. You can get a pretty decent amp to drive the HE-400 with 300 bucks.
 
Ultimately i think that it really depands on what type of music you listen to, and what kind of amp you already have.
 
Quote:

is it worth to spend 300$ more to get the HE-500 or not ?
this is the question ??
 

 

 

[TexasBuck]

Quote:

Do you think you could give a quick comparison on these vs. HD600's in terms of midrange?

I'd be interested in hearing an HD600 comparison to the HE-400's as well.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Looks like a big T50rp driver! 
 
Hard to tell how they sound different than the HE500 with so many subjective terms like laid back and engaging and forward. 
 
So the HE400 has less upper midrange and treble presence and are more detailed?  That would be awesome. 

 

[TMRaven]

My wish has come true!  An HE-500 at the same price as most of the mid-fi staples on the market.  What I'm interested in most-- even before their sound, is how they fit and how comfortable they are.
 
Any comparisons to cans like the HD650/DT990/Denons?
 
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, I think I'll wait until someone can compare the sound to other cans, because what's being said is just damn confusing.

 

[jerg]

I'll just mirror others' opinions, that really we are hoping for comparative impressions of HE-400 with other headphones of the same price-range. That's all that matters.
 
Both absolute impressions of headphones, and comparing headphones with other headphones from the same family (HE-400 vs 500), are too subjective.

 

[OldSkool]

Quote:

 
Ultimately i think that it really depends on what type of music you listen to, and what kind of amp you already have.
 


 

Blankdisc, how's the speed of the HE-400? I ask because I enjoy my silver-cabled HD650s for most genres, but I'm looking for a little more PRaT with rock.
 
Listening to a hybrid LD1+, working my way up the ladder to a Woo WA2. Thoughts?
 
 

 

[tedkalaw]

Thanks for the great impressions so far, guys.

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

Yeah, I think I'll wait until someone can compare the sound to other cans, because what's being said is just damn confusing.

exactly. 
 
far too much guesstimating and not enough review/comparison in this thread

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

I'll just mirror others' opinions, that really we are hoping for comparative impressions of HE-400 with other headphones of the same price-range. That's all that matters.
 
Both absolute impressions of headphones, and comparing headphones with other headphones from the same family (HE-400 vs 500), are too subjective.

I don't think that's subjective, the HE500 is a great phone to compare to.  What's subjective are terms that really just mean something different to everyone.  I'm curious how it's sound signature compares to HE500 in terms of quantity of bass, mids, upper mids and treble.

 

[rawrster]

I just bought something from the FS so it looks like I'll be passing on the HE400 while they  have their introductory price but no big deal as they are coming to a meet at the end of January. Some of the recent comments makes me think that I'll pass but I rather have the chance to audition and lose $50 than buy now and sell later.

 

[blankdisc]

It's faster than HD650 for sure. After all it's an ortho.  
 
Quote:

Blankdisc, how's the speed of the HE-400? I ask because I enjoy my silver-cabled HD650s for most genres, but I'm looking for a little more PRaT with rock.
 
Listening to a hybrid LD1+, working my way up the ladder to a Woo WA2. Thoughts?