[William007]

Are these full metal?

 

[MattTCG]

Hey congrats on the purchase!! I hope that you will enjoy them. Velours seem to make a very favorable difference to most who hang out on this thread. But listen to them with the pleathers so that you will appreciate the difference in the velours even more.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Just received my HE-400s from Amazon. 
Just listened to them for about 2 mins, as I am in my office right now. Being my first full open back headphone, I am surprised with the open soundstage they present. The sound leaks outside and I was able to hear my colleagues talking. Not a big deal, as I am going to used them at home.
The sound signature is very much similar to my Fostex T50RPs, except for the bass. The sub bass in these are simply awesome!!
The mids and highs sounded like they will gain from some proper burn in time. I am noticing a slight edge at the treble region but I am sure it will go away after proper burn in (from my previous Fostex T50RP experience). I have noticed the Orthos behaves very favorably towards burn in.
 
I have ordered the valour pads as well which are yet to arrive.

 
How'd you get them from Amazon? I've been watching for months now, and have yet to see an Amazon fulfilled seller. Unless you mean HiFiMan from Amazon.

 

[viveksaikia22]

Quote:

Are these full metal?

Yes, they are full metal. I like the blue tinge on the earcups.
Quote:

Hey congrats on the purchase!! I hope that you will enjoy them. Velours seem to make a very favorable difference to most who hang out on this thread. But listen to them with the pleathers so that you will appreciate the difference in the velours even more.

Thanks!
I feel the edge in the high region might be due to the pleather pads(??) or it may smoothen out after burn in.
Quote:

 
How'd you get them from Amazon? I've been watching for months now, and have yet to see an Amazon fulfilled seller. Unless you mean HiFiMan from Amazon.

 
I got them from Hifiman on Amazon -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZG32I4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

 

[TMRaven]

Quote:

Are these full metal?

 
 
Only the yokes and headband adjustments.  The cans themselves are plastic.

 

[viveksaikia22]

Quote:

 
 
Only the yokes and headband adjustments.  The cans themselves are plastic.

The ear cups looks like metal though. Haven't tried to scratch them as yet 

 

[William007]

I'd buy these but the only problem is that i don't know if these sound beter then my current ortho

 

[musicinmymind]

Quote:

Quote:

Exactly!!  I just had a nice 2 our session listing to some Alice in Chains unplugged, Avenged Sevenfold, A Perfect Circle and Joe Satriani. The HE-400's hit them all out of the ballpark. These cans grow on me everyday, its like they get better and better with every listen.

 
This is one of my favorite live rock recordings. The acoustic guitar on the is recording is out of this world. I can close my eyes and I'm there!!
 
Oh, just got an odac today. Swapping back and forth between the odac and docked e17 (to e09k). The odac is head and shoulders better than the docked e17. Really really nice!!!

[size=medium]curious to know why you are using ODOC with E9 and not O2 [/size]

 

[MattTCG]

What's wrong with the e09? There is no way that I'd give up my e17. It's incredibly versatile and drives my orthos exceptionally as a portable hooked up to an ipod. So the e09 just made sense. It was made to pair with e17. Also I prefer a real potentiometer (volume dial) and it has a nice one. 

 

[GardenVariety]

Ok, I've spent a couple hours A/Bing the HE-400's w/ velours against the HE-500's and here are my thoughts. Please keep in mind I am not a wordsmith nor am I an audiophile. Just a musician who loves listening to music.
 
First off the HE-400's are an amazing set of headphones for $400. I believe them to have a great sound for the money. They certainly best the D5K's in my opinion. Having said that, the HE-500's are clearly better to my ears. Where the 400's falter the 500's excel. Tracks like "sic" by Slipknot and "while my guitar gently weeps" by the Beatles really bring some weight to the electric guitar tones. The mid range is portrayed in a much more honest way on the 500's. For lack of a better word the 500's have a "meaty" mid range while the 400's are scooped a bit. Both do very well with distorted electric guitars but the 500's just edge out the 400's because of the heavenly mids of the 500's.
 
Where tracks like "brother" on AIC Unplugged really had a bit too much ringing (ride cymbal bell, high hat) on the 400's, the 500's just sounded honest. The 500's really brought forward what's it's like to stand next to a drummer on a live stage. The 400's just over accentuate this area a bit too much for my taste. Listening to "someone like you" by Adele or "zombie" by the Cranberries really showed what the 500's are truly capable of. If you've ever heard a Steinway or Bosendorfer in real life you know that the 500's excel in reproducing the sound of the piano. By comparison, the 400's seem just a bit "lighter" when portraying the middle and lower keys on the piano. O'Riordan's haunting vocals combined with the thundering distorted guitars were really something to behold. While listening to "moonlight sonata" I was immediately sucked in to the recording. This particular song is full of low, sustaining notes that really resonate throughout. While the 400's really dug deep on the lower left handed parts but they just couldn't compare to the way the 500's sounded overall.
 
Bass is a complicated thing when comparing these two. The 400's definitely bring the low end out. If you like a more "exciting" EQ then you most likely will enjoy the 400's more. Or so I thought. The 500's go just as deep as the 400's but in a far more natural way. If you ever have mixed and recorded musicians you know that the bass regions are the hardest to blend. You should always be able to clearly make out a bass line or kick drum pattern but it should never be overbearing. The goal is to hear the entire mix without any one instrument impeding your ability to hear the others. The fact is, I prefer the bass on the 500's. It may not be quite as "exciting" but it's always there. Clearly, beautifully there. I am not saying that the 400's are amazing with bass. I am just saying that the 500's suit my preference more. Listening to tracks like "chiron" by All That Remains or "walk" by Pantera was really a pleasure on both cans. The 400's really brought the crazy kick patterns forward whereas the 500's set them where they were supposed to be in the mix. Either way, they both shined.
 
So when would I recommend the 400's over the 500's? For starters if you don't have a powerful amp I wouldn't consider the 500's. The 400's run "decently" off my iPad output. The 500's simply don't. If you listen to electronic, hip hop or just plain prefer the accentuated bass go with the 400's. If money is an issue, obviously go with the 400's. Other than that go with the 500's. I'll probably be keeping both since I love the planar sound and still believe that the 400's are going to be better for portable direct listening or longer sessions where weight may be an issue.

 

[musicinmymind]

Nothing worng, just wanted to know. Now that you have ODOC, E17 would be limitted portable only...
 
I would also never give up E17, the hardware EQ is too good and drives HE-400 and TF10 incredibly.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Ok, I've spent a couple hours A/Bing the HE-400's w/ velours against the HE-500's and here are my thoughts. Please keep in mind I am not a wordsmith nor am I an audiophile. Just a musician who loves listening to music.
 
First off the HE-400's are an amazing set of headphones for $400. I believe them to have a great sound for the money. They certainly best the D5K's in my opinion. Having said that, the HE-500's are clearly better to my ears. Where the 400's falter the 500's excel. Tracks like "sic" by Slipknot and "while my guitar gently weeps" by the Beatles really bring some weight to the electric guitar tones. The mid range is portrayed in a much more honest way on the 500's. For lack of a better word the 500's have a "meaty" mid range while the 400's are scooped a bit. Both do very well with distorted electric guitars but the 500's just edge out the 400's because of the heavenly mids of the 500's.
 
Where tracks like "brother" on AIC Unplugged really had a bit too much ringing (ride cymbal bell, high hat) on the 400's, the 500's just sounded honest. The 500's really brought forward what's it's like to stand next to a drummer on a live stage. The 400's just over accentuate this area a bit too much for my taste. Listening to "someone like you" by Adele or "zombie" by the Cranberries really showed what the 500's are truly capable of. If you've ever heard a Steinway or Bosendorfer in real life you know that the 500's excel in reproducing the sound of the piano. By comparison, the 400's seem just a bit "lighter" when portraying the middle and lower keys on the piano. O'Riordan's haunting vocals combined with the thundering distorted guitars were really something to behold. While listening to "moonlight sonata" I was immediately sucked in to the recording. This particular song is full of low, sustaining notes that really resonate throughout. While the 400's really dug deep on the lower left handed parts but they just couldn't compare to the way the 500's sounded overall.
 
Bass is a complicated thing when comparing these two. The 400's definitely bring the low end out. If you like a more "exciting" EQ then you most likely will enjoy the 400's more. Or so I thought. The 500's go just as deep as the 400's but in a far more natural way. If you ever have mixed and recorded musicians you know that the bass regions are the hardest to blend. You should always be able to clearly make out a bass line or kick drum pattern but it should never be overbearing. The goal is to hear the entire mix without any one instrument impeding your ability to hear the others. The fact is, I prefer the bass on the 500's. It may not be quite as "exciting" but it's always there. Clearly, beautifully there. I am not saying that the 400's are amazing with bass. I am just saying that the 500's suit my preference more. Listening to tracks like "chiron" by All That Remains or "walk" by Pantera was really a pleasure on both cans. The 400's really brought the crazy kick patterns forward whereas the 500's set them where they were supposed to be in the mix. Either way, they both shined.
 
So when would I recommend the 400's over the 500's? For starters if you don't have a powerful amp I wouldn't consider the 500's. The 400's run "decently" off my iPad output. The 500's simply don't. If you listen to electronic, hip hop or just plain prefer the accentuated bass go with the 400's. If money is an issue, obviously go with the 400's. Other than that go with the 500's. I'll probably be keeping both since I love the planar sound and still believe that the 400's are going to be better for portable direct listening or longer sessions where weight may be an issue.

 
Thanks for the write up and, yep, that's the gist of it. Your impressions match the measurements perfectly.

 

[William007]

Ok, I've spent a couple hours A/Bing the HE-400's w/ velours against the HE-500's and here are my thoughts. Please keep in mind I am not a wordsmith nor am I an audiophile. Just a musician who loves listening to music.

First off the HE-400's are an amazing set of headphones for $400. I believe them to have a great sound for the money. They certainly best the D5K's in my opinion. Having said that, the HE-500's are clearly better to my ears. Where the 400's falter the 500's excel. Tracks like "sic" by Slipknot and "while my guitar gently weeps" by the Beatles really bring some weight to the electric guitar tones. The mid range is portrayed in a much more honest way on the 500's. For lack of a better word the 500's have a "meaty" mid range while the 400's are scooped a bit. Both do very well with distorted electric guitars but the 500's just edge out the 400's because of the heavenly mids of the 500's.

Where tracks like "brother" on AIC Unplugged really had a bit too much ringing (ride cymbal bell, high hat) on the 400's, the 500's just sounded honest. The 500's really brought forward what's it's like to stand next to a drummer on a live stage. The 400's just over accentuate this area a bit too much for my taste. Listening to "someone like you" by Adele or "zombie" by the Cranberries really showed what the 500's are truly capable of. If you've ever heard a Steinway or Bosendorfer in real life you know that the 500's excel in reproducing the sound of the piano. By comparison, the 400's seem just a bit "lighter" when portraying the middle and lower keys on the piano. O'Riordan's haunting vocals combined with the thundering distorted guitars were really something to behold. While listening to "moonlight sonata" I was immediately sucked in to the recording. This particular song is full of low, sustaining notes that really resonate throughout. While the 400's really dug deep on the lower left handed parts but they just couldn't compare to the way the 500's sounded overall.

 
Bass is a complicated thing when comparing these two. The 400's definitely bring the low end out. If you like a more "exciting" EQ then you most likely will enjoy the 400's more. Or so I thought. The 500's go just as deep as the 400's but in a far more natural way. If you ever have mixed and recorded musicians you know that the bass regions are the hardest to blend. You should always be able to clearly make out a bass line or kick drum pattern but it should never be overbearing. The goal is to hear the entire mix without any one instrument impeding your ability to hear the others. The fact is, I prefer the bass on the 500's. It may not be quite as "exciting" but it's always there. Clearly, beautifully there. I am not saying that the 400's are amazing with bass. I am just saying that the 500's suit my preference more. Listening to tracks like "chiron" by All That Remains or "walk" by Pantera was really a pleasure on both cans. The 400's really brought the crazy kick patterns forward whereas the 500's set them where they were supposed to be in the mix. Either way, they both shined.

So when would I recommend the 400's over the 500's? For starters if you don't have a powerful amp I wouldn't consider the 500's. The 400's run "decently" off my iPad output. The 500's simply don't. If you listen to electronic, hip hop or just plain prefer the accentuated bass go with the 400's. If money is an issue, obviously go with the 400's. Other than that go with the 500's. I'll probably be keeping both since I love the planar sound and still believe that the 400's are going to be better for portable direct listening or longer sessions where weight may be an issue.

Did you use the he500 with the asgard?

 

[GardenVariety]

Quote:

Did you use the he500 with the asgard?

Yes sir.

 

[William007]

Yes sir.

Do you think the asgard is good enough?