New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out
Sep 28, 2012 at 7:49 PM Post #4,187 of 6,017
Quote:
Hi all ,
I own the he-400 sine today morning and im just wondering if anybody has some foobar EQ settings , fitting for the he 400
Greetings,
Dan

A gentle boost centering around 4kHz will make it sound more forward.
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 8:01 PM Post #4,188 of 6,017
Quote:
A gentle boost centering around 4kHz will make it sound more forward.

Oh god I forgot about that band. I remember reading something about it a while back that suggested lowering the 4khz band to lessen the "cheap" sound of headphones. I suppose it makes sense a grade A set might benefit from it. I almost don't like to mess with bands in the middle like that because it will almost ALWAYS sound "better" with a little dash of 4khz thrown in (at least on this set). Just trying it out with Juno reactor, it brings out the classical guitar attack and synth lead much farther forward and makes it less laid back (which I like, but I have no idea if I should really keep something like the 4khz band up a few db at all times or not.)
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 8:06 PM Post #4,189 of 6,017
Quote:
Oh god I forgot about that band. I remember reading something about it a while back that suggested lowering the 4khz band to lessen the "cheap" sound of headphones. I suppose it makes sense a grade A set might benefit from it. I almost don't like to mess with bands in the middle like that because it will almost ALWAYS sound "better" with a little dash of 4khz thrown in (at least on this set). Just trying it out with Juno reactor, it brings out the classical guitar attack and synth lead much farther forward and makes it less laid back (which I like, but I have no idea if I should really keep something like the 4khz band up a few db at all times or not.)

 
Yeah, too much ~4kHz boost = low-fi sound. They sound the best with around 3-4 dB broadband boost around there, basically as forward as possible without losing the realistic timbre.
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 9:05 PM Post #4,194 of 6,017
Also, it always takes me a while to get used to wearing this pair of headphones' every day. It hurts around the headband area. Do you know any possibilities as to why this happens? (first decent pair of headphones btw)
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 9:10 PM Post #4,195 of 6,017
I wonder if I'm driving these headphones to its full potential. I mean, it gets pretty loud from the Valhalla, and I can definitely appreciate the bass of the He-400 opposed to my HD650, but it seems like the mids aren't as rich/clear as the HD650.
 
Is this a signature property of the HE-400? I do actually appreciate the improved treble (if mine are the r3), it reminds me of the DT880 that I sold. But I'm also thinking it might be from not properly driving the headphones. Cause I remember my DT800 600 became a whole different monster when I got the Valhalla for it compared to just my PC speaker out lol 
 
I can tell I'm going to use the HE-400 on my computer, and the HD650 as my relaxing/reading headphones. 
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 9:10 PM Post #4,196 of 6,017
Also, it always takes me a while to get used to wearing this pair of headphones' every day. It hurts around the headband area. Do you know any possibilities as to why this happens? (first decent pair of headphones btw)
 


 
The headband padding is pretty minimal for a headphone in its range.
 
I haven't had problems with it but I can see why some people would.
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 9:11 PM Post #4,197 of 6,017
Quote:
Also, it always takes me a while to get used to wearing this pair of headphones' every day. It hurts around the headband area. Do you know any possibilities as to why this happens? (first decent pair of headphones btw)

I think you'll get used to it eventually. These cans are a bit heavier compared to others that I've tried. So they won't completely disappear from your head, but I don't find them unbearable at all. 
 
But then again, I haven't had a chance to marathon them yet, I'll find out tomorrow for you :D 
 
Sep 28, 2012 at 9:48 PM Post #4,199 of 6,017
Quote:
I wonder if I'm driving these headphones to its full potential. I mean, it gets pretty loud from the Valhalla, and I can definitely appreciate the bass of the He-400 opposed to my HD650, but it seems like the mids aren't as rich/clear as the HD650.

 
Probably the HD650's mids should sound more coherent and vibrant, although the HE400s sometimes beat them in terms of technical proficiency, maybe not microdetails, but still. 
 
Is this a signature property of the HE-400? I do actually appreciate the improved treble (if mine are the r3), it reminds me of the DT880 that I sold. But I'm also thinking it might be from not properly driving the headphones. Cause I remember my DT800 600 became a whole different monster when I got the Valhalla for it compared to just my PC speaker out lol 

 
No experience with the Valhalla, but with the Asgard and Lyr, it doesn't really scale much higher than that. Probably not an amp problem. The HE400s are efficient cans.
 

I can tell I'm going to use the HE-400 on my computer, and the HD650 as my relaxing/reading headphones. 

 
This is pretty much what I'm doing right now - the HD580s and LCD-2s for low-level, relaxing listening, and the HE400s for everything else.

 
Yeah, too much ~4kHz boost = low-fi sound. They sound the best with around 3-4 dB broadband boost around there, basically as forward as possible without losing the realistic timbre.

 
I found that a 1-2db boost in the 2.5kHz region helped along with the 4k bump. Can't stand any boosts in the bass with these, +3 with the E17 was nauseating, to say the least.


 

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