[GTRagnarok]

I'm really loving these headphones. I think they're good endgame headphones for a semi-audiophile like me, at least for the foreseeable future. David rated the HE-500 highly in the Battle of the Flagships thread. At the same time, many people consider the HE-400 to be very close to the HE-500. That suggests to me the HE-400 is a really good value.

 

[kyoshiro]

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Im also using an M-Stage and it sounds great.  Just waiting for the Class-A biased mod to arrive from Tam Audio, after that the credit card is getting cut up!
 
Edit: The dual inputs on the M-stage are invaluable imo, i have one running from my Xonar D2X for gaming and the other running from my UD100 DAC for listening to music.

 
mmmm doesnt tam audio use paypal? 

 

[Bboy500]

I'm really loving these headphones. I think they're good endgame headphones for a semi-audiophile like me, at least for the foreseeable future. David rated the HE-500 highly in the Battle of the Flagships thread. At the same time, many people consider the HE-400 to be very close to the HE-500. That suggests to me the HE-400 is a really good value.

Same thought here. Not really looking to upgrade any longer.

 

[DanPluck]

mmmm doesnt tam audio use paypal? 

Yup, linked the cc to PayPal for extra protection for large purchases.

 

[FuzzyD]

Just ordered my HE400 from Jorge at HeadRoom. Can't wait! Need to figure out a stand solution for these.

 

[tuna47]

Also feel the he400 is my end game love the ortho sound but who knows what the future brings

 

[ferday]

Quote:

Also feel the he400 is my end game love the ortho sound but who knows what the future brings

LOVE mine, but it's making me want others.  i'd love a good companion phone, like the HD650 or AKG701...something super cold and analytical.  and maybe some sick high end bass cans...ugh it'll never be over LOL

 

[Sniping]

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Didn't Toxic just come of with the silk cables this weekend? I must say that the Q audio cable is fantastic!!

Yeah, they just announced the silk cables. While Q-audio used to be awesome with HiFiMan headphones before, I think the adapters just make the cable too expensive, about $300 for a 6 1/2 foot cable while Frank is offering a 6ft. cable for ~$210USD. If you check out the Q website, you can see that they called out Toxic Cables, so I think Frank is trying to steal some business here, which isn't a problem at all for me. 

 

[wje]

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Sounds like you are fashioning your own version of dogpads.
 
Also, for the he400 you wouldn't want lambskin as leather just doesn't seem to do these justice. 

 
Matt,  Actually, I was able to get some high density 1" foam.  It's not nearly memory foam, but it does retain its shape and will, or should hold up well.  I'm kind of focusing on the Brainwavz HMT type of pad - or, the Fischer Audio FA-003 (MK I) pads, which were a bit more supple than the current FA-003 MK II pads.  I do realize I could just go with some Stax pads - but, at a cost.  The leather was already at my house asking to be used.  
 
As to how to approach the HE-400 style pads.  I could make the replacements a bit more like the Fischer Audio FA-003 MK II, with a bit of a thicker and taller pad.  I could use the inside section to sew in a piece of velour to see how it controls the frequencies on the HE-400, like the HifiMAN velour pads do.
 
The fact is, there are so many options and ideas, It would take me two years to get all of my own stuff executed and on the path the completion.  Meanwhile, I'm building a custom Canare cable for the Fostex T50 and then another custom Canare for the HE-400s, too.

 

[justin w.]

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That's a great idea. I actually had similar thoughts before you sent me my HE400 for you to open it up and check to see if all was well with my pair, but forgot to ask lol.

 
I've ordered a distribution amp so i can run several headphones at once, but for now, I'm playing each pair through 1 CD before shipping them out.

 

[GTRagnarok]

I managed to break one of the 4 small tabs on BOTH of the grill rings while attempting the grill mod. DON'T try to pry them up from the inside edge...

They still fit, just not perfectly. I contacted head-direct.com and was able to order replacement rings though.
 
Here's the finished product. Looks just like jerg's.
 

 
It's not a huge difference in sound to me, but it's worth doing. It removes a little bit of the muffled/closed quality of the sound.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I managed to break one of the 4 small tabs on BOTH of the grill rings while attempting the grill mod. DON'T try to pry them up from the inside edge...

They still fit, just not perfectly. I contacted head-direct.com and was able to order replacement rings though.
 
Here's the finished product. Looks just like jerg's.
 

 
It's not a huge difference in sound to me, but it's worth doing. It removes a little bit of the muffled/closed quality of the sound.

Looks very nice indeed. That cable is pure sex.
 
Yeah the little plastic ring is a bit finicky. You really gotta feel for how much it can take before it gives, in order to install/uninstall it with ease. I never have any trouble manipulating them, for instance.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I broke one of the tabs and cursed myself for even bothering with this mod.

 

[BearWant]

Sorry to repost.  I got a few replies in the other HE-400 thread.  But not too much feedback.  I've spotted some knowlegeable posters around here so I thought I'd try to trouble you one last time.
 
So I've been sucked into the black hole that is head-fi and lurking for a while now though the endless threads and spending countless hours on research.  I think I finally have come to the determination that the he-400 is what I'm seeking; however, I am not totally sure what I need to complete my setup.  
 
I will use music from the MOG at 320 kbps as my source from both my Galaxy Nexus and PC.  On my pc I have onboard sound which I don't think too highly of.  I would like some portability, so I'm considering the e17/e09k combo.  That way I could use the e17 as a dac when at my PC and use it as an amp for my phone.  The dac in my Nexus does not seem half bad for when I go portable (waiting for someone to hopefully figure out that micro usb issue so I can output to a dac).
 
The other detail here is my father has an old NAD receiver I'm not sure what model, but it has a headphone jack and plenty of inputs on the back.  Is it 1) possible and 2) advisable to output SPDIF from PC to the e17/e09k combo using the e17's dac and the e09k as a preamp then using the rca outputs on the back of the e09k to the back of the NAD receiver for some extra juice? I apologize if this has been answered before, but my search found nothing.
 
Or can someone envision a better alternative?  As I said I would like some portability, but with that said I don't need to be walking around town and would stay confined to a desk while I listen.  Thus, I would be happy to lug around a manageable dac & amp for when I go out of town or when I'm working from the office on weekends.  Money is an barrier.  I'm not looking to spend much more than 650 and would like to make my purchase through Amazon so I can get the 12 month financing.  I'm a poor social worker so its a must.  The only other thing I would say is that I'm hoping this envisioned setup would provide some future proofing in that I would be able to drive some other headphones which may be more difficult to drive if I am to expand my collection in the future.  I have the head-fi bug so I'm sure it just a matter of time before I get the itch again.

 

[jerg]

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I broke one of the tabs and cursed myself for even bothering with this mod.

 
Finger dexterity bro, gotta level that up.