[olegausany]

 
 
 


Quote:

I'm not an expert.  my impressions:
 
I don't know what I think about burn in.  They get better after even just a few days, but there are a few ways to account for this.  Ears will attenuate certain frequencies to recalibrate.  Mine do, I guess I can't extrapolate that to others.
 
These are the only headphones I've had experience with.  I should reserve judgements for a while, but so far I am pleased.  The sound is veiled, I was not prepared for that.  When I open the cups so that my ears don't touch the the cans, the veil dissapears.  Also, i switched from mbp power to the headphones out jack on a fairly cheap home surround amp and the sound was much less fatiguing and I realized the potential of these headphones are likely more than I will be able to experience from my laptop.
 
The sound is like that of coming through a paper towel tube.  It sounds attenuated and delayed-ish in higher frequencies while still having some harshness in higher frequencies.  I found that this is much less noticeable when streaming from lossless internet radio.  The sound is deeper and fuller, similar to the surround home theater amp.
 
The clamping force is uncomfortable for long sessions.  The cans are detailed and do reveal problems in poorly recorded albums, or they can reveal things I have never heard before and add to the quality.  John Denver cleaned up nicely.  Jazz sounds really good on these.  low frequencies sound very solid and detailed.  There is a spaciousness to the sound.  Tracks with "mono" sounding vocals really suck as they do not use the potential of these headphones.  I like them the more that I listen to them.  I think they are worth the money.  I can hear the whir of the banjo, not just the sound but something extra... something not present in other listening experiences.
 
I like them, sam I am.
 
I like that the cable splits and has the spin on connectors.  I like the length because I don't have to worry about yanking against the source.  I struggled with eq to make them more comortable.  I used the freq. response curve provided by hifiman and didn't expect it to really translate to good results... but interestingly they sound more flat now.  not the best way to do it, but it helped.

If you want to get their potential you will need to invest in DAC/AMP as one or to separate boxes. Be aware that DACs using asynchronous USB mode, while costing more. provide better sound than the ones using regular mode but if your laptop has SPDIF out you can get one with SPIDF in and without USB
 

 

[tattare]

I want a 3D image of your head.  That has to be one weird shaped potato.
I wear a 7 3/4" in New Era Hats and the headphones are halfway down the adjustment slider and feel amazing. (compared to ath-50 w/shure 840 pads and 1 year of melon stretching)
I put 6 hours of wear in on them tonight at work without a problem other than they are a bit heavy and my amp sucks.
Quote:

I finally got the clamping to feel 90% comfortable, after stretching the entire length of the headband completely flat against the table for a whole minute.

 
Anyone have a portable amp they are enjoying right now with the HE-400?  I need suggestions.  I was thinking the new portable from JDSlabs c421 w/AD8620 but for the price I think id rather pay a bit more and get a asgard to hookup to my denon receiver.  
Hows the cmoy?

 

[Ultrainferno]

With a good amp the HD650 beats the he-400 imo. It's capable of so much more.

 

[Dazedy]

With a good amp the HD650 beats the he-400 imo. It's capable of so much more.

Could you clarify? What kind of amp (Ie price point ) are you considering a "good amp"? How does a better amp make the HD650 sound better?
Saying that one headphone beats another with a good amp really doesn't tell anyone much.

 

[Ultrainferno]

Quote:

Could you clarify? What kind of amp (Ie price point ) are you considering a "good amp"? How does a better amp make the HD650 sound better?
Saying that one headphone beats another with a good amp really doesn't tell anyone much.

It's been explained sooo many times on the boards already. there's also a lot of info on that on headfonia.com. The HD650 just scales up much more with a good (tube) amp, but then you're talking at least +$500 amps

 

[TMRaven]

I just don't know man.  Other than an amplifier doing what it's supposed to do and providing sufficient volume, the only upgradability just seems like subtle refinements in sound from better components within the amp, and coloring towards the user's liking.  I don't see why either headphone couldn't benefit equally from subtle refinements, but maybe people are saying the HD-650 sounds better with the right coloration?

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

It's been explained sooo many times on the boards already. there's also a lot of info on that on headfonia.com. The HD650 just scales up much more with a good (tube) amp, but then you're talking at least +$500 amps

In my experience with the HD600, I wouldn't exactly calling it "scaling up."
 
Plugged into a WA6 or other tube amp, I think the impedance curve of the Senns simply boosts the treble and bass (especially the bass) and adds a more solid foundation, giving them the impression of livelier, more dynamic sound. In reality, you're simply altering the frequency response in a way that's pleasing to you.
 
The first time I heard them through a tube amp (I've personally tried the WA6 and the Jolida FX-10 w/speaker tap box), I was initially floored by the change, but as I listened more, I realized that it was highly colored. Some people really like the effect, but I didn't.
 

 

[olegausany]

I got my D5000 for just $150 more than i paid for HE-400 or HD650 and on my current setup with no external amp and even no EQ settings changes they beat both of them plus they as light and comfortable as HD650 so i would rather keep D5000 and let HD650 go, unless i will like them with vinyl record playing setup, than spend $500 to make HD650 shine but i'm stil curious if getting Little Dot tube amp can give me something worth having it. It also could be just that D5000 are better match for my setup but as long as it doesn't cost too much i'm very very happy

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I got my D5000 for just $150 more than i paid for HE-400 or HD650 and on my current setup with no external amp and even no EQ settings changes they beat both of them plus they as light and comfortable as HD650 so i would rather keep D5000 and let HD650 go, unless i will like them with vinyl record playing setup, than spend $500 to make HD650 shine but i'm stil curious if getting Little Dot tube amp can give me something worth having it. It also could be just that D5000 are better match for my setup but as long as it doesn't cost too much i'm very very happy

Yeah yeah we get it olegausany, you don't have to mention how D5k is better than the other two cans (and the fact that you want to sell HD650) every time you post in this thread lol.

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

It also could be just that D5000 are better match for my setup but as long as it doesn't cost too much i'm very very happy

I told you a week ago that you should stop messing around with tubes, EQ, T50RP's, and all that other crazy talk and just get some Denons...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586885/new-hifiman-headphone-he-400-is-out/885#post_8234772
 
They aren't a "better match for your setup.". They are a better match for YOU. Congratulations, you're done!
 

 

[olegausany]

Quote:

Yeah yeah we get it olegausany, you don't have to mention how D5k is better than the other two cans (and the fact that you want to sell HD650) every time you post in this thread lol.

Very sorry for repeating myself but my point is that i would rather spend a little more money for different headphones which are significant upgrade to my old ones and than sell old ones  (will make the new one cheaper for me) then spend the cost of new ones to make old ones worth keeping

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

Very sorry for repeating myself but my point is that i would rather spend a little more money for different headphones which are significant upgrade to my old ones and than sell old ones  (will make the new one cheaper for me) then spend the cost of new ones to make old ones worth keeping

The D5000's aren't "a significant upgrade" over the HE-400 and HD650. You simply like them better. Semantics, I know, but an important distinction I think.
 
But this is an HE-400 thread so I don't think further mention of the D5000 and HD650 is necessary.

 

[olegausany]

Quote:

I told you a week ago that you should stop messing around with tubes, EQ, T50RP's, and all that other crazy talk and just get some Denons...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586885/new-hifiman-headphone-he-400-is-out/885#post_8234772
 
They aren't a "better match for your setup.". They are a better match for YOU. Congratulations, you're done!
 

Thanks a lot but as you probably know well everyone is trying to save money and try new things and only by trying and comparing you can find what you like most. But i have just one question : Are Lawton mods worth to improve my Denons? I'm not interested in cup replacement , just MarkL mod. pads and cable
 
 

 

[olegausany]

Quote:

The D5000's aren't "a significant upgrade" over the HE-400 and HD650. You simply like them better. Semantics, I know, but an important distinction I think.
 
But this is an HE-400 thread so I don't think further mention of the D5000 and HD650 is necessary.

I perfectly know that this HE-400 thread but i just was trying to compare them so that people who have or know them will have idea do they need HE-400 or not.
Also my point is that it's sometimes easier and cheaper to get different headphones to match your existing setup than buying amp  or upgrading if you already have one to make your existing headphones or the one you just got sound the way YOU like
 
 

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

Thanks a lot but as you probably know well everyone is trying to save money and try new things and only by trying and comparing you can find what you like most. But i have just one question : Are Lawton mods worth to improve my Denons? I'm not interested in cup replacement , just MarkL mod. pads and cable
 
 

I believe there is plenty of info on Lawton mods in the Denon threads...