HE-400
Before I start, let me clarify something: This impression is of the HE-400 using the Hifiman velour pads, instead of the stock pleather pads. The Hifiman velours can be bought from Head-Direct for $10. Why the velour? It has been clearly
documented, that the velour pads give the HE-400 a cleaner, more refined sound, with absolutely zero trade offs. The bass remains the same, the mids are pushed up, and treble is better fleshed out (the pleather pads give the HE-400 some pesky and uneven treble peaks). It has also been tested by many of us on Head-fi, myself included. The clarity is noticeably improved, as well as lifting the slight veil and darkness that the pleather pads have. Can't forget that velour is MUCH better than pleather in comfort, IMHO. No more sweaty, sticky pleather touching the skin. You all know how I feel about pleather.
Well, what a journey it's been to find that one headphone with a sound that I'd consider borderline perfect. The HE-400 is seriously so enjoyable with everything I throw at it, that I couldn't find an absolute fault in it's
inherent sound signature, quality of sound, etc. There is one exception, which I'll explain later on. Now the breakdown:
Bass: This is what I'd consider the most natural sounding bass in terms of quantity and quality that I've heard. Is it bass light? No. Is it bass heavy? No. So what IS the bass? Well, the bass is just what it is... BASS. When a song asks for lots of bass, the HE-400 surely does not disappoint. It is NOT an aggressive bass like most bass heavy headphones that tend to impart bass to things that shouldn't have bass. For example: The D7000 (which has my fave bass presence in a headphone), still tends to sound bass heavy on bass light recordings. The HE-400 only adds bass if it's there to begin with. In reality, you can say that the bass IS emphasized, because bass neutral cans don't tend to have the power and impact that the HE400's bass has. So let's call it mildly bass emphasized, but just absolutely lovely in any which way. You put a bassy song, and you'll never think to yourself "Hmm, this could use more bass". It's that good. This is the type of bass that bassheads looking for actual quality can appreciate. I'd put the actual quantity between the DT880 and DT990. Like the HE-4. The quality of the bass isn't as clean as the Pro 2900 and Q701, but it's easily fuller sounding, and more realistic.
Mids: Very natural sounding mids. Personally, I wouldn't say they're forward, or recessed. They're well balanced mids. With certain recordings, the mids are right where they need to be, and with other recordings, the mids are intimate and hauntingly realistic. Female vocals are an exceptional strength in the HE-400. The mids are also not hindered by either the bass or treble.
Treble: This is what I was most skeptical about when I read up on the HE-400. Many times I have read that the treble was too dark, too smooth, and lacking air. The previous HE-400 may have actually had that issue, but the current batches do not have this issue. The stock HE-400 with pleather has a tendency to be smooth in certain ranges of the treble, and peaky on others. Uneven treble that can be dark or bright. The velour pads lets the treble behave in a more uniform manner, being neither dark or bright to my ears. They sound crisp enough and sparkly, but never sibilant. This is personally right where I'd love my treble to be on all headphones. I wouldn't mind more treble in headphones, but never less treble. Spot on, really.
Soundstage: I'm not a soundstage nut when it comes to non-gaming purposes, and I find the HE-400's soundstage to be medium sized. Not small, and not big. I guess those used to something like the Q701's soundstage may feel the loss of sheer size, but I don't have a problem with it whatsoever. To me, what is lost, is gained everywhere else. The HE-400 sounds less like a headphone, and more like two speakers strapped to the side of your head. Literally haven't heard anything like it. It's airy, and sounds are place all around you, and less next to your ears like standard headphones. THAT being said, I must say that I don't find the HE-400's soundstage paired up with Dolby Headphone to be great. It's good, but not GREAT. More about this on the next paragraph...
Positioning: How did the HE-400 fare for gaming? Well... it did good. About as good as the HE-4 in terms of positioning. They both are just SLIGHTLY better than the DT880 in terms of positional cues, which is to say, they could do better, but will do their job. Certainly not going to compete with the AD700, Q701, K701, DT990, DT770 Pros, D7000, etc. So if you're looking for an amazing, fun, and competitive headphone, the HE-400 is a safe bet, though slightly lagging behind in terms of raw positioning.
Amping: The HE-400 is unlike the HE-4, in that it doesn't require the power of Zeus to get it to sing well. A portable amp will make them sound great. A desktop amp would be even better. How did it do with the Mixamp? Well, I'd put them as being capable of being driven by the Mixamp IF you don't use voice chat. If you do, you WILL need an external amp, just like the Beyers, Q701/K701s. Depending on the game, the Mixamp can drive the HE-400 just fine alone, or have to be nearly maxed just to get a moderately loud volume. Playing Mass Effect 3, I had to literally max the volume out. So yes, you may want some amp on hand just to be safe. Still, they sound fantastic off the Mixamp, and I didn't feel it was lacking in dynamics, fullness, etc.
Comfort: Like the HE-4, I find them very comfortable. The stock pleather pads are actually pretty good for comfort, as they aren't going to cover your face in pleather, though they still get hot and sticky. The velours however are just the right amount of firm/softness and plenty breathable. You will notice that the HE-400 IS a pretty heavy headphone. Literally the heaviest headphone I've owned. It's a tank. However, due to the headband design (my favorite outside of the Steelseries Siberia), the weight gets evenly distributed, so it doesn't dig into your skull. I don't have a problem wearing the HE-400 all day. This is more than I can say about pretty much every other headphone I have used, with some exceptions. Oh yes, the pads don't have that rough, glue substance on the edges of the inner lining that bothered me with the HE-4 pads, which is a welcome change.
Final impressions: The HE-400 is absolutely a must have if you're less of a competitive gamer, and more of a fun gamer. The sound quality of the HE-400 is second to none on my list. I'd rate the overall SQ to be absolutely god tier. Better balanced, and fuller sounding than anything else on this guide, with absolutely nothing missing in it's sound signature. Other cans have more immediate fun factor (D7000, Pro 900), but long-term, the HE400 bests those as it blends ALL frequencies together to form an amazing, cohesive sound with no glaring faults to it's signature. Usually, there is always something missing or hurtful, whether it's mids being recessed (Pro 900), treble being too edgy (DT990), bass not being impactful enough (Pro 2900, Q701), etc. The HE-400 lacks nothing in those regards. If I could compare it to anything, I'd personally compare it to the Sennheiser PC360 on steroids. I mentioned that the PC360 was a jack of all trades, but a master of none. Being good at everything, but not really being exciting (somewhat boring at times), or being particularly full sounding. Well, the HE-400 is well balanced, EXCITING, natural/full sounding, and an absolutely thrill to listen to. They're also highly detailed. For such a full sounding headphone, they can still REALLY analyze the source well, to the point where I thought my HE-400 was messed up. I then realized it was the files I was listening to that were less than perfect. That's how revealing they can be.
The detail, and clarity were absolute master class, but positioning isn't the best. They will do just fine overall. Positioning aside, the HE-400 impresses on pretty much ALL other fronts, that those looking for an endgame headphone shouldn't pass these up. IMHO, they best everything I have ever used in sheer sound quality, including the HE-4 (which has recessed mids and harsh treble in comparison). The D7000 is the only headphone I'd say is on an even level, and yet the HE-400 is better balanced, more realistic, and fuller sounding. For $400, the HE-400 is an absolute steal.
Fun: 9/10
Competitive: 7/10
Comfort: 9/10
