[ArmAndHammer]

  I concur with the opinion that the bass of HE-400 is somewhat better than the X2 (but loses in all other departments). I'm a little baffled anyone can think otherwise but to each their own.

Because we all aren't you.

 

[mejoshua]

Because different people value good bass differently. Some prefer punch, some extension, some a nice balance of mid and sub bass, some more texture etc etc. Also, how the quality of the bass in a hp falls in line with the rest of the frequency also matters...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The HE400 destroys the X2 in it's presentation of bass. The X2 isn't even within the same stratosphere. Much better texture, depth, control. No contest. the problem with the HE400 is it's wonky transtion from upper mids to treble. That area is a disaster for many, which can ruin the HE400 for many people. The X2 is much better behaved in general, and will translate into a more pleasurable experience overall. You have to look at the total image. The bass on the HE400 is near perfection, IMHO, as is it's lower mids. Everything after...not so much. The X2's bass isn't as good, but is still very, very enjoyable. Paired with it's very good mids, and decent upper range, the X2 offers a more ideal image of sound.

As for the X2 being FOTM like the 990 or whatever. That is wrong on many levels. The 990 has many good things about it, but it's treble is a problem, due to it's super emphasis. The X2 doesn't have that problem, at all. If anything, the x2 is more of a bridge between the 880 and 990 sound, with less treble peakiness than either, and more mids than both. Also a soundstage that has more depth (but less width than the 990).

The 990 is a stellar headphone. FOTM... I think not. All the 990 needs is a simple reduction at 9-10khz, and it offers a stellar sound. The treble is much cleaner than the X2's as well.

What the X2 does so well, is figuring out how to keep everything in very good balance to the ears. It's a joy to listen to, for basically any purpose. Also, depending on your gear's coloration, it can be either warm, or neutral sounding.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

The HE400 destroys the X2 in it's presentation of bass. 

Says you. I don't hear it that way. That's all that matters. The way I hear it. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Congratulations. I'm pretty sure though that most would agree that the X2's bass is loose, and slow in decay. Something that was improved from the X1, but not completely corrected. Also, with a pretty steep roll off in the sub bass. Something the HE400 reaches with absolute ease.

Just because I love a headphone (and i LOOOOVE the X2), doesn't mean I don't see it's shortcomings. I'm objective at least by that much.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Congratulations. I'm pretty sure though that most would agree that the X2's bass is loose, and slow in decay. Something that was improved from the X1, but not completely corrected. Also, with a pretty steep roll off in the sub bass. Something the HE400 reaches with absolute ease.

Lucky for me I'm not a technical listener. I just hear the music and if it sounds good I'm happy. The X2 sounds better than the HE-400. That's all I know. I don't need to look at graphs or discern which headphone has slower/faster decay or anything else like that. I can tell when something is bad or really off and when A is better overall than B. Maybe I'm better/worse off for not being more informed or more in tune or more discerning...I don't know. Sometimes ignorance is bliss I suppose.

 

[ptaaty]

The HE-400 is damn hard to beat in the bass department, especially in the general price range.  I remember this distinctly when hearing my friends set up (through a Schiit stack).  But the X2 is no slouch, really damn good, especially for an open non planar magnetic....but I would be hard pressed to say better than HE-400 by really any measure.  I plan to do some direct A/B this weekend, but I have a decent audio memory. 
 
That said, I don't know about you, I listen to music, not bass.  I care about fatigue, both physical (comfort) and mental/aural....this is why I love the X2.  I haven't had the breadth of high end headphone experiences some of you have, but I have heard plenty of high end home audio setups.  The X2 has blown me away in how well it handles everything I throw at it.  Yeah...sure you can target an area like bass - note that the HE-400 is better (it is technically, and for most subjectively), or a genre and find something that bests it....but I have never had this much fun just listening to my eclectic taste in music.
 
My only question now is if I go off the rails and buy another set for work...or use some reason (and less sound leakage) and get the L1 for the office at a much lower price.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Funny (I think so anyways) story. So I'm sitting here right now with the HE-400's on my head listening to Ottmar Liebert and I'm thinking I'm having an epiphany....the bass just sounds unbelievable. I'm like what is going on here? It's perfection. So awesome that I can even feel it in my body. Almost a religious experience. I'm sitting here just getting lost in the music. I turn it up a little more and it's just better. Up a little more and better yet but now it's really starting to bump. Then I realize...I'm listening to them through my Kenwood stereo receiver. I forgot to turn off my speaker system that's at my computer desk where I'm sitting which includes a 10" powered subwoofer. So...I was hearing music both through the HE-400 and my speaker system. I turned off the speakers and it flipped over to the HE-400's only and wow...what a disappointment. From unbelievable to lifeless....lol....but for the record, if anyone has the HE-400 or any other open back headphone and a decent speaker setup...try listening to them at the same time....it really was fantastic....haha 

 

[ptaaty]

  Funny (I think so anyways) story. So I'm sitting here right now with the HE-400's on my head listening to Ottmar Liebert and I'm thinking I'm having an epiphany....the bass just sounds unbelievable. I'm like what is going on here? It's perfection. So awesome that I can even feel it in my body. Almost a religious experience. I'm sitting here just getting lost in the music. I turn it up a little more and it's just better. Up a little more and better yet but now it's really starting to bump. Then I realize...I'm listening to them through my Kenwood stereo receiver. I forgot to turn off my speaker system that's at my computer desk where I'm sitting which includes a 10" powered subwoofer. So...I was hearing music both through the HE-400 and my speaker system. I turned off the speakers and it flipped over to the HE-400's only and wow...what a disappointment. From unbelievable to lifeless....lol....but for the record, if anyone has the HE-400 or any other open back headphone and a decent speaker setup...try listening to them at the same time....it really was fantastic....haha 

Obviously this isn't exactly fair, but pretty funny.  Good subs have tactile response with musicality....and at the end of the day destroy a hp.  I have a pretty decent setup with SVS PB/2 Ultra (a somewhat obscene 200 lb, $2500 sub) and Rocket RS850s...and yeah any headphone just won't cut it for bass due to tactile response at the very least. 

 

[arcwindz]

  Funny (I think so anyways) story. So I'm sitting here right now with the HE-400's on my head listening to Ottmar Liebert and I'm thinking I'm having an epiphany....the bass just sounds unbelievable. I'm like what is going on here? It's perfection. So awesome that I can even feel it in my body. Almost a religious experience. I'm sitting here just getting lost in the music. I turn it up a little more and it's just better. Up a little more and better yet but now it's really starting to bump. Then I realize...I'm listening to them through my Kenwood stereo receiver. I forgot to turn off my speaker system that's at my computer desk where I'm sitting which includes a 10" powered subwoofer. So...I was hearing music both through the HE-400 and my speaker system. I turned off the speakers and it flipped over to the HE-400's only and wow...what a disappointment. From unbelievable to lifeless....lol....but for the record, if anyone has the HE-400 or any other open back headphone and a decent speaker setup...try listening to them at the same time....it really was fantastic....haha 

Lol, i did that sometimes. For me it sounds like the space opened up, but the fact that my speakers are not that good compared to my headphone, I managed to notice it anyway.
And it's not good when it happened in the middle of the night since the system volume is blasted higher when i am on Headphone =p

 

[ArmAndHammer]

  Lol, i did that sometimes. For me it sounds like the space opened up, but the fact that my speakers are not that good compared to my headphone, I managed to notice it anyway.
And it's not good when it happened in the middle of the night since the system volume is blasted higher when i am on Headphone =p

Yeah, it was almost 3am and my wife and two kids are asleep...when I realized what was going on and I took the headphones off the speakers where playing pretty dang loud...I'm shocked actually that I didn't get yelled at...lol

 

[obsidyen]

This one time I was playing Assassin's Creed on PS4, I plugged the headphones to the receiver but forgot to turn off the power to speakers. I thought I was only hearing from the headphones and cranked up the volume but when I got up and went to drink water at 3 am, I realized the speakers were also on! I live in an apartment building so I'm glad no one kicked my door that day, lol.
 
Anyway I agree that HE400 bass extends well but to me X2's bass is more fun. If I wanted better bass, I'd go for a Fostex TH900 instead. Also I don't know why they did it but HE400i (new version of HE400) has complete lack of bass which totally sucks. Audeze is going the same route too though, I auditioned fazor LCD-2 and bass was disappointing. I have not auditioned pre-fazor LCD-2 and most people say it had much better bass. Upcoming EL-8 also do not seem to have good bass from the hands-on reviews. HE-1000 seems promising though, but it's going to be almost as expensive as Stax SR-009.

 

[WriterHead]

Congratulations. I'm pretty sure though that most would agree that the X2's bass is loose, and slow in decay. Something that was improved from the X1, but not completely corrected. Also, with a pretty steep roll off in the sub bass. Something the HE400 reaches with absolute ease.

Just because I love a headphone (and i LOOOOVE the X2), doesn't mean I don't see it's shortcomings. I'm objective at least by that much.

+1. For the price Fidelio X2 are very good headphones, even excellent because they don't need an amp and are very comfortable, but to me the main problem with them is not the bass but the grainy highs, the sound of cymbals is not as clean as in other headphones. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Funny (I think so anyways) story. So I'm sitting here right now with the HE-400's on my head listening to Ottmar Liebert and I'm thinking I'm having an [COLOR=404040]epiphany....the bass just sounds unbelievable. I'm like what is going on here? It's perfection. So awesome that I can even feel it in my body. Almost a religious experience. I'm sitting here just getting lost in the music. I turn it up a little more and it's just better. Up a little more and better yet but now it's really starting to bump. Then I realize...I'm listening to them through my Kenwood stereo receiver. I forgot to turn off my speaker system that's at my computer desk where I'm sitting which includes a 10" powered subwoofer. So...I was hearing music both through the HE-400 and my speaker system. I turned off the speakers and it flipped over to the HE-400's only and wow...what a disappointment. From unbelievable to lifeless....lol....but for the record, if anyone has the HE-400 or any other open back headphone and a decent speaker setup...try listening to them at the same time....it really was fantastic....haha [/COLOR]

Well gee, that would happen with any headphone. You were accustomed to your speakers, and then all the sudden cut them off. You can't just jump from the openness of a speaker setup to a headphone and not expect to be hit with a jarring difference. It takes time to adjust. Could've been with any headphone. The fact you thought it was your HE400 that entire time proves just how unbelievably open those headphones are. (I have also made that error between my headphones and my Pioneer soundbar). One time it was late and everyone was sleeping. I jammed out until someoe yelled at me to turn off the soundbar. Talk about embarassment.

 

[Rave77]

The X2 is perfect, the only way they could improve it is by going planar.