[vaibhavp]

  Hi there fellow countrymen..I am from Kolkata.. I have joined the party a bit late, but better late than never, eh?? 
Anyway, I have been looking to buy a premium pair of HPs along with a good amp/dac combo??
I had bought the ath msr7s from amazon 6 months back, but found it way too thin for my taste and sibilant also (not too much an audiophiliac , would like to call myself a music lover though). 
I have then tried searching everywhere, and after a lot of research I think I have decided to buy the HiFiman HE 400Ss (the newest one with the silver texture.) Many have said that it doesnt have that much sub bass extension, though it can be managed with the focuspads.
I just want to know, if anyone own a pair of HE 400Ss,or have done research on them to help me out??
I am also looking to buy the right amp/dac combo for that HP?? at first I was thinking to go with  Fiio E18 (as it is easily available in INDIA), but then I came to know products like Schiit Fulla, Creative Soundblaster E5, Caying Spark C5DAC. ( amazon.com being the only option)
I am literally confused right now, and I know I maybe overthinking it, but as you we are talking about lots of money here. Gotta spend them well. 

 
Anyway, its so refreshing see an active Indian Community here. Keep it alive guys.
 
Cheers!!!!

 
hifiman he400s seems to be a good choice. it has less bass extension in comparison to other planars. more similar to dynamic driver cans. if you have tried sennheiser hd600, hd700, that type of sound.
 
also i suggest sticking to fiio. i have tried quiet a few brands and fiio is readily available and is really good. thats why its so popular. 
 
their best amp imo is E12. try bringing that in your chain. one way would be fiio x1 + E12 stack, if you are interested in mp3 and itunes as your source. if you intend to use flacs, look into xduoo x3 + E12. with its 2 sd card slots, you wont get robbed while buying sd cards.
 
this i think will give you pretty much no compromise sound quality that you can live with for very long. also if you plan to use iems down the road check out fiio E12A. otherwise for full sized cans only, old E12 will be better.
 
hope this helps.

 

[Ritvik]

While E12 is a very nice amp, I never really liked the X1 and X3ii. 
 
With HE400S being a full size open can, I assuming they'll be used exclusively indoors. Wouldn't a desktop source be a better option? The Modi 2 at USD 99 and their Vali close out sale also going for USD 99 are pretty good value for your money. 
 
The Philips X2 might offer a more fun signature to the 400S if that's what he's after.

 

[vaibhavp]

While E12 is a very nice amp, I never really liked the X1 and X3ii. 

With HE400S being a full size open can, I assuming they'll be used exclusively indoors. Wouldn't a desktop source be a better option? The Modi 2 at USD 99 and their Vali close out sale also going for USD 99 are pretty good value for your money. 

The Philips X2 might offer a more fun signature to the 400S if that's what he's after.

Not a big fan of importing anything. Customs will keep your stuff for 1 month minimum. It will reach you in atleast 2 months regardless of which courier service you use. Also you will be paying 30% extra duties.

I am not sure all this hassle is worth it just for vali or magni. Also not sure if they are an upgrade over e12. I think if you wanna import, go for something you wont get with fiio, like a tube desktop amp or something higher end.

As for x3 and x1, i know they are not good on their own, but as source, pretty good i think.

 

[Ritvik]

True and Christmas will just compound the wait. I have non audio gear in SG customs for 10 days now, usually takes a day or two. I called and was told the wait would be longer due to the festive backlog. I heard the E12 DIY version with the HD 600 or 650 and it was brilliant for a portable amp.

 

[vaibhavp]

True and Christmas will just compound the wait. I have non audio gear in SG customs for 10 days now, usually takes a day or two. I called and was told the wait would be longer due to the festive backlog. I heard the E12 DIY version with the HD 600 or 650 and it was brilliant for a portable amp.

At headphone connect i tried 2 amps fiio e12 and audeze deckard that costs 50 grand in India. I am not totally convinced i liked deckard over e12. It was obviously a no contest technically, but i enjoyed e12 more.

Its not an end game amp but for easy to drive 200$ midfi hps, a very good companion. If i had not already bought a better desktop amp, i would simply get a e12 and couple of mid range cans like hifiman he400s and my akg k550, or shure 1440 and would be set for a long time.

 

[Dalesteyn]

thanks a lot guys for the valuable informations...really appreciate it. Yeah I have considered the fiio e12..but at the sametime I am wondering if my HE400Ss will be benefited without a clean dac/source...that's why I was looking for an amp/dac combo.
I have thought about buying the Philips fidelio x2 hps but I doubt that I will get any sort of warranty in India..
I also wanted to know if the sound improvement of he 400Ss will be that much more,if used with an amp..considering they are pretty easy to drive. I don't have the technical knowledge in this dept..so that's why I am a little all over the place with my query..
Thanks to everyone again.

 

[vaibhavp]

thanks a lot guys for the valuable informations...really appreciate it. Yeah I have considered the fiio e12..but at the sametime I am wondering if my HE400Ss will be benefited without a clean dac/source...that's why I was looking for an amp/dac combo.
I have thought about buying the Philips fidelio x2 hps but I doubt that I will get any sort of warranty in India..
I also wanted to know if the sound improvement of he 400Ss will be that much more,if used with an amp..considering they are pretty easy to drive. I don't have the technical knowledge in this dept..so that's why I am a little all over the place with my query..
Thanks to everyone again.

 
clean source is absolute must. so i recommended fiio x1 or xduoo x3 line out feeding into E12. 
 
generally the bigger the headphone driver, more power it needs to be completely relaxed and effortless sound. dont go by efficiency ratings or ohm figures only.
 
E12 will improve he400s by quiet a margin.

 

[Dalesteyn]

clean source is absolute must. so i recommended fiio x1 or xduoo x3 line out feeding into E12. 

generally the bigger the headphone driver, more power it needs to be completely relaxed and effortless sound. dont go by efficiency ratings or ohm figures only.

E12 will improve he400s by quiet a margin.

That's very good to know.actually I am not a very big fan of DAPs..so I am not really into the concept of buying the x1 or x3 for that matter.
I will be considering the e12 very seriously though.. Do u have any recommendations for standalone dac??

 

[wrathzombie]

thanks a lot guys for the valuable informations...really appreciate it. Yeah I have considered the fiio e12..but at the sametime I am wondering if my HE400Ss will be benefited without a clean dac/source...that's why I was looking for an amp/dac combo.
I have thought about buying the Philips fidelio x2 hps but I doubt that I will get any sort of warranty in India..
I also wanted to know if the sound improvement of he 400Ss will be that much more,if used with an amp..considering they are pretty easy to drive. I don't have the technical knowledge in this dept..so that's why I am a little all over the place with my query..
Thanks to everyone again.

I still think you should register for Headphonezone meet and come to one of the cities.
 
http://www.headphonezone.in/pages/headphone-connect
 
This will give you a chance to audition and buy

 

[vaibhavp]

That's very good to know.actually I am not a very big fan of DAPs..so I am not really into the concept of buying the x1 or x3 for that matter.
I will be considering the e12 very seriously though.. Do u have any recommendations for standalone dac??

Do you want a portable or desktop rig?

For portable rig, dap is indispensable. Daps are not great on their own but line out is generally excellent.

 

[suman134]

Hey Suman, need to know some good low budget IEMs to suggest for a friend; budget is up to 3000₹.

I've already suggested those that I've tried, like the vSonic models, Signature acoustics C12, etc.

Thanks in advance!

 Wait for the Oneplus icons if possible, and if he/she is okay with semi in-ear style.

 They are just fantastic. Superbly detailed and are not sibilant too. You can consider vc-02 too. I wont consider c-12, new BE-09 is far better.

 

[abhinit90]

X2 at 200$ in case anyone's missed: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O2Y2MZG

 

[ShreyasMax]

 Wait for the Oneplus icons if possible, and if he/she is okay with semi in-ear style.


 They are just fantastic. Superbly detailed and are not sibilant too. You can consider vc-02 too. I wont consider c-12, new BE-09 is far better.

Thanks for the suggestions Suman, will check it out.

 

[ShreyasMax]

thanks a lot guys for the valuable informations...really appreciate it. Yeah I have considered the fiio e12..but at the sametime I am wondering if my HE400Ss will be benefited without a clean dac/source...that's why I was looking for an amp/dac combo.
I have thought about buying the Philips fidelio x2 hps but I doubt that I will get any sort of warranty in India..
I also wanted to know if the sound improvement of he 400Ss will be that much more,if used with an amp..considering they are pretty easy to drive. I don't have the technical knowledge in this dept..so that's why I am a little all over the place with my query..
Thanks to everyone again.

Hello there, I recently bought the Fidelio X2 on a trip to the US. And after auditioning many headphones above and around its price range, I found it to be the best solution, and value for the price, at least for my sonic preferences. I did register online after buying the product, and I'll have to bear shipping costs for any service requirements. So like Vaibhav suggested, I'd say don't go for imports unless you have someone coming over or shipping them to you directly. The HE400S are pretty highly recommended by many folks although I'm yet to listen to them, you could give it a shot.

The SoundMagic HP200 also seem to be highly rated around here, and of course you have the option of going for the veterans HD600/650 depending on your sound and source preferences of course.

 

[ShreyasMax]

X2 at 200$ in case anyone's missed: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O2Y2MZG

Wow, even after shipping and imports the price is about 275 USD, which is pretty great!