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Haven't heard the HE-400, but I have heard other Hifiman orthos (HE-6 and HE-500) and I did like them a lot. Very smooth sound.
Only I'd still much prefer Grados for rock. Especially hard rock/grunge/metal where I like headphones with a little more attack.
Have you heard the RS2i?
No but I've auditioned the SR325is from a friend, and purely from measurements the RS2is are voiced very close to those with a slightly more treble tilt. It's certainly a much closer reference than how the HE400s are voiced relative to HE500s or HE6s (which are wildly different especially in how they are voiced in the mids and treble, the only similarity is the utterly flat and evenly extended bass common in HFM planars).
To my ears the SR325is had a very crisp sound, however a few seconds into listening to them it's pretty obvious that they are due to that distinct Grados colouration with the midbass hump, flat midrange, elevated upper midrange, and a few intentional treble peaks, that masks over the music. Honestly it reminded me a lot of my modded pair of KSC75s (quarter mod and headband mod). Personally I prefer a headphone that produces accuracy with a slight tilt towards "fun" derived from changes in tonal levels across the FR rather than big colourations. Not to say that it didn't do rock music justice, because it did, but justifying how it sounded when my cheap modded KSC75s sounded very close was tough.
Another part of the reason is of course if I drop $400, I want headphones that don't only bring enjoyment in a single genre of music, but also in all other genres as well as movies and gaming.
In the end the debate is just
Grado colouration vs
HFM smoothness and accuracy with a slight fun tonality, which is as different in the headphones world as one can get. A much more reasonable comparison would be between the much more neutral Grado HP1000s and the higher end HFMs.
P.S.: a bit off-topic but for anyone wondering, the KSC75s sound like crap without the headband mod, but with it, they take on a very different character. I honestly prefer those to the ATH-M50s I used to own, it just has an exceedingly better timbre and a more Grado-like tight punchy somewhat rolled-off bass that's good for rock music on-the-go. The treble also mellows out as the headband presses the drivers closer to the ears.
