Sennheiesr HD 650 Vs Hifiman He-400

[Poetic]

I want to know which is better when listening to jazz and pretty much the best all rounder. Which will have better mids and highs. I know the He400 has very good bass. But i want to know which will impress someone more.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I want to know which is better when listening to jazz and pretty much the best all rounder. Which will have better mids and highs. I know the He400 has very good bass. But i want to know which will impress someone more.

 
Heya,
 
They're different flavors.
 
Both have excellent mids. The HD650 has rolled off, dark treble. The HE-400 has brighter treble. Both have a mid-bass hump. The HE-400 digs pretty deep with sub-bass a little better.
 
If I were trying to impress anyone, I would use the HE-400 unless the person was looking specifically for a dark headphone.
 
Very best,

 

[chewy4]

I can't speak for the 650's but I can confirm that the HE-400's are particularly good at Jazz. They're good with any other genre too but the only thing they fall short in is poorly mastered recordings, they're not very forgiving in that aspect.
 
Not sure where Mal gets the mid-bass hump from though as they have extremely flat bass.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I want to know which is better when listening to jazz and pretty much the best all rounder. Which will have better mids and highs. I know the He400 has very good bass. But i want to know which will impress someone more.

HD650 is more refined and smooth, but HE400 has more (much more) wow-factor. Both are more than capable jazz/all-rounder cans, in their own ways.

 

[MattTCG]

I like the mids better on the hd650, best female vocal reproduction that I've ever heard. And like the others have said, the sub bass on the he400 is impressive no matter how you look at it. Both are great!!

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I can't speak for the 650's but I can confirm that the HE-400's are particularly good at Jazz. They're good with any other genre too but the only thing they fall short in is poorly mastered recordings, they're not very forgiving in that aspect.
 
Not sure where Mal gets the mid-bass hump from though as they have extremely flat bass.

 
The HE-400 has a mid-bass hump. It's a warm headphone. All warm headphones have this. It's what warm basically represents. The bass is not extremely flat. It's very good, but not flat. It's not HE500/HE6 flat. The HE400 has more pronounced bass than the HE500. It has a hump.
 
Not sure where you're getting "extremely flat" from, as a bassy headphone is anything but "extremely flat."
 
Very best,

 

[Poetic]

If i was someone new to the whole audiophile hearing system. Which one would you think would attract me more. Better yet which would I find more addicting?

 

[chewy4]

Quote:

 
The HE-400 has a mid-bass hump. It's a warm headphone. All warm headphones have this. It's what warm basically represents. The bass is not extremely flat. It's very good, but not flat. It's not HE500/HE6 flat. The HE400 has more pronounced bass than the HE500. It has a hump.
 
Not sure where you're getting "extremely flat" from, as a bassy headphone is anything but "extremely flat."
 
Very best,

Have you seen the FR graphs though? It certainly has an emphasis on bass and is a warm headphone, but not specifically mid-bass. All graph's I've seen show this, and my listening confirms it. Certain dubstep songs which have mid-bass emphasis don't quite vibrate your head like dynamic driver headphones(in absence of EQ, you can really push these drivers to pump out crazy bass).
 
I'm only referring to the bass as extremely flat. From sub-bass to the middle of the mids this is a flat headphone. After that, yeah it's not remotely flat.

 

[Poetic]

Quote:

If i was someone new to the whole audiophile hearing system. Which one would you think would attract me more. Better yet which would I find more addicting?

 As mal said the he-400 would impress more. But which one would be more addicting.

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

Have you seen the FR graphs though? It certainly has an emphasis on bass and is a warm headphone, but not specifically mid-bass. All graph's I've seen show this, and my listening confirms it. Certain dubstep songs which have mid-bass emphasis don't quite vibrate your head like dynamic driver headphones(in absence of EQ, you can really push these drivers to pump out crazy bass).
 
I'm only referring to the bass as extremely flat. From sub-bass to the middle of the mids this is a flat headphone. After that, yeah it's not remotely flat.

Your pair is faulty, obviously. 

 
 
I don't think anyone can tell the OP which headphone is better.more addictive,has the wow factor, etc.
 
My preferences are more toward the HD650's. Even though the HE-400 has better bass and details. HD650's enjoyment factor is off the charts.

 

[TMRaven]

HE-500 arguably could be said to have a less flat bass than the HE-400.  HE-400's warmth comes from a generally thick sound, and a recessed upper midrange-lower treble.  I'm sorry but I can't hear a mid-bass hump on the HE-400, it's very lean yet impactful in that region.
 
As for HD650 vs HE-400.  I described the HE-400 as being HD650's younger, athletically gifted brother.  HD650 is more refined, while the HE-400 can give you more of a wow factor with its quasi-smiley curve.  The HD650's mid-bass is noticeably humped, but I don't think it's more impactful than HE-400 in that region.
 
I've never actually heard a jazz recording that gives you sharp treble of death, so I think it would play well with HE-400.
 
To me, both the HD650 and HE-400 have good mids.  HE-400 is faster in its presentation, but the HD650 is smoother and cleaner.  If you were looking for more realistic timbre presentation for jazz, I'd get the HD650.

 

[dxanex]

I've been contemplating the HD650 for some time, but I've heard that the HE 400 is awesome for electronic music, which is what I mostly listen to. Can anyone who's spent time with both headphones comment on which headphone they would prefer with electronic music? (electronica, drum and bass, dubstep)

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I've been contemplating the HD650 for some time, but I've heard that the HE 400 is awesome for electronic music, which is what I mostly listen to. Can anyone who's spent time with both headphones comment on which headphone they would prefer with electronic music? (electronica, drum and bass, dubstep)

 
The HE-400, easily, for me.
 
But I found the HD650 to be one of the most boring headphones ever. I prefer the HD600/HD580.
 
It comes down to what you want to hear. Do you want a little sparkle in the treble? A little sugar on top of your wubble? Want some meaty sub-bass? Very fast speed so there's separation even in the most complex and fast moments? Then the HE-400 is for you. Or, if you want it to be smooth, relaxed, less sparkle, darker, more mellow, laid back, less meaty sub-bass, but at least a little warmth in the mid-bass, then the HD650 would be appropriate. It comes down to whether you want something more aggressive, bright and fast, or something more laid back and mellow.
 
Very best,

 

[paradoxper]

Why is he asking which headphone has more of a wow factor? He has both of them. 

 

[dxanex]

" A little sugar on top of your wubble" made me lol. Very nice description, though thanks... I guess what you're trying to say is they are pretty much opposites of each other. Would you say the 600 vs the 650 would be dark, but a tat more energetic, then? (not to stray from the thread topic too much).
 
Though it sounds to me, the HE 400 may tend to be a better pick for electronic music based on the way you describe the nature of their sound...