[kwitel]

Ive made the decision, I am going to sell my HF-1s.
Yes I love a lot about Gardo but the highs, $hitty construction, scratchy pads and overall fatiguing long-listens, have changed my tune (pun intended).
 
So, Ill have about $600 to spend but since I have NEVER owned anything but Grados, I dont know exactly where to go.
 
I do however know the following are very important to me:
 

• I listen to a wide-array of music (a lot of electronica, rock and metal, classical and Jazz). I need these to sound as good with dubstep, as they do with classical.
• Comfort is key. I HATE clamping headphones and I need something light and "airy" feeling.
• I listen to a lot of bassy music so the low end is of utmost importance.
• Soundstage.

 
Have done quite a bit of research and have come up with the following (am completely open to other suggestions too):
 

1. AT 2000x
2. Beyer DT990 and Tesla
3. Oppo PM-2
4. HiFi Man 400i
5. Audeze EL-8
6. Shure SRH1840
7. Senn 650 and 700

 
I know theres a lot here to consider; I very much appreciate any of your thoughts/comments.

 

[NA Blur]

The HE-400i is a sweet headphone. It has bottomless and very linear bass, is light and comfortable, and large drivers that provide an engaging sound. Of all of the headphones i have tried over the years including the LCD-3, Ether, and HD800 all of which are great, but the 400i gets you 90% there for less than half the cost.

I will say I wish the materials and stitching were higher quality, but costs were cut to bring the price down. Each time I give them a listen I am surprised at the sound quality and I have no regrets.

If a planar is something you are interested in be sure to give them a try.

 

[kwitel]

The HE-400i is a sweet headphone. It has bottomless and very linear bass, is light and comfortable, and large drivers that provide an engaging sound. Of all of the headphones i have tried over the years including the LCD-3, Ether, and HD800 all of which are great, but the 400i gets you 90% there for less than half the cost.

I will say I wish the materials and stitching were higher quality, but costs were cut to bring the price down. Each time I give them a listen I am surprised at the sound quality and I have no regrets.

If a planar is something you are interested in be sure to give them a try.

Thank you sir.
 
How do they compare/contrast with the 400s?
 
Also, I have read the soundstage isnt great. Would you agree or do you find it sufficient?

 

[NA Blur]

I think it is sufficient and not overly exaggerated. It could be better, but it reveals a wide sounding track when it needs to. For me it is a result of the excellent coherence of the 400i.

Compared to the 400s it feels better made, sounds more even, and perhaps less fun and more precise.

 

[kwitel]

I think it is sufficient and not overly exaggerated. It could be better, but it reveals a wide sounding track when it needs to. For me it is a result of the excellent coherence of the 400i.

Compared to the 400s it feels better made, sounds more even, and perhaps less fun and more precise.

Its now between the 400i and the Shure 1840.
Ive been reading great things about the latter.

 

[NA Blur]

The Shure 1840 is a great headphone too. It is build like a tank, sound better than average, and is great for mixing. A audio producer of mine bought a pair not too long ago and we both preferred it over the ATH-M50x because the 1840 is more even sounding from bass to treble, better build, and fits more comfortably. Between the 400i and the 1840 to me there is no contest because the 400i is done so well. Is has a faster response ( i.e. quicker to produce soundwaves ) due to its super light driver. This makes it sound more coherent, less sloppy and sluggish in the bass and mids, and the treble is more realistic. The 1840 sounds compressed by comparison. The 400i is more revealing of the source material because of its neutral sound making it a blast to find just the right tracks to make it sound amazing. The 1840 doesn't scale very well. It is more of a started headphone.
 
Let me show you some graphs since our subjective experiences will most likely be different.
 
400i
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE4002014.pdf
 
1840
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ShureSRH1840.pdf
 
See how the 400i is flatter in the bass and goes deeper? That is going to provide you with more rich bass and less color on the low end in general.
Also note the 30Hz square wave response. The 400i is much more like a square wave while the 1840 droops and decays. To me this indicates that because the bass is rolled off on the 1840 it is missing some frequency components that the 400i has. Even the THD + Noise is higher on the low end for the 1840 indicating either a bad seal or poorly designed resonator which is inducing some serious pressure wave build up in the earcups. Some of this will be audible while some of it is probably not a big deal, but to me the 400i is more competent both on paper and during actual listening tests.
 
I will say the 1840 feels better made excluding the earcups which are notorious for falling apart after a few years if you do not lotion them to keep them from drying out. The 400i also leaks sound so if you want something that seals away the sound both from the outside world and in your ears the 1840 is way better in this regard.
 
Hope that helps.

 

[Philimon]

If you haven't go to a Head-Fi meet to try a lot of shtuff and save yourself a lot of time and money buying and selling headphones. Maybe someone will trade you or buy your HF-1 there since it's rare and a part of Head-Fi history. And it  would be appreciated if you would kindly demo the HF-1, but if not then its understandable if you were worried about damaging a delicate rarity and hurting its resale value.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Take this for what it's worth...huge Grado fanboy here...I bought and returned the HE-400 (not the 400i). I also bought and kept the Phillips Fidelio X2 that I was A/B'ing with the 400. This also caused me to sell my beloved goldies (SR-325i) and my RS1i have been in their box and not used in over a year. Not saying the Phillips Fidelio X2 are "high end". In fact they are very mid-fi. But they have a sound that belies their actual standing in the head-fi hierarchy.

 

[kwitel]

  The Shure 1840 is a great headphone too. It is build like a tank, sound better than average, and is great for mixing. A audio producer of mine bought a pair not too long ago and we both preferred it over the ATH-M50x because the 1840 is more even sounding from bass to treble, better build, and fits more comfortably. Between the 400i and the 1840 to me there is no contest because the 400i is done so well. Is has a faster response ( i.e. quicker to produce soundwaves ) due to its super light driver. This makes it sound more coherent, less sloppy and sluggish in the bass and mids, and the treble is more realistic. The 1840 sounds compressed by comparison. The 400i is more revealing of the source material because of its neutral sound making it a blast to find just the right tracks to make it sound amazing. The 1840 doesn't scale very well. It is more of a started headphone.
 
Let me show you some graphs since our subjective experiences will most likely be different.
 
400i
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE4002014.pdf
 
1840
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ShureSRH1840.pdf
 
See how the 400i is flatter in the bass and goes deeper? That is going to provide you with more rich bass and less color on the low end in general.
Also note the 30Hz square wave response. The 400i is much more like a square wave while the 1840 droops and decays. To me this indicates that because the bass is rolled off on the 1840 it is missing some frequency components that the 400i has. Even the THD + Noise is higher on the low end for the 1840 indicating either a bad seal or poorly designed resonator which is inducing some serious pressure wave build up in the earcups. Some of this will be audible while some of it is probably not a big deal, but to me the 400i is more competent both on paper and during actual listening tests.
 
I will say the 1840 feels better made excluding the earcups which are notorious for falling apart after a few years if you do not lotion them to keep them from drying out. The 400i also leaks sound so if you want something that seals away the sound both from the outside world and in your ears the 1840 is way better in this regard.
 
Hope that helps.

 
Thanks for posting this.
I am worried that the Shures are not going to provide that multi-dimensional bass that I am looking for.
On the other hand, I hear the soundstage on the 400i is notthing special.
 
What are your thoughts on each of the above?
 
Have you tried the Oppo PM-2?
 

  Take this for what it's worth...huge Grado fanboy here...I bought and returned the HE-400 (not the 400i). I also bought and kept the Phillips Fidelio X2 that I was A/B'ing with the 400. This also caused me to sell my beloved goldies (SR-325i) and my RS1i have been in their box and not used in over a year. Not saying the Phillips Fidelio X2 are "high end". In fact they are very mid-fi. But they have a sound that belies their actual standing in the head-fi hierarchy.

 
I had the X2 a couple of months back for two weeks and they are PHENOMENAL.
I think they are absolutely "high end" and contain probably the best sound sig (all round) that I have heard in a long time.
 
That said, they are enormous. Too big and bulky for my taste.
And, I found the velour pads to be too hard and the whole thing just didnt feel right on my head. I wish that wasnt the case.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

   
Thanks for posting this.
I am worried that the Shures are not going to provide that multi-dimensional bass that I am looking for.
On the other hand, I hear the soundstage on the 400i is notthing special.
 
What are your thoughts on each of the above?
 
Have you tried the Oppo PM-2?
 
 
I had the X2 a couple of months back for two weeks and they are PHENOMENAL.
I think they are absolutely "high end" and contain probably the best sound sig (all round) that I have heard in a long time.
 
That said, they are enormous. Too big and bulky for my taste.
And, I found the velour pads to be too hard and the whole thing just didnt feel right on my head. I wish that wasnt the case.

That sucks. It does seem that comfort-wise they are a love'em or hate'em affair. Luckily I'm in the love'em camp. At least my suggestion was a good one...haha...other than the comfort aspect. 

 

[kwitel]

  That sucks. It does seem that comfort-wise they are a love'em or hate'em affair. Luckily I'm in the love'em camp. At least my suggestion was a good one...haha...other than the comfort aspect. 

 
You were spot on.

 

[james6333]

Ive made the decision, I am going to sell my HF-1s.
Yes I love a lot about Gardo but the highs, $hitty construction, scratchy pads and overall fatiguing long-listens, have changed my tune (pun intended).

So, Ill have about $600 to spend but since I have NEVER owned anything but Grados, I dont know exactly where to go.

I do however know the following are very important to me:

1. I listen to a wide-array of music (a lot of electronica, rock and metal, classical and Jazz). I need these to sound as good with dubstep, as they do with classical.
2. Comfort is key. I HATE clamping headphones and I need something light and "airy" feeling.
3. I listen to a lot of bassy music so the low end is of utmost importance.
4. Soundstage.

Have done quite a bit of research and have come up with the following (am completely open to other suggestions too):

• AT 2000x
• Beyer DT990 and Tesla
• Oppo PM-2
• HiFi Man 400i
• Audeze EL-8
• Shure SRH1840
• Senn 650 and 700

I know theres a lot here to consider; I very much appreciate any of your thoughts/comments.

out of your list I would take the 400i. I have not heard them all but have heard many headphones and stereos too...

PS500e will fix most all of your Grado issues, they are very different from the lowered grados. I did a very quick demo (30 minutes) a/b these (ps500e/he400i) two back to back and like the grados better. Seemed more alive with better Mids and highs. Bass went much deeper on the he400i but not stronger. Bass loudness was about the same.

Any what was said about the he400i about is right. They are good. But the upper Mids are resssessed (the he560 fixes this...), not a deal breaker but snare drums lose some of their impact. Sounds stage will be much better then the grados. Just this week I demoed the lcd-2, he560, and ps500e and came away a like the grado ps500e by a large margin. So demo of you can.

Take Audeze off your list forever. They clamp like no other and weight a tone. They make grados seem comfy.

The HD650s are good but night and day different from the grados. Demo first for sure.

 

[kwitel]

out of your list I would take the 400i. I have not heard them all but have heard many headphones and stereos too...

PS500e will fix most all of your Grado issues, they are very different from the lowered grados. I did a very quick demo (30 minutes) a/b these (ps500e/he400i) two back to back and like the grados better. Seemed more alive with better Mids and highs. Bass went much deeper on the he400i but not stronger. Bass loudness was about the same.

Any what was said about the he400i about is right. They are good. But the upper Mids are resssessed (the he560 fixes this...), not a deal breaker but snare drums lose some of their impact. Sounds stage will be much better then the grados. Just this week I demoed the lcd-2, he560, and ps500e and came away a like the grado ps500e by a large margin. So demo of you can.

Take Audeze off your list forever. They clamp like no other and weight a tone. They make grados seem comfy.

The HD650s are good but night and day different from the grados. Demo first for sure.

Thanks for your comments James.
Have you heard the HF-1s?
I love the speed and in your face presentation but only for rock/metal.
I feel like they have zero soundstage.
 
When you commented above about the soundstage; did you mean relative to my HF-1s the 400s soundstage would seem large or, was it relative to the 500s?
 
Ive heard great things about the 500's and ive loved every Grado can I have owned but the comfort of those bowls is a deal breaker for me. With my HF-1's I can do an hour to an hour and a half max, before the irritation becomes a real problem.
Also, the bowls dont completely go around the ears and this causes some extra discomfort as well.
 
I imagine I might like a Grado that can use the larger G Cush bowls...
 
I am going to try and demo both the 400is and 1840s tomorrow at B&H Photo in NYC.

 

[james6333]

Thanks for your comments James.
Have you heard the HF-1s?
I love the speed and in your face presentation but only for rock/metal.
I feel like they have zero soundstage.

When you commented above about the soundstage; did you mean relative to my HF-1s the 400s soundstage would seem large or, was it relative to the 500s?

Ive heard great things about the 500's and ive loved every Grado can I have owned but the comfort of those bowls is a deal breaker for me. With my HF-1's I can do an hour to an hour and a half max, before the irritation becomes a real problem.
Also, the bowls dont completely go around the ears and this causes some extra discomfort as well.

I imagine I might like a Grado that can use the larger G Cush bowls...

I am going to try and demo both the 400is and 1840s tomorrow at B&H Photo in NYC.

I have not heard the Hf-1. I owned the MS2i, RS1 (orginal) and currently own the PS500e. None of them had any sound stage, worst in class IMO. I have listened to the HE400i and HE560. Both of which sound somewhat artificial compared to the grados (ps500e). Not sure why, maybe the tone. But really the 400i is good. You will probably like it. As for grado the lowere end ones never did anything for me but I have really liked the PS500e even when compared to the lcd-2, th900 and hd650.

Have you tried bending your headband? Most my grado fit issues are related to the tight headband.

 

[damienPOWER]

  Ive made the decision, I am going to sell my HF-1s.
Yes I love a lot about Gardo but the highs, $hitty construction, scratchy pads and overall fatiguing long-listens, have changed my tune (pun intended).
 
So, Ill have about $600 to spend but since I have NEVER owned anything but Grados, I dont know exactly where to go.
 
I do however know the following are very important to me:
 

• I listen to a wide-array of music (a lot of electronica, rock and metal, classical and Jazz). I need these to sound as good with dubstep, as they do with classical.
• Comfort is key. I HATE clamping headphones and I need something light and "airy" feeling.
• I listen to a lot of bassy music so the low end is of utmost importance.
• Soundstage.

 
Have done quite a bit of research and have come up with the following (am completely open to other suggestions too):
 

1. AT 2000x
2. Beyer DT990 and Tesla
3. Oppo PM-2
4. HiFi Man 400i
5. Audeze EL-8
6. Shure SRH1840
7. Senn 650 and 700

 
I know theres a lot here to consider; I very much appreciate any of your thoughts/comments.

 
I had been using Alessandro MS2i's for over three years before I had a very similar conclusion to you. I have recently listened to Oppo PM-2, HE400i, HD650, DT990, AT2000x, T5p, T90, DT1770. A few months ago I demo'd quite a lot of headphones and ended up buying the Beyerdynamic T90's. I think the general sound signature is similar-ish to the Alessandro/Grado sound so it was not difficult to adjust, but it is less harsh and more accurate. The comfort and build quality is absolutely fantastic. The soundstage is also more open. The bass extends very deep and is not boomy. I listen to all kinds of music.
 
I almost ended up with the HE400i's, they are very good but I thought slightly less fun. It is likely because of the sound I was used to. I also seriously considered the HD650's, but I thought the highs sounded very veiled, also likely due to the sound signature I was used to.
 
Hope that helps.