[Bacon Bits]

I currently own the hifiman he400i with no amp, running off my motherboards sound card. My music taste is mostly classical music. I am planning to upgrade near the end of January and am wondering whether or not to get a amp around the $500 range e.g. Schiit jotunheim or to get the hd800 with something like a Micca origen or my mobo's soundcard by selling the he400is. If any of you have any experience with the picky hd800 and cheap amps can you tell me if it is a worthy investment over getting a jotunheim for the he400is.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'll tell you this: Going from the HE400i driven by the Schiit Fulla to the HE1000 driven by the Simaudio MOON Neo 430HAD yielded only a slight improvement, and the latter pairing cost over $7,000. The law of diminishing returns is quite real. If I were you, I'd get an affordable amp or DAC/amp that can be used with most headphones, then make headphone upgrades without getting rid of your current headphones, if you can afford to do so. Then, after comparing them, you can decide which things you want to keep and how far you want to take upgrades for other components. I can't tell you whether you will prefer the HD 800 or HE400i, as they are two different headphones, and each person will have a different experience with two headphones. I do think the HD 800 is technically better, but that does not always guarantee enjoyment.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Thx i need to dwell over your words of wisdom in my hole of darkness.
Thx

 

[Bacon Bits]

Also have you had any experience ience with the hd800 and cheap sub 100 amps like the smsl m6 and micca origen plus.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Also have you had any experience ience with the hd800 and cheap sub 100 amps like the smsl m6 and micca origen plus.

 
Sorry, I haven't; only pricier ones. But this post is food for thought.
 
A few hours with a free parametric equalizer (assuming you know how to use one) will give you more of an improvement than any exotic amp if your goal is an accurate frequency response.

 

[Me x3]

You can plug the HD800 into a quality laptop if you want and get good sound quality.
A 70usd FiiO Q1 will work a tad better, a 700usd Bifrost/Asgard2 a tad better than the FiiO and a 5k usd Auralic combo will sound a tad better than the Bf/Asg2 combo. But differences are subtle for the money invested once you've passed the Q1/E10K/Fulla.
 
That's not that important in the big scheme of things. What's important is whether you want a headphone like HD800 or not.
People who don't like HD800 as it is normally say HD800 is picky.
HD800 has neutralish bass with very little warmth, recessed upper midrange and raised treble in the 6kHz region.
So it's not very 'musical' or punchy without modding or EQing. And it's not a good match for a wide range of recordings.
 
You can EQ it, mod it, etc. You can pick a Porsche 911 and tweak it to be an off road vehicle, that's granted. But sometimes picking an off road vehicle in the first place is a much shorter path to the goal of having an off road vehicle.
 
My advice is to focus on what kind of sound you want, the more precise you can describe what you want, the more we'll be able to point you in the right direction. As @Music Alchemist suggested, you might like HE400i better than HD800 so keep that in mind.
 
If you want lean but tight bass, smoothened upper midrange, bright extended treble and wide stage then HD800 is the one to pick, if you want body in your bass, lively guitars and pianos, and relatively smooth treble then HD800 won't do that for you.
 
If you are willing to mod or EQ your headphones we have tons of variables to play with. First thing I suggest is trying to EQ the HE400i to your liking, then (if you still feel the need of getting a new headphone) find a headphone that measures like the EQed HE400i.

 

[Bacon Bits]

You can plug the HD800 into a quality laptop if you want and get good sound quality.
A 70usd FiiO Q1 will work a tad better, a 700usd Bifrost/Asgard2 a tad better than the FiiO and a 5k usd Auralic combo will sound a tad better than the Bf/Asg2 combo. But differences are subtle for the money invested once you've passed the Q1/E10K/Fulla.

That's not that important in the big scheme of things. What's important is whether you want a headphone like HD800 or not.
People who don't like HD800 as it is normally say HD800 is picky.
HD800 has neutralish bass with very little warmth, recessed upper midrange and raised treble in the 6kHz region.
So it's not very 'musical' or punchy without modding or EQing. And it's not a good match for a wide range of recordings.

You can EQ it, mod it, etc. You can pick a Porsche 911 and tweak it to be an off road vehicle, that's granted. But sometimes picking an off road vehicle in the first place is a much shorter path to the goal of having an off road vehicle.

My advice is to focus on what kind of sound you want, the more precise you can describe what you want, the more we'll be able to point you in the right direction. As @Music Alchemist
suggested, you might like HE400i better than HD800 so keep that in mind.

If you want lean but tight bass, smoothened upper midrange, bright extended treble and wide stage then HD800 is the one to pick, if you want body in your bass, lively guitars and pianos, and relatively smooth treble then HD800 won't do that for you.

If you are willing to mod or EQ your headphones we have tons of variables to play with. First thing I suggest is trying to EQ the HE400i to your liking, then (if you still feel the need of getting a new headphone) find a headphone that measures like the EQed HE400i.

Thx for your advice.