HiFiMAN HE400i Over Ear Full-Size Plannar Magnetic Headphone

Product Information

Until I did this test and developed the EQ that you saw, I rarely used the HE400i But now, I am actually anxious to listen to it more! I can't get over how "high fi" it sounds with equalization! Weight is the same as it is comfort , overall appearance and fit but the Sundara still uses the old type self adjustable headband without the extra padding and the freely swiveling ear cups. As for sound quality, I think it meets all expectation of an audiophile headphone. Treble is clear and neutral. Mids seem to be more of the focus, as they have a slightly more pronounced volume and realism, especially when listening to vocals you can hear great details in the voice. Bass is tight, focused, has lots of texture and impact, and depending on the music genre can be either just right or a little too quiet for one's tastes. Still there is an ethereal touch to the sound and sometimes the headphone can become slightly thin or maybe out of tune due to the faster than needed decay time.

HIFIMAN HE400i 2020 Version Full-Size Over-Ear Planar HIFIMAN HE400i 2020 Version Full-Size Over-Ear Planar

Serious though, I’m just trying to say that it’s all personal taste and listen before you buy (or make sure you can return it) is necessary Thanks for all the compliments. I should indeed invest in better source and amp. But for now, I think I'm going to get the ZMF cherry Omni, sell off the hifimans then slowly but surely invest in a better system. I've put the JVC SZ-2000 "protein" earpads on the 400I. Impact greatly increased and the total sound changed for the better. One of the reasons I don’t want to be trained to hear more than CD/vinyl quality rips. I enjoy clarity a great deal though:The HD600's are indeed good but the Hifiman's present the music with much more finesse and realism. So much that I opened my wallet and matched them with a brand new Burson Audio Soloist SL, which they prefered in detriment to my old Musical Fidelity X-Can V3. First, I will start with a description of the HE-400i’s sound in general. Then after that I’ll compare it to the HE-400, the HE-560 and the good old HE-500. Hifiman is offering us three great planar headphones with a very good proportional rise to the value to performance ratio. Would my X3&E12 combo be a good enough source for the HE-400i? i am using it with the Fidelio L2 and i’ve been very pleased with the result so far, i was thinking of upgrading to the HE-400i..or the X2..

HiFiMAN HE-400i - Reviews - Head-Fi.org HiFiMAN HE-400i - Reviews - Head-Fi.org

Bass is really nice with this version. It doesn’t have the same amount of body and impact as the 2020 version, but it still has more than good weight and presence. Bass isn’t the very tightest but it’s very easy on the ears. When needed and called upon, bass can go deep and it will for sure impress, though in a civilized way. The bass presentation has a nice softness and smoothness to it, not ot be mistaken with warmth. This is not very difficult to drive, but benefits a lot from a good amp. Less powerful USB dongles may not be enough, but this shines with my E1DA 9038D. With the new headband, the HE-400i 2020 looks more like a normal and modern headphone. I’m actually a big fan of the “old” headband design of the HE-400i, HE-560 and the HE-1K series, but I have to admit that this new one looks good and feels comfortable. I’s also very easy to adjust.Speaking of Schiit. Both Schiit Modi and Modi 2 uber are more powerful. At least according to specs. While E12 and E9K are 880mW and 900mW respectively, Schiit’s are 1.2W and 1.5W. absolutely. The HE-500 is a great sounding headphone. Not the best in comfort or in technicalities and it sounds very smooth and warm with some amps but a superb headphone. I’m not selling mine ever. I even think it’s worth having the LCD-2 and HE560 together with those as well, but this is coming from a guy who owns 11 Hifiman and Audeze orthos 😀 Overall sound signature is quite the same with only marginal differences but that are easily audible.

Full-Size Over Ear Headphones: Best and High End Planar

I like feeling bass, I don’t like hearing it. That’s why I like 70’s recordings. For example Donna Summer’s “I feel love” 12″ version. Loads of nuances lows that I feel with my guts. I have also made a lot of progress in building a better test suite for the measurements. More updates and changes will be coming but I am starting to feel good about this set. The reason I’m wondering about planars is that great low frequencies everybody seems to be raving about, and also the progress that HiFiMan is making with making their models less dependent on source. There is no bleeding at all to the mid bass with the response being ruler flat to the mids. Mids that are crystal clear and very naturally portrayed without emphasis so to be heard as faithful as possible to the recording.Both the 400i and PM3 are planars and will sound different from the HD598. Based on measurements, the HD598 should sound significantly brighter than the planars, and since the 598 has a huge spike in the impedance around 90 hz, the planars should have much better bass. It is made of memory foam with pleather at the outside and allows for the ear cups to swivel freely.