HiFiMan HE400i Measurements and Quick Impressions

HiFiMan HE400i Measurements

A big thanks to uncola for sending these here.

• Remarkable consistency for an ortho.
• Low distortion
• Bass not as taut as original HE-400, but better than HE-500.
• "Fun" U-shaped signature without overbloated bass.
• A bit of treble peakage there at 9k
• Some shrillness at 4k

HiFiMan HE400i Frequency Response



HiFiMan HE400i CSD



HiFiMan HE400i Distortion



Overall a fine effort following in the footsteps and in the spirit of the original HE-400. The midrange distortion (audible) of the original HE-400 has been corrected. The treble bump of the original HE-400 is moved down a few thousand Hz from the mid/high treble to the mid treble.

The LCD-2 has more bass power and continues / flattens after the treble roll-off, whereas the HE-400i comes back with a mid-treble emphasis. The new HFMs (400i and 560) are a little bit softer with bass impact, but overall less muddy compared to the HE-500 and maybe less veiled / thick as the LCD-2.

If you can get past the LCD-2's dark tilt, the LCD-2 is really in another class of headphone compared to the HE-400i. As it should for the price differential. This is LCD 2.2 non-fazored.

Yes. HE-500 are more neutral. Thicker sounding. Broader, but much lower magnitude treble bump at same spot. Very smooth with jerg pads. HE-500 can actually sound dark on certain amps.

Would be super cool if we could get the new headband assemblies on the HE-500. Still a favorite of mine from power amp.

Slight 3-4k emphasis will result in shrill vocals. The treble peak at 8-9k could result in sibilance with the ess's? Rather than a broad bump, it's a fairly sharp peak. Because of this, certain tracks which happen to contain a lot of energy in that specific area will hit it - "spot lite" treble is a good way to think of it.

Maybe Focus-A pads would be the solution?

PREDICTION: This will be a funky one which there will be varying opinions - largely dictated by recordings used.

@Headfonia_L Review (it's a good one): http://www.headfonia.com/hifiman-400i-mid-fi-best/

______________________________________________
If you've enjoyed this post, help me help you,
I have a growing family and need a Porsche Macan.
Consider buying the better sounding HE400S from Amazon.

Also, don't forget the Focus A Pads to go with the HE400S.

 

@Philimon was graciously supplied us with his HE400i for additional measurements, but with a twist. I believe these are with the HD400S (non i) pads and DIY memory foam type pads. @Philimon, please correct me if I am wrong or provide additional explanation as necessary.

The left and right channels in the bass are a bit off. I retook measurements several times. Seems to slightly different Qts causing this and not a function of seal. The reasoning is being the better the seal, the smaller the differences, and also we can see the tension of the diaphragm (the ortho wall, 5kHz for left and 6kHz for right) is slightly different. Also, note that the lesser the seal, the stronger the 9kHz peak and the more ragged the overall FR.

HE400i with HE400S pads.




HE400i with DIY memory foam type pads.