HiFiMan HE560 or HE400i?

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by The Alchemist, Sep 1, 2017.

  1. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Out of the HiFiMan HE560 or the HE400i, which headphone is better?

    Thanks!
     
  2. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    Personally, I like the 560 - and that's entirely subjective. The 400i to me, has less realistic midrange and doesn't have quite as broad a headstage as the 560 has.
     
  3. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    It's been a couple of years so I won't embarrass myself trying to describe the finer details of sound. All I'm left with are my subjective takeaways.

    Generally, I prefer the 400i, because I feel it suits a wider variety of genres and is far less picky with regards to amplification. It's a fun sounding headphone with vocals being it's achilles heel for me (a bit forward and unnatural).

    But, the 560 with the right amp and source material (jazz, especially) can sound fantastic. It's just pickier...when it's right, it leaves the 400i in the dust. But, the number of times it fell flat with a song left me cold.

    I prefer the HE-500 and HE-6 to both of these.
     
  4. Stefani

    Stefani Acquaintance

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    can't speak for 560 but 400i sounds a little bit artificial to me, has a narrow soundstage and can be fatiguing after one hour of listening...I replaced it with Fostex TH-X00 after one month or so..
     
  5. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    I'm not sure they're really better or worse but rather quite different. If you're a midrange or classical kind of guy I'd lean towards the 400i and the money savings on that one. If you like bass and heavy rock and electronica It might be worth it to spring for the 560.

    Should also be said that the HE-500 is probably one of my favorite headphones soundwise, but not comfort or build quality wise. Due to personal taste I'd pick the HE-500 over the 400i but I'm not sure about the 560, I haven't compared them directly.
     
  6. udin

    udin Acquaintance

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    I suspect the only way to really know is to buy both and keep the one you prefer. I debated both, got the 400i and haven't been disappointed at all with its performance. However, I still want to buy the 560, and have come close a couple of times. I also wonder what amp/DAC you'll be using, as that might impact your decision as well. I'm currently using the Grace m900, which I've come to really like with both the 400i and the 500 (although I'm sure many people feel it does not provide enough power for the 500, I've never felt the 500 was as power hungry as others claimed). There are a lot of reviews out there which ultimately state the same thing: the 560 is objectively better but is a little more amp dependent for its peak performance, while the 400i is less amp picky and excellent in its own right.
     
  7. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Well the DAC and Amp I am using is the Gungnir Multibit and Mjolnir 2 (any surprise my setup is all Schiit?) :D
     
  8. udin

    udin Acquaintance

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    Guess that makes sense ;)
     
  9. Scubadude

    Scubadude Almost "Made"

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    As mentioned above HE560 and HE400i are different rather than better / worse. 560's are notoriously inefficient and you need to turn up the volume high to get decent SPLs - best match I found is a custom-built 6EA7 OTL SET amp. I love them ... possibly the pair that is comfortable with the widest range of genres and styles of any that I have heard. HE400i is different enough for me to toy with the idea of picking up a well-priced gently-used pair.
     
  10. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    ok This may be dumb, but I have never heard them. Focal ELEAR or HE560?
     
  11. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    HE560 by far. Elear just has too much suckout in the vital 4-6kHz area to be considered neutral or have correct timbre.

    I also recommend getting the Focus A pads. The ones WITHOUT the perforated leather inner fabric, just plain fabric inside and out. They smooth out the 4kHz bump and fix the treble.
     
  12. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    FIrstly, Thank you @cskippy . I ordered the HE560. I ordered directly from HiFiMan. They said they come with the regular Focus Pads. Should I try to get Focus A pads to replace the regular Focus pads that are standard?
     
  13. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Just add a set to your order and compare them for yourself but I greatly preferred the Focus A pads to the stock ones. You can also check the measurements in the Hifiman Compendum.
     
  14. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Thank you again @cskippy - I also ordered a balanced cable for them. I see the Focus-A pads are $39.00 at HiFiMan
     
  15. powerhifi

    powerhifi New

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    I heard that Massdrop released "HE-4XX", anyone know the difference from HE400i?
    interesting
     
  16. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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  17. abvolt

    abvolt New

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    I feel the Elear's are superior to the 560's in every way very detailed, also very dynamic I don't think one can really compare the two hp's their so different nothing wrong with the 560's I love their sq, but the sq of the Elear's is so addictive my favorites..enjoy
     
  18. Abhishek Chowdhary

    Abhishek Chowdhary Friend

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    HE400i is brighter and dirtier sounding than the HE560.
    HE560 is a decent headphone. Sounds clean, treble is not as glary as the HE6 but overall it sounds compressed, even more than the HD800 which by itself is half decent in dynamics.
    I preferred HE500 more than the 560 even though it's nowhere as clean sounding but has a better tonal balance.
     
  19. Mr.Pizza

    Mr.Pizza New

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    Hi,

    After my iem Shure 535 ltd, I went to the he-400i and even though bass and treble is awesome for me, mids are a little weird for me (less upfront than 535s of course). Vocals are maybe a little unnatural and less present than I would like.

    I have the chord mojo, so maybe he-560 is not a good choice for me.
    Do you guys know another budget headphone with gold vocals but keeping the bass and trebe of my 400s?

    Regards
     
  20. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Sennheiser HD650
    (isn't the HD650 always the answer? )

    B&H Has a Brand New Pair of the HD650 for $315.35 (eBay has them for $305, but if there are any issues, I would trust B&H over an eBay seller unless they are a well-known company). B&H also offer Free Expedited Shipping.

    :D
     

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