HiFiMan HE400S with Focus Pad Measurements

What's the difference between Focus pads and Focus-A pads?

 

Actually, they are quite different!

Stock


Focus Pad


Focus A Pad


Stock vs Focus


Stock vs. Focus A


Focus vs. Focus A



I did a quick pad-swap so all levels should be with respect to the same volume. Focus A Pads have the most bass extension. I'm listening to them now. Overall, I think I'm almost leaning towards the original angled velours as my preferred. They're the most lively and open sounding of the bunch. The bass extension is great with focus pads though.

 

I really like the 400S and think it does deserve a spot on the IF Wall of Fame. I completely agree with statement from Tyll's review of the HE-400S, "a great first serious purchase for budding headphone enthusiasts." Think about how often people purchase and resell the HD6x0 series? They're probably the most purchased and re-sold headphone. IMO this is because of two factors:

1. If people buy them early, they lack the experience and gear exposure to put their performance into a broader context.
2. Their gear is shit, because they're new to the hobby, and the 300ohm Senn's can sound pretty f'ing crappy from the headphone jack of an average piece of consumer electronics equipment. ​

There is one specific affordance that I think that the entry-level HiFiMan planar brings to the table, and it really helps with the second purchase-rebuy factor: I think that the HE-400S sounds much better than the Senns out of an average piece of consumer electronics equipment. I even got good performance out of them from the headphone jack of my Galaxy Note 4.

The Sennheiser HD6x0's big affordance is one that we're pretty familiar with here: I think that the HD6x0 Senns scale up much better than the HE-400S. At equipment levels where you're considering what "summit-fi" headphone (I f'ing hate that term) has right set of flaws you can live with, the HD6x0s are invaluable for providing a high-scaling neutral reference point that lacks the (often glaring) problems of ostensible upgrades. Every flagship headphone has some sort of nasty sin of commission: sluggish response, poor bass, treble etch, price, build quality and long-term reliability, soft presentation, thin presentation, and/or just overall coherence.

I think that somewhere along the way - especially with the rapidly increasing price of hi-fi headphones - many of us have gotten used to thinking about the HD6x0 series primarily for affordability and superb hi-fi value. Consider Tyll's descriptions of the HD600 from Tyll's HE-400S review:

"the pinnacle of price/performance value"
"a great headphone and worth the price of entry"​

His descriptions of the HE-400S have a similar focus on affordability-to-performance:

"a friggen sonic bargain"
"Given it's price and type"​

It certainly is that too. And if you're new the hobby and you're just getting your feet wet without any certainty about jumping in deeper, the HE-400S makes sense. If you're committed to investing more, the HD6x0s provide more long-term returns. For people like us who have already made the investment, we know the latter - and I think it's a bit harder for us to see the former.

 

The "long-term returns" of the HD6X0 is a great way of putting it. I am definitely in agreement with most folks here -- the HD6X0 is simply better overall, but it's not without upgrading the rest of your chain.

For $225-250 used, portable compatibility, and great sound, you can't go wrong with the HE-400S.

 

I am in the minority. I have heard the HD600 and owned the 650. The only way I would take a 650 would be with the mod. I now own a the HE=400s and am very pleased. I just find the mid presentation very pleasing to my ears. Up front , clean and clear, and similar to my speaker setup.

No best judgement though, I like both and feel they are excellent cans and values in the crazy new world of uber priced cans. As for getting a bit more out of it. Sorry, again in the minority. Seems to do quite nicely with strong value oriented dacs like the Matrix and amp like the Asgard2. I sure would not build a system around the 400s using a Yggdrasil and an EC though and that is where I think the modded 650 has an advantage. It sounds superb as you go up the dac/amp chain. Then again , if I had that kind of cash to dedicate to a headphone setup, I would be using modded HD-800s and not 650s.

 

Definitely. The V2/V2+ is a really affordable option and gets quite a bit out of the HD6x0s. (Aside: I can't wait for the V2+s to ship out! Hope the new chassis doesn't suck.) I always think that if shit hit the fan and I had to sell my equipment, I could be still be pretty happy with a V2/+ and a pair of HD650s.

I also think this effectively demonstrates the barriers for entry-level personal audio hobbyists. Most people looking to find better audio are going to start at the level of headphones - which is a reasonable choice. The rest of their information-seeking process won't be nearly as straight forward. For instance, your new (potential) entry-level enthusiast:

A. Might not know that different headphones benefit from amplification - and in ways that are far more complex than "more power = good";
B. Might not know what a DAC or a headphone amplifier is or what it does. (Or, that their d/a converters in standard commercial equipment are usually lowest common denominator functionalist crap);
C. Definitely won't know who Light Harmonic is, what a Geek Out is, or why they need anything more than the headphone jack for their gear;
D. Definitely won't know what sources of information are trustworthy (which will likely lead them to information resources like CNet - or shopping at Best Buy);
E. Might lack the patience to do in-depth research prior to opening their wallet. f**k, some of us lack that even now;
F. Most assuredly won't have any understanding of their own sonic taste preferences.
​

Most intro-level users (of anything) lack an understanding of their information needs, the information knowledge gaps that they're trying to address, and the (trustworthy) information resources that would enable them to address those gaps and make better choices. If they've lucked into InnerFidelity, then they've encountered an access point into the hobby that is useful, trustworthy, and clear enough to provide them with meaningful information.

Beyond being a pretty good headphone, the HiFiMan HE-400S is a great case study in how entry-level user needs would be greatly enhanced by a legitimate, broad-reaching audio enthusiast society or organization. For every InnerFidelity out there there are a dozen or more sites that really just exist to push people into buying overpriced shit. A hobbyist society would be invaluable for addressing knowledge gap D, which will enable a motivated new user to work outward from that stable point to gain more technical, domain-level knowledge ("this is you read a frequency response chart, a waterfall plot, THD measurements, etc."), to decide on the level of financial investment that they're willing/able to make, and what general equipment makes type of sound that they like to hear.

 

Me too

 

The left side still has sealing problems?

 

I read the whole topic because it sounds pretty interesting (you get it ? It "souuuuuuunds" hum... anyway). Thing is, usually when I read some very similar criticisms about two types of different headphones, it's because the're almost the same. I think we came to the point where we can state that these two headphones (6x0 and 400S) are similar enough that the only things that will make you prefer one to the other are some margins in lows, distorsion, or something else, but not much more. There is no dethronization or stuff like that in here, just two headphones pretty similar that one will like more because of a little bit less distorsion, or because you can plug it to your smartphones, etc...

So far I hadn't read anything about it, but the fact that it is a planar magnetic does not make a big difference ?

 

The HD 600/650 are just better. However they're more expensive and you'll need to spend at least another two hundred bucks on an adequate DAC and amp. If you already have something like a Schiit stack or Objective combo but no decent open headphone, the HE400S isn't worth it. It's 300 bucks. That's close to the Sennheisers on sale. With the cost of Focus pads, that is an HD 600. If you want to cheap out on the transducer, the AKG K7XX is a better choice. For people new to good audio gear who have nothing? The Hifiman is great and a step up from the HD 558/598 or Philips X2 for a little bit more money if you can get it to seal on your head.

Of course then we get into that 500 to 700 dollars isn't really that much more than 350. I upgraded to an HD 650 rig just by not eating out at all for a few months and realizing the TOTLs all have annoying flaws.

 

You can go back and forth all day on these two, they are both great.

But I have a bone to pick with the folks that are saying the 400s work great with your phone. Well they play loud with a phone if that is what you mean. Playing lossless files through a decent Android phone via HP out gives me an okay experience, but not anywhere near the higher resolution experience of hearing via a decent dac/amp connected to same phone. You can argue that better phones will do better, etc, but at the end of the day, why waste the capability of the 400s on this type setup. Some may but I would rather just go $100 iem.

So for me the doesn't scale well scaling argument does hold water at least in the scenarios I have used them in. Yes, I do think when you spend big bucks on a nicely perfected source and amp the HD650s will be amazing, but for the middle earth the 400S can be just as amazing if it is your preferred presentation.