Hifiman HE400i (all revisions)

No idea how the latest 400i compares to the HE 4XX. I have been using a pair of HE 4XX for the past year and like them very much. I use them with an Onkyo 7030
CD player (Transport only) and a Schiit Modius DAC/ Asgard 3 Amp combo. A nice affordable system that actually sounds good.

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I have the 2020 revision and would agree with the review. If you want an idea of what a planar does this is a relatively cheap way to do it. But I wouldn’t call this a good headphone.

They get hot and I don’t find them and particularly comfortable for extended listening.

The frequency response is wonky and tembre is not natural.

If you’re just starting out, spend the extra $30 and get the 6XX.

I have no experience with the other revisions so I can’t make comparisons.

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Released 6 and a half years ago; 14,283 posts about it on head-fi, and Drop lists its version as having sold 39.5k units. Not bad for a headphone that has a plasticky sound, a wonky and piercing treble, and the other problems mentioned above.

I think the 400i’s popularity stems, in part, from it being fairly easy to drive, for all the hype, and for its price, which has been $250 or less for four years or so. (It’s bonkers to think that the 400i started life at a price of $500.) How many affordable planar headphones were there in 2015-2016? HiFiman did well to clean up in this market. It stills does, apparently. How many affordable, entry-level planars are there today? The Fostex T50RP comes to mind, then the Monolith stuff.

Yes! And we can take comfort from the fact that the HD650/6XX thread on head-fi has 43,597 posts and that Drop has now sold 109.8k of the HD6XX. You could probably make a case for these two headphones being bellwethers for changes (and the expansion) of the hobby over the last 5 years. Still, it’s striking that we had no thread for the 400i on this forum until earlier today…

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That does sound like a nice, enjoyable setup - I had the 400i several years ago, at that pivot point where I bought a DAC and an amp and started getting into headphones seriously. It was my gateway headphone. I didn’t mind the treble at first, and the plasticky sound wasn’t entirely unappealing: I liked how fast it was, compared with anything I’d heard before. I still have a soft spot for it. I’m glad you’re enjoying the HE 4XX.

Edit: to clarify, I’ve not heard the HE 4XX, so my impressions are only for the 400i.

Based on comments from some guys on forums here in Spain, plus what I have read elsewhere about the 400i and the 4XX, it seems that the 2020 has changed quite a lot.

It’s a shame I don’t have (and haven’t heard) the other versions as it would have been great to compare.

Thanks! The law of diminishing returns comes up quickly in this hobby, so it’s helpful
to be able to identify great value components that can keep you from
chasing the latest flavor of the month gear.

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Yes, you’re entirely right! I spent a lot of time calculating the sweet spot for investing in the hobby - getting gear that was priced right, for me, and that would last me a good, long while before I’d need to upgrade it. (My DAC and amp are the Drop counterparts to your Schiit stack, the Airist RDAC and the MCTH).

I bet your Asgard 3 pairs well with the HE 4XX - plenty of power and a nice bit of warmth to balance with the headphones. I bet you’re in one of those sweet spots, too.

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I still have my HE400i but its the original SMC jack version with the back plate so it sounds quite different from any of the other revisions. I’ve heard the 2.5mm jack version and the newer 3.5mm jack version and I have to agree that they are quite different from mine but then again I paid $475 for them back in 2014 and I’ve also modded them with sorbothane in the cups and attenuation rings in the ear pads. I pretty much only use them on my Project Ember or Lyr2 out of a Bifrost Uber or Modi2uber, with the Bifrost MB they have a slightly sharp edge with some tracks that gets irritating to me at times.

Excellent review @SenyorC.

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Thank you @prfallon69, as always!

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Actually the A3 works well with every headphone I have including: HD600, HD6XX, HE 4XX, T50RP MK3 etc. It’s an excellent all-rounder for under $200. I use a LOKI Mini
to fine tune each headphone and that also works well.

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That’s a great collection! I’ve heard that the A3 is versatile, and I really ought to give the Loki a whirl. I should think you’d be covered for pretty much any genre of music with this set of headphones!

Thanks! Yes, it 's a good all around system. It may not be as good as the TOTL
systems, however, it gets close enough for me and at a small fraction of the price.

The LOKI Mini is really nice for the money. I’d recommend it to anyone in this
hobby for its flexibility. The mainstay of my system is Modius DAC feeding the
LOKI. Then I rotate sources, headphone amp’s and headphones in and out
of the system. It’s a lot of fun, especially given the endless source of music
to be found in the Internet.

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I’m curious, how do you determine if you have a driver flex situation? Is it something you feel? Is it a rattling sound of some kind?

If you are sure there is a driver flex, can you repair it by taking the cups apart and tightening the driver assembly?

Also, what is a “compressed feeling to the sound” mean. Is that like a flac turning into an mp3 or something audible like that?

Thanks

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The way I would describe driver flex is like putting a thin sheet of plastic over the end of a pipe and then blow or suck on the other end, the noise that the plastic sheet makes when it moves in or out is like what you experience with driver flex (to be honest, it is sort of the same thing). I’m sure someone could explain it better in English than I can.

As far as the compressed sound, it is like taking the detail and squishing it together. If you are familiar with the loudness wars in recordings, this is the same sort of thing, there isn’t much dynamic range and everything sort of becomes one big sound.

I hope that helps!

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Yeah, it does, thanks. Is driver flex a defect? Or is it something you kind of have to live with if you encounter it?

Personally, I would call it a design flaw but to be honest, I am no expert on the matter.

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I have posted a quick comparison between the HE400i 2020 and the Hifiman Deva in the Deva thread.

Here is the link to it for anyone interested in the comparison…

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I had the first HE-400i and currently the MD-4XX. When they first came out they were spoken about as if they were a top 12-15 can.

Times have changed. On a tight budget there are the HD-6** cans as the major competition. I now view them today as a “fun” or “budget” can. I tried to boost my 4XX performance. New balanced cable, change pads - going as high as the Ether Angled, rear screens off, dynamat, Ragnarok 1- and compared to what you get out of the HE-500 with similar changes (and the fuzzor mod), the 4XX just don’t scale up. If you like rock and are tight of funds - go for it. But even a used HE-500 unmodded if you can find one at ~$375-425 is a far better buy (assuming you have the 2 watts). Or if you happen to have an OTL tube amp go right to the HD-600 and let your jaw drop.

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I have a pair of 2 year old 4XX, I have 2 HP amps depending where I am listening, Main system has a DIY Whammy and PC has a Class A Noir, both from DIY audio.
Love the 4XX, it has the sound I want and both amps drive them very well, I also have AKG Q701 which I ind a little light on bass.

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