Opinions on Hifiman 400 headphones?

[hal55]

I see that a few members have headphones by Hifiman and I'm looking to get a pair, hopefully soon. Would like to know how reliable they have been and any overall comments. My two cans at the moment are AUDIO Technica AD 900s, the originals, and Jays u-jays. All good headphones but I'd love to add a pair of planars to the collection. Hopefully, these would be my "endgame" pair and complete the collection.
Music tastes are strings, piano, vocals generally and a detailed sound with warmth and musicality.
Thanks in advance.

[Sherwood]

I bought a pair of Hifiman HE400i headphones on Amazon earlier this year. I have been very happy with them. As a user of Magneplanar speakers I value a very fast sound with great detail recovery. The Hifiman headphones provide me with a similar sound to my speakers. Bass is extended but not overblown as is the case with many modern headphones. They are well made with comfortable ear pads, though I cannot wear any headphone for extended periods without feeling some discomfort.

The one downside is the ridiculously short cable (1.2m). Fortunately, the cable is detachable and a longer good quality cable can be purchased for about £20.

I see the deal I got on Amazon is available again. At this price it is a steal.

Geoff

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HIFIMAN-HE400i-Full-size-Magnetic-Headphones-Grey/dp/B07BSB3WKC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1533032643&sr=8-3&keywords=hifiman+400i

Just noticed you are from Oz. You may have to spend a bit more to get them where you are.

[hal55]

Amazon no longer ships to Australia since opening a local, and vastly overpriced and inferior, local operation. Can I ask if build quality is acceptable, this has long been a controversial topic with the brand.

[hal55]

Amazon no longer ships to Australia since opening a local, and vastly overpriced and inferior, local operation. Can I ask if build quality is acceptable, this has long been a controversial topic with the brand.

[Sherwood]

I have seen some negative comments about build quality but they seem pretty well made to me.

[steve-z]

I had the HE400S for quite a while and found them excellent, I think for the money they’re hard to beat. Btw Geoff is the SMSL headphone amp working out ok for you ?


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[Sherwood]

I had the HE400S for quite a while and found them excellent, I think for the money they’re hard to beat. Btw Geoff is the SMSL headphone amp working out ok for you ?


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Steve,

Yes thanks, it's working fine in my bedroom system.

Geoff

[struth]

Tge oppos are worth considering if you can still find a pair.. superb cans with my smsl headphone amp

[hal55]

Oppo are now difficult to find, and expensive even as a second hand purchase. Also, I think they are on ear rather than over ear and I now know from the u-jays that over ear I vastly prefer.
I've read up on fostex and monoprice, but Hifiman seems the most likely to tick all my boxes.
Sorry about the duplicated post above, using a tablet I'm not familiar with to post this.

[struth]

Oppo are now difficult to find, and expensive even as a second hand purchase. Also, I think they are on ear rather than over ear and I now know from the u-jays that over ear I vastly prefer.
I've read up on fostex and monoprice, but Hifiman seems the most likely to tick all my boxes.
Sorry about the duplicated post above, using a tablet I'm not familiar with to post this.

no bother, just a thought.. they are over-ear tho.

[jandl100]

After having quite a complex headphone journey, I've settled on a pair of Fostex HD600, and they are more detailed and dynamic and more open sounding than the Hifiman 400(i?) I heard. I found the 400 a bit too smooth, tbh.
The Fostex are quite a bit more expensive though - I got mine for £270 used, iirc - I'd say if you can pick up the Hifiman 400 new for £180 or so they are a great buy. Although maybe you should give a listen to some Grados as well for a rather different presentation.

[Sherwood]

After having quite a complex headphone journey, I've settled on a pair of Fostex HD600, and they are more detailed and dynamic and more open sounding than the Hifiman 400(i?) I heard. I found the 400 a bit too smooth, tbh.
The Fostex are quite a bit more expensive though - I got mine for £270 used, iirc - I'd say if you can pick up the Hifiman 400 new for £180 or so they are a great buy. Although maybe you should give a listen to some Grados as well for a rather different presentation.

Jerry,

perhaps you heard the 400s which I understand has a fuller sound than the 400i in the bass and a softer treble. I was surprised by the quality of the treble on the 400i. It is not immediately obvious but it is very extended and very very fast. Transients are reproduced extremely well.

I have had a couple of Grado headphones including the 225 model. I would say that the 400i is much better than the 225.

Geoff

[jandl100]

Ime, the key to getting best sound out of the cheaper Grados is to upgrade the ear cups to those used on the GS1000 etc models.
Quite an astonishing improvement imo.
(Much more comfortable too)
£50 a pair for pukka Grados cups, but you can sometimes get a copy for £25 or so.

[mightymonoped]

Ime, the key to getting best sound out of the cheaper Grados is to upgrade the ear cups to those used on the GS1000 etc models.
Quite an astonishing improvement imo.
(Much more comfortable too)
£50 a pair for pukka Grados cups, but you can sometimes get a copy for £25 or so.

+1 on that!


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[YNWaN]

I’m not so sure. A friend actually invested in three different sets of ear cups. The genuine items, third party ones and the original smaller ones. I listened to them all and they all sounded obviously different - but in the end they were just different with none winning in an outright sense.

[jandl100]

I'm astonished at that, Mark.
Night & Day is not an exaggeration in this instance!

Ah well, we all hear differently and are listening out for different things.

They did lose just a little in bass impact with the larger cups, but everything was just so much more spacious and real sounding. It sounded like what you'd expect from a doubling (or more) of the headphone price, to me.

[hal55]

Jerry,

perhaps you heard the 400s which I understand has a fuller sound than the 400i in the bass and a softer treble. I was surprised by the quality of the treble on the 400i. It is not immediately obvious but it is very extended and very very fast. Transients are reproduced extremely well.

I have had a couple of Grado headphones including the 225 model. I would say that the 400i is much better than the 225.

Geoff

From that I would assume the 400i does piano very, very well
I love magneplanars, same technology, and have heard references to planar bass in headphones, is it the same bass as in speakers essentially, which I'd describe as deep, linear and rhythmic?

[Batty]

I have the Massdrop HE-4xx which are based on the 400i, compared to my AKG Q701 they are more detailed and have better bass extension without being overblown, I thought the Q701 were good but the 4xx are even better.
Build is good too, but the screws can come loose but loctite fixes that.

[Sherwood]

From that I would assume the 400i does piano very, very well
I love magneplanars, same technology, and have heard references to planar bass in headphones, is it the same bass as in speakers essentially, which I'd describe as deep, linear and rhythmic?

Yes, the 400i does piano very well. If you are familiar with the sound of Maggies you will appreciate how they reproduce the leading edge of notes. This means that with instruments like the piano you can differentiate between the sound of the hammers striking and everything that follows. I know that some people find the 400i "dry" but I would say that they do not have the various peaks that are introduced into other designs to make them sound punchy and weighty. That may be OK if you are listening to bass driven music like reggae but it soon becomes tiresome.

I should add that although they are relative easy to drive, they do benefit from a good headphone amp. I am using mine with a recently upgraded Caiman SEG DAC with a 15v power supply.

Geoff

[hal55]

Thanks Geoff, piano is sort of my go to instrument for deciding whether something sounds
s right or wrong, and it's that ability planars have of catching everything from initial strike to decay that appeals massively to me . It's also a reason that, although I enjoy Apple Music and internet radio, piano never sounds right to me on them, too much likes a babies supermarket toy piano rather than a baby grand so to speak..
Re the Massdrop planar, glad it's working out, the feedback on the Massdrop forum was lovely sound, shame about the build, glad yours is okay and you have a solution to the main issue people were reporting.

[hal55]

Was lucky to get a mint 400s, two years old at a very good price.
And loving it, won't be parting with this for quite some time.

[Sherwood]

Was lucky to get a mint 400s, two years old at a very good price.
And loving it, won't be parting with this for quite some time.

I thought they would suit. The 400s is "voiced" a little differently to the 400i but both have that "electrostatic" speed.

Geoff

[hal55]

Just love the sheer musicality of them, they are an incredibly fun listen. If I was to criticize one thing, and it's minor, it would be that the high frequencies could be a little more extended and airy, other than that they hit all the right buttons.
Listening to Elvis right now with the feet tapping and a big smile on my face, wish I'd gone this route years ago.

[Sherwood]

Just love the sheer musicality of them, they are an incredibly fun listen. If I was to criticize one thing, and it's minor, it would be that the high frequencies could be a little more extended and airy, other than that they hit all the right buttons.
Listening to Elvis right now with the feet tapping and a big smile on my face, wish I'd gone this route years ago.

The 400i has a more extended treble than the 400s though some consider it a little harsh compared to the s model. The 400s is certainly easier to drive than the 400i and I know that many prefer its fuller bass output. Overall though, the differences are minor.

[Lawrence001]

Didn't see any reference to the original model 400 above. For the record, I quite liked mine initially, good bass impact, but after a while I noticed splashy unnatural cymbals which highlighted other weakness in the treble and I eventually sold them on with no regrets (unlike the first pair of 500s which I sold, I later bought another pair and kept them until I got the 6s which are my endgame headphones).

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