Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones Discussions | Drop

Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones

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Aug 10, 2017

After feeling completely burned by my two previous MD HIFIMAN purchases, the occasionally listenable but generally grainy and harsh HE350, and the unconscionably awful RE00, I'm extremely skeptical about HIFIMAN in general and their MD collaborations in particular. Of course, I'd love to try a set of planar phones without breaking the bank, and there's not likely to be a better price on a set anytime soon, but is there any reason to actually believe these will be anything other than the sonic disasters that the HE350 and RE00s are? Or is it time to call it quits on these collaborations? I'd appreciate any thoughts you might have...

Pierre111

413

Aug 10, 2017

RandingoHard to tell, But Generally speaking the 400 series, are exceptional value in headphones. Sad that your experience haven't been positive with Massdrop customs, I know mine have been with the TH-X00. Don't know about neither those two. I own the 400i and find it just as good as my Fostex-Massdrop woodies. Hifiman are great, but again, for the two models you are talking about your dislike seem quite strong: sonic disaster, grainy and harsh... Since Hifiman have their name on those I would say maybe it's not your cup of tea? I have to say I can't listen to Harsh and overly bright headphones like Grado or pro-line sonys and my 400is are not that at all. Actually when I first listen to em I was expecting a much Brighter sound signature and then BOOM. Those bass! A couple reviewers heard them and these should be nothing like the 350s. If that help.

indi_guy

163

Aug 10, 2017

RandingoIf you really like to try planars the these are not the ones you should be looking at, hifiman 4xx series doesn't exhibit the planar characteristic bass. Compare FRs. I would have gone for the fostex or monoliths for higher price.

Fukuro

Aug 10, 2017

Pierre111My Thx00 PH hanger bit broke, had complained, and waited a month and then complained and got a replacement unit. *shrug*

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Cujobob

133

Aug 10, 2017

indi_guyMonoliths have too many question marks and sonic issues IMO to recommend at that price. Planar bass should be fast hitting due to the nature of the driver, these should do that just fine and the FR graph won't necessarily tell you that. CSD might.

Pierre111

413

Aug 11, 2017

indi_guyI'm reeally not sure how you can say the planar fostex would have Better Bass. As you say , look at the Frequency response, the Fostex T-50RP MK3 (their best planar) rolls of at 100Hz, the 4xx rolls of at 40 Hertz. That's miles better in term of bass reproduction. And I actually have Fostex planars T50 Mk2, and the 400i. There is no comparison. I don't know where you take that the 400 serie don't have the caracteristic Planar Bass. Have you heard them? Or maybe you are talking about the non-planars Fostex trhat indeed have serious bass But Fostex planars have very week bass. Not in the same class. They are great but your suggestion tells me you have not heard them sorry.

Aug 11, 2017

indi_guyAudeze and HIFIMAN are the reason "planar bass" is a buzzword. Both product lines have significantly better extension than the Fostex stock/most of the modified offerings. They also exhibit much faster bass transients from the very nature of the technology so I'm not really sure where you are getting this. I do believe you're also misreading your frequency responses curves.

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Aug 11, 2017

RandingoSounds like you don't dig headphones that run ever so slightly bright of neutral. That or your source isn't driving your headphones properly. Have you tried the 6XX/650/600 line from Sennhesier? They run the warmer side of neutral and may be more your cup of tea. Not the best choice for low powered sources however...

Aug 11, 2017

ElectronicVicesI just received the AKG 7XX phones eRlier this week. Obviously, they're not remotely broken in yet, but my initial impression after a couple hours of listening was quite good. I don't think they're thought of as warm, in fact, they seemed pretty revealing. Out of curiosity, are you familiar with the headp I mentioned in my initial post? The aren't just beyond neutral--they can be ok on some tracks, but they're generally aggressively bright, with overcooked upper mids and a tinny top end, lacking any kind of air or extension, and they exhibit significant grain in higher frequencies. I'm sure they could be tuned to sound better, but I'm not really sure they're worth the effort. The RE00 is literally the worst sounding earbud I've ever heard, with high freq glare, weak but peaky mids and anemic bass to the point of absurdity. I love well presented and open treble and the detail it presents. Unfortunately, that isn't what my MD hifiman phones sound like.

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Aug 11, 2017

RandingoOwn the RE-00 and owned the headphone the 350 was based on. Along with 20 or so other pairs from various manufacturers. The RE-00 requires a good fitting tip and sufficient power but they are most certainly upward tilting. The headphone they are based on was the same way but less bass...
Source for the RE-00 is LG V20 or FiiO X3ii + E12A Source for the HE300(rev2) was Schiit Lyr, FiiO E9

Aug 11, 2017

ElectronicVicesThanks for the additional information. I've tried a few tips on the RE00 with no success, although the Comply tips I tried managed to reduce the quantity of bass even further than the silicon variants I tried. The 350 is all over the place, with some songs sounding reasonable while others--and these are a strong majority-- make me feel like someone's jabbing an icepick in my ears.

Achyllis

Aug 12, 2017

ElectronicVicesMy Fiio E12 runs my HD650's no problem. 130$ for a very solid little amp.

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Aug 13, 2017

RandingoHifiman does have a couple of treble peaks that you may be sensitive to. I remember the 300's treble as a bit uneven. Overall the 300 was a slightly warm/bassy open headphone with some treble grain/glare to me. I can take a bit of treble as I also own the T1 and 990... with the 990 being too much for me a lot of the time but the T1 being my upper limit for brightness.

Pierre111

413

Aug 13, 2017

ElectronicVicesOut of curiosity, Was the 300 a Dynamic like the 350 is? As far as I know there are no more dynamics in the HFman catalog of full size cans. Maybe that's not their forte and they chose to abandon that road? Never heard the 350 but a lot of people think it's quite bright.

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Aug 13, 2017

Pierre111From the HE350 description: "Inspired by the HE-300, which was eventually discontinued despite being a clear favorite for many, we teamed up with HiFiMAN to make the HE-350" Keep in mind these come from different measuring rigs so the differences will no solely be caused by the headphone:
HE350

HE300Rev2

I sold my HE300's and bought the then brand new Fidelio X2's which fit a similar sound signature and were more comfortable as well as a touch more relaxed.

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Feanorean

Aug 14, 2017

RandingoNever tried the MD RE0 collabs but I love the original RE0's from Hifiman. So maybe our tastes just vary.

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Aug 24, 2017

ElectronicVicesOK, I'm going to eat a little crow here. I burned the HE-350 in for another hundred hours (I'd already had 150 hours on them when I commented before), and things have gotten better. The low end, which was always quick, opened up and is now deeper and weightier without sacrificing quickness. There's more air on top, which also helps the overall sound. There's still a spike at around 4k that can be annoying (more in a minute), but much of the grainy character is gone. I find it's rather enjoyable to listen to most acoustic tracks and jazz. Honestly, the spike i mentioned above (which the response graph places at 5k) is still rather problematic with tracks featuring tambourine, and jangly old bands like the Beatles and the Byrds. Of course, that spike can be tamed with eq in the player software, but I prefer to do as little there as is possible. So now instead of brittle and painful on the majority of tracks, I find this phone to be brighter than neutral with good recordings of acoustic music and jazz, which can be sort of fun. These comments are based on playback on an iPhone 6 using Onkyo HF Player and iFi iDSD Nano or a Shanling M2 DAP. For shits and giggles I also tried the "sticker mod" suggested on the drop page for the HE350. It's not for me: the bass boost is substantial in mid bass and lower midrange, and the result sounds overly boomy and warm. It does mask the 5k spike to a degree, but the speed and slam of the bass with the stickers in place is muddied. So I guess I'll try different pads. BTW, the comfort of the 350 is overrated. The yoke isn't wide enough to let the cup pivot to sit flush on your ears, so there's a distinct pressure point where the pad hits above the ear. I assume angled pads will ameliorate that issue. And so now, getting back to the subject of this drop, I'm going to seriously consider the he4xx, but probably not in this drop: I've gotten a number of new phones this year, including the HE350, AKG K7xx, and expect the HD6xx late in the year, as well as having added the NuForce Primo8 iems, and I'm still a happy owner of the Focal Spirit, which has a lot going for it. I think I need to figure out a headphone amp before I go any further with headphones, as I'm not convinced that I'm getting all I could out of the K7xx with my existing setup.

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