[cujobob]

So I haven't been insanely happy with most of the headphones I've owned for one reason or another. I've recently decided that for home use...I must get a pair of open headphones to go with my O2 amplifier. It came down to the AD900X which are still closer to their MSRP (and will assuredly come down in time) and a used pair of Hifiman HE400. The seller is modifying both the cables and the earpads for me as per the jergpad mod.

I'll chime in here with impressions, but I'm excited!

Anyone else own Hifiman headphones?

[hibuckhobby]

Hey...
I've had the HE5LE's and the HE500's.  I preferred a slightly warmer sound,
BUT...great detail, bass and clarity on those phones.  I've thought about
trying the 400's just because...   Looking forward to your impressions.
Hibuck...

[FullRangeMan]

What is the the jergpad mod??
The HE400 is a well recommended phone on the famous 57 Phones Tested:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HE400

[dB Cooper]

I would like to hear more about the HE400 also, from the OP or anybody else. They are on the short list of candidates for my next headphone purchase although I hear they are voiced on the bright side, which I am definitely not looking for. (Have that already.) Hope I can find a pair to audition at Capital Audiofest in July. Shouldn't be a prob if Woo comes to the show again this year.

[cujobob]

The HE500 are supposed to be more of a traditional British speaker sound (polite, more laid back) and the HE400 are voiced more similar to American offerings...basically. The HE500 come with a better box, are obviously more expensive, but I haven't heard if the planar magnetic drivers are better or not.

The Jergpad mod involves cutting some holes in the backside of the earpads where it isn't visible and a few other minor tweaks. I've never switched headphone earpads before so I can't say that I've ever compared the differences in sound between two types.

I've heard they can have a bit of a clamp, though nothing overly excessive, so I do hope they satisfy in that regard. I'll see in a few days.

[FullRangeMan]

CUJOBOB: OK, Thanks for inform.

Worth mention the HE400 is minijack connector and 92,5dB sensitivity and can be driven by any CD Player or PC output as too a regular phone amp.

And otherwise the HE500 being a low sensitivity 89dB phone, need the usual special hi voltage electrostatic amp.

[Noseyears]

CUJOBOB: OK, Thanks for inform.

Worth mention the HE400 is minijack connector and 92,5dB sensitivity and can be driven by any CD Player or PC output as too a regular phone amp.

And otherwise the HE500 being a low sensitivity 89dB phone, need the usual special hi voltage electrostatic amp.

Certainly.
HE400's are not hard to drive like its big brothers, but they benefit from a good dac and source files. A realtek onboard its not recommended here.

[Sparky14]

I have the HE-400s, being driven by an audio-gd NFB-11.32. Before them, I had the Beyer DT990 600 ohm headphones which I thought were all I would ever need. But then I got a big amazon gift card, and decided to give the HE-400s a shot. I chose the 400s over the 500s as I am a basshead, and I read the 400 wins that battle.

Sounds wise, they definitely add a level of depth to the DT990s. I love the sound. Comfort is better than I expected (after getting the valour ear pads). No "clamp" problems for me.

I almost consider the HE400s to be too sensitive though. I have the 11.32 on low gain, and still can only go to 10:00 on the volume dial.

[FullRangeMan]

If the HE-400 had a big sound stage as the HD-800 it could be a sales success, as the price right.

[cujobob]

I receive mine tomorrow, but have plans that will take up my time all day so won't be getting a good listen until Thursday.

I've done a ton of reading in my spare time recently...I'm a bit concerned that the top end sizzle might be a bit aggravating. The company has made several design changes, with the first revision needing an update for durability's sake and then the third tried to become even more durable but introduced a resonance that aggravated listeners. The driver is only on it's second revision as that is technically what's still being sold, but it's the 4th version to be sold (at least). Hifiman has a lot of interesting products but the build quality always seems to be less than desired. I purchased a pair of RE0 before based on reviews and found the build quality less than I'd accept for that price. The RE-400 is supposed to be much better and looks it from the pictures, but the company's headphones have had similar issues. The HE300s had durability issues, I believe, and even things like the silk screening and whatnot have been criticized. While I care mostly about sound, I  expect a $400 purchase to last me many years (or last whoever I sell them to).

The Jergpad mods won't be done on the pair being sent to me right away, the seller is going to send those pads after Jerg okays his work. I'll comment on the differences when I hear them.

As for the 400 vs. 500...you can always EQ bass up a bit if needed. I guess that's why I prefer more neutral sound. I can tailor the sound to best suit my tastes, I just expect a well engineered product.

I hope I don't sound too negative about the experience...I'm quite excited, but I'm also trying to be realistic. I've been playing music and games through my Sennheiser HD 25-1 II and even though they get good reviews, I can't bring myself to like these.

What I'd kill for is an Ortho headphone that's tailored towards a neutral sound but doesn't break the bank. Even the HE-500 isn't neutral..it seems to be more similar to the Senn HD-650 ish (at least, that's what I interpret). In a few years, I think we'll see plenty more competition in Ortho headphones. Audeze and Hifiman are too popular not to be copied.

[dB Cooper]

cujobob makes a god point, I expect expensive headphones to last. I gave away a pair of Sennheiser 424s (not even Hi-end" expensive) that I bought in the early 80s and last I heard they were still working perfectly, including the original cord. I expect long life from Sennheiser, AKG, Beyer etc. Track record counts, and some of the newcomers like Hifiman and Audeze have had reported problems that sound like design problems to me (earcups cracking etc). I did listen to a pair of LCD2s at CAF last summer and was VERY impressed... but for a thou I'm more likely to make the bet that Sennheiser will be around in ten years if I need new ear pads or drivers or whatever. I do wanna hear the 400s though and hope both Audeze and Hifiman prosper.

[cujobob]

So I received these not long ago...been going through a lot of tracks on Spotify this morning and I'm a bit torn right now. Build quality seems pretty good which is something always annoying me with headphone purchases (most feel cheaply built IMHO). The band, while clearly very sturdy, should have been a touch nicer looking. Right now, these don't feel very neutral to me...I want to give myself a chance to acclimate to the sound before I say too much though. The goal is to find something with a similar sound to the JH13 in an open headphone.

These Orthos have a lot of potential, that's for sure. I just feel there's a tad too much energy in certain frequencies that dominate songs right now. Oddly enough, I almost prefer the sound on my iPhone to my computer rig with these (HifimeDIY DAC --> O2 amp). So maybe I need to do some more tinkering.

Anyone else have the Hifimediy sabre DAC? Have you had issues with crackling/distortion that required you to remove the plug from the usb port and re-insert? I'm not sure what causes that.

[randytsuch]

I would consider trying a different amp than the O2.

Just my 2 cents.

I have a Lyr for my HE500's, but they are supposed to be much harder to drive (as noted in this thread).

Randy

[cujobob]

I'll strongly consider that.

[randytsuch]

I'll strongly consider that.

If you're around LA, I have a couple amps sitting around collecting dust.

[this_is_vv]

I would consider trying a different amp than the O2.

Just my 2 cents.

I have a Lyr for my HE500's, but they are supposed to be much harder to drive (as noted in this thread).

Randy

i just upgraded from Audioengine to O2 amp...and the change was there...what you recomend...

V

[cujobob]

If you're around LA, I have a couple amps sitting around collecting dust.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm a Michigan guy here...for some reason 

i just upgraded from Audioengine to O2 amp...and the change was there...what you recomend...

V

How do you like the O2 amp so far?

[this_is_vv]

How do you like the O2 amp so far?

I really like it...but again i am upgrading from Ath M30 connected to PC. Then i moved to HD600 with Audioengine D1. Now hd600 with Odac and O2 amp and this is definitely i like it so far...

V