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And strange how at first my phone recognized the ifi hip dac instantly. 'usb audio device' ifi hip dac connected. Or along those lines. Even outside USB player pro, Sony a champ in the that department. Don't even have to use USB player pro as it works in all music apps and correct options can be set in the device self. Amped: Amping the HE-400i reveals how inefficient it is. Right away I had to go to the hi-gain setting on my desktop amp. Almost all other headphones run on medium gain A good tube amp, like Schiit’s Valhalla 2, will further mellow the somewhat direct sound of the HE-400i and provide plenty of voltage into this voltage hungry can.
HIFIMAN HE400se Review - Headfonia Reviews HIFIMAN HE400se Review - Headfonia Reviews
They should give me different sound and experience. But people says: Get the Sennhieser 600 or 650, I don't like them or the price. I've been looking for other alternatives. It is made of memory foam with pleather at the outside and allows for the ear cups to swivel freely. Unfortunately I think I’ll have to let these go as they don’t really scratch the itch. This is not going to be an overly negative review just heads up I am OK with someone buying the HE400i 2020 and use it without EQ. Personally I would only recommend it if you EQ it. Disclaimer: I am using it out of my PC, I don't have an amp with it yet and I will be modding these fairly soon, which should improve the sound, so I will update this review when I get there.The ear cups are made of polymer ABS material while the asymmetrical removable ear pads are made of pleater and velour. These headphones will let you know if your source is good or not. I won't repeat much of the pros and cons of this headphone that hasn't already been said. Bass is really nice with this version. It doesn’t have the same amount of body and impact as the 2020 version, but it still has more than good weight and presence. Bass isn’t the very tightest but it’s very easy on the ears. When needed and called upon, bass can go deep and it will for sure impress, though in a civilized way. The bass presentation has a nice softness and smoothness to it, not ot be mistaken with warmth. Bass goes deep and has lots of detail. Shove some good power through the 400i and enjoy the good head massage these planar drivers can produce. And don't forget the nice soundstage that these open headphones have.
HIFIMAN High End HE400i Over Ear(Full-size) Planar Magnetic
Technically the HE400i has fair number of smaller flaws and mismatch with our target. As noted though, out of box response is not bad in that it is mostly missing energy than having too much of it. EQ works but hard to develop a perfect one given the rough response of the headphone. Still, I managed to get very good response out of them.
I really don't understand the reference to the HD650, I've listened to to HE-400i and don't see much relation to the sound of the headphone.
HIFIMAN HE-400i 2020 Review - Headfonia Reviews
Body-wise the HE400se is lighter but it’s still a full and balanced type of sound from top to bottom. It’s not as weighty as the HE400i 2020 is, and in this regard it’s definitely more neutral. The HE400i on the other hand is more extended and spacious / airy sounding. Notes on the 400i 2020 are more extended and have better decay, where they here in the se are more energetic and definitely more clear. The instrument’s separation is brilliant, every single sound source is well defined and pronounced. The vocal is coming from the front of the listener, resulting in a natural and mature staging. Increased the rating from 4-stars to 4.5-stars because the 400i is so capable and if you have a setup you can trust the 400i will be truly reference and enjoyable. I hear people with far harder to drive cans having to settle at 70 percent volume, because that's the most pleasurable listening. And again I'm literally cranking it as far right, power match on and connected via unbalanced input on both I should add.
With regard to the sonics, let me get this out of the way and say that the HE400i 2020 sounds remarkably similar to the HE4XX. So much, so that they’re virtually indistinguishable. I’ve already reviewed the 4XX, but I’ll place that review in the description below for your reference, in case you were interested.