Yay! New headphones!

• Mentosftw wrote on 2014-10-26 01:49
  They came in just yesterday and they sound great!
  

  [Image: http://puu.sh/cqIYP/646a11d9a8.jpg ]
• Compass wrote on 2014-10-26 14:08
  Nice!
  I never heard of the he-400i, what's the difference from the original he- 400 if you know aside from the design? Thinking of upgrading to a he-400 next year
  Also what amp do you use?
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2014-10-26 18:29
  The headband looks funky. Not much else to add.
• Mentosftw wrote on 2014-10-26 18:55

  Quote from Compass;1252128:

  Nice!
  I never heard of the he-400i, what's the difference from the original he- 400 if you know aside from the design? Thinking of upgrading to a he-400 next year
  Also what amp do you use?

  
  
  Reviewers say that they sound similar in toneality compared to the 500. This means less bass and sibilance compared to the 400 and vastly improved mids. I didn't find vocals as clear as I had hoped but once I moved back to the HD598, I was surprised at how bloated vocals became. My AKG K545 still retains a good amount of clarity because there is less roll off on the highs.
  
  The 500 can be found for 500 USD if you can find a pre owned pair but Razordog is selling openbox (which is what I got, they were pretty much new, still has plastic film on the logo) 400i for 395.99 USD.
  
  This is the first time I've used a planar magnetic and it's a great experience overall. The separation of the instruments and detail is quite good and so is the soundstage. Some people say that the soundstage is quite narrow but I find it superior to that of the Sennheiser 598.
  
  The weight of these are about 30% lighter than the HE400 and the headband is suspension based so the weight is evenly dispersed around your head. This combined with the extra clamp force of the frame makes it so that there is very little noticeable weight coming down on your head.
  
  And as far as amping goes, even a phone can power these but they won't sound as good. They're rather efficient, only needing a minimum output impedance of 4 ohms. My JDS Labs C5D is quite up for the task going at 0.64 output.
  
  I've got more impressions on the reddit page that I posted this in.
• Yoorah wrote on 2014-10-26 18:56
  Open air design? Cool--reminds me of the Grado SR60s. I kinda wanna get those cause they look oldschool, but I wouldn't be able to use em at the office. >:
• Compass wrote on 2014-10-26 19:26
  Aww gee, anything above $300 is way too much for me which is why I was considering the HE-400s.
  Talking about planar magnetic headphones do the Audeze LCD-2 interest you in any way?
• Mentosftw wrote on 2014-10-26 19:58
  Yes but they're way out of my budget xD
  
  I think razordog sells them open box for around 700-800?
• Yoorah wrote on 2014-10-27 01:50
  You people and your fancy headphones. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a fancy pair, too.
  For now I really like the Audioengine A2 speakers I have. I wonder if I would get a noticeable benefit from a nice sound card.
• Mentosftw wrote on 2014-10-27 02:59
  Most likely but you would have to understand the differences to hear for and that's a headache of it's own.
  
  My rule of thumb is that if you're already satisfied with how things sound, you should just continue to enjoy it or else you'll go on a never ending quest for perfection.
  
  Audiophilism really puts a hole in your wallet. Then again, most hobbies do and I've seen money go into more pointless things.
  
  Oh, and if you do want to buy a "fancy pair" of headphones, just ask; typically I can come up with something once I get enough answers from someone.