Any thoughts on the Massdrop x HIFIMAN HE4XX ?

[Raynald]

I mean the phones themselves and how good they might or might not be. The discussion on the Massdrop site went off the rails almost immediately, no need to repeat that here.

Could be a very well priced planar on the one hand, on the other hand I find the pictures odd as they seem to be pitching them purely as a portable headphone which is kind of absurd given their size.

Just wondering in any AKers who were familiar with HIFIMAN could give their take on them.

 

[JoeESP9]

I signed up for the drop. I've already received a pair of HiFi Man HE350's via Massdrop.

 

[RamblinE]

I like what they said about it on Reddit. "Looks like Massdrop found another warehouse full of spare parts".

 

[Mysteryed]

Own the Hifiman HE400i. Showed my wife the drop. "Do it", she said. I did. Portable use with just a phone? Nah! They need more juice. The expected quality for price ratio would seem well worth it. Will know later whether or not it pans out. My wife is particular about sound quality and comfort, and her experience with the HE400i cans convinced her that the Massdrop x HIFIMAN HE4XX deal was worth the risk. I agree with her (always a good policy).

 

[Raynald]

It is tempting, especially with the exchange rate getting more favorable. However the way MD ships into Canada incurs extra brokerage fees above and beyond the shipping fees which pretty much wipe out the savings on all but the best deals. Until they come up with a method to ship to Canada inexpensively without added fees MD will remain a place to find out about interesting new gear rather than a place to buy it. Not wild about the lead time on this one as well.

 

[Inscrutable]

I was tempted, but I already bought into the Fostex T-X0 and Senn HD-6XX. Not sure how the HIFiMan will compare to the Fostex. Wanted to tiptoe into a planar, but don't really need two.

 

[cratz2]

I definitely thought about it but HiFiMan's build quality is a bit spotty at best and I have to wonder if they are using ine of the 400 series drivers and lower end everything else.

I might get in on another drop if there is one once there is feedback on this drop, but I passed this time.

 

[Mojo Warrior]

I rolled the dice.

We really don't know what these headphones will be like. However, their similar models are outstanding and the price was temptation, pure and simple.

By the time these ship it will be close to Xmas and long forgotten. But will be received like Christmas present (to myself).

 

[Raynald]

Looking forward to a review!

 

[musichal]

I've read that my HE-400i take a hundred or so hours for break-in for the bass to deepen. I'd say double or triple that, so don't be too quick on the draw with conclusions when they arrive. Love mine, and hope the massdrop are as good; I like your chances.

 

[archie2]

Passed.

 

[oldflame]

I often wait until gear is "obsolete" and buy at much lower prices, so I'm new to planars and the HiFiman HE400i. Not broken in yet, I find mine has good bass but almost lacks in the treble region. I'll keep em cookin' and hope for a little more sparkle. Quite a different balance than Grado SR125 or ThinkSound 2, much less efficient too. As you can see, I tend to dwell at the lower end of audio with some gear.

I'm curious to know what the buzz is, today, besides being 4/20!

 

[Inscrutable]

Surprised the issue is lack of treble. Woulda thought it would be mid bass or lower seem recessed. Driving with a decent amp? Not sure how picky they may be.

 

[olderroust]

For folks in the US, you can find the 400i at around 220 or lower these days and get them delivered pretty skippy.

Amazon has them at that price, and so does Walmart according to the ad my browser just showed me.

The massdrop was 199 and a long lead time on shipping, IIRC?

I have Senn 598s and am currently listening to the 400is. I need to do more back and forth testing, Once I had the 400i broken in, it felt like both sets were compromises. The main thing I need to do is get some time in the living room with both and compare them to the good speakers before I try to seriously say what either pair is doing better or worse. The 400is seem to have a broader soundstage than the 598s do, though, and are able to play well with a wider range of amps.

On the other hand, both are pretty impressive for the price paid - I got the 598s for 100 and the 400is for less than 200.

 

[oldflame]

Surprised the issue is lack of treble. Woulda thought it would be mid bass or lower seem recessed. Driving with a decent amp? Not sure how picky they may be.

That's exactly what I was expecting, so I was surprised the frequency tilt was the opposite. The phones are mostly used with a Rogue RP-1 preamp with a claimed one watt output, dedicated headphone section. One Stereophile review indicated that feature of the RP-1 was only average, but my Grado and ThinkSound's have clean, present, bass, with more treble range emphasis. It could be the HiFi Man needs sufficient break in, and they've only about 10 hours of use so far.