[Rub-A-Dub]

What are some mods I need to do to get the best out of these? Really just looking for better resolution and more forward sound

Finally got round to making my new grills. It took three attempts after a couple of disasters with superglue and the organza fabric, but the final pair I made are perfect! The A4 sized sheet of gold mesh and the 30x100cm piece of black organza cost $5 together from the same craft shop, enough to make a total of 6 grills with fabric to spare. They fit much better than the stock grills and look fantastic. There is a noticeable airiness around the highs now, although the sound may be a little thinner overall than with the stock grills. Considering the price, appearance and improved soundstage, this mod is a keeper!
 

 

[Philimon]

The gold mesh looks great. Reminds me of these:
 

 

[campj]

 

  they feel the same on the head and the bass is almost identical, really the 560 is brighter , and gets a super-flat response with the focus-A pads. They're so similar I think its kind of crazy that there's such a price difference, it seems unjustified IMO

Definitely feel the same but I think the extra layer of detail and more immersive soundstage sets the 560 apart, it was very noticeable right on first listen. That said, I don't think a new 560 is worth $400 more than the 400i. The 400i still does some things better than the 560 too.

Yo, Ranchbro... how are the 400i with metal? I know you're the guy to ask. Are the mids recessed like a person above you said?

 

[520RanchBro]

  Yo, Ranchbro... how are the 400i with metal? I know you're the guy to ask. Are the mids recessed like a person above you said?

I did not find the mids recessed at all in my experience, they are up front and aggressive. Love the 400i for metal, works with pretty much any genre, makes it all sound powerful. I do prefer the 560 for black metal though as the more present treble and wider soundstage work better for that genre IMO.
 
Really can't go wrong with the 400i for any kind of metal though. Unless you want something more warm and bassy like the LCD-2, I prefer the aggression of the 400i.

 

[MachineGunz]

  Yo, Ranchbro... how are the 400i with metal? I know you're the guy to ask. Are the mids recessed like a person above you said?

The mids are not recessed, The are up-front.
 
Maybe you can send me a PM with a list of important songs you want me to hear, I will give you my opinion.
 
I don't listen to a lot of metal,
 
Sometimes I enjoy a few songs from Breaking Benjamin, All that remains, System of a down and a few more.....   Do they even count in your opinion haha.

 

[mikey1964]

  Agree about the HEX, really didn't impress me much and when I think about it, a little like the 400i but much better instrument separation and details and a better low end, but the rest of your audio chain needs be able to make use of it, similar to the HE-560 vs HE-400i, the HE-560 will scale a bit more than the HE-400i from my experiences so far. 
 
The HE-400i will sound pretty much the same on my Lyr2 and on a Liquid Gold while the HE-560 will gets a fairly noticeable change in sound, bass goes lower, a little more present, highs are smoother and much more detailed than from the Lyr2, and sound stage is also improved.

The part about scaling is true, though my experience was with the HE400i vs HE500 on a Geek Pulse Standard/Schiit Lyr + iFi iDSD Nano. The HE400i sounded better to me vis-a-vis the HE500 on the mentioned gear. In fact, I was planning to sell off the HE500 because I saw no reason to keep the HE500. Then, I'd acquired a Gustard X12 + H10 stack my opinion of them reversed polarity (so to say). Suddenly, the HE500 sounded more transparent, had a wider soundstage and mids seemed spot on for me. The HE400i sounded more or less the same whether I'd used the Geek Pulse Standard or Gustard stack. Funny thing was, I'd believe then that scaling with source gear was pretty much imagined. Guess it takes personal experience to change my mind....
 
I'd since sold off my HE400i first, then I'd quite recently traded my HE500 for a HE560/w SMC sockets (with some cash top up on my side) and the HE560 sounds great on both my Oppo HA-1 and Gustard stack. In fact, it holds up pretty well even against the HEK.....

 

[Rub-A-Dub]

  The gold mesh looks great. Reminds me of these:

I hadn't noticed how similar they look to the Stax, pretty cool! I listened to the SR-007 just last week and prefer the fit of the 400i. I wasn't all that impressed by the SR-700, the SR-009 was a better listen and also more comfortable

 

[coletrain104]

The impression that mids are recessed are, IMO, a result of the soundstage. Since these don't stage very wide but do depth well, the center image, which typically has the vocalist, can sound further away than usual, so even though the frequency isn't recessed, it can sound that way, potentially.

 

[Gavin C4]

Yup, the 400i dont have recessed mids. They are very good. Especially considering the price, pair it with an O2 amp/dac combo would be unbeatable at this price range. If you like more bass and planning to upgrade in the future, you may want to consider the HE560 that scale a bit with your gear.

 

[Sonic Defender]

If you like more bass and planning to upgrade in the future, you may want to consider the HE560 that scale a bit with your gear.

Are you sure that the 560 provides more bass? I owned a 560 for a year driven via speaker tap cables to a 180W dual mono amp so it was well driven (which was my point in describing the amping situation), and I also drove my 400i from that same speaker tap and amp. I thought the 400i had more bass, well, more mid-low bass. The 560 from memory had cleaner, and deeper bass extension into the sub bass beyond the 400i extension; but given that most music has a greater emphasis in the mid/low bass range, I always thought the 400i sounded like the more bass centric of the two. I'm not saying that as fact, simply that is what I remember, but I did not have the two of them at the same time, nor do I have either now so I'm going by memory, and less recent where the 560 is concerned.

 

[Gavin C4]

  Are you sure that the 560 provides more bass? I owned a 560 for a year driven via speaker tap cables to a 180W dual mono amp so it was well driven (which was my point in describing the amping situation), and I also drove my 400i from that same speaker tap and amp. I thought the 400i had more bass, well, more mid-low bass. The 560 from memory had cleaner, and deeper bass extension into the sub bass beyond the 400i extension; but given that most music has a greater emphasis in the mid/low bass range, I always thought the 400i sounded like the more bass centric of the two. I'm not saying that as fact, simply that is what I remember, but I did not have the two of them at the same time, nor do I have either now so I'm going by memory, and less recent where the 560 is concerned.

.Yea, it is me not describing it well. I totally agree the HE560 have a deeper bass extension into the sub bass. I can actually feel more impact on the HE560 than the 400i. Maybe thats the reason.
 
I listened to the HE560, HE400i and HE400s through the HM901s. Bass on the 560 and 400 is way ahead of the 400s. 

 

[fjrabon]

  Are you sure that the 560 provides more bass? I owned a 560 for a year driven via speaker tap cables to a 180W dual mono amp so it was well driven (which was my point in describing the amping situation), and I also drove my 400i from that same speaker tap and amp. I thought the 400i had more bass, well, more mid-low bass. The 560 from memory had cleaner, and deeper bass extension into the sub bass beyond the 400i extension; but given that most music has a greater emphasis in the mid/low bass range, I always thought the 400i sounded like the more bass centric of the two. I'm not saying that as fact, simply that is what I remember, but I did not have the two of them at the same time, nor do I have either now so I'm going by memory, and less recent where the 560 is concerned.

this is how I felt about the two as well when I had them both.  Driven by m9XX and Lyr2.  HE400i was definitely the warmer of the two.  

 

[thatonenoob]

 
this is how I felt about the two as well when I had them both.  Driven by m9XX and Lyr2.  HE400i was definitely the warmer of the two.  

I rather enjoyed the 560 and 400i.  400i seemed to be the less technical of the two (excuse this lazy term), but it has an immediacy that made it rather fun.  

 

[fjrabon]

  I rather enjoyed the 560 and 400i.  400i seemed to be the less technical of the two (excuse this lazy term), but it has an immediacy that made it rather fun.  

yeah, I liked them both.  I really kind of wish there was a headphone that split the difference between the two.  

 

[thatonenoob]

 
yeah, I liked them both.  I really kind of wish there was a headphone that split the difference between the two.  

That would definitely hit the spot haha.   Perhaps they'll try a 480J ?