[joonlee]

 
Hey everyone. This is my first review here on Head-Fi. Been a long time fan of the forum but never really thought about posting a review. I consider myself someone who is starting to become an audiophile and I am currently updating my audio setup. For this review I used primarily the HiFiMan HM-601 Slim, my MacBook output and iPhone. It isn't the best set up but here we go. I should also add that HiFiMan sent out these pair of headphones to review on my YouTube channel junoyeopTV and the website BuyMeAniPhone.com. Now onto the review:
 
Packaging:Really nothing special and a step down from what HiFiMan put the HE-300's in. While the HE-300's came in a nice large wood box, the 400's came in a standard cardboard box with a velvet pouch. You're going to get the cable that comes alongside the headphones and a 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch adapter. Nothing special in the packaging department here.
 
Looks and Build: I think HiFiMan has a really unique looking set of headphones and it really is a love it or hate it look. I personally love the dark blue look on these and I think they definitely look sharper than the 300's and 500's. These headphone are incredibly durable and really stretch and fit to the size of your head to give you good comfort.
 
Sound: First off, these sound flat out amazing. The highs and trebles are really crystal clear but have a dark sort of tone. They definitely sound very "American" and really amazing for music genres such as classical, jazz, indie, pop and rock. The bass on these are very crisp and clear, but they definitely do not overpower the rest of the music like those crappy headphones with the big B's on the side. The bass has great frequency response as well. Places where these really stood out are the sound of cymbal crashes, the lovely voice of Zooey Deschanel in the music of She & Him and jazz music. Really just a pleasure to listen to. Burn in time was about 50 or so hours.
 
Overall: These are just a flat out pair of awesome headphones that provide awesome sound and really just make music a lot of fun to listen to.
 
Let me know how my first review was. I am much better at video reviews but I would love to start doing more of these. Let me know!

 

[TMRaven]

I saw this review earlier today.  Good stuff.

 

[joonlee]

Thanks a lot!

 

[jerg]

Nice video review! One thing to note that you may have (intentionally) left out is about the planar magnetic driver tech used which is primarily what makes them so different from HE-300's.

 

[WasabiTree]

Very nice review.

 

[MattTCG]

There are more and more he400 reviews poping up here. Keep 'em coming and nice job!!

 

[thanksalot]

I listened to these with just the Iphone4 and these definitely can not be used without an amplifier. Used without an Amp, the sound is muffled especially the bass. Anyone considering one of these better budget for an Amp. Very well rounded headphones. Not sure why OP said it was decent without amp but IMO an Amp is a must.
 

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I listened to these with just the Iphone4 and these definitely can not be used without an amplifier. Used without an Amp, the sound is muffled especially the bass. Anyone considering one of these better budget for an Amp. Very well rounded headphones. Not sure why OP said it was decent without amp but IMO an Amp is a must.
 

"Without an amp" is too broad a term IMO; the HE400's sound quite good out of a DAP with decent DAC chip and integrated amp that could pump out enough volume. Iphones are not known to be such.

 

[thanksalot]

Not sure what you are saying, but all I can say is the video reviewer indicated at 1.34 that you can just plug these headphones into an Iphone/Ipod without an amp. This imo is not true. To get any decent sound and volume out of these headphones an amp is needed. Plugging these headphones into an Iphone/Ipod without any amp would make the bass sound muddled and the volume is too low imo. An Amp is a definite.
 

 

[wje]

Quote:

Not sure what you are saying, but all I can say is the video reviewer indicated at 1.34 that you can just plug these headphones into an Iphone/Ipod without an amp. This imo is not true. To get any decent sound and volume out of these headphones an amp is needed. Plugging these headphones into an Iphone/Ipod without any amp would make the bass sound muddled and the volume is too low imo. An Amp is a definite.
 

 
I'm with you on that point.  An amp isn't always necessary for more volume.  I think that's where people often get hung up on amps.  Their mind immediately goes to "more power" ... grunt, grunt, grunt.  However, the "current" that gets pushed via the amp is also essential.
 
Sort of like the fact that I should be eating 2,000 calories per day.  My doctors would rather than I have green salads, low fat dressing, skinless chicken, etc.  However, I'd still prefer 2,000 calories of ribs, burgers, BBQ, etc.  Yum.  Wait -- that was a dumb analogy, but maybe it can be understood.

 

[Caipirina]

Coming here from the year 2020, rediscovering my HE-400 ... and wondering where your review video went