You nailed it for me. I have been lurking for nearly a year and pulled the trigger on my first headphones. It was a scramble (with them all on sale) to decide between the HD650, HD600, and the HE-400i, but I don't think I could go wrong with any of those. I'm sure I will be happy. Next up are the Ibasso DX80 (please go on sale) and an yet undetermined amp (looking at Polaris and Schiit options mostly).
To all that have posted listening impressions and amp thoughts in this thread, my wallet hates you, but I thank you!
Holy moly! You bought the 400i's as your FIRST headphone? After lurking for a year?
BTW, sorry about your wallet. Now you have to check out the Mr. Speakers Ether. And Hifiman has a new HE-1000...
I'm kidding in a way. I think the 400i's with a decent amp is end-game for a majority of people. Same for the HD-650, and many many others. This is a true Golden Age of headphones!
Cannot agree more on this ! Hopefully Hifiman will benefit from this recent deal in a long run ! I´m glad they are currently successful with HE-400i and also HE-400s, HE-560, HE-1000, because they have been paying attention very closely- they wanted to deliver high quality planar headphones along with ergonomics, efficiency and also esthetics -and they really did. With their reasonable pricing (maybe with the exception of HE-1000) they practically brought planar technology to the masses. Now already legendary HE-400 was a pioneer in this process... Call me a fanboy but in my opinion a well deserved success ! Best wishes for future, Hifiman !
Well, while trying to be in line with the threads and head-fi policy, its not exactly easy for me to become headphoneus supremus But maybe a little conversation with you will also help me to get there someday
^Is RazorDog legit? Is it safe to buy there? Been refreshing hifiman's website since 12NN (+8 GMT) for the deal but the prices are still not discounted to reflect the holiday sale.
I got my HiFiMan 400i h/p from RazorDog in the spring. Fast and efficient. Had a little bit of interaction with the owner, which was all positive. I'd have no hesitations about doing business with Razor Dog again. HTH.
The 400i is not as warm, better detail, and better separation then both versions I own. It needs less of a synergetic amp to get the magic that a Sextett can produce when properly paired with the right equipment. If you have never owned a planar they are weighty and airy at the same time. The Sextett does that as well, but not with the finesse of the HE400i.
I'm so new to this headphone hobby but I have always immensely enjoyed listening to music on what I thought were good headphones. I had an awesome sounding headphone which weren't very expensive, maybe 50 bucks, that I bought about thirty years ago.
They eventually gave out, or at least I thought they did. The ear pads fell apart and I wasn't smart enough to know that I could have probably replaced them. They were Sony over the ear. I don't remember the model but I thought they were awesome and thoroughly enjoyed them . When they "died", I didn't bother replacing them and relied on the in-ear phones I got every couple years with a new cel phone.
I remember I'd listen to those Sony for hours amazed at how much fun it was listening to music self-absorbed in my own little private music world.
I wasn't an audiophile then and I am not now but I must say that this website has inspired me to invest in a few pair of headphones which were recommended here at headfi. I can't believe how much more I enjoy music because of these purchases.
The 400i is one of those headphones I bought and I am so addicted to the sound of the music that they spit out. Unbelivable. Seriously. I don't know how these are being sold for $299 but what a fantastic headphone bargain imo.
Again, I'm no expert and I don't know all the hifi language to describe sound, but what I do know is how much these headphones make me want to listen to music more now than anything in the past twenty years or so.
I'm so new to this headphone hobby but I have always immensely enjoyed listening to music on what I thought were good headphones. I had an awesome sounding headphone which weren't very expensive, maybe 50 bucks, that I bought about thirty years ago.
They eventually gave out, or at least I thought they did. The ear pads fell apart and I wasn't smart enough to know that I could have probably replaced them. They were Sony over the ear. I don't remember the model but I thought they were awesome and thoroughly enjoyed them . When they "died", I didn't bother replacing them and relied on the in-ear phones I got every couple years with a new cel phone.
I remember I'd listen to those Sony for hours amazed at how much fun it was listening to music self-absorbed in my own little private music world.
I wasn't an audiophile then and I am not now but I must say that this website has inspired me to invest in a few pair of headphones which were recommended here at headfi. I can't believe how much more I enjoy music because of these purchases.
The 400i is one of those headphones I bought and I am so addicted to the sound of the music that they spit out. Unbelivable. Seriously. I don't know how these are being sold for $299 but what a fantastic headphone bargain imo.
Again, I'm no expert and I don't know all the hifi language to describe sound, but what I do know is how much these headphones make me want to listen to music more now than anything in the past twenty years or so.
I don't have the XBA-A3, but I have the A2. Not sure how similar they are, but I can say in comparison with the HE-400i, the A2 is a bass monster. I really like it's signature overall, nice deep and hard hitting bass, the mids are a little recessed compared to the HE-400i, and treble is decent and never hurts. HE-400i has it beat in soundstage (obviously), clarity, mids, and treble. Bass is more neutral on the Hifiman, but doesn't go as low as on the A2.
Not sure how much of this is relevant for the A3 though. Hope this helps!
I got my HiFiMan 400i h/p from RazorDog in the spring. Fast and efficient. Had a little bit of interaction with the owner, which was all positive. I'd have no hesitations about doing business with Razor Dog again. HTH.
Thanks DougD for the vote of confidence! I actually ordered from RazorDog a few minutes after posting that question (and receiving a quick reply from Brian via e-mail). The package is now in transit. Too bad I chose UPS Ground (when I should've picked USPS Priority instead); had I done that, my package would've reached its destination by today. Haha :3
It is hard to understand why HFM would dump product like this and force everybody else down-stream to not make any money. If I was a HFM re-seller I would be pissed off big time. You have to know that shaving close to half-off for a re-seller is all of their profit, or almost all of it. It also stinks for those of us who purchased recently at full pop! Oh well, what can you do.
well, not buying any more HiFiMan products?
if the sale was 400$ i wouldn't say anything, but 300$ make me feel a bit stupid for paying 500$ (slightly more actually because of shipping and taxes).
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But maybe a little conversation with you will also help me to get there someday 
