[headlong]

not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but i came here to try and find a consensus on a headphone choice. for my budget, the hifiman he400s were pretty much unanimously recommended. not sure i would have even come across them without coming here, even after pretty extensive searching. 
 
i dont think im at all qualified to write a review, far too much i cant explain, but ive heard enough high quality audio equipment in my life to know it when i hear it. i dont have anything to compare these to save for a pair of bose, but i havent done so. 
 
but i am very very happy with the purchase, and wanted to thank those that recommended them and answered questions. probably nothing i love more than great isolation, and this headphone has that. its a headphone you cant go wrong with turning up louder and louder. i havent received the mstage amp i ordered with it yet. i started by running it out of an old pioneer receiver, which seems to handle the thing just fine. currently running it through a lower end receiver which also handles it fine albeit a slightly depreciated quality, but also pretty different sound. 
 
ive probably only listened for 6 hours or so, so i cant vouch for difference with break in. my overall impression is that they do continue to grow on me, so ill chalk it up to that. i really like to push the volume as high as i can. turning these at full blast on the pioneer isnt possible. with the cheaper one my ears can handle it, but distortion creeps in. i have also found that each time it seems i can push them a hair louder without hurting my ears, and with increased clarity. 
 
i dont know how theyd compare to analytical headphones. but they strike me as accurate and reasonably analytical, listening to jethro tull ive discovered some over powering/slightly too loud vocals on older recordings, and confirmed for myself that they never really pushed the drums in the mix to my satisfaction. theres not a lot ive heard that id never heard before in recordings. theres a bit, though. and it definitely brings everything in the mix in a focused way. ive picked up on bass and piano where i hadnt necessarily before, far stronger and clearer, and more discernably. acoustic guitar is quite nice. its pretty revealing with vocals. i can definitely tell where theyre punched in, or separately tracked. double or more tracking on guitars and vocals is far more interesting to listen to, and can be easily distinguished. you get the full effect. 
 
no complaints. the only 'bad' thing i even heard about them is that they are heavy. i dont think that ever would have dawned on me. ive worn plenty of sonys that dont seem any lighter in retrospect. i find them extremely comfortable, to the point that i consider it a noticeable feature where i otherwise wouldnt have noticed. that said, the weight was one of the first things my dad remarked on, didnt consider it a problem but did describe them as a "pretty heavy headphone". i completely forget im wearing the things. i feel like it would make me a better person to just walk around wearing them all the time. 
 
so thank you again to all who informed the choice. i cant compare them to any of their competitors, but i am completely satisfied, and i cant imagine theyd be a regrettable purchase to anyone. 

 

[headlong]

also worth mentioning, toms on older recordings are far more present, powerful, and more dominant just like a good remaster. 

 

[KG Jag]

Glad your participation here helped you get some headphones that you enjoy and met your needs.

 

[jerg]

Great! Welcome to the HE400 club.

 

[TMRaven]

Jethro Tull is a nice listen, gobs of dynamics. The velour pads are a very cheap and effective upgrade if you don't already have them. It's like taking the he400 and giving it better damping.

 

[headlong]

id definitely be inclined to do that, is giving them better damping a no lose situation or cant go wrong?. cause i do like these pads. its fun to cover up the outside of the things. or even listen to whats coming out of outside. basically would better damping have any adverse effects of any kind is what im getting at. 

 

[TMRaven]

No definitely not. At first the only downside I could find in the bellies was a slightly smaller opening in their pads, but I've gotten over it. They breathe better so long term comfort is better. As for damping, think of it as cleaning up their midrange even more. There was an excess of energy centered around 1khz with the pleathers that I find to be lessened with the velours. In general I feel the midranged to be less cluttered with them.

At first I thought I'd lose bass with the velours because that's what I'd expect with a dynamic driver, but the large planar magnetic drivers of the he400 are too powerful to lose any with material change, all they care about is a good seal.