they look as silly/good as the stock R9 on the head but wave you dont miss a trick your reviews ARE a step above and you deserve a lot of kudos for all the thoughfulness you put into the reviews you do
I modified my he400se with my own invention (which may become a business) and with a silver coated cable, but kept original pads and in my opinion they are the best in sound for $150 by a country mile. They do lack a wide soundstage, but it does have a stage and out of all my headphones they just sound really good as there are no radical walls or drop offs. The sound is smooth. With the silver coated balanced cable the sounds are very realistic. Go balanced output with these.....get a K7 amp and balanced cable and you will be happy as these magnetic drivers flex with the dynamic sound of the AKM velvet chips and architecture in amps and DACs. I also will point out that I left the original grilles in because when I sampled without them I found that the sound changed unfavorably as the whole overall sound changed. I also found that different pads were not to my liking as they also changed the character of the headphone.
27:30 and there is headphones that for example for some people that have more clarity but the imaging the intruments separation is not as good for them or they dont like it as much and it can also be the opposite they like more the imaging but not as much the clarity. Or it can be both pretty even or balance in clarity and imaging but that can also depend of each one perception and also preference.
I just did the tape mod to my US$90 HE400SE V2 (stealth) and like the results! The tape was sourced from AliEx for US$6.50 : PTFE 300 degree hi temp tape (10M, 0.13mm, 50mm) cut to a dimension of 18.2mm x 45mm, for each side. The PADS have to be removed in order to do this mod. The tape is placed over the outside of each planar magnet with that cut width (of 18.2mm) covering space two and space three from the rear...on each side. To increase brightness...reducing the tape length from 45mm down to 35mm is optional. I also modded the headband with an after-market unit (HiFiMan Ananda-styled) for $30. I used the OEM screws that came with the HE400SE for this simple mod. Much better look and fitment, imho. I also replaced the GRILLS, cut to dimensions with sheet metal clippers: GLOSS BLACK (6x6mm hexagon) 100 x33cm Aluminium Racing Auto-Auto Grill Mesh, sourced from AliEx for US$15. I did use hot glue to position the wires out of the way and at the edges of the cup frame in order to keep the visual through the grill nice and clean. I suppose I could add some nylon mesh...maybe painted with L and R symbols, at a later date. Else use red nylon mesh and blue nylon mesh for the R and L, resp. Switched to the OPENHEART 8 Core Headphone Cable, 1 to 2 jack dual 3.5/4.4mm Balanced Cable Silver Plated Copper Upgrade Replacement, 1.4M length, from AliEx for US$13.50. Lastly, switched up to the ONIX Alpha XL1 DONGLE DAC/AMP, for US$100 on AliEx. EXCEPTIONAL performer!!!! The results...excellent. Very happy with this "CheapAudioMan" solution.
Definitely agree with you when it comes to the painted XLR termination on the cable. There's no way that won't end up leaving paint inside the amp connector.
27:30 and timber wise you know is more of a thing of resolution or how it represents the music in that perhaps they would it have better resolution but that can be very subjective. And it can be hard to measure but i think overall you can have a pretty good headphone tonality wise but when you go to higher price points is where probably the resolution and the sound stage is what changes more and also depends for what they are made for if is for monitoring or just audiophile stuff like a sofa signature. Also i think there comes to a point where in expensive headphones is very hard to notice an improvement in resolution either way can be very subjetive as well like a thousand or more than a thousand dollar headphones.
I use Solderdudes cables (with filter built in) to compensate for the sibylance of my 4xx, and it worked beautifully. He makes them for any headphone and they are truly affordable.
26:44 there is a page that i like to check the tonal response of the headphones called squiglink and certainly i think even the stock version i think i like more how it looks on the he 400se the dt880 just has more treble and is over the neutrality at least on what is shown in there the fall on the treble i think i like more on 400se, and 6xx is complete the opposite at least what i can see it lacks of treble and the bass extension is a little bit over the neutrality in that regard the 400se is just more honest. Under 200 dollars the more similar headphones to the 400se that i have seen reviews and measurements are the hd 560s and hifiman deva pro, but you know each one have their different point of view.
@@wavetheorysound One should say, "for me and a significant vocal minority, it gets uncomfortable, YMMV." People doing research on this headband type start getting the idea it's bad for everyone because of this. But it's not. I personally LOVE this headband style and am thinking of modding my Aryas with the XS headband.
I personally have Corpse Cables on most of my headphone collection since microphonics bothers me on most headphone stock cables. Might be worth a look.
My Corpse Grave Digger indeed works well. I personally prefer what my Plussound X8 square weave does for the treble and soundstsge on Hekse. Mine is SE but they offer it with either XLR or 4.4mm balanced.
While the HE400se is a great place to start, there's no need of throwing money at a mod when the likes of the HD6xx exist. Plus, IMHO, the paint job looks like it was done by a designer of Playskool toys. If you're from the US, add another 18-30 pounds (money) for shipping, making this less of a value. Today you can buy a brand new AKG K712 Pro for around $275, and Sundara for $300. I would pass on the mod and just buy a Sundara for nearly the same money. The cable is an enthusiastic pass. A $100 modded headphone with a $200 cable. PT Barnum comes to mind....
Hmmm, seems more subjective. A 6XX fits a special use case -- natural organic mids. I can definitely see people who'd want a headphone with better bass, better speed, better detail; basically all the planar benefits. And sure I can see people who would prefer the other way. Your argument about the Sundara (or HE560v4) hit closer to home, especially since they are about $70 cheaper than $300 as "open box". But who are we to say what's better if there's no comparison. The question on what's best in this price range has a HUGE GAPING HOLE OF A QUESTION MARK because no comparison to Sundara was made. And I'd argue HE560v4 is better than Sundara so that is another question too.
Considering that Hifiman has "Open Box" deals on Sundara for $239 and HE560v4 for $229, anyone really wanting to know who is the champ of sub $250 headphones would seriously want to know how it compares to those. Because the Sundara is celebrated as the king in this tier, and many people in-the-know consider the HE560v4 as a step above the Sundara. So I think it was a tiny bit of a miss to not mention those. I'm seriously curious how it compares to those. Until we get a comparison to those I'm going to strongly caution people that HE560v4 and Sundara are winners in that tier among majority of seasoned audiophiles who have heard it all, with a strong minority supporting the Sennheiser 6-- series.
@@kyron42 It's not always about how cables perform in altering the amplitude of a sweeping solitary sine wave. You have a hell of a lot to learn. Another option is to back off and be agnostic, and be skeptical to all your own assumptions and those of others, and give it an empirical try, while exploring methods people have published for how to train your ears to higher audiophile levels.
@@QOTSAPT any cable that sounds different will measure different. Cables have such low impedance they shouldn't make any difference. If you think they do show me the randomised controlled trial.
Noob misinformation. No headphones have flat frequency responses, nor should they. Microphones used in recordings aren't flat. Recording production isn't flat. Signal chain isn't flat. The ear itself isn't flat. People who hear with theories and numbers, over their own God-given subjective enjoyment of sonic pleasure, are disgusting aberrations of nature. This hobby is for musical pleasure. Jack off to measurement porn somewhere else, the rest of us don't get aroused by it. Cheers.
they look as silly/good as the stock R9 on the head but wave you dont miss a trick your reviews ARE a step above and you deserve a lot of kudos for all the thoughfulness you put into the reviews you do
Thanks! And yeah...very few headphones look good once on the head.
I modified my he400se with my own invention (which may become a business) and with a silver coated cable, but kept original pads and in my opinion they are the best in sound for $150 by a country mile. They do lack a wide soundstage, but it does have a stage and out of all my headphones they just sound really good as there are no radical walls or drop offs. The sound is smooth. With the silver coated balanced cable the sounds are very realistic. Go balanced output with these.....get a K7 amp and balanced cable and you will be happy as these magnetic drivers flex with the dynamic sound of the AKM velvet chips and architecture in amps and DACs. I also will point out that I left the original grilles in because when I sampled without them I found that the sound changed unfavorably as the whole overall sound changed. I also found that different pads were not to my liking as they also changed the character of the headphone.
27:30 and there is headphones that for example for some people that have more clarity but the imaging the intruments separation is not as good for them or they dont like it as much and it can also be the opposite they like more the imaging but not as much the clarity. Or it can be both pretty even or balance in clarity and imaging but that can also depend of each one perception and also preference.
I just did the tape mod to my US$90 HE400SE V2 (stealth) and like the results! The tape was sourced from AliEx for US$6.50 : PTFE 300 degree hi temp tape (10M, 0.13mm, 50mm) cut to a dimension of 18.2mm x 45mm, for each side. The PADS have to be removed in order to do this mod. The tape is placed over the outside of each planar magnet with that cut width (of 18.2mm) covering space two and space three from the rear...on each side. To increase brightness...reducing the tape length from 45mm down to 35mm is optional.
I also modded the headband with an after-market unit (HiFiMan Ananda-styled) for $30. I used the OEM screws that came with the HE400SE for this simple mod. Much better look and fitment, imho.
I also replaced the GRILLS, cut to dimensions with sheet metal clippers:
GLOSS BLACK (6x6mm hexagon) 100 x33cm Aluminium Racing Auto-Auto Grill Mesh, sourced from AliEx for US$15. I did use hot glue to position the wires out of the way and at the edges of the cup frame in order to keep the visual through the grill nice and clean. I suppose I could add some nylon mesh...maybe painted with L and R symbols, at a later date. Else use red nylon mesh and blue nylon mesh for the R and L, resp.
Switched to the OPENHEART 8 Core Headphone Cable, 1 to 2 jack dual 3.5/4.4mm Balanced Cable Silver Plated Copper Upgrade Replacement, 1.4M length, from AliEx for US$13.50.
Lastly, switched up to the ONIX Alpha XL1 DONGLE DAC/AMP, for US$100 on AliEx. EXCEPTIONAL performer!!!!
The results...excellent. Very happy with this "CheapAudioMan" solution.
Definitely agree with you when it comes to the painted XLR termination on the cable. There's no way that won't end up leaving paint inside the amp connector.
Yep.. We have had different XLRs made for the final retail version with no paint ;)
27:30 and timber wise you know is more of a thing of resolution or how it represents the music in that perhaps they would it have better resolution but that can be very subjective. And it can be hard to measure but i think overall you can have a pretty good headphone tonality wise but when you go to higher price points is where probably the resolution and the sound stage is what changes more and also depends for what they are made for if is for monitoring or just audiophile stuff like a sofa signature. Also i think there comes to a point where in expensive headphones is very hard to notice an improvement in resolution either way can be very subjetive as well like a thousand or more than a thousand dollar headphones.
I use Solderdudes cables (with filter built in) to compensate for the sibylance of my 4xx, and it worked beautifully. He makes them for any headphone and they are truly affordable.
The Solderdude makes some great stuff and has great DIY info
That midrange peak should be easy to fix with some fine tune EQ, and I wish they had put on Sundara headband on these.
26:44 there is a page that i like to check the tonal response of the headphones called squiglink and certainly i think even the stock version i think i like more how it looks on the he 400se the dt880 just has more treble and is over the neutrality at least on what is shown in there the fall on the treble i think i like more on 400se, and 6xx is complete the opposite at least what i can see it lacks of treble and the bass extension is a little bit over the neutrality in that regard the 400se is just more honest. Under 200 dollars the more similar headphones to the 400se that i have seen reviews and measurements are the hd 560s and hifiman deva pro, but you know each one have their different point of view.
I own custom cans uber DT880 600Ω, it is really good for the price or even the best if you have good tube amp
The HE6se V2 has the same type headband that I don't love. 2 Dekoni nuggets can solve the problem when placed properly
That's a good comparison. It gets uncomfortable in the same way and at a out the same rate as the HE6sev2. Thanks for the comment.
@@wavetheorysound One should say, "for me and a significant vocal minority, it gets uncomfortable, YMMV." People doing research on this headband type start getting the idea it's bad for everyone because of this. But it's not. I personally LOVE this headband style and am thinking of modding my Aryas with the XS headband.
Hi, is the GR∀EDIGGER Cable flexible? I checked their website and it seems not so flexible...
bit of foam or felt should take care of the 1k spike
Hi, has anyone a recommendation for a balanced cable for my he1000v2 ? I struggle to find a good one :/
I personally have Corpse Cables on most of my headphone collection since microphonics bothers me on most headphone stock cables. Might be worth a look.
My Corpse Grave Digger indeed works well. I personally prefer what my Plussound X8 square weave does for the treble and soundstsge on Hekse. Mine is SE but they offer it with either XLR or 4.4mm balanced.
@@matthewhilty4209 I will take a look, thank you.
@@wavetheorysound What type of wire you recommend ?
@@hther163 IMO an OFC cable matches hekse very well. Sus isn't quite as bright but can still benefit.
While the HE400se is a great place to start, there's no need of throwing money at a mod when the likes of the HD6xx exist. Plus, IMHO, the paint job looks like it was done by a designer of Playskool toys. If you're from the US, add another 18-30 pounds (money) for shipping, making this less of a value. Today you can buy a brand new AKG K712 Pro for around $275, and Sundara for $300. I would pass on the mod and just buy a Sundara for nearly the same money. The cable is an enthusiastic pass. A $100 modded headphone with a $200 cable. PT Barnum comes to mind....
Hmmm, seems more subjective. A 6XX fits a special use case -- natural organic mids. I can definitely see people who'd want a headphone with better bass, better speed, better detail; basically all the planar benefits. And sure I can see people who would prefer the other way.
Your argument about the Sundara (or HE560v4) hit closer to home, especially since they are about $70 cheaper than $300 as "open box". But who are we to say what's better if there's no comparison. The question on what's best in this price range has a HUGE GAPING HOLE OF A QUESTION MARK because no comparison to Sundara was made. And I'd argue HE560v4 is better than Sundara so that is another question too.
is this stealth or non-stealth
Custom Cans use HE400se as the starting headphone that they then mod. They are the stealth magnet variant.
Considering that Hifiman has "Open Box" deals on Sundara for $239 and HE560v4 for $229, anyone really wanting to know who is the champ of sub $250 headphones would seriously want to know how it compares to those. Because the Sundara is celebrated as the king in this tier, and many people in-the-know consider the HE560v4 as a step above the Sundara.
So I think it was a tiny bit of a miss to not mention those. I'm seriously curious how it compares to those.
Until we get a comparison to those I'm going to strongly caution people that HE560v4 and Sundara are winners in that tier among majority of seasoned audiophiles who have heard it all, with a strong minority supporting the Sennheiser 6-- series.
The stock cable increases a treble peak lmao. What have you been smoking?
Sodium pentothol 😜
@@wavetheorysound I thought that works better when injected.
No he really is right on that one, I got a replacement all copper wired cable, and it really did make a difference.
@@PaulBloomlittledevil show me the frequency response graphs.
@@kyron42 It's not always about how cables perform in altering the amplitude of a sweeping solitary sine wave. You have a hell of a lot to learn. Another option is to back off and be agnostic, and be skeptical to all your own assumptions and those of others, and give it an empirical try, while exploring methods people have published for how to train your ears to higher audiophile levels.
I prefer to use snake oil cables lol
Have you tried First run copper cables?
@@QOTSAPT any cable that sounds different will measure different. Cables have such low impedance they shouldn't make any difference. If you think they do show me the randomised controlled trial.
Thought this myth got busted years ago with a coat hanger...er i mean shhhhh! My cables sound better than your cables!
Just a tip, you add a lot of verbal filler, your content seems higher quality than normal but it's just too sparse.
Paying double for headphones that still don't give a flat frequency response. You'd have to be brain dead to do that.
"flat" doesn't exist and shouldn't even exist if you are thinking about compensated, you are not a measurement rig
@@lain2236ad I can get any headphone to sound flat. You should learn how to use EQ. It could save you a lot of money.
Noob misinformation. No headphones have flat frequency responses, nor should they. Microphones used in recordings aren't flat. Recording production isn't flat. Signal chain isn't flat. The ear itself isn't flat.
People who hear with theories and numbers, over their own God-given subjective enjoyment of sonic pleasure, are disgusting aberrations of nature. This hobby is for musical pleasure. Jack off to measurement porn somewhere else, the rest of us don't get aroused by it. Cheers.