Hifiman 400i Review

I recently picked up the new Hifiman 400i planar ortho, open-backed cans. Wow am I impressed! Granted, I am upgrading from Audio Technica ATH M50s, which sound incredible for their price point. The 400i is on a whole different level, understandably so given the price difference. However, I am very impressed with these. The soundstage is very wide. I listen to primarily metal, classic rock, and progressive metal/rock, and these headphones have been performing very well. They aren't flat or boring to my ears. Very good, smooth bass response, but you'll have to burn them in a bit to get much bass out of them, excellent mids, it sounds like the singer is right in my ear, and great, clear, crisp highs. Plus, they are incredibly comfortable and light. Absolutely NO listening fatigue. The only gripe I have is that the cord is too short. So, I bought a cheap but high quality extension cable (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GZQWIWG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) that works perfectly for what I needed with no diminishing in volume or sound quality. These cans are also my first open back or ortho planars. So, take what I say with a grain of salt, but if you are in a similar position as I was and want a significant upgrade and can spend $500 on headphones, I highly recommend the Hifimans. Plus, they are a very attractive headphone.

 

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I have M50's too if I listened to headphones more I would buy these next I think. Thanks for the review, do you listen to Vinyl and hi res files normally? These are my primary sources.

 

I almost solely listen to vinyl. I use a vintage NAD 3020 as my phono stage and an SAE TWO P10 power amplifier that has a headphone jack, so it powers my 400i's very well. I just prefer headphones more. More engrossing of an experience for me, and the details are much more defined IMO, especially with metal music. These cans are sweet. Listening to Rush's Moving Pictures right now, and it sounds astounding. I am proud of own the 400i's.

 

Nice, sounds like my kind of listening. I honestly am not happy with the M50's for serious music listening. I use them primarily for pc FPS gaming but I don't really do much of that anymore. Wonder how the 400i's would sound out of my as-500 headphone jack?

 

I was initially very happy with them for awhile, but then I started to get ancy for an upgrade after reading raving reviews about open-backed and planar ortho headphones. The good news about the 400i's is that they are relatively easy to drive compared to other ortho cans. I'm sure your AS-500 amp would drive them just fine. One of the best things about these headphones in addition to the sound is the comfort and lack of listening fatigue. I used to get serious listening fatigue with my M50s because they were so tight on my head. I feel like I can wear and use the 400i's for hours on end without really tiring.

 

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Bought the HE-400's a couple years ago... I really enjoy the way Planar Magnetic's reproduce sound in headphones.
I recently picked up the Audeze LCD-2 (another Planar Magnetic) and they are magnificent. Hope you continue to enjoy your Hifiman's!!!

 

Thanks, cjc. The LCD-2 are in a league above the 400i's and the 400's. Glad to hear they're as good as they're hyped up to be. I am absolutely loving my 400i's. It's almost like listening to albums for the first time again, because I am able to pick up that much more detail and subtle nuances in the music.

 

It is a lot of fun when new gear gets you to rediscover and re-explore your music collection.

One thing that planar magnetic headphones can do is present the layers of sound that are in a recording. The layers get presented as being separate in depth and separate from the other sounds. That type of separation allows you to hear and evaluate the mix. That sort of separation leads to rediscovering details and quality in some of your favorite recordings. It gets much easier to hear the parts and different instruments. And then you discover that you can hear the sound of the recording room because that room sound is separate and can be heard.

I don't know if you're into shoegaze. "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine is a really neat album to listen to on headphones and gear that is able to layer. The album is actually mixed really really well. Very well. Every sound in the mix is its own layer and has its own space. A headphone like the ATH-M50 presents the album as just a wall of mushy sound. But a headphone like the HE-560 or LCD-2, and I assume the HE-400i, can present the sounds in the album as separate layers. Listening to the album as a wall of sound with one headphone and then as a separation of layer with a different headphone gives you a whole new experience with the album. So fun. I actually use "Loveless" as a demo album when evaluating headphones and gear. As a way to find out if the headphones or gear are able to layer dense sound well. Some do. Some don't. "Loveless" is able to let me know if the headphones or gear are in the category of those that do or the category of those that don't. Plus it's neat music that I enjoy. And it's a fun album to get audio geeky with in discovering mixing quality. The album is amazingly well mixed when listening on good gear that is able to separate the sounds into layers.

 

I have "Loveless" on compact disc...have to find it and experience what you mentioned.

 

Glad you like them. You didn't mention how recently you bought them before posting the review or how many hours you've spent with them. Just curious to know since most initial impressions of a new purchase are biased by either as you say being a proud owner, or from buyers remorse.

 

Very well-put. I am discovering new layers, and it is quite incredible. Listening to Rush's Moving Pictures right now and the sound is exquisite.

Sorry, that's a good point. I bought them a week and a half ago. I probably have between 50-75 hours on them total, so they are technically still in the burn-in phase according to the manual which says around 120-150 hours straight for proper burn-in. I have already noticed a boost in quality since when I first plugged them in, particularly in bass. I am still a proud owner and do not regret my purchase at all, but I also haven't heard other headphones in this similar price range to compare to. So, take my views with a grain of salt. I just wanted to share my experience and express my happiness with the Hifiman 400i cans.