First Look at the new HE400i 2020 Edition 

You sound like me 🙂. Smart move; if not you'll keep buying them.

Just buy a really good pair of cans. Don't keep shopping.

Agreed. I don't understand when he did a comparison to He 4xx when they share the same 400i driver...

@@ThujanK Not true. 400i has many silent revisions. The first one uses coaxial connectors. That was the best ones. The second version that uses the 2.5mm is the bad ones, with lots of QC issues and poor bass response because the driver is different than the first version ones. HE4xx is using the first version drivers all along.

happens lol

Haha! I had the original 400i and really liked it. Heard the Ananda and that was that. I LOVE my Ananda, sure you will too. Wish you many hours of delightful listening :)

@3165dwayne No, nowhere near! But there's an argument to be made for buying one very good (subjective opinion!) set of cans and kind of being done, as opposed to buying multiple cheaper sets as you work your way up the ladder. A bit less exciting perhaps, but you save money in the long run and cut to the chase!

@@al201103 agreed I did the same. Went to a store to get some grados. They made me try focal. Ended up buying the focal elear... Then sold them and bought the focal clear. I think thats should be it for me

@@TiagrajI Oh wow, stunning choice. Yeah, you're probably good! I spent big on my IEMs after demoing A LOT of different ones. Got the InEar Prophile 8S - absolutely love them and KNOW that they're the right choice for me, above top offerings from the major players. I wish you many many hours of blissful listening!

How are they? Also hows the comfort? Thanks

I love mine, I've had them for about 6 months at this point. Very comfortable for me, they are pretty light for a planar and the suspension strap isn't bad at all. Great fairly neutral headphone, detail retrieval is extraordinary at the price.

BR4WL3R X GAMING I got everything set up yesterday with a Monolith dac+amp and balanced cable. They look, feel, and sound fantastic. Obviously there’s no sub-bass, but there is enough energy and impact for the dynamic range to be 100% there. It definitely responds well to EQ. And the detail is incredible: I can hear every individual part of the drum kit even when there’s 6 other layers going on at the same time. I highly recommend them (...provided nothing happens to the Sundaras due to their QC horror stories). Bonus points for the suspension strap tho. It’s _so_ comfortable and doesn’t mess up my hair at all. Big. Win.

Oh yea that's a good point to mention. I haven't had any issues QC wise with them and that includes accidentally knocking them off my desk about 35 times. They've held up well. Overall, much more comfortable than then M1060(C) series that I've seen them compared to quite a bit. Carazy's right though, not much sub-bass but the midbass has enough slam to satisfy my needs. Cheers! I hope this helps!

Thanks so much Silas Owen and Carazy 123! Based off what I have hear from both of you, I think I'm going to like the Sundaras very much cos I'm looking to get a pair of open back cans that have exceptional detail and inaging and also a neutral and lifelike sound. Comfort's also very important especially the ear cup size. Btw how r the power requirements like? Because I have a Fiio BTR5 bluetooth DAC/AMP that can run balanced with quite a lot of power; hopefully I won't have to get another amp for the Sundara

I got mine since last friday. I have Beyerdynamic custom one pro with dt770 earpads, Philips shp9500, Sennheiser hd 555, Audio Technica mx50, and I tried a lot more. (Mostly "gaming" crap) 🤣 They have smooth highs, very good and fast lows, and crystal clear mids. I equalize them in "rock" mode to hear the voices as clearly and closely as possible. And you? They are super comfortable but not as comfortable as the Beyer, because they weigh more, not because of the earpads. Maybe for some kind of music, and for gaming, the Philips are a little better. What do you think? But to enjoy good singers, and as build quality, incredible.

@@arguelles7 I started with oluv's gadgets EQ settings from his 4XX review, and tweaked them slightly from there. I'm still fine tuning a little depending on what I'm listening to. For me nothing beats the SHP9500 for comfort, and I'll probably continue to use them for gaming. That's not to say the 400i's are uncomfortable, but for me the stock ear pads are a little small. I'll have to try out some other pads.

@@Veritas0589 I'm a fan of Oluv the Polish, I don't know why I never saw that video. I'm going to see that video right now. I'm also testing the EQ on each song. I'm very fussy about it. For me these hifiman are super comfortable, the earpads are as they say in this video, super soft and soft, but I am even more comfortable with the velour magic pad of a Beyerdynamic, AKG or Sennheiser (in that order)

I have the 4xx and enjoy them quite alot. Sound great. The headband will make or break it for you I think, not the sound. Not every listening session I have with them does it happen but quite often after a few hours the top of my head will get sore and I'll have to take them off for awhile. Something to consider.

This new 400i is even better than HE4xx. They are using same drivers, but new 400i using the new Deva headband.

Don't buy them They'll break in 6 months

@@efx1213 Mine broke in 1 month. Returning them and getting a pair of these as a replacement this weekend :)

@@owenhu8368 I'm in the same boat! Only that it took my pair of 4XX's more like 4 months rather than 1. Left earcup completely disconnected. These will be shipped to me as a free replacement

Yup burn in is fake , its the trickery of our brains

Thats would be sick

Gran Darf Thays what I thought when I replaced my HD598 with Grado 325. Sometimes I miss the Senn. for their soundstage.

HD599 all the way.

I own a HD599. Tried the HE400i for 2 weeks. It does reveal a bit more details . But without EQ I couldn't stand the treble. It responds well to EQ. Both have similar quantities of bass but the 400 has a faster attack and better instrument separation. Vocals are more intimate and smoother in the 599.400 has a wider soundstage but I prefer the 599's 'inside the head' soundstage. At the end of the day I returned the 400i because of QC issues I had and felt like I was sacrificing a lot in terms of build quality for a tiny increase in sound quality.

@@Tripokaridos22 I had the HD598SR. The 400i for me has a considerably fuller sound signature with tighter bass and more articulate treble.

@@Sand_1995 I had the HD598SR. I recently upgraded to 400i. 400i for me has a considerably fuller sound signature with tighter bass and more articulate treble response. I also think he400i has better build quality. HD598SR was fully plastic and was cheaper feeling.

I see value in this ... A lot!

From 2020 onward their quality control has improved substantially (although to be fair I only have personal experience with the Sundara, Ananda, and Arya). Regardless of whether or not a hifiman breaks though, I'm not exaggerating when I say that they have the best customer support in the industry.

lol I just returned mine and I'm looking at these ones now

Would be easier for you to choose since you know how the xm4 sound 🤔 even if you didn't like them. Something like... with this headphone you can here these sounds, but with the xm4 you can't. Or sound signature.

Update - got the 400i - pro's no squeak on head movement, low self noise braided cable, 90degree end could be an issue for some. I drove them with a dedicated headphone amp. Verdict : Sound wise they are almost as good as the 702's, 702s are lighter and 702s have less clamping on your head. the 400is are about 100 less than the 702s and so far the build quality on the 400i is superior to the 702. Time will tell but the 400i are fine for corporate audio mixing.

I don't think your move is worth it though. The Sundra is way better than the 400i.

Exactly this

I was wondering about that. I got the 4xx this past winter and really like them. That headband looks and ear pads look very similar.

Its called Snake City - Lose my mind

Snake City - Lose my mind

So the pads outlast most Hifiman headphones /s

Is it the difference worth? 400i costs less than a half in my country. I want to know if is just a bit better or if is a lot better.

@@marcosfuentes3686 hola Marcos. Colecciono auriculares, a mi me costaron 138 euros en Aliexpress y los Sundara cuestan 306 euros. Yo los Sundara los probé hace tiempo en una tienda un rato con mi celular, y los mios los tengo con un Pc nuevo con placa Aorus Pro que lleva dac muy bueno + Fiio btr5. Los escucho al 60% de volumen (muy alto), para q te hagas una idea audio-technica 55 ohm al 28% ya me molesta, estos requieren bastante mas, en celular solo no tiran apenas... Por mucho que los suba hasta el 100% que se oyen desde otra sala, jamas distorsionan nada. Son fantásticos en eso. Las voces se aguantan, los graves no. 🤣 El sonido es increíble, son muy cómodos. No son sonido flat, es sonido divertido con muy buenos graves (no basshead) sino buenos graves ☺️ y unos medios espectaculares. Los agudos son suaves, para mi perfecto porque odio los agudos sibilantes. La imagen es perfecta, cierras los ojos y sitúas cada instrumento en su sitio y la voz en tu frente como si tuvieras otro Driver en tu frente. Para mi esta firma de sonido es perfecta, solo les cambiaria que les pondria mas soundstage, menos peso, y orejeras enteras de velour... pero claro no puede hacer cada uno los headphones a su gusto. Puede que los sundara suenen mejor? Pues para gustos. Que tendrán mejor construccion? Pues seguro. Que si vale la pena pagar el doble? Ni de broma. Pero es mi punto de vista. Lo de que un auricular sea mejor que otro es muy personal, eso tendrías que probarlos tu. Siempre se lee en los comentarios de amazon de cualquier auricular : los mejores que hay por menos de 150 euros 🤣 Eso no tiene sentido! Para una persona los mejores pueden ser sus Philips Fidelio x1 o x2, para otro sus Sennheiser hd 58x, para otro sus hifiman 4xx, para otro sus akg Q701, para otro sus Grado sr80e . Es como asegurar a alguien que nunca lo probó que el pulpo sabe mejor que la pizza. Espero haberte ayudado!

@@arguelles7 Sí, lo que pasa es que compré los Sundara la semana pasada!! Y suenan precioso, es verdad, los bajos son disfrutables, tengo un dac y un amp. Sólo que veo que los 400i están a menos de la mitad y quiero regresar los Sundara para comprarme los 400i. Muchas gracias por tu opinión, disfruté mucho leerla. Al final me iré por los 400i. :D

@@marcosfuentes3686 vuelve a ver el video, cuando los compara con los Sennheiser HD 58X 🤣 No es por meterte dudas. Pero mucha gente los prefiere. Te lo digo para que mires mas videos. Un saludo!

@@marcosfuentes3686 el peso de los sundara y los he400i es idéntico 370gr. De primeras en la mano, se ven pesados, pero en la cabeza, al tener tan bien acolchado y las almohadillas mas blandas que vi nunca, se hacen comodisimos. Yo los puse mas d 2 horas ayer y ni me entere. Eso si, da algo de calor en las orejas. Y para gaming van muy bien, sin llegar a ser increíbles, les falta soundstage. Ahora que lo pienso, aparte de los hd 58x, la opción de unos akg 712 pro... 🙌🏼

I believe the 4XX was basically the 400s - I only remember that as I paid full retail for the 400s and then Massdrop came soon after with the 4XX for much less.

Snake City - Lose my mind

@@rem792 thanks friend

Thanks @remus

58x drivers are closer to the ear drums, so not as wide. Plus all the Sennheiser 6** are sort of midrange happy.

X2/HR have almost no soundstage/imaging. I'd consider another options instead.

This is what the HE400i is good at: "Great Imaging and Wider soundstage", "vocal region should be forward" If you're a basshead or a treblehead, the HE400i isn't for you. The HE400i has smooth bass, is mid-focused, and a bit bright. But the headphone is easily moddable to suit your preferred sound. I personally don't like the earpad it came with so I swapped it out with some HM5 and that gave the bass a much needed boost. I then added a thin layer of foam to tame the highs. Finally, swapped the dust filter on the grill with something akin to a mousepad cloth since they're slightly thicker. No effect on soundstage but it tamed the mids slightly.

They are low impedance, but if they are the same sensitivity as the original 400i's then they'll definitely benefit from an amp, the sensitivity is either 93 or 94 if I remember correctly so they can use some extra power.