He400i or Sivga phoenix?

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
1

Backstory:

Hi there, I’m currently still currently looking at headphones and I am probably going stop soon unless some new killer headphones come out.(it’s been like month or 2)

I was going to settle on the he400i as I realised I actually don’t mind not have a ton of bass (I always crank it up to 11), during this ending journey finding headphones and ending up in the audiophile area, I realised I was missing out on alot of genres (I 99% of time listen to Monstercat EDM and popular pop songs).

I started to listen to jazz and other softer stuff (still don’t like classical) and realised I really enjoyed playing it softly and sometimes even the bass bothers me as the drums almost make me feel my ears are going to get destroyed. I have been missing out on ultimate relaxation the whole time and just searching for something that makes me want to party and dance. I will still listen to bass heavy stuff tho (probably more on my 2.1 speakers for bass), I tried turning the bass down on EDM and I found I still like it, it’s like a certain level of bass fits headphones and you don’t want to try to make them feel like real subwoofer bass.

Point:

Anyway sorry for digressing, back to the title, I am at a budget where the he400i is my sweet spot and the Sivga is the max I can afford. I heard many say they enjoy how they sound but I’m not sure if they are actually that good or worth the extra money for it.

Also any benefit of going balanced on Sivga phoenix? I heard they have some microphonics if balanced??? in this review and what are those ?? I read the he400i basically does nothing on balanced so just going to use them stock if I get them (or do? tell me if you tried)

So yeah, thank you all very much.

2

I have both of these headphones and honestly if you don’t need the bass stick with the 400i. The 400i is probably more polished on all fronts and is much more comfortable than the Phoenix.

If you want cans that have good bass and have a good soundstage I’d recommend the Tygr 300r. In my opinion that headphone beats out both of the above.

1 Like
3

@solo
Oh ok, thanks for the info. I think the he400i should have enough bass for me.

I was looking at the tygr 300r too but it comes only as a set with the mic/DAC/amp in my country and it is max of my budget. So not that great as I solely listen to music and can’t afford a good DAC/amp for the tygr.

So I’ll probably get the he400i then, thanks for the advice.

4

No problem. Yeah the Phoenix honestly just isn’t worth an upgrade. It’s only an upgrade if bass is your primary concern and don’t mind sacrificing other aspects. Enjoy either way. The 400i is a great entry level planar!

1 Like