I totally feel what youāre saying with the pad rolling. Only oneās I found that I actually liked were the micro suede brainwavz xl. The rest just sounded thin.
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Amazing review, thank you.
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How is the soundstage and separation on the he400se vs sundara? The one things i found the sundara beats the hd6xx to the ground is the soundstage and separation, it is soo much better
from what Iāve heard, the soundstage and separation is better on the sundara but you get 80% of the sundara in the he400se
yep, although iād say that is one important 20%, and even though sundaras are more detailed I think the he400se is more honest with the instrument placement, sometimes sundaras go out of their way with their presentation, overly forward or overly laidback from time to time.
its the center imaging. the sundaras are just straight up not good with the transfer from left and right to center. its just wonky and feels unnatural. the 400se is definitely leaps and bounds smoother of a transition and i kinda suspect its that verticality potential to help the transfer to feel more natural.
Agreed lol, it sounds like the dolby 3d vst I used to use on my foobar, maybe trippy but unnatural.
edit: on this same topic I will also say to my perception the anandas also get wonky with their placement, maybe worse sometimes.
I donāt think I stressed it when I initially started gushing over these headphones but the main thing I was trying to get across was that they had a lot of things going for gaming. theyāre dark. theyāre fast. they have absolutely phenomenal imaging, easily some of the best Iāve ever heard in my life regardless of price range. and they can slam pretty good if called for. slap all that on planar detail and its a solid combo for gaming especially when paired with the grills (which really just helps exclusively with depth in basically fps games only) and the brainwavz micro suede gaming pads with the gel BS because they are really deep and wide and accentuate that soundstage and really drag out the width, height and depth. that combo is really something to behold in some games. I am struggling hard to think of something close to as good for gaming exclusively under $500. and on the topic of the Anandaās, thatās the reason those and the Sundara are the hifimans Iāve owned. not own. Iām super particular about imaging and soundstage realism and they just donāt tick the boxes just right. they can be a little bassy but in games like call of duty iām usually using boost high for foosteps because the crisp crack of footsteps can be heard with really good accuracy from really far away. dolby gaming performance works pretty well with them as well and helps kinda mask a little more of that bass rumble and iām sure you could feel that ~26hz bass rumble in those cans is pretty extreme.
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Yeah, even though I dont play fps games currently I really really like these he400 series for movies, but all that said I would still pick the sundaras for music, the 400se sound llike a big monitor, the sundaras are different to most products thats something I really appreciate.
Are you buying the international version? Oh yeah also, have you tried thr he400s? I got a good deal used for like $60
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Yep, I had the international one, thats a sweet deal you got I havenāt heard it but awesome deal
I just talk to someone who have both right now, he said that the sundara has wider soundstage, more open sound and more body to vocal, is it true?
Thatās my experience, too. Iām enjoying the HE-400se so much that Iām selling my Meze 99 Classics and Sennheiser HD 560s. The HE-400se have become my daily driver ā really donāt want to listen with much else.
Iām running my HE-400se with balanced cables from Audiophile Ninja (GREAT cables and service, BTW) through an iFi hip-dac. Wonderful combination.
Yes, I agree on these 3 points
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How is the he400se headband? I heard a lot of people said about the hitspot it creates. If iām going to use it for more than 2 hour session, is it going to affected me?
I just got my he400se, wow this sound soo much thin than the sundara (the vocal), more bright, kinda lack of body also the subbass impact is much punchier in sundara (more dynamic) - this is my first impression.
does using the grill mod improves the sq? nevertheless, its a unique headphone and might be good collection alongside my hd650 (warm + bright)
but yeah, the sundara is soo much beautiful and natural but soundstage wise, the he400se is clearly beats the hd650 to the ground, much much better
I feel like the soundstage is wider on the he400se than the sundara, which is good and its kinda feels like its better for gaming
the included cable is pretty bad
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They are harder to drive than the sundara too. But no doubt sundara is better than he400se. Idk why some people compare the He400se to the Arya
It broke in beautifully for me about about three hours of use and a bit of kneading with my thumbs. Getting the proper cup fit to alleviate pressure on the headband also is important ā let your ears do a little bit of the support work.
Now I donāt even feel the headband during long listening sessions. Marvelous headphones for $150!
Good luck.
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Do the he400se headband cup have a little bit of swivels unlike the sundara headband or it is only on my he400se haha
No side-to-side swivel. Just up and down.
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