Has anyone tried pairing the HE400se with ifi Zen Dac V2 and especially with the True Bass button while using the 4.4 balanced output?
Thinking about getting the Zen Dac on 11.11, hope someone can share some thoughts.
I normally pair my 400se with xDuoo MT-602 hybrid tube single ended. Still I would almost always end up EQing to get more bass juice.
I can check on my IFI zen Dac V1 if that helps but I assume it should be a pretty dope pairing (I use it with an IFI stack dac+can)
Thanks! Does your stack have a balanced output?
Iām asking not because I believe that thereāll be a sound difference, but just because how hard the 400se is powered. Plus planar seems to the type most affected by power
Ya i got it connected via the 4.4 at the back.
As far as power it should be more than enough
@PopinTeddy Thanks for the idea, it works great. Yeah you do have to notch it up a few for it to fit but the comfort is night and day.
Thanks yall for playing with the idea and confirming that it works! Iām also an amateur in modding so I canāt tell whether it works for everyone, but seeing this, it really is a win-win scenario!
Cheers
The thing for me is that I donāt see these type of āminimize tweaking the originā mods too much in the audiophile community. A lot of times itās big changes like completely rewiring the connectors, or breaking apart the cups adding this or deleting that, or completely swapping the whole oem headband.
I really donāt like these type of mods when the original headphone/iem was already great. Or else, why am I purchasing it? So luckily for this comfort mod, and also my DIY pad-holder mod for the KPH30i, itās just adding stuff to solve the issue but not changing anything that was originally there.
True 5-min craft I guess?
Yeah, I really appreciate the small tweaks here and there just to make your user experience better. Itās the little things, whilst small in nature they have a pretty big impact.
Maybe I should try this mod. My husband doesnāt lack comfort, but my head is a little too small so the cups hang a little too low on my ears. Such a mod should add just the right thickness to the headband.
It would add about 1.5 - 2cm above your head for sure. Without the Sennheiser padding I had the headband at two clicks, after adding it I have it at five clicks.
Any chance to try out the ifi True Bass with the 400se?
Ya sure, gimme a day or two to get back home, and ill give it a listen. Do you want me to check it with the IFI DAC only or the stack IFI dac + Can
No prob, take your time. Tbh I donāt own either, just heard that the ifi True Bass is exceptionally good, so I wonder if it will do well with planar headphones. Please test whatever is more convenient for you, thanks mate!
No problem, ill do it when I get back.
From my past experience, true bass tends to work with most headphones great - Iāve tried it with other planar headphones (Mainly the T60RP), the question in most cases its just a question whether you want to use it or not its just choice
Tried it with Sundaras and as a DAC the xbass is just right 
If you want to use itās as an Amp Iāll recommend to use balanced cables
But Iām not Shure if the 400se need as much power as the Sundaras ?
Hope it helps ^^
Yeah thatās also what Iām gonna get for the cans, 4.4 balanced cables. 400se is power hungry as well, so thanks for the feedback that the xbass/True Bass is great on Hifiman cans!
I always feel like I tripped and accidentally bought the right starter amp. The BTR5 was my first amp ( I am pretty knew to this ), and not only did it have enough power for serious cans ( like 400se ), but I also rarely ever listen to anything that isnāt balanced.
I bought it for the Bluetooth features and that it could connect to my work computer and my personal phone at the same time. I didnāt know about the Qudelix 5k at the time.
After hearing the KZ ZS10 Pro both ways, I realized balanced was a thing I wanted when the option was available, and have always picked 2.5mm balanced if it was an option.
My desktop setup is FiiO K3 that also feeds xDuoo MT-602. My normal volume when I use my 400se is K3 at 3 oāclock + MT-602 at 12 oāclock. I do have the BTR3K as well and it gives enough juice for the 400se, but I rarely use gear balanced.
Itās only recent that Iāve got some 4.4 balanced cables on my Variations that I realized I donāt really have any balanced source to go with it. Variations is relatively power hungry for an IEM. If I get the ifi Zen Dac V2 with a balanced 4.4 output, it should satisfy the power requirement that the Variations and the 400se would need for best performance. Itāll replace the K3 as a preamp to the MT-602.
I donāt have a balanced cable for my HE400se ā¦ I may just put that on my Christmas list. I just got the 7Hz Timeless, and that is likely getting my planar time in the near future, so balanced on those isnāt a super high priority.
