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db2u1980
3
Dec 1, 2022
checkVerified Buyer
Pretty darn good so far
I don't have the budget for headphones over about $150 but I love vintage hi-fi and am pretty picky about sound quality. I fell in love with a pair of old Yamaha HP-2 Orthos which are not the most detailed cans but there was just something about the sound that I preferred to my Beyer DT-990 Pros (I sat on the cable and it ripped out so I can't compare them directly at the moment). Begin planar/ortho addiction. Picked up a set of the larger Yamaha YH-1 (rebranded HP-1) and found them more detailed and somehow less power hungry. Not sure if either set was previously modded and not going to open them to find out. Grabbed a pair of HE-400SE on the cheap, and those are my work pair so I can't do a direct comparison with those right now. Mine have focus pads and I believe the 3.5mm jacks since there are variations in those apparently. That pair took a bit of play time before I started enjoying them, but I feel like they didn't quite hold up to either Yamaha set. The cable is garbage and fraying already on those. This one seems better IMO These HE-X4s are impressive right out of the box, I have a feeling they are going to compete with my YH-1s as my favorites. I can say that they sound better plugged into my '74 vintage Kenwood receiver than with my Bravo V2 or the preamp driving them, probably to be expected. As others have said, orthos need some oomph to sound their best, feed them some power. I feel these have a realistic and detailed sound without being fatiguing, with the right source anyway. I find them very comfortable. Hopefully they hold up to regular usage. Only real criticism so far, I opened these in a dim room and couldn't see the indicators on the cans to see which was L and R - no instructions to be found but it's on the edge of the round plastic cover of the adjusting mech on each side, just have to hit them with some bright light, not so obvious.
Recommends this product? Yes
Teee
40
Dec 3, 2022
db2u1980Nice review! Regarding the L/R indicators, I found that because they use a sort of subdued paint that's hard to see even in good light, I ended up using one of those tiny felt furniture bumps (with the adhesive on the bottom and about half the diameter of a dime) and stuck it onto the left sided round plastic housing (where the headband sliders slide through). Once it's on I can feel where the left side is like a Sennheiser 3 dot braille indicator.
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