Hey Everyone,
Thank you all for making the HE-4XX a huge success! It’s been great to see comments and reviews of the headphones start to come in as people receive them. The remainder of 4XX orders are on the way to all purchasers.
And the reviews have been great so far! A few select quotes from members in the discussion below:
“Probably the best product I’ve bought on Massdrop. These headphones are absolute heaven. “ @Sense
“The highs are high the lows are low, the sound is sparkling and crisp. Well rounded notes like a fine wine. For the money, you can't get any better!” @fisherman58
“Wow.... Just got mine a moment ago, plugged it into my Note 8, and they literally blew me away.” @Zaren
Knowing that all of the original drop headphones have been delivered or are on their way, we have another exciting update for anyone who missed out on the previous round.
We’re pleased to announce the 4XX is dropping again starting today! These units are from a different production batch, but HiFiMAN was able to deliver them ahead of schedule. After shipping out our units to members in the original drop, our team was able to finish QC of the new batch and is ready for them to be added to our ‘Massdrop Made’ collection as an in-stock drop with 1,900 units available.
Thank you all for being a part of this drop. We’re excited to be able to have even more members get their hands on a HE-4XX.
WillGreat to hear, Will. I might just grab a pair out of curiosity.
As with all in-stock drops, I see that the total number of 'purchased' headphones is shown on the main page. So we can keep an eye on the progress of the sales... Could you tell us, at what total units 'purchased' will the in-stock units be sold out?
WillI was VERY pleasantly surprised when Mr. Postman delivered a box for me this past Saturday after Thanksgiving; an early holiday treat - thanks HiFiMan and Massdrop for coming through! So far my HE-4XX is everything I expected to be, and it can only get better in time after its 'sea trials/shakedown cruise'. (FYI I'm using these cans with the Topping A30/D30, picked up via Massdrop as well.)
Question: how do I register the product? I went on HiFiMan's website to register, but the HE-4XX isn't one of the products in the drop-down list. Multiple calls to HiFiMan's Customer Service for advisement were to no avail with no human picking up the phone, just a message. Suggestions are welcome; thanks!
AmpHiThe HE-4XX drop page states the product comes with (besides the headphone) "Manufacturer’s 1-year warranty"; what came in the box was the unit itself with the cord and 3.5mm to 6.5mm jack adapter, packaging foam & plastic, and...that's it, that's all folks! No user's manual/guide, no warranty card, no doco at all.
The exterior of the box has the model indication and pretty pictures of the HE-4XX (a photo and artist technical drawing), the serial number, UPC/barcode, 4 lines of Specifications, and HiFiMan's corporate and email addresses and Customer Service number.
I've looked in the Massdrop site for some indication of product warranty honoring but didn't find much.
So...can we say...austere?
Again, any help and suggestions appreciated; thanks!
velo_sometimemassdrop in this case is the manufacturer... in partnership with HiFiMan so Im guessing you would conduct any warranty concerns to massdrop directly.
WillSo on the drop page for this it has a timer for when they will ship for you if you order before the timer runs out. I assume this is for people that chose the faster shipping options, is this right? i am wondering because i ordered yesterday and didn't receive a shipping notice the whole day
Couloirwow fastest reply... alright thanks for the reply hopefully i get a notice by tomorrow since it would be nice to receive these same day or day after my 6xx
MazzThanks goes out to Couloir for giving Mazz a prompt response. Shame that we didn't get an official answer to my question from a couple of days ago:
Will, at what total units 'purchased' will your in-stock headphones be sold out? Many of us would like to know. Thanks!
mattris After shipping out our units to members in the original drop, our team was able to finish QC of the new batch and is ready for them to be added to our ‘Massdrop Made’ collection as an in-stock drop with 1,900 units available.
monotaurAs of now, approximately 3400 units have been purchased in total. Having 1900 units currently available doesn't let us know how many are left in-stock (before they are sold out).
WillJudging from the comments it looks like you guys did a good job on this drop. By any chance is Massdrop going to work with Hifiman again to bring about something like a HE-5XX?
WillJust got mine today and very impressed. these should improve as my ears adjust and i compare to my dynamic phones. Imo, these need an amp. They dont play loud out of iphone/ipad, i wouldnt think any planars would? My m50x and hd598 can do acceptable with iphone but not these. I needed to up gain 1 lvl on aune t1se to get to my listening level of peaks of about 90db
MarcSpenceThey play great out of an S8, and I would bet any phone with a quality DAC/Amp built-in would do.
Of course, they are BETTER with a better DAC/Amp, but I tink that's almost always true 😂
rpm604They play moderate volume on my ios devices bit not sufficient for classical imo, these are pretty damn efficient for planars :) S8 is serious device, my wife has one.. i bet it plays louder than ios? Either way, ur right they do work with out amp and dac...but why would u do that...hehehe..thanks for reply
WillReceived my headphones yesterday and I might have been unlucky to received a pair with faulty cables. There is no sound on the left side unless I tug the cables at the plug end. How can I get the cables replaced?
ikhanYeah got the customer service email from support. Customer service said another cable will be shipped to me. Must comment both Massdrop and Hifiman for being extremely quick in responding.
SceetAre you sure it was the cable? I received mine and had no signal on the left side as well... so I switched the cable and still no sound on the left side. It seems the unit is defective for me, not the cable. I reached out to Massdrop support and received a prompt e-mail letting me know to contact HiFIMAN directly. We'll see what I hear back.
WillHi Will
I would love to join the next drop, but I'm noticing a number of people have issues with the QC of the headphones, specifically the left channel not working. I have not had any issues with any of my purchases from Massdrop, but this one is a bit troubling. Can you give any assurance that the QC issues will be addressed by the next drop?Thanks
Alan
KbaumThe left channel issue is a cable fault, mine had, I swapped the R/L channel and the right side stopped working. HiFiMan is sending me a direct replacement but I think the issue is more with the quality of the cable than the headphones themselves (granted the cable is a crucial component obviously). Considering they are easy to replace, and most people will probably want to swap them out for a different cable anyway down the line and the fact that they can easily bundle a different cable I'd say it should be fairly easy to address.
TazorThanks for getting back to me. I already have the HD 6XXs and love them. Zeos said the HE 4XXs would be a nice addition. He has a way with words. That said I also need a new cartridge for my thorens turntable. Likely more than another pair of headphones. Too many options on massdrop
Willwhy does mass drop always ship out orders on friday ensuring that under no circumstances should anyone get their order the same week? after waiting months for a drop to come in waiting another week for massdrop to box and then another week for shipping is a real low blow. After these two orders I am done with mass drop. I will pay $20 more to have it next day from amazon. The small discount just ISN'T worth the half a year wait.
slappomattI'm here just for the MD exclusive products. Otherwise, it might not be profitable outside US. For me, they charge duties and taxes on the original price, not the discounted one. Not really worth it most of the times.
VBarjust got these after 8 days of shipping. I had 3 other orders from other sites I placed AFTER this one shipped, that were delivered before these.
BUT
all hating on massdrop delays aside, took these out of the box and plugged the WAY too short cable in. Plugged them into my phone and noticed right away how solid and well built they feel, and then the sound. I'm in love. Sounds way nicer than my also new HD6xx. loads more bass, very creamy mids.
these make the HD6xx feel flimsy and plasticy. pads feel great as well.
VBarS.M.S.L. Sanskrit 6 into a Schiit Vali 2
take it with a grain of salt though as I literally opened the box 30 min ago, and its just a first impression.
WillAfter VERY light use, the tiny screws become loose and the thing falls apart. Can't use glue, because that would restrict rotation needed to adjust the fit. Poor design. Will have to continue tighten those up for the life of the headphones? Lame.
Real.IllusionsSounds like a defective unit. Try some blue loctite on the screws, or reach out to support via your transactions page to start a replacement request.
WillHey Will. I would love to order a pair of these but the QC issues are restraining me from doing so. Could you help me out with this. Whats the replacement policy on these. A review said that shipment for replacement is to be paid by the consumer and that he paid extra 60$ of shipment. I cant afford 60$ extra on a pair worth 175$. Is it possible to get some QC done before my specific product shipping?
Help me out.
Mirror360I've had mine for a while. No QC issues. Changed the earpads to ZMF Auters. Adds comfort and all around sound improvement. They sound less open than the HD 6XX, but are ridiculously fun.
Mirror360I've managed to contain myself somewhat on massdrop. I have the 6xx and the 4xx. Similar quality different sound. Zeos raved about the 58x, DMS was more reserved, but still liked them. I get the impression that the 58x has more treble and detail than the 6xx. I really enjoy my 6xxs on accustic music. You can listen for hours with them. The 58x is much easier to drive, so if you don't have a dac amp combo they would be great. While I have some table top equipment, a Dragonfly black or red would work well.
Mirror360We've seen ~2% of 4XXs owners contacting support. This is about 4x higher than the Sennheiser HD58X, but still means ~98% of units are great.
Perception of these issues is bigger than the reality of them because those impacted become a vocal minority (not faulting them, it's just how this goes). Taking this discussion thread as an example, 100% of photos posted here show units with QC issues, which would naturally lead someone to think it's a widespread issue, vs impacting ~2% of units.
Will“Wow.... Just got mine a moment ago, plugged it into my Note 8, and they literally blew me away.” @Zaren
Literally, huh? I wish I could have seen that!
“The highs are high the lows are low, the sound is sparkling and crisp. Well rounded notes like a fine wine. For the money, you can't get any better!” @fisherman58
“Wow.... Just got mine a moment ago, plugged it into my Note 8, and they literally blew me away.” @Zaren Knowing that all of the original drop headphones have been delivered or are on their way, we have another exciting update for anyone who missed out on the previous round. We’re pleased to announce the 4XX is dropping again starting today! These units are from a different production batch, but HiFiMAN was able to deliver them ahead of schedule. After shipping out our units to members in the original drop, our team was able to finish QC of the new batch and is ready for them to be added to our ‘Massdrop Made’ collection as an in-stock drop with 1,900 units available. Thank you all for being a part of this drop. We’re excited to be able to have even more members get their hands on a HE-4XX.