Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones Discussions | Drop

Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones

Showing 1 of 1467 conversations about:

c0rnelius

1060

Mar 2, 2018

I'm looking to get my feet wet in entry level headphones, but I'm not ready to buy a headphone amp. I'll plug directly into a pc and stereo receiver. Mobility isn't a concern. What do you think is the most practical pick? What do you think is the most interesting sounding choice? HE4XX? HD58X? Something else? Both are advertised as "audiophile" grade headphones that don't necessarily need a headphone amp to be enjoyed. I'm not looking for the be-all end-all, just a place to start.

Vote

loadexfa

281

Mar 2, 2018

c0rneliusI haven't heard the HD-58X but I do have the HD-6XX and the HE-4XX. I really like them both, I think the HE-4XX are more laid back and relaxing but both are great. For my ears, planars tend to have a cleaner sound while dynamics tend to be more exciting and interesting. Exciting and interesting can become fatiguing but the HD-6XX's are laid back enough that this is not an issue for me.
I HIGHLY recommend saving up for a dac and amp sooner rather than later. Both headphones will be anemic without proper power. If at all possible, try a bunch of amps/dacs before purchasing or you will waste some money purchasing and reselling on eBay as I have. :) Or only purchase gear with a good return policy. Schiit tends to have good bang for your buck options but even then be sure to try a variety, I love some of their stuff while others leave me feeling "meh".
In the case of these headphones, I think both of them are pretty safe options and once they are properly powered you should have a totally new experience with your music. The first set of good headphones are the most dramatic if you've only listened to cheap ones before.

Mar 2, 2018

c0rneliusWith no amp, I'd say the 4xx, and here's why - take a look at impedance vs frequency in the innerfidelity measurements. For the planars, it's almost linear. For Senns, it's not linear. Without a low impedance headphone amp, a nonlinear impedance response in the headphone is likely to result in a errors in the sound you hear, especially using a stereo receiver with low-impedance cans like these.
Lots of detail on the principles and some measurements are at http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html
The response of the 4xx is included in https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MassdropHiFiMANHE4XX.pdf
and of three of the Senns are included in https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-important-sennheiser-hd-580-hd-600-and-hd-650-measurements
I own Senn 598s myself, and like them a lot. As a result of owning those, I now also own a portable and a desktop headphone amp, having heard how awful they sound through a stereo receiver. That spike in impedance in the bass region? Put these on many integrated or receiver headphone jacks, and they have terrible, overemphasized, sloppy bass and recessed mids and highs. Almost like listening to music on a car stereo - if you're outside the car, and it's loaded up with bass tubes.
And, after this drop looked closed, I found 400i on amazon at 180 and went for it. If I'd known it would reopen so quick, I'd have picked up a set of these :) Either of my amps will be fine with 400i as well, and a lot of folks think that phones in particular don't have the current delivery to get them to good volume.,
But for a receiver and PC setup, you just won't have the impedance match varying within the audio band. There may be other issues, but that one super audible one will be off the table.

Vote

Dublin_Bob

Mar 2, 2018

c0rneliusBuy a small headphone amp... you will NEVER regret it. You can tell a big difference even with a $90 tube amp. Big improvement on any headphones I own. I have five amps... anywhere I listen to headphones I use an amp.

mindhead1

599

Mar 2, 2018

c0rneliusIMO when you started getting into these higher end type of headphones you need an amp. There are some very affordable DAC/Amps in the $75 range that will greatly enchanted your enjoyment of these headphones. Even if a set can be driven by a mobile device or computer sound card it’s likely not reaching it’s full potential.
Topping NX4, Schiit Fulla, Monoprice Headphone amps are a couple of good affordable options. There are also many FIIO amps that fit the bill but I’m not familiar with them.

Vote

Dublin_Bob

Mar 3, 2018

mindhead1No question in my mind you’re correct. A person might think they don’t need an amp because they can drive all the volum they need. Until they use an amp they don’t realize an amp does much more than increase volume. IMO any headset benefits from an amp. I even use an amp with earbuds unless I’m on the move.
I have a small battery powered portable I only paid around $40 for on Amazon. It‘s not my favorite amp, but portable and even at $40 it improves the sound.
I personally prefer a tube amp over solid state, but either has merits.

Mar 3, 2018

bitweaselWithout an amp, I would def not recommend the 4XX. From the charts you provided, they require a bit more voltage and a lot more power to sound loud at 90 db compared to any of the Senn's. They're very power hungry the louder you go. Unless you have an amp with some guts, you're going to lose a lot of detail and bass impact with these. If you have a powerful amp, then they're simply great and tons of fun with just enough brightness to not be fatiguing.

J_December_why

481

Mar 4, 2018

mindhead1Not the Schiit fulla, get the Schiit Magni. These heaphones need proper power. I don't know about the Topping NX4 or FIIOs

Mar 4, 2018

jaydunndidditThe use case I was primarily thinking about was plugging into a receiver. The Senns are going to sound terrible on a lot of receivers, because the headphone output on most receivers is high impedance, often in the 50 ohm range, sometimes higher. Plug cans with variable impedance into that jack, you're going to see a lot more energy in some parts of the audioband than others, and the sound will be 'orrible.
I have the 400i breaking in now and just tried plugging them into the headphone jack on a receiver I know makes a pair of Senn 598s sound like cheap Beats clones from Walgreens.
I didn't listen super carefully, but the initial impression wasn't what it was with the Senns - "WTF? what's wrong here?" It was a much more favorable listen than that - I may actually run the headphone signal from the receiver to a switchbox and so some a/b'ing agains the dac/amps I'm using. I was listening to a classical piano track when I first plugged in, and was interested enough that I shifted gears to a Zevon track I know better, "Dirty Little Religion" - both sounded fine.

Vote

plynn

Mar 5, 2018

c0rneliusMy AKG K701s have been my daily headphones for years. The K7XX on Massdrop is based on the K702 Anniversary edition; I suspect that they will be very good. Fellow I work with had a pair and swears by them. These are very "analytic" headphones. No one will praise them for the warm, rich bass. Instead, they reproduce the sound that was actually there.

Vote

Mar 6, 2018

bitweaselInteresting, as my Senn 579's and HiFi 4XX sound pretty good out of my Yamaha 683. Mind you, this is for movies and gaming but they are much more dynamic and punchy than an open-back can should be. By comparison, my sensitive IEMs sound like absolute ass out of my receiver, no matter what the source is. I do however, have the the settings as 'straight' or direct which typically turns off all other processing so that could have a factor in it as well. I don't do much music listening from my receiver but I'll have to give that a go and compare it to my amp/dac.
I can say, I just recently watched The Punisher on Netflix with the 4XX and it's crazy how much punch bullets and explosions have. I also used them when I was playing Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and thought they did a good job of conveying soundstage with footsteps and bullet placement while not murking voices and other effects.

Vote

UseESP

Mar 6, 2018

c0rneliusMost high quality receivers should have more than adequate power to drive all but the very lowest efficiency headphones. PC might be a bit dicier.

Mar 8, 2018

jaydunndidditThe issue with my receiver is impedance. The 598s (and many of the Senns, haven't looked at measurements on the 579s) have an extremely variable impedance within the audio band. This is why a lot of us own headphone amps with low impedance outputs - on my receiver, the headphone jack probably as an impedance of 50-100 ohms (based on how bad the 598s sound,) so the electrical matching within the audio band is extremely variable.
The 400is have a very close to flat impedance response throughout the audio band, so they don't exhibit the distortion that the 598s do. I hadn't realized that in general, planars have much less variable impedance .
Lots more on this topic is available at
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html

Vote

Mar 8, 2018

bitweaselI know about the topic. Voltage swing also comes into play as well, especially for planars, and when you factor in listening level and activity of the source file being played (music, movie, etc.). You stated 'sound horrible' but that has not been my experience with my Yamaha RXV683. For a receiver, there more to it than just output impedance. As I stated above, that's why I run mine in direct mode so it turns off processing (DSP, surround, etc.) and cuts down on any noise that could make it back through the headphones. Again, I own a amp/dac that has an output impedance under 1 ohm for my sensitive IEMs. They sound like poo 'by comparison' out of my receiver but they are totally functional and isn't the worst thing in the world. I just know they can sound better with the right pairing, and they do as that's what I do when I'm critically listening to music.

Vote

Mar 8, 2018

bitweaselAnd more to my point, this is from nwavguy's blog specifically about the HD 650: SOURCE REQUIREMENTS: The HD 650 has a high impedance (300 ohms) and needs more voltage than most portable devices and PC headphone outputs can provide. Generally you need about 2 volts RMS (5.7 volts peak-to-peak) for wide dynamic range music at realistic levels. PC and portable audio gear is typically limited to around 1 volt or less with many managing only about 0.5 volts. So you might need a headphone amp. While the 650 may deserve better, even the $20 FiiO E5 can manage about 1.3 volts which might be enough for many tastes. The FiiO E9 can do a great job with the 650 as its 10 ohm output impedance is relatively insignificant compared to 650’s 300 ohms and the E9 has a very healthy 7 volts of output.

Vote

Mar 8, 2018

jaydunndidditI'm not running DSP on the receiver. The 598s have a nominal impedance of 50, but a peak around 300 or so at around 100 hz. The 650 is a whole different animal, much simpler to impedance match but obviously more voltage needed.
And as I said, the 400i sound fine on the receiver - they're pretty low impedance but because it's continuous, the exaggerated bass and absent high end that 598s show with the receiver aren't in evidence. The receiver definitely has the power to drive them.

Vote

View Full Discussion

PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE

Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones

$149

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones

$199

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Headphones

$169

Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X Gaming Headset

$99

Massdrop x Koss Porta Pro X Headphones

$29

Drop + EPOS PC38X Gaming Headset

$169

Massdrop x Koss KSC75X On-Ear Headphones

$20

Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir Closed-Back Headphones

$199

Drop + EPOS PC38X Yellow Gaming Headset

$139

Drop BMR1 Nearfield Monitors

$79

Trending Posts in Audiophile

Simthaniel

Rigs

Modded headphones with qudelix at the core

When I received the Qudelix 5K, I had already modified a pair of Superlux HD-681 headphones. I previously soldered my own balanced connections to the drivers, providing multiple ways to connect and...

Apr 14, 2024

Rigs

brothamike

A decent set of IEMs

I am in the midst of a 300 hour burn-in but, I will say I am enjoying how this set sounds so far. Before I received these which was btw late by a few weeks, I purchased a Sony/Kimber Kable MMCX...

Apr 12, 2024

Photos

merrick97

Should I exchange the PC38X for better headphones?

I bought the PC38X headphones FOR GAMING and they are great, but I have NO use for a Microphone since I don't do competitive gaming and I was wondering if there were better headphone options at a similar price without a headphone, where (presumably) more of the cost was put into making it sound better. I also find that my PC38X don't get quite as loud as I would like and I was wondering if a cheap amp like the iFi Go link would draw a little more volume out of my phones. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN6MM822?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I went with the PC38X since it was considered the best bang for buck headphones. I care most about using spatial apps like DOlby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X. Suggestions are welcome.

Apr 11, 2024

General

LostnAmerica

Sound Signature of the Grell Project.

Wondering what type of sound signature the Drop Grell project headphones will have or trying to attain. Any update would be appreciated.

Apr 8, 2024

Questions

Fabulous

Looking for a gaming/content audio setup

Hello! I'm looking for recommendations on audio setups. I'd be planning on using it mostly for gaming. Preferably I'd like a pair of large closed back headphones since I have a big head and jaw. I'd also like to hear myself through my mic with mic monitoring. As far as budget goes, I don't really have one. But under 600$ would be nice. I can go higher if needed. The audio setup would be connected to a high performance PC. Thank you in advance for any recommendations!

Apr 4, 2024

Questions

1plsd

$10 Drop Coupon Email not sent?

Trying to buy some gear off Drop for the first time. I was told I would receive an email with a welcome to drop $10 off promo. I never received that email. Drop was able to send me emails for my login token and email for Password update. But for some reason the $10 off coupon was never sent to me.

Mar 31, 2024

Questions

Vote

NMPacella

New here

Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.

Mar 18, 2024