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4xx vs 5xx for metal/hard rock?

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Hello everyone, I am not an audiophile in the slightest and I’ve been trying to understand the differences between the Hifiman 4xx and 5xx, but I can’t seem to figure out what I want. According to Joshua Valour, the 4xx is better for bass response and intimate vocals, while the 5xx is more treble forward. My issue is I’m still not sure what those terms really mean and how it’ll affect my listening experience. I primarily listen to Sabaton, Powerwolf, Disturbed, and Skillet. Which headphone better complements that style of music? If you want to be more specific, please tell me what aspects of the music is emphasized/deemphasized like vocals, drum, keyboard, organ, guitar etc. Thank you so much.
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ManOnMission
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Feb 28, 2022
I have 4XX and I listen to Sabaton too!! I never listen to 5XX so I can't comment on that. I'm no audiophile as well but for me listening to metal/rock on 4XX is not bad at all; its strength probably on soundstage/instrument separation/imaging i.e. you can "visualize" the sound of the multi-layer guitars in the mixed. Details & clarity punch above its price I think. Bass while not really punchy/impactful but it is fast (keep-up pretty well on the double-bass drum). Weakness would be on the treble, it can be a bit sibilant/fatiguing particularly on high pitch vocals, cymbals or on the lead guitar section. Amp is required to drive 4XX properly (due to low sensitivity) & I'm using Drop THX AAA One. That being said, I prefer DCA Aeon Open X more. Well tuned for metal/rock genre, as said by Andrew/Resolve of the Headphone Show: DCA Aeon X Closed & Open - The Drop Aeons compared - YouTube. If you can stretch your budget I would highly recommended you go for this one as the upgrade vs. 4XX is quite substantial (I bought it on sale for usd399). But anyhow, 4XX is surely a nice headphones to start your audiophile journey!
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