Massdrop x HIFIMAN HE4XX Measurements and Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Aug 1, 2017.

  1. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    But it's very high quality glue.

    I think it is the same stuff they use it to hold the plywood veneer on the HFM HE6Kdollar Susvarna.

    Kidding aside, I've heard tales of the infamous HFM quality, bit I've never heard of these popping out or anything. I guess it doesn't matter much as long as it doesn't break and you like the sound.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2017
  2. Outerspace Wasabi

    Outerspace Wasabi Friend

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    The HE-560 also has glue securing the magnets. Looks like standard procedure with HFM.

    [​IMG]
     
  3. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    I am sure someone mentioned it, but I only had time to skim through this thread. What are the Massdrop HE4XX based on as far as HiFiMan headphones?
     
  4. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    The 400i
     
  5. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    thank you
     
  6. mikro

    mikro New

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    Last edited: Sep 6, 2017
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Oh, it's just a tiny bit. 98% of the diagphragm should move sufficiently well.
     
  8. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    did you ever find time to listen to the bill modded one i handed over? oh is that the one going on sbaf loaner tour? curious what you think, maybe they're out there in some dark corner of sbaf and i'm too lazy to have noticed.

    The 4XX is an incredible value, uses the very same fancy unicorn glue as the Edition Suspiria too :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2017
  9. chrolls

    chrolls New

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    Ha! Really though, am I right in assuming that sbaf regulars like yourself just sorta take something like this in stride, like "Hifiman gonna Hifiman", you get what you pay for? To put it another way, is it not so much that this isn't a big deal, its just that this is who Hifiman is, and sbaf at large has just accepted it? I genuinely highly respect this community's opinion, is why I ask.

    I mean, I just see something like this as a green noob (that I already payed for, mind you), and fear that I made a big mistake. I've heard of "chifiman", the widespread problems they've had with defective cables before, the movable grille and just cheap overall plasticky build quality of the 400s, and now this. It's just--you add it all up and there seems to be ample reason for apprehension, which sucks after having just paid $170 for the darn thing.

    Otoh, if this hot glue application is really that problematic than I don't understand why there hasn't been a veritable crapload of outrage on the internetz a la the cable "debacle", especially considering how many models all the way up to the expensive 560s evidently do the same thing. The fact that there isn't is probably the strongest reason I can think of as to why this isn't that big a deal (that and marvey seems chill with it). That's what I'm gonna tell myself anyway I guess.
     
  10. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    @chrolls I really don't see this as a big deal, especially not for the 4XX which costs "only" $170, which is basically the same price as a pair of Beats. If you had just paid $6k otoh, then I'd be more worried about fit and finish, and the care with which the drivers were put together. Though if you have 6k to spend on a headphone then presumably you'd survive and HFM would have you covered anyway.

    Seriously, for the price of a 4XX you can't really ask for or expect a nicer fit/finish, or a better cable. You can always add that yourself. And despite the recent upheaval of people here and elsewhere at the recent HFM trends (HEK v1, quickly followed by HEK v2 months later, now Ed 6K), HFM still perform better than other planars out there (ahem Audeze) and most of the HE500, HE5, HE6, HE560 etc out there are still kicking. So yeah I don't think that glue-gate is a big deal, since they use similar methods across other models. I just wish they had retained the business model of the HE5/ HE6 days and not the prohibitive status climbing audio jewelry they've become obsessed with producing and revising frequently -- which is in part why we make jokes at their expense!
     
  11. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Has anyone really confirmed this is hot glue and not some other type of adhesive? Of all things to be anal about...
     
  12. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    HiFiMan has so many problems: Build quality, prices of some of their stuff, sound quality of some of their stuff, releasing a TOTL headphone and then releasing a new TOTL headphone within months, Fang's attitude... This adhesive thing seems like a non-issue, to me.
     
  13. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

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    Not to mention the aesthetics of their basic models. They look just too pedestrian to me. Audeze has a clear advantage in this respect.
     
  14. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    First impressions:
    Build quality feel IMO very nice.
    Metal hinge parts, solid feeling plastic earcups, nice regular, padded headband.
    Comfort is pretty good, IMO too much weight, and too much clamp. Might get better with time, but just too much weight. HD650's I find to be the pefect balance comfort wise.
    Ear pads are large and soft enough.
    Leak a lot more noise than my HD650.

    Sound wise, that bass is really nice. So much of it, impacting hard. However, I seem to notice it may be bleeding into the mids. Something about the mids/treble seems a bit off, but not sure what to place it at. Either way, they sound very good, a steal at $170.
    I like the bass better than my HD650 bass, but the rest, I like HD650 better, plus the comfort of the HD650 is better. Not sure how long I can wear the HD4xx, at least without stretching them out, but I cant do that to this loaner pair!

    Might post some more impressions later after more listening.
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Glue or no glue, it's just a means to an end, to secure the magnet plate over the diaphragm. I could care less if orca semen was used. The fact is, HFM has nailed down ortho driver consistency. This is something Audeze is still not able to do, and nobody on HF seems to care or call it out. Instead we have mysteries like Bob Katz praising Audeze their consistency. And folks who have had HFM failures, who have privately confided to me, have said that HFM has taken good care of them. Let's not even get started on Audeze driver failures. Way more Audezes have died in my very hands than HFMs, and I've owned x3 HFMs than Audezes.
     
  16. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    ^^^ exactamundo Marv right on the money and couldn't refrain from citing some animal's semen again. I hear orca is the way to go for maxx adhesion power.
     
  17. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    How easy is it to reduce the clamp of the HE400/4XX headband? I'm pretty sensitive to clamp and I had to stretch my HD650 metal arms pretty far for it to be comfortable on my big melon.
     
  18. chrolls

    chrolls New

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    Wow, thanks for the responses guys. I really appreciate the expertise, candor, and politeness of this community. Far cry from the rest of the internet, sheesh. Props.

    Of course, if the he4xx's arrive on my doorstep and they're a steaming pile of crap, at least now I'll know who to blame, ha! :D (just kidding). Now to find some orca semen! They don't call him Free Willy for nothing, amirite?:rolleyes:
     
  19. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Clamp is less of an issue as I thought it was. It felt a little much at first, but actually wearing them it gets more comfortable.

    Listening more, these are really nice headphones. Mids just seem a bit too recessed for me, compared to HD650. I like that bass though. Again, for $170, these are a steal. I am trying to convince myself I don't need them.
     
  20. HockeyFan12

    HockeyFan12 New

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    I'm glad I bought these now that you mention the bass. The HD650 is the closest thing I have to a "basshead" headphone for now, but I want something more suited for movies and something open I can drive with my iPhone.

    Unrelated, but for some reason my HD650s sound better from my DAC than they do from most amps running through the same DAC. Is that even possible? I think my DAC has a high impedance output because my triple fis sound gnarly and bad through it but pretty good through my iPhone.
     

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