The HE-400 and HE-500 can be driven reasonably well even out of a modest DAP. The difficulty of driving orthos is greatly exaggerated on some forums.

Really it's the single digit HiFiMan models you have to watch out for in that sense.

Yes, "reasonably well".   But as the output power (and overall physical weight) of the amps I used increased, the HE-400's sound quality increased - and more so than any other headphone I tried.

No one is doubting the scalability of these headphones. However people get the unfortunate idea into their head that they NEED a powerful amp to justify owning them. This simply isn't the case, and they'll still sound better than a good number of other headphones out there even straight from a modest source.

Really, my comments are born from a frustration with seeing people say "I wish I could own the HE-400 / HE-500 but don't have a good enough amp." One can always buy these and enjoy them and, if the circumstances permit, get an amp down the road for them. That's the beauty of scalability.

Since it says, "single end," I take it the driver's definitely not just a reworked HE500 driver and instead a one-sided planar design?

So, am I the only one that likes the new headband look? Like others have said, the headband looks a lot like STAX headphones. Not that I personally ever found my HE-400 uncomfortable when I owned it, but the new headband should be much more comfortable than the old headband.

No, you're far from the only one lol.

Quote from: jerg on January 10, 2014, 01:21:17 AM

Quote from: mechgamer123 on January 10, 2014, 12:03:05 AM

So, am I the only one that likes the new headband look? Like others have said, the headband looks a lot like STAX headphones. Not that I personally ever found my HE-400 uncomfortable when I owned it, but the new headband should be much more comfortable than the old headband.

No, you're far from the only one lol.

 

Lol, good!

I also noticed some people were complaining about the build quality of the new headband as well; a few people even said it's plastic. Unless my eyes are bad or the cough syrup is going to my head, doesn't the headband look like it's made of metal?

Also, what's the advantage of a single ended driver?