Just got the HE-4... Are you f*cking kidding me?! I feel ashamed for spending 1000+USD dollars when one can have near high-end SQ sound for 300USD (got them used). I am never going to spend that much again. Seriously, this headphone is better than both HE-400 and HE-500. Near high-end sound and I don't even miss HD800 that much now.

(I am going to do some modding and extensive listening... but these are definitely keepers, the best value headphone I've listened to so far)

Pirate's booty material for sure. Along with everything else HFM.

EDIT: Aside from the whole "discontinued" thing...

Seriously, this headphone could be priced at 1000USD and I wouldn't be surprised at all... It's basically an orthodynamic version of HD800s, with slightly less technically-perfect sound but providing deeper bass, fuller and more coherent sound while still being surprisingly airy and dimensional, providing quite accurate imaging. HE-4 is subjectively almost as fast as HD800 are which is another win in comparison to the majority, normally slow-paced orthos. Macrodetail is absolutely stunning for the price, again almost on par with HD800 (not completely but close). They sound very clear and precise even at low listening levels.

What makes HD800 is better microdetail, better clarity/refinement (less distortion), less deep but a bit better textured bass and of course even more expansive soundstage with even more precise imaging. But the HE-4 is basically a dream-come-true headphone for those who want something like HD800 but with orthodynamic timbre to the sound.

The more I listen with HE4 the less I regret selling the HD800s... HE-4 are almost on par for me and definitely better than anything else I have heard up to 1000USD. And no, I am not joking, I am absolutely serious.

EDIT: Comfort is fine for me - surprisingly soft headband, good pads, low weight in comparison to other othos... Though the clamping force could definitely be lower - that is my only real complaint so far.

Oh and they for sure share some "hardness" in upper mids/low treble with HD800s... But it's absolutely non-problematic for me. I am going to try some modding though to see if I can improve on that.

The HD800 will continue to intrigue me but it also scares me away. With the equipment that I have now (Uberfrost>Project Ember) I think I'm getting just about all I can out of the HE-4 but I am not certain it would deliver for the infamously scale-able HD800. It's not surprising that the HD800 does a better job with resolution and imaging.

I'm with you though, the HE-400 is almost pathetic given the similar price range (well, I suppose a little less pathetic now that it's at $299). The HE-500 is easily on par but it's just too intimate and polite. It's a lot like the HD600 in that it doesn't sound very spacious or airy, though the jerg pad mod helps (I'm sure the grill mod does as well). The HE-500 and the HD600 do have a more dependable treble than the HE-4 though. Nothing a little EQ can't fix.

It's funny, I started with the HE-400 and finally bought the HE-4 after several recommendations. I was so blown away that I couldn't resist the urge to try the famous HE-500. After getting a great deal from RazorDog (Brian is great by the way, highly recommended) they were on my desk in a week. Needless to say, when I had them all in front of me, the price of the HE-500 was laughable. I put them up on the classifieds within a couple days. Fastest turnaround I've ever had with a headphone.

I personally do not find HE-500 on par as they are too slow, too blurred and too low on both macro and micro detail to be considered a truly high-end (though I can certainly understand someone could prefer this). Nice for 600USD but still overpriced when compared to HE-4. HE-400 is a joke, again when compared to HE-4.

HD800 provide a bit more "ultra-resolution" kind of sound but they are absolutely not worth 1500USD. If HE-4 cost 450USD, I would only spend like 600USD on the HD800s because of their awesome comfort level (primarily) and more technically perfect sound (not as importantly). I value HD800 very high and I haven't seen anything better so far than them overall (if everything is taken into account) but yes, HE-4 is that good for me that I don't care that much for the Senns anymore. I even know at least one person who prefer HE-4 over HE-6 and any other Hifiman so far. Also be warned that HD800 doesn't have the most natural timbre out there. If you like orthodynamic type of sound/timbre, definitely stay with orthos as HD800 are not as grain-free and smooth sounding... I praise HD800 very high but in terms of tonality/timbre, I would even get HE-500 over them most probably. With Changstar's Anax mod, it would be a draw most probably.

To sum up, for me the HE-4 is a near-perfect mix of HD800 clarity, technicality and sort of monitoring-reference tonality with Hifiman's timbre, coherence and naturalness.

Glad to hear you found something you like my friend!

I had low expectations of HE400 when I briefly heard them and was pleasantly surprised.  Curious to hear the HE-4 now.

You should definitely give them at least a try... I am absolutely serious when I praise HE-4 high here. Especially as I know how much you like the HD800s :-) But the Code-X may be even better, who knows (I haven't heard it).

Once again - HE-4 is not for everyone and it's not a typical slowish bassheavy ortho headphone... But for those who wants something HD800-like, HE-4 are absolutely stunning. I havent heard anything better in terms of price/performance regardless my preferences as well.

Lol, ultra resolution kind of sound?  You haven't a hint of what that can is capable of based on your statements.  Yes, if you aren't committed to the HD800 driver and maximizing their potential, Hifiman's lower line sure is the way to go for plug and play convenience.

I'm not a fan of the HE500 but your comments also leads me to believe you are likely under driving the 500s like the 800s.

Well, my comments for sure aren't based on experience using multi thousand dollars audio chains... So yes, I haven't heard any headphone in my life to its full potential (maybe except some very crappy ones). But I don't care - this is the real life and 99.9% of people on this planet cannot afford spending that much on sound - I am one of them. I am absolutely aware that HD800 can scale almost infinitely while HE-4 most probably not... But again, I don't really care. Whatever I improved on my audio chain, HD800 improved a bit as well... But they still sounded like a HD800, with all its advantages and disadvantages.