The Sennheiser HD 400 Professional are a couple {of professional} mastering headphones. They’re the primary pair of open-back headphones within the corporate’s Professional lineup, which has most effective had closed-back headphones till now.
The HD 400 Professional are necessarily Sennheiser’s HD 560S with slight changes, none of which might be to the sound. In comparison to the 560S, the HD 400 Professional include a relatively altered design and an additional cable within the field and for that, they price a little bit extra.
Design
The design of the HD 400 Professional is just about just like that of the HD 560S, which itself seems very similar to a number of different HD 500 sequence headphones.
The variations between the HD 400 Professional and HD 560S come all the way down to the blacking out of positive main points. The silver Sennheiser brand at the aspect of the earcups has been painted black. In a similar fashion, the Sennheiser wordmark on best of the headscarf has additionally been became black, even though this can be a bit better now.
Rather than that, the 2 are necessarily the similar pair of headphones. The earcups have spacious earpads with sufficient intensity and width to deal with all however the largest of ears. The again is roofed by way of a black grille and the headscarf has cushy foam padding.
Excluding the grille, the remainder of the headphones are made solely out of plastic. That is the case with maximum Sennheiser headphones and even though they do not really feel instantly top class, they’re recognized to closing necessarily many years of use as they’re just about indestructible. The one factor that are meant to require common substitute will be the earpads, as Sennheiser pads generally tend to flatten after a few years of use, which does have an effect on the sound.
The headphones do not have a ton of articulation. You’ll regulate the headscarf for period and that is the reason most commonly it. The earcups have a little or no swivel in both course. That is not to mention they do not have compatibility securely in your head however in the event you do really feel like taking them off and putting them flat in your chest then that is not taking place. The headphones additionally do not fold, which is ok since they don’t seem to be supposed for go back and forth or outside use.
At the left earcup is the connector for attaching the cable. The enter jack has a 2.5mm dimension however extra importantly, a proprietary locking mechanism that makes it tricky to make use of simply any cable that you’ve got mendacity round.
Talking of cables, the HD 400 Professional comes with two, a 3m coiled cable and a 1.8m instantly cable. Either one of them have a three.5mm plug and a three.5mm to six.3mm adapter is equipped within the field. When put next, the HD 560S comes with a unmarried 3m cable with a 6.3mm plug. The extra commonplace 3.5mm plug at the HD 400 Professional cables will have to be handy for the ones plugging without delay into a pc and the coiled cable is helping transfer across the studio with no need to unplug the cable or have it get below your chair.
You aren’t getting a lot else within the field. There clearly is not a raise case or perhaps a pouch as they don’t seem to be supposed for wearing round and strictly for indoor use.
Convenience
The HD 400 Professional are a comfy pair of headphones. There’s some clamping drive but it surely by no means will get uncomfortable and is helping stay the headphones protected regardless of how a lot you progress your head round.
As discussed earlier than, the earpads are relatively huge and accommodating. The fabric is cushy and feels comfy at the pores and skin. The froth padding at the headscarf is in a similar fashion pliant.
Because of their plastic development, the headphones also are relatively light-weight and also you slightly realize them in your head after a while. The instantly cable may be rather gentle because of being quite skinny and does not drag the headphones down. The coiled cable is clearly heavy however this is to be anticipated.
Efficiency
The Sennheiser HD 400 Professional are exceptionally well-tuned headphones. The sound is so impartial and actual that you do not even really feel like you’re being attentive to a couple of audio system however simply the unique sound because it used to be recorded. It is like having a look via a couple of tinted glasses your entire lifestyles and all at once having them cross transparent.
The bass reaction is amazingly impartial and actual with excellent extension into the decrease registers. This is not frequently the case as open-back headphones generally tend to lack low bass extension however the HD 400 Professional are by hook or by crook resistant to this to a point.
The mid-range is actually superb. Vocals have a lovely sense of transparency and intimacy to them. Tools have shocking authenticity and timbral traits. Each and every tool and sound supply is distinct with a really perfect sense of intensity and dimensionality within the combine.
Treble is the place issues get a little bit highly spiced. For essentially the most section, the treble reaction is simply as impressively correct and detailed as the remainder of the frequency spectrum. Then again, the HD 400 Professional provides a little bit of additional spice on the best, which is able to motive positive sounds to have a sharper edge to them. The sound by no means will get sibilant however some already vivid recordings can flip relatively harsh and motive fatigue over the longer term. It does not trouble me for my part however your mileage would possibly range. Just like the bass, the treble additionally has excellent extension into the higher registers.
With regards to technicalities, the HD 400 Professional have a extremely detailed and resolving sound. The 2 40mm dynamic drivers can eke out the entire fantastic element for your tune and recordings with out being for your face about it. Imaging and soundstaging may be excellent, even though no longer the most efficient I have heard. Sounds have excellent positioning round your head and there may be first rate spaciousness within the combine. It isn’t rather on the similar stage because the HD 800/HD 800 S however alternatively, what’s?
The HD 400 Professional do want some amplification to get the most efficient out of however I used to be shocked at how effectively they run off a computer or perhaps a smartphone. It isn’t ideally suited and if you’ll be able to you will have to put money into the cheap DAC/amp just like the iFi Zen Air DAC or the Topping DX3Pro+ however you’ll be able to get by way of on onboard audio simply fantastic.
Being open-back headphones, you aren’t getting a lot isolation from ambient sounds and also you additionally leak a good quantity of sound. This might not be ideally suited for blending or mastering functions so be sure to are the usage of the headphones in quiet environments all over essential listening.
Whilst I’m most often very inspired, I do have one grievance in regards to the sound of the HD 400 Professional. My evaluation unit appeared to have some channel imbalance happening, the place the best driving force sounded louder in positive portions of the frequency spectrum. It is usually a factor with those headphones or it is usually a one-off factor. That is onerous to mention however all I will do is record at the one unit that used to be particularly despatched to me for checking out.
Verdict
The Sennheiser HD 400 Professional ($250) are an improbable pair of headphones, as are the HD 560S ($200) that they’re in line with. The number of cables that the HD 400 Professional include makes them a lot more sensible and well worth the top class, no longer only for studio use but in addition for general-purpose listening.
That latter section, for me, is the place the HD 400 Professional excel at. I am not specifically bought at the thought of the usage of headphones for blending/mastering, let by myself an open-back pair. Then again, the HD 400 Professional make for remarkable general-purpose headphones that you’ll be able to use for anything else from tune, films, TV presentations, video games, podcasts, YouTube movies, and no matter else you’ll be able to throw at them. It is the maximum inexpensive manner so as to add reference high quality sound in your setup and one I’m going to counsel going ahead to somebody spending below $300.
