I received my HE4XX as a gift a few years back and the ear cup broke a month ago. Going through similar posts, it seems like this is a design/QC problem with models built after 2018. They were my first pair of hi fi headphones (senn hd 202’s and mx30’s prior) and I really enjoyed them. Sound stage was great and indie/rock sounded great on them. I haven’t worn them recently but I remember bass is a lacking a bit but clarity was good, so it didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Friends who tried them as well agreed.

Hifiman wanted $75 for a new headband and knockoffs would take weeks from china, so I decided to just grab something new. My budget wasn’t a lot so I went to a local audio shop and bought whatever their cheapest open backs were. I landed on the Grado SR60X, and while trying them in the shop, I wasn’t blown away but thought they would suffice. I also tried the SR80X and noticed a slight difference but both worth the additional $30CAD. I don’t know if it was burn in, or if my brain was tuned to the headphones, but I absolutely love them now. I know people hate on them a lot and complain about a lack of bass but I love the way they sound, my go to with these headphones is r&b, hip hop, and anything ‘fun’ like edm and game sound tracks. My go to for the past few weeks has been Majid Jordan, Glitch Mob and Beastie Boys. I seriously can’t get over how much I enjoy them, and honestly what’s not to love about the product and brand. Yes, they feel cheap but they’re also great value for the price, and hand built in Booklyn by a family business. On the topic of ‘feel’, it definitely takes a while to adjust to them, the ear cups are rough and they sit tight but after playing around with the band and breaking in the cups, they feel very comfortable.

I had decided to stick with these but these bleed noise a lot, a considerable amount more than the HE4XX, and my wife just wasn’t having it (we live in a 1 bedroom place). I used this as an excuse to buy a used pair of DT 770 Pro 80 ohm’s that came up for a good price. I haven’t had a lot of time with these, only a few hours but these sound fantastic, definitely different to the SR60X, specifically in soundstage being closed back. I thought I would prefer open back a lot more but I think it’s very specific to the song, whereas the open back with some r&b felt like I was sitting in a recording room, with instruments and vocals playing all around me, the closed back with something like indie rock felt like I had the guitarist right next to me. Totally different sensation and imo preference came down to the song I was listening to. Indie rock and acoustic feel more intimate with the 770’s so I think I’ll be sticking with them for that genre and anything similar.

I don’t watch a ton of movies or shows on my computer so I can’t comment but gaming is great on both.

Overall, Im disappointed in hifimans QC and just lack of ownership to faulty products, but I’m glad I was able to try something new. The Grado’s hold a special place for me and really do feel like something special, with their sound signature and company backstory. I’ll probably pick up more as gifts. The 770’s, what can I say that already hasn’t been said? They sound great and have been comfortable for the past few hours I’ve been using them. Clarity and sound on them are probably the best I’ve heard so I get why they’re used as reference headphones for audio work. As for now, I’m happy with what I have. I may try to fix the HE4XX with some super glue, but I’m in no rush.

Edit: written on a phone so ignore any typos or bad grammar.