Skip to main content

Hi-fi Corner: KEF’s stylish M400 give you bass with balance

kef m400 headphones kep manual
Image used with permission by copyright holder
KEF’s virgin venture into headphones, the M500, became one of our favorite pairs in their class, with plush comfort, elegant styling, and brilliant sonic performance. It would have been tough to top them, so when KEF decided to issue its latest effort, it didn’t even try. Instead, the company took a left turn, creating a lighter, sportier, more mobile offering dubbed the M400.

At $250, the M400 can be seen as a soft step down from their predecessor — the M500 run a cool $300 — but the headphones are more about attracting a different kind of listener than a more price-conscious one.

Related: Klipsch R6i earphones expand into snazzy new on-ears

Few (if any) headphone makers have escaped the mighty reach of Dr. Dre’s stylish (if overpriced) Beats brand cans, and KEF is no exception. Apart from being lighter and more compact, the new M400 are a little flashier than KEF’s first effort, especially when you trade the classic black cans for one of the three vivid color options, including Racing Blue, Sunset Orange, and Champagne White.

And style isn’t the only change for the M400. Although the 40mm drivers match up very similarly to the M500 on paper, there’s a fairly distinct change in sound signatures here as well. While the headphones keep the same balance we expect from KEF in the midrange and treble, the bass is definitely boosted here — enough to be thunderous when called upon, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your preference. The headphones also lose just a touch of presence and clarity in the upper mids when compared to the M500.

That said, there are plenty of gorgeous moments to be enjoyed with the M400 — these are from KEF after all — providing balance, detail, and rich warmth at the center of the sound across a wide variety of genres.

Those looking for a smooth ride, modern styling, and a bit more bass than the M500 will definitely want to give KEF’s latest a try.

A version of this post first appeared on our “brother site” Digital Trends.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
Love Dune 2? The best Denis Villeneuve movies, ranked
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has had a very prolific career.
The official poster for Dune: Part Two.

Thanks to the box office success of Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve is now firmly established among the top directors in Hollywood. It's an overnight success story that only took 26 years to come to fruition. And over the past decade, Villeneuve has taken it upon himself to make some of the best science fiction movies of the century. But Villeneuve has already proven that he can do a lot more than sci-fi.

To celebrate the director's films, we've narrowed them down to the 7 best Denis Villeneuve movies ranked from seventh to first. And there is no "worst" among these Denis Villeneuve movies.

Read more
The Ghostbusters have a new ride in Frozen Empire, courtesy of Mercedes Benz
Mercedes Benz Sprinter plays a pivotal role in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
The ECTO-Z makes its debut in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Later this month, the Ghostbusters will be back on the big screen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. And while three generations of the team are coming together, there is a big addition to the crew: The ECTO-Z. At an event in New York City, Mercedes-Benz officially unveiled the Ghostbusters' new ride, which is a customized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter that follows in the footsteps of the iconic ECTO-1 from the first three films.

Given the larger size of the second and third-generation Ghostbusters team, it was only natural that they would need a vehicle that could carry all of them to the scene of a haunting anywhere in NYC. As for the name, it comes from original team member Dr. Winston Zeddemore, as played by Ernie Hudson. Ghostbusters: Afterlife established that Zeddemore is now the financial backer of the Ghostbusters and the de facto leader of the team.

Read more
Everything points to Apple TV+ making a change you’re not going to like
Is an ad-supported tier coming to Apple TV+?
The Apple TV Plus Logo

It turns out that TV worked pretty well under its old model. According to a new report from Business Insider, Apple TV+ may be the latest streaming service that's set to introduce an ad-supported tier and charge those who don't stream with ads a premium fee to access their great shows and movies.

At this point, the report is still speculation, but Apple has made several recent hires in the advertising space that seem to suggest the direction they're planning to take. The company recently hired former NBCUniversal ad executive Joseph Cady to serve as executive vice president of advanced advertising and partnerships, a move that comes following the company's hiring of another former NBCUniversal executive, Jason Frum, who joined Apple's video ad sales team.

Read more