Yamaha PRO 400

Yamaha came roaring back into the headphone realm with its recent PRO series. At $299.95 (list), the Yamaha PRO 400 is the middle-tier option in the group, with the recent Editors' Choice PRO 500 at the top and the still-not-cheap PRO 300 as the entry-level option. The good news is, all three pairs earn their prices. The PRO 400 offers a powerful sound signature with realistic bass response and a nice sense of space and depth. With a focus on the midrange, it lacks the booming bass some readers may be seeking, and it is not super-bright or crisp, either, but it delivers audio cleanly, even at top volumes.

Design
Yamaha's PRO series has a distinctive look that's not for everyone?glossy plastic (offered in white or black) and a large, shiny Yamaha tuning fork logo on each ear. The plush, circumaural (over-the-ear) ear cups are quite comfortable, but the headband's cushioned, rubbery underside can, unfortunately, get a bit uncomfortable on the scalp during longer listening sessions, and feels this way regardless of adjustments. For shorter durations, this is far less of an issue.

The PRO 400 ships with two detachable cables?both are black, flat, linguini-esque designs, and one has an inline remote control and microphone for mobile devices. The remote-free cable, intended for pro and studio applications, is a whopping 10 feet long, compared with the other cable's more typical 4-foot length.

Call clarity on the PRO 400 is nothing mind-blowing, but your call partner will be able to hear you loud and clear, and vice versa. Yamaha can't really improve on the low fidelity of cellular audio.

The headphones collapse down at hinges above either ear into a more compact size, but the frame still takes up a hefty amount of space. A zip-up, hard-shell protective case comes with the PRO 400, and adds even more size to the equation?basically, this pair will take up a significant portion of bag space. A ?-inch headphone jack adapter is also included.

Performance
On tracks with tremendously deep bass, like the Knife's "Silent Shout," the PRO 400 flirts with distortion at maximum (unsafe) listening levels, but never gives in, offering instead a powerful sub-bass response. Things aren't quite as boosted here as there are on the Beats Pro by Dr. Dre, but they are still plenty intense. The focus of the bass response is rooted a bit higher than the very deepest, lowest sub-bass frequencies, so we hear slightly less subwoofer-esque push than you hear on the Beats or the similarly-priced Denon Music Maniac AH-D340, but the PRO 400 definitely packs a punch.

Much of its focus seems to be on midrange frequencies, both low-mids and hi-mids. This helps bring out a different portion of the bass response to the forefront. On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop's attack has both a nice treble edge to it, as well as a solidifying thump?not the deep, throbbing sub-bass thump you hear in a club, but the more natural kind you get from a real kick drum. The sub-bass synth hits have a nice roundness to them, but they're not in any danger of overtaking the mix. This is a good thing, but bass fiends will probably want a pair with a bit more oomph.

On Bill Callahan's "Drover," his voice could benefit from a little bit more treble edge, but the PRO 400 does a good job of not letting low-mid frequencies muddy up the mix. The constant drum hits on this track often receive too much low-end boost on bass-heavy headphones, making them compete with Callahan's vocals for center-stage. Here they sound natural and intense, but they still take a backseat to the vocals.

On classical tracks, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," the lower register strings still get a nice bit of low frequency boost, primarily because they exist more in low-mids than in the truly low, sub-bass frequency realm, and this is a range the PRO 400 focuses on. Things sound natural, never overly bright nor muddy. The big drum hits at the end of this piece pack a pleasant low-end punch, but nothing that ever seems overly-boosted or out of place.

Basically, this pair is for the flat response, purists crowd who wants to hear bass frequencies, but not have them amplified significantly louder than everything else in the mix. The semi-recessed drivers inside the earcups add a nice sense of space and depth to the sound stage. If there's any complaint, it would be that the PRO 400 could probably sound a bit crisper in the hi-mids.

As it is, however, the PRO 400 offers a clean sound that will appeal to anyone not overly-obsessed with deep bass. If deep sub-bass is what you seek, the aforementioned Beats, as well as the Denon Music Maniac AH-D340, are both heavier hitters, to differing degrees, in that department. The PRO 400's pricing makes sense?it sounds a bit fuller and more intense than its cheaper sibling, the PRO 300, and lacks the power, spatial depth, and overall clarity of its pricier sibling, the Yamaha PRO 500. All three pairs, however, are very solid additions to the headphone realm. If all of these pairs are a bit out of your price range, consider the sub-$200, excellent Sennheiser HD 558?its lower price seems almost incongruous with its rich sound signature.

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