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Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)

Rate this headphone:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 4 1.1%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 15 4.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 118 31.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 235 63.2%

  • Total voters
    372

solderdude

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These are rated at 25 ohm impedance, would these pair well with Sabaj A10h that are rated for nominal impedance of 32 Ohm? The specs on the Sabaj a10h says it pushed 2wX 2 at 16 ohm which I wasn't sure if they're compatible to that amp.

No problem at all.
 

solderdude

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And, how would an amateur like me test for this? Not that it matters, purely out of curiosity.

You could test for this but am reluctant to post how to do this as it might result in people trying the method on other headphones and destroying them while doing this. Anyway.. its a non issue and when absolute phase is a must and you want the HE400SE to be wired in phase check post #280
 

staticV3

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These are rated at 25 ohm impedance, would these pair well with Sabaj A10h that are rated for nominal impedance of 32 Ohm? The specs on the Sabaj a10h says it pushed 2wX 2 at 16 ohm which I wasn't sure if they're compatible to that amp.
According to measurements done by WolfX-700, the A10h will do a little over 7.5Vrms into a 25Ω load.
A10h_output voltage vs load.png
That's enough to drive the HE400se to above 120dBSPL, which is painfully loud.
Just be aware that you will have to supply more than 2.0Vrms to the Amp's input to achieve that.
Using a standard 2.0Vrms DAC will net you just 5.7Vrms max, so about 2.5dBSPL less with the HE400se.
 
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edahl

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Its not an audible issue. I am not even going to bother myself (probably a few minutes job).

It can be solved in 2 ways:
1: open it up and wire correctly to the connector.
This requires popping out the ring on the back that holds the rear plate (pry open with your nail, be careful NOT to break it) and you can access the connector and wires. Simply swap the wires on the connector. It is easy to see why the driver is wired in counter phase... the wiring is 'logical'

View attachment 175295

2: Make a custom cable and wire the 2x 3.5mm plugs in reverse (so sleeve on tip and tip on sleeve)
You can then only use that cable on the HE400SE.

personally I am not bothered by it and only notices after I measured it otherwise, like all other HE400SE owners and reviewers would never have known.
It's a non-issue in practice.
Funnily enough you can reverse phase with an RME ADI-2 DAC FS
 

Pugsly

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A few questions @ solderdude and others with experience:
(1) How do these compare with Sundara's? Would the latter be a genuine upgrade (assuming eq is applied in both instances?) Or are there other comparably priced planar headphones at the price point of sundaras that you would recommend?
(2) Have you, as I asked Amir, compared these with the HD6XX? What are your impressions and/or explanations of differences beyond FR?
(3) If I wanted to be able to power these and the HD6XX from my phone using a bluetooth device, would the Qudelix 5K be sufficient and transparent, or would you recommend a different device at around that price point (e.g., the FiiO BTR5 is the same price in my country.) I am thinking that Qudelix would be better, as apparently it loads the eq into the device itself, which would be very useful for use with my iPhone and Apple Music (since trying to use other programs in iPhone results in copyright protection not allowing access to music through that subscription service, and thus I believe that this would circumvent the issue.)
Would appreciate correction if I am wrong and any feedback from fellow forum denizens with experience with one or more of the above!
Thanks,
Pugs
 

oldmanhifi

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When did they do it? Does it look different than mine in the review picture?

index.php
I ordered a pair from Amazon on Dec 6, delivered Dec 8 and they had a different cord: the wires are enclosed in black plastic (PVC?) and the cord is relatively flexible.
 

Pugsly

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I ordered a pair from Amazon on Dec 6, delivered Dec 8 and they had a different cord: the wires are enclosed in black plastic (PVC?) and the cord is relatively flexible.
Apparently Hifiman decided to change/upgrade the cable in the new edition (v2) after so many of us complained... so thank your lucky stars. Or, if you feel like you might be missing out on that quality cord above, I am happy to sell you mine! lol:cool:
 

oldmanhifi

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Apparently Hifiman decided to change/upgrade the cable in the new edition (v2) after so many of us complained... so thank your lucky stars. Or, if you feel like you might be missing out on that quality cord above, I am happy to sell you mine! lol:cool:
No FOMO for me! I am enjoying these cans and my wife loves that she doesn't have to put up with my loud music on the living room system. I can sit in my office and listen to music as loud as I want, and it sounds so good! Of course it sounds great through my DBR-62s as well. Thank you Amir for pointing me in the direction of the Loxjie A30, DBR-62s and now the HP400SEs.
 

pk500

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A few questions @ solderdude and others with experience:
(2) Have you, as I asked Amir, compared these with the HD6XX? What are your impressions and/or explanations of differences beyond FR?
I own the HE-400se and the 6xx, so I'll try to compare across the spectrum:

SOUNDSTAGE
-- Neither is very wide. The 6xx definitely feel "in the head" with their narrow soundstage. The HE-400se extends slightly past the head, but you won't get the sensation of sound near your shoulders like an HD 800S, K712 or anything like that.

IMAGING
-- Both image very well for the price. I'm able to pick out imaging a smidge better in the 6xx.

TIMBRE
-- This always is a category that's tough for me to assess. Maybe it's my aging, tinnitus-ravaged ears. All I know is that instruments sound real on both. Maybe a bit more natural on the 6xx, but again, timbre is hard for me to judge.

BASS
-- The HE-400se has that "planar bass." I wouldn't call it punchy, but it's more direct and energetic than the bass on the 6xx. The 6xx has present bass, but I wouldn't call it super prominent.

MIDS
-- The absolute strong point of the 6xx. Vocals sound much better and forward on the 6xx than the HE-400se. Any kind of music that's mids-focused will sound better on the 6xx, period.

TREBLE
-- The HE-400se do collapse a bit into grainy treble occasionally with more complex pieces. Still, the treble rolls off nicely. The 6xx, on the other hand, are the easiest cans I've ever listened to because of the treble roll-off. If you get any kind of listening fatigue with the 6xx, then you may have the most sensitive ear canals on Earth. Some people call this roll-off the "Sennheiser veil." Maybe so, but it works very well for my treble-sensitive, tinnitus-ravaged ears. The 6xx are the antithesis of the hot treble of Grados or most Beyerdynamics.

POWER REQUIREMENTS
-- Both need an amp. No question. The 6xx has OK sensitivity but high impedance. The HE-400se has average impedance but low sensitivity. Pick your poison.

COMFORT
-- I have fairly large ears with weird pinnae on my right ear that protrude more than the left. Still, the HE-400se's ear cups fit with ease. The most comfortable ear cups in my collection. But ... the headband created one of the most intense hot spots I've felt for a headphone. Took about five to 10 hours of use and some gentle kneading of the pad with my thumbs to eliminate that. The 6xx have spacious ear cups but not quite as deep as the HE-400se. The 6xx also have pretty strong clamping force. But I still find them comfortable for extended periods of time. The headband is a time-tested, classic comfortable design.

NOTES
-- I have used the HE-400se with balanced cables; I have not with the 6xx. The HE-400se respond well to balanced power, with slightly more detail and better imaging than on single-ended.
-- In general, the HE-400se has a very balanced yet energetic sound signature. The 6xx is a far more laid-back, relaxed listen. I love both equally, and I think there's room for both in any collection since their sound signature are different and one has a planar driver and the other has a dynamic driver.

Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to try to answer!
 

Pugsly

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In general, the HE-400se has a very balanced yet energetic sound signature. The 6xx is a far more laid-back, relaxed listen. I love both equally, and I think there's room for both in any collection since their sound signature are different and one has a planar driver and the other has a dynamic driver.
Agreed with your assessment, generally speaking. I find that I prefer one of them one day, the other the next... and it is very material and mood dependent.

I don't have a balanced amp, just the JDS Element II, so have no basis for comparison there.

I have used eq with both, btw, but find the 6XX more pleasing without eq in many instances, while the HE400SE sounds best with eq applied - this appears to bring the mids more in-line with the 6XX, albeit at the expense of some of the spatial qualities. Even when EQ'd, however, their differences are palpable to me (although of course sighted is kinda a given here, I lack the technical know-how and access to the tools to measure or explain, and so subjective impressions are all I can share, which is why I am fascinated to hear that your impressions agree so closely... but take my 'subjective' adjectives with a healthy bag of salt, and anyone who could explain that/how these adjectives are revealed by measurements would be doing me a great favour!)

Definitely better in my experience to use the 6XX with poorer recordings (old blues, some jazz recordings, lo-fi 90s rock...) and in general is to me like easing into a warm bath - anything but fatiguing or 'clinical'. By contrast, the HE400SE are more detailed and spacious sounding to me, as well as revealing on well-recorded tracks such that I miss those details on the 6XX when listening to technical metal like Animals as Leaders or The Cure's Disintegration. But these are just trends I notice, and I am always interested to hear others' impressions and more informed opinions than my own as to WHY these differences might exist, how these impressions correlate to the data, what the data shows would be a worthy improvement, or a difference beyond what could be achieved using EQ such that adding a further set of cans would be worthwhile...

BTW, I also own some Grado 80s (first open-back headphones I owned, and loved them at the time, but don't really play in this league imho) and AKG K702 (very wide but the treble is harsh even with eq applied, although I have not had them on hand for a few months and so cannot compare with the HE400SE as I loaned them to a friend.
 

solderdude

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Funnily enough you can reverse phase with an RME ADI-2 DAC FS

it's probably cheaper to simply resolder the wires :)
 

solderdude

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A few questions @ solderdude and others with experience:
(1) How do these compare with Sundara's? Would the latter be a genuine upgrade (assuming eq is applied in both instances?) Or are there other comparably priced planar headphones at the price point of sundaras that you would recommend?

I don't have Sundaras so cannot compare directly. With EQ they are probably very close.

(2) Have you, as I asked Amir, compared these with the HD6XX? What are your impressions and/or explanations of differences beyond FR?

These (have HD650 = HD6XX) are very different in many aspects.
There are differences in comfort, in stereo imaging (angled vs non-angled), there are differences in price, there are differences in longevity and supply of spare parts, there are tonal balance differences, there are technical differences (HD650 behaves exemplary where HE400SE rings at various frequencies, there are differences in max SPL and distortion levels at high SPL.
In other words they differ in many more aspects than HD650. Both are good headphones with good and less good properties.

(3) If I wanted to be able to power these and the HD6XX from my phone using a bluetooth device, would the Qudelix 5K be sufficient and transparent, or would you recommend a different device at around that price point (e.g., the FiiO BTR5 is the same price in my country.) I am thinking that Qudelix would be better, as apparently it loads the eq into the device itself, which would be very useful for use with my iPhone and Apple Music (since trying to use other programs in iPhone results in copyright protection not allowing access to music through that subscription service, and thus I believe that this would circumvent the issue.)
Would appreciate correction if I am wrong and any feedback from fellow forum denizens with experience with one or more of the above!
Thanks,
Pugs
I don't have any experience with either device.
 
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GeekyBastard

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Its not an audible issue. I am not even going to bother myself (probably a few minutes job).

It can be solved in 2 ways:
1: open it up and wire correctly to the connector.
This requires popping out the ring on the back that holds the rear plate (pry open with your nail, be careful NOT to break it) and you can access the connector and wires. Simply swap the wires on the connector. It is easy to see why the driver is wired in counter phase... the wiring is 'logical'

View attachment 175295

2: Make a custom cable and wire the 2x 3.5mm plugs in reverse (so sleeve on tip and tip on sleeve)
You can then only use that cable on the HE400SE.

personally I am not bothered by it and only notices after I measured it otherwise, like all other HE400SE owners and reviewers would never have known.
It's a non-issue in practice.
Thank you for your detailed answer! Really appreciate it.:D

I tried flipping the polarity in DAW, turns out open it up and swap the wiring weren't worth it for me, I couldn't hear any difference at all! I guess it matters most for speakers, not for headphones anyway.

(Upon seeing so much wire left hanging in there loosely, it triggered my OCD right away lol, gosh it's so bad.)
 
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solderdude

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it is very thin and supple wire though so it won't be causing much problems.
I do admit I too was a bit surprised how the wires were routed.
Didn't change it in mine but would have been nicer if the wires were routed along side the cup edge and maybe even fixed a bit (hotmeld or something) but this is a very cheap headphone so cheaply produced as well.
 
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Xombul

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Opening a can is not so easy: first, you have to remove six long screws and a black aluminiun ring as well as a ring, made of fabric? (Probably a kind of dampening material?). Then, there is another smaller screw. When done, gently pull the driver (I used a 1.5 mm knitting hook which was kindly lent by my wife ) The driver seems to be glued. This is the tricky step, as the black connecting wires are quite short, very thin and fragile. In a nushell I don't recommend trying to change the wiring.
 

solderdude

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Opening the HE400SE is really easy, you only have to put your fingernail between the plastic ring and the cup and lift the ring out.
See my picture... no need to unscrew anything.
 
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ninetylol

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Was the V1 Version without Stealth magnets and V2 revision is with Stealth magnets?

Also is there a way to see which revision you have (seems V2 Stealth got 2 different cables?)
 

_thelaughingman

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Was the V1 Version without Stealth magnets and V2 revision is with Stealth magnets?

Also is there a way to see which revision you have (seems V2 Stealth got 2 different cables?)
V2 has Stealth Magnets printed on the gimbals and comes with two different cables. Only way to discern V1 was stealth magnets is if the original box that they came in has a printed sticker stating they have stealth magnets.
 
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