• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Hifiman HE400i Review (planar headphone)

Jimbob54

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
11,063
Likes
14,694
Does anyone know an online place, preferably in USA, to buy hifiman 400i "2.5 mm balanced" cable (with dual 3.5 mm HP slots) that is reasonably priced (< 25 $)? The cheapest is 43 USD on Amazon and eBay.

No, but try searching for the same but using searches for Beyerdynamic T1/ T5 (second generation), Meze 99 or anything else you can think of with 3.5mm plugs at the HP end. Though to be honest, $43 doesnt sound too far off the mark (not in absolute value terms, but going rate)
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

_thelaughingman

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 1, 2020
Messages
1,324
Likes
1,943
@PSO are your 400i 2020 or 2016 iteration? my HE4xx are 2020 iteration and they are 3.5mm thus I can't use the 2.5mm Meze cable as much I'd love to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

_thelaughingman

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 1, 2020
Messages
1,324
Likes
1,943
@Erici I ordered these yesterday, and just received them few minutes ago. Going to try them out, the build quality is definitely lacking but it is cheap.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

Jimbob54

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
11,063
Likes
14,694
Oh okay. $ 43 is reasonable, then. Thanks very much, Jim. I have Meze balanced cables but had issues when plugged into 400i.

What issues? Generic replacements for Meze hedphones are a nightmare due to the very narrow and recessed holes in the cups but I use Meze cables on my HE 4XX no problem- just not balanced.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

Jimbob54

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
11,063
Likes
14,694
The music plays great and normal on Meze HP's, with the Meze balanced cables. But when I plug into the 400i, the music breaks up. There is a constant interruption - imagine a bad mobile phone signal where you can only hear part of the conversation. It's like that. Then, I try the Meze, its perfect again.

Odd- the single ended meze cable I have that I use on my 4xx has only the one ring on the 3.5mm plugs- as does some I use on my Beyer t1.2 balanced. By any chance does your meze 3.5mm jacks have 2 rings ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

Cahudson42

Major Contributor
Joined
Sep 21, 2019
Messages
1,083
Likes
1,556
FYI, I am using this balanced cable with my HE400i (2016) with a Qudelix:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WMPNFS8/

Work fine. No breakup.

BTW, original 400i SE 3.5mm cable has two rings: IMG_20210125_155749~2.jpg
 
Last edited:

Jimbob54

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
11,063
Likes
14,694
View attachment 108381
These are the ones, sir. This is from the web site I bought. They have a single ring. I will dig them up tomorrow and check again.
They fit in perfectly to the 400i HP's, though. Weirdly, the music breaks up :).

An odd one for sure. I have had issues with some jacks (at HP and amp ends) making you think they are fully inserted but with a real push , an extra 1/2mm or so pops in but guessing you've ruled that out. I have no clue why thats not working.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

Jimbob54

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
11,063
Likes
14,694
@Jimbob54 I clearly remember it was not working earlier, Jim. I checked now, and it's working :). I tried on laptop and mobile for both my 2.5 mm devices, E1DA 9038S and PowerDACv2. Hope it continues to work. In the meanwhile ..
View attachment 108555

Good result. I vividly recall getting my 9038S and plugging in and ...... silence

After much anger I noticed the 2.5mm jack wasnt all the way down to the base. I suspect you were victim to a similar issue on one end of your 400i and cable.

More importantly, do the 400i sound any different balanced (apart from louder for any given setting of course)?
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

_thelaughingman

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 1, 2020
Messages
1,324
Likes
1,943
@PSO i second you on feeling underwhelmed with my He4xx until I EQ’d them. Not the best you can have for planars but these were a starter pack for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PSO

posvibes

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
362
Likes
490
I have used the jaakonpassanen PEQ settings for the following all of my headphones, without doubt all headphones were improved in my opinion except two. I played Spotify Premium via Topping D30 and Sony Integrated amplifier headphone input.

I'm not sure how to implement the shelf's that @amirm uses via the Peace interface, I can see that it can be done but I am still wrestling with how to go about it.

In all cases the EQ took each of the overt individual sound signatures down a big step that were pretty much in your face as a sonic calling card.

AKG 242HD's really toned down the bloated bass but didn't get rid of it but the EQ made a vast improvement , mids were more natural.
Audiotechnica AIR AD900x.
Brainwavz HM5 nothing seems to be able to get these up and running as I thought the EQ might. I might have to revisit, it is unfortunate as they are a very comfortable pair of headphones.
Sennehiser 280Pro's. I use these for noise cancelling, and EQ improved their soundstaging.
Audiotechnica MX40's. I don't mind what the EQ did here, but I prefer the raw MX40 on its own terms.

HiFiman HE400i (2020 version). Improvement in all aspects was off the charts, just a knock out. Clean, precise, see the sand granules at the bottom of a moderately deep rock pool kind of clarity. Cool, spacious, relaxed but aware sound.

I am a fan of K.D Lang's Drag album. Not only for the singing but the instrumentation, arrangements and overall approach. There are so many track on that album with ambient background effects, as if the music had been overlaid on a watercolour wash of prior instrumentation and sound the HE400i's brought all of that into a little more focus.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
I am a fan of K.D Lang's Drag album. Not only for the singing but the instrumentation, arrangements and overall approach.
DTS used to produce surround demo CDs using their codec years ago and would feature K.D. Lang due to their great recording fidelity.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
I'm not sure how to implement the shelf's that @amirm uses via the Peace interface, I can see that it can be done but I am still wrestling with how to go about it.
I am not a user of it but just watched the tutorials and this video shows you how:

 

DavidS

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
25
Likes
11
Yes, and the RME's bass and treble settings give you an additional two bands, as long as you have at least one each (and no more than two) of a low shelf and a high shelf in your settings. I recommend it if like Helicopter (and me) you would rather not always be using a computer.
Can you enlarge on this and say how you use Bass and Treble controls as shelves? Also how to use Amir’s HE-400i EQs on RME ADI-2 with two low shelves needed?

Sorry, trying to learn some of this stuff. David
 

rodtor

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
97
Likes
180
Location
Toronto
Hi David, As you may know, the RME only allows you to set five bands when you configure an EQ preset. This is described on pp. 24-5 of the version of the manual I have. But if you click on I/O on the front of the DAC, then toggle to the bass/treble settings, you can set bass and treble. In each case, you can specify the Q that you want, the frequency and the decibel level. Make sure it is turned 'on'. If you do this, you in effect can have an another low (base) and high (treble) shelf. If you have more than one set of EQ presets, you can easily switch between one and another. Unfortunately, you probably have to change the base and treble setting separately. The first EQ setting can be a low pass, and the fifth a high pass. So you can have two low passes by using the first EQ preset and also the base setting. Amir gives five settings, if I recall correctly, so you can do the whole thing using the RME. I hope that helps!
 

DavidS

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
25
Likes
11
Thanks Rodtor, that is very helpful and I’m playing with the settings now. David
 

ehabheikal

Senior Member
Joined
May 22, 2020
Messages
435
Likes
160
Yeah, I've found that from the headphones listed in my sig. As it stands AKG K702 is my final headphone, as I'm that pleased with it, but I've got HiFiman HE4XX on order due to the "previous" promises of low distortion, EQ'ability to the Harman Curve, and most significantly for me higher soundstage rating (at RTings) of the HE400i (to which the HE4XX is based on) over the K702.
View attachment 100463
At least 800S gets highest soundstage rating at RTings so there's at least some correlation there with Amir's note on the impressive soundstage of 800S...along with the many anecdotal reports of excellent soundstage of the 800S from many reviewers/users.....so I hope there is some good truth to the RTings soundstage rating. Although Amir's ok or good impression of soundstage of HE400i is a bit worrying, as I would have expected that to have been better based on the RTings soundstage rating. I'll just have to see what I think to the HE4XX when it arrives......I'm kind of mostly expecting to like my K702 better now I've seen this HE400i review, but I'll stay open minded.



rtings distortion measurements are very different from the ones here by a large margin. It looks MUCH cleaner on rtings
 
Top Bottom