Hifiman HE400se Owner's Thread.

[Vini darko]

I wouldn't bother with physical mods, because as you say you have no idea what they're doing to the frequency response, and they also sometimes have unwanted effects like increasing distortion vs making the same changes with EQ (as measured by solderdude on a K702 bass mod). Yes, so just use EQ instead, and that way you can use measurements from Oratory as a basis starting point - as soon as you start doing physical mods (same goes for pad changes) it invalidates any measurements you find on the internet of course. (I was going to respond to your bass seal observations, but I can see you found the right answer in one of your later posts).

Yeah you're right of course. The compromise I've landed on is not pulling my hair out of the way when using them. So as to create a minor seal breach.

 

[dustrials]

Just received Chinese non stealth version from 2022 with foam stand included and it has different material on the pads - not velvet. I don't know how it affects sounds but improves comfort for me. I din't like the velvet pad, they were annoying me.

I was testing stealth magnet version so v2 2021 and I liked the sound especially with oratory pdf eq. Non stealth version sounds different, not as good as stealth.
International one has more sub bass and is more forward. I've swapped the pads but stealth magnets sounds better anyway.

The difference is not worth 40$ for me. Maybe 2022 international has these pads too?

The left is 2021 and 2022 is on the right.

 

[lukehawkins]

I've just purchased a set of HE400se's and I noticed the earcups look different to all the ones online. The inner material is a mesh, whereas all the ones I've seen look like a velour. Have I got the latest model? I can't imagine the mesh being the best option for sound quality and comfort. I purchased the stealth version.

 

[Music1969]

View attachment 272071
I've just purchased a set of HE400se's and I noticed the earcups look different to all the ones online. The inner material is a mesh, whereas all the ones I've seen look like a velour. Have I got the latest model? I can't imagine the mesh being the best option for sound quality and comfort. I purchased the stealth version.

But you didn't say exactly where online you purchased?

That is important to know

 

[staticV3]

@lukehawkins yeah looks like you got a new revision. There are stealth revisions all the time at Hifiman, kind of like at Tesla.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...n-he400se-review-headphone.28771/post-1377048

Fwiw, for the HE1000 V2 Hifiman also upgraded the pad material from velours to that textured polyester:

 

[lukehawkins]

But you didn't say exactly where online you purchased?

That is important to know

From Amazon au.

I’m a bit underwhelmed to be honest. Will probably return them. I have Boom3d and have played with eq but just can’t quite get them to shine.

 

[dustrials]

@lukehawkins look at my post directly before yours. I had both and I preferer the new one.

try APO eq and oratory pdf

 

[Miodo]

Hi everyone!
I want to buy Hifiman HE400SE after reading so many recommendations. But as I understand they need some more power for better experiance. I have Audinst HUD-MX1, is it power enough?

 

[Vini darko]

Hi everyone!
I want to buy Hifiman HE400SE after reading so many recommendations. But as I understand they need some more power for better experiance. I have Audinst HUD-MX1, is it power enough?

Hi welcome to asr. Yeah that should be fine. They claim 800mw@32Ω so even with eq that should be plenty. The he400se is fairly efficient it even runs off my phone with eq no worries.

 

[Miodo]

Thanks! I was worried, I try Sundaras in local store and they were very low on volume runs off my phone. With amp they were great! I try also Meze 99 but the quality of bass in Sundaras was amazing, so many details! So I think planar drivers suits me. I want to go with he400se because so many ppl say they don't sound much worse for half of price.

 

[Robbo99999]

@lukehawkins yeah looks like you got a new revision. There are stealth revisions all the time at Hifiman, kind of like at Tesla.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...n-he400se-review-headphone.28771/post-1377048

Fwiw, for the HE1000 V2 Hifiman also upgraded the pad material from velours to that textured polyester:
View attachment 272123

I gotta say, that's a bit frustrating for people who like to use EQ (eg Oratory's EQ), because it invalidates the EQ's somewhat. When you buy a headphone you want to know what you're getting. I think this is a factor that could play negatively against manufacturers that adopt this practice of silent (& frequent) revisions. I know they're not the only manufacturer that does this, but I'm sure some do it more than others.

 

[khensu]

Thanks! I was worried, I try Sundaras in local store and they were very low on volume runs off my phone. With amp they were great! I try also Meze 99 but the quality of bass in Sundaras was amazing, so many details! So I think planar drivers suits me. I want to go with he400se because so many ppl say they don't sound much worse for half of price.

I've not tried Sundara. In fact, the he400se is the first non-garbage headphone I bought after I started reading this site. Barring the potential for support issues (which seems to happen a non-zero and possibly non-trivial percentage of the time), you will definitely enjoy these, esp. if you're willing to add some EQ. They're not close to any target response without, although they are certainly still listenable. They handle EQ quite well, and once you've got it dialed in to your preference, they can punch quite a bit above their price class.
(For the record, I've had no issues with mine. I would recommend the "grill mod", though.)

 

[hrbngr]

Drop has a Memorial Day sale on the HE-X4 right now for $89. Is that still a good buy/option at this point? Also, they do sell the Dekoni ear pads for it, but is anyone aware of more comfortable/cooler pads than stock--if they phones getting warm from use is still an issue...

 

[staticV3]

Also, they do sell the Dekoni ear pads for it, but is anyone aware of more comfortable/cooler pads than stock--if they phones getting warm from use is still an issue...

you could give the cooling gel version of these pads a try: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004595818168.html

 

[Oso Polar]

Hi!

Just got these headphones and really like them so far! Can someone recommend a good reasonably priced balanced (2.5 mm TRRS, for Qudelix) for them? There were a couple of cables listed in this thread but they are not balanced.

 

[dsnyder0cnn]

I'm using these. Very soft and comfortable.

HC-9 Dual 3.5mm TRS Balanced Headphone Cable

The HC-9 is a dual 3.5mm headphone cable compatible with Hifiman, Focal and many other headphones. One of the more ubiquitous cable types, the HC-9 features dual 3 pole TRS connectors and terminates to a female 4-pin mini XLR. This is a balanced cable, compatible with our entire interconnect...

hartaudiocables.com

 

[staticV3]

Hi!

Just got these headphones and really like them so far! Can someone recommend a good reasonably priced balanced (2.5 mm TRRS, for Qudelix) for them? There were a couple of cables listed in this thread but they are not balanced.

This one is solid, and very inexpensive:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256805830305077.html