Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)

[Music1969]

If there is it will be very small.
Only the shape and type of magnet changed AFAIK.
I haven't cut the cable open but as this is a dual entry headphone it would make sense there are 4 wires all the way to the connector.

Thanks !

I ordered both HE400SE and HD 560S

Both so cheap and start off with good measurements even before EQ

But I'll apply oratory to both and then adjust to taste (probably bass)

Should be fun !

Will be interesting to test comfort etc.

They should be much less fussy about ear seal and bass response than my closed back K371's

 

[solderdude]

The HE400SE is more picky about seal. A little seal loss will lead to more bass but less bass extension (semi-open headphone).

The HD560S does not react much to broken seal (open headphone). Teal trace is seal substantially broken.

The K371 drops the bass levels quickly when the seal is not perfect. (closed headphone)

Below a typical semi-closed headphone, the DT700 Pro X which is less 'affected' than fully closed headphones.

Note: The 4kHz null/dip is 1/4 wavelength of the pad thickness (about 20mm in general)

 

[Stilgar]

Hello again everyone; after 6 months of using He400se with Sundara & Deva & 4xx and 5xx . I am safe to say He400se is one of the best bangs of buck headphones in our times. I've used many amplifier and cas with these headphones but especially 500 mw and upper output power amps minimum required for headroom & omph and bass response. The he400se most power hungry ones. Just keep in mind for new potential buyers. Cheers

 

[Music1969]

I'm loving my new HE400SE. With Amir's simple EQ they sound incredible. With oratory a bit more flexible to adjust bass and treble to taste.

But one problem - sound is a little shifted towards right - vocals that should be dead center are a little to the right.

I don't have this issue with my HD560S or AKG K371 (so it is not my hearing lol).

I will return via Amazon and try to buy another one.

Anyone else have this issue or seen it reported?

With oratory1990 for all 3 headphones, HE400SE wins for me. Incredible

 

[Music1969]

I've seen this comment by rtings review of HE400SE:

 

[Stilgar]

I'm loving my new HE400SE. With Amir's simple EQ they sound incredible. With oratory a bit more flexible to adjust bass and treble to taste.

But one problem - sound is a little shifted towards right - vocals that should be dead center are a little to the right.

I don't have this issue with my HD560S or AKG K371 (so it is not my hearing lol).

I will return via Amazon and try to buy another one.

Anyone else have this issue or seen it reported?

With oratory1990 for all 3 headphones, HE400SE wins for me. Incredible

Hi; some models have this problem due to production problems , many users tells the same story " one channel lower volume than the others or channel imbalance " when your new ones come, yıou test it again, wish to luck

 

[Music1969]

Hi; some models have this problem due to production problems , many users tells the same story " one channel lower volume than the others or channel imbalance " when your new ones come, yıou test it again, wish to luck

Thanks! Since I do EQ already , if I drop right channel by 3dB, then the vocals become more center. T

3dB is a lot!

And I don't really know if it is just a level issue, across all frequencies. Or only for a range of frequencies. Doing by ear is not the best.

If many others report this, it is bad quality control.

Lucky returns with Amazon is very easy. Might be more difficult to explain this to a retailer.

 

[Music1969]

So on reddit there's a few different HiFiMan and Audeze cans with this issue.

There were some good suggestions.

First to rule out hearing (not a problem since I have no issue with HD560S and K371 but I still tried it) - they suggest to play a mono track on both channels. And then flip the headphones around. In my case the channel imbalance flips side - so it is the drivers.

But I also used this mono method with vocal that should be dead center - and i need to drop right channel by 3.6 dB for balance !

The end result is really great sound quality but I would still prefer not to have this issue so will return in Amazon.

If replacement has same problem... I have to decide if I live with it knowing that I can balance it out using this mono technique with good results - or decide if I return replacement also.

Incredible sound quality though, especially with oratory EQ.

It must be the low distortion.

Even Amirm's EQ on page 1 sounds really really good. I'm not a fan of Amir's EQ for AKG K371 compared with oratory.

 

[Music1969]

Hi @solderdude - the stock HE400SE cable plugs look like 3.5mm TRS

Can TS also be used safely to plug into each earcup?

 

[ZööZ]

Thanks! Since I do EQ already , if I drop right channel by 3dB, then the vocals become more center. T

3dB is a lot!

Is it? I did notice I didn't have to lower the left channel as much as with other headphones so I guess I have the same problem. (Usually I have to lower it 2.0-4db to center the stereo image because some hearing damage in my right ear, which they haven't caught in hearing tests, my guess is those go in 5db increments and the problem is smaller than that)

 

[solderdude]

Hi @solderdude - the stock HE400SE cable plugs look like 3.5mm TRS

Can TS also be used safely to plug into each earcup?

I would use a TRS plug and only connect T & S.
This way one can never short the source when the cable is pulled from the headphone or is inserted halfway.

 

[Music1969]

Is it? I did notice I didn't have to lower the left channel as much as with other headphones so I guess I have the same problem. (Usually I have to lower it 2.0-4db to center the stereo image because some hearing damage in my right ear, which they haven't caught in hearing tests, my guess is those go in 5db increments and the problem is smaller than that)

Sorry to hear about your hearing loss (it will eventually reach me of course but not yet).

But from QA/QC having a pair of drivers 3.6dB out of balance is a lot.

As I mentioned my AKG K371 and Senn HD560S don't have this issue at all

 

[Music1969]

So on reddit there's a few different HiFiMan and Audeze cans with this issue.

There were some good suggestions.

First to rule out hearing (not a problem since I have no issue with HD560S and K371 but I still tried it) - they suggest to play a mono track on both channels. And then flip the headphones around. In my case the channel imbalance flips side - so it is the drivers.

But I also used this mono method with vocal that should be dead center - and i need to drop right channel by 3.6 dB for balance !

The end result is really great sound quality but I would still prefer not to have this issue so will return in Amazon.

If replacement has same problem... I have to decide if I live with it knowing that I can balance it out using this mono technique with good results - or decide if I return replacement also.

Incredible sound quality though, especially with oratory EQ.

It must be the low distortion.

Even Amirm's EQ on page 1 sounds really really good. I'm not a fan of Amir's EQ for AKG K371 compared with oratory.

A few reddit threads just on HiFiman channel imbalance alone and theres others on Audeze planars.

Disappointing because SQ is great.

Hopefully replacements are ok.

I would settle for maybe 1dB and DSP it but 3.6dB is poor quality control

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/pzcwao

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/j6p1c1

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/331e3x

 

[Music1969]

So I actually did this test described by @staticV3 below, using REW after seeing it on the HD 560S thread:

Easy, just listen to sine waves at different frequencies in Mono and adjust the L/R balance until the tone is centered.
Do that at 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400Hz..... and you have a channel imbalance vs Frequency graph.

With right channel set 3.6dB lower than left channel, tones stay central up to 6300Hz

I then play tones jumping up 1/3 octaves.

Then at 8kHz the tone shifts to the right

At 10kHz the tone goes left

At 12.5kHz the tone goes center again

Yikes! So simply reducing one channel by fixed amount is not enough.

The drivers have non-linear behaviour

This is bad.

I thought i could probably live with the headphones with a fixed level gain applied but its not good.

At 7.5kHz specifically the tone is FULLY right - even though REW is outputting left channel only and I am mixing left channel from REW to both left and right drivers.

So the left driver basically doesn't even work at 7.5kHz !

7.5kHz tone on my HD 560S plays centrally - so it is not my hearing

 

[Music1969]

The HE400SE is more picky about seal. A little seal loss will lead to more bass but less bass extension (semi-open headphone).

How would you compare Sundara - is that semi-open also ?

Or less fussy about seal than HE400SE ?

 

[solderdude]

To me Sundara was a slighly better HE400SE (soundwise) and liked the comfort more. Despite the non existent swivel in the cups I got a good seal
Sundara 2021 seal:

I think the 400SE and Sundara have the same pads (have neither anymore) or very similar at least.
HE 400SE seal:

Lets state it this way. When you have the HE400SE there is not much point in 'upgrading' to a Sundara.
When you have a Sundara there is no point in also owning a HE400SE.
When one wants to choose between them I would say let the budget decide.
When the Sundara is not too expensive perhaps go with that one if possible and the budget allows it.
The Sundara is not a 'much better' headphone than the HE400SE but it is a bit better.

Both are good headphones but no keepers for me.

 

[xavx]

Got these 2 days ago. They give such a clean and dynamic sound compared to my "dynamic driver" headphones - K702 & HD560S. By clean, I mean the sound doesn't linger/reverb and becomes a soup. Best analogy I find is the K702 & HD560S made me feel like being at a concert/live performance while the HE made me feel like being at a recording studio with foam dampened walls. By dynamic, I mean that increasing the volume allows more amplitude to the sound but doesn't make everything louder like "dynamic driver" headphones do. Hard to describe... Might be related to the flat impedance or the technology.
Only downsides I found are : the sound is open but quite flat (an EQ boost in 10KHz+ can help a bit), the cheap and short cable (didn't have the 2nd cable), the DIY aspect. Imbalance hasn't been a problem on the one I got.
Despite the bulky aspect, I found them very comfortable : big ear cups with soft foam pads, no clamping, just a pressure point on the top of the skull which soften with time or goes away by moving a little, cups can get warm over time.
Overall they are great : first planars and first headphones I manage to wear for an entire afternoon without feeling earing fatigue or comfort issue.

Out of curiosity, what is the step up coming from these headphones ?

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

Got these 2 days ago. They give such a clean and dynamic sound compared to my "dynamic driver" headphones - K702 & HD560S. By clean, I mean the sound doesn't linger/reverb and becomes a soup. Best analogy I find is the K702 & HD560S made me feel like being at a concert/live performance while the HE made me feel like being at a recording studio with foam dampened walls. By dynamic, I mean that increasing the volume allows more amplitude to the sound but doesn't make everything louder like "dynamic driver" headphones do. Hard to describe... Might be related to the flat impedance or the technology.
Only downsides I found are : the sound is open but quite flat (an EQ boost in 10KHz+ can help a bit), the cheap and short cable (didn't have the 2nd cable), the DIY aspect. Imbalance hasn't been a problem on the one I got.
Despite the bulky aspect, I found them very comfortable : big ear cups with soft foam pads, no clamping, just a pressure point on the top of the skull which soften with time or goes away by moving a little, cups can get warm over time.
Overall they are great : first planars and first headphones I manage to wear for an entire afternoon without feeling earing fatigue or comfort issue.

Out of curiosity, what is the step up coming from these headphones ?

I owned the Edition XS before the HE400SE and I preferred and kept the HE400SE. The Edition XS has incredible bass and openness right out of the box, but the elevated high frequency beyond 10kHz eventually bothered me in the long run, and I had to EQ them away. I believe the hotter treble is the result of the oval pad's larger cavity. Since you prefer boosting the 10kHz+ range, the Edition XS might be your best bet. They also have the same swivel headband structure so you should feel very comfortable as well. The Edition XS pads have cloth(?) surface as oppose to velour on the HE400SE pads, and I prefer the cloth's feel to the skin over velour.

Or, instead of getting new headphones, you could get third-party pads that have larger cavity. Like those ZMF pads.

 

[Keerati]

Just discover Wavelet app from crinacle. You can automatically EQ Hifiman HE400se to harman target without any cost.

Thanks for both crinacle and Pittvandewitt for this great app.

 

[GERGE]

My audio interface (Axe I/O Solo) was struggling with -9.3 dB preamp with oratory1990 EQ preset while listening to quite songs and gaming, so I came up with this by using AutoEQ, Crinacle's app and some hand fiddling.

Preamp: -3.8 dB
Filter 1: ON LS Fc 120 Hz Gain 3.8 dB Q 0.7
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 230 Hz Gain -1.7 dB Q 0.7
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 920 Hz Gain -2.6 dB Q 1.5
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1800 Hz Gain 4.1 dB Q 2.0
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2300 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 2.0
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3200 Hz Gain -1.3 dB Q 4.0
Filter 7: ON HS Fc 8000 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 0.7

Difference is subtle, but oratory1990 preset clearly have better bass. I will use this until I buy an amplifier when volume isn't enough.

PS. My first message here =)