Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)

[Mr Swing King]

Here's a strange observation - not positive or negative, just an observation. Most people say the 400se have a brighter tilt. The graphs correlate that. However, the graphs also show the Aune AR5000 to be smoother or darker in comparison. However, when doing A/B'ing both, I come up with the opposite - the AR5000 are actually clearer and brighter than the other. The 400se has a very smooth and 'creamy' high end. I love both - one for relaxed listening (400se), and the AR5000 for more daytime 'sunny' appreciation. Anyone who has both noticed that as well?

The AR5000 comes with both angled drivers as well as angled pads which means you can get VERY different results with regards to the presentation depending on how you position it on your head. If you place your ears way back in the cups, you end up with the sort of tuning Amir showed over his review. If you then place them forward in the cups, you end up with something like this:

 

[Mr Vinyl]

The AR5000 comes with both angled drivers as well as angled pads which means you can get VERY different results with regards to the presentation depending on how you position it on your head. If you place your ears way back in the cups, you end up with the sort of tuning Amir showed over his review. If you then place them forward in the cups, you end up with something like this:
View attachment 393103

Yes, I am aware of that. They are still consistently clearer than the 400se. Have you compared both side-by-side?

 

[Mr Vinyl]

You're going to want to make sure the volume is the same from both headphones. Which is pretty hard to do.

It doesn't matter at which volume they are - within reason - the AR500 sounded consistently brighter and clearer that the 400se, and on various tracks. At first I thought that may have to do with the slight bloom around 200Hz, but even in sections with mainly cymbal splashes, the results confirmed my observations. Have you compared both? What are your thoughts?

 

[Mr Swing King]

Yes, I am aware of that. They are still consistently clearer than the 400se. Have you compared both side-by-side?

I have actually and do not find them clearer with my ears placed back in the cups

 

[vvox]

Good day, music lovers!

I have now LG V50, fiio x5ii and superlux hd330 and KZ ZS10.

Wait 10 years before finding something really better than my headphones for this price. And always interested in new technologies.

Find out, that for the H400SE, I need a good amp.

Maybe someone knows the best deal? It can be portable or not. Maybe used market. But I from Ukraine, and our market is different) AliExpress is a good option.

Douk audio u3 mini must be enough?

I need the best variant for the budget price.

Will be buying v1, because it is chipper and differences in sound, not equal to the difference in the money. Like always with sound devices.

Thanks for your answers!

PS. HD330: 150Ohm; 96-sens. LG V50 2Vrms.

And for me, it is good loud. Use on 85-90% loudness. But, no room for quiet music.

X5ii has 2.4Vrms and this is enough for me.

 

[roladyzator]

Good day, music lovers!

I have now LG V50, fiio x5ii and superlux hd330 and KZ ZS10.

Wait 10 years before finding something really better than my headphones for this price. And always interested in new technologies.

Find out, that for the H400SE, I need a good amp.

Maybe someone knows the best deal? It can be portable or not. Maybe used market. But I from Ukraine, and our market is different) AliExpress is a good option.

Douk audio u3 mini must be enough?

I need the best variant for the budget price.

Will be buying v1, because it is chipper and differences in sound, not equal to the difference in the money. Like always with sound devices.

Thanks for your answers!

PS. HD330: 150Ohm; 96-sens. LG V50 2Vrms.

And for me, it is good loud. Use on 85-90% loudness. But, no room for quiet music.

X5ii has 2.4Vrms and this is enough for me.

The HD330 seems to be at 104 dB / V according to my math, which is the same as the HE400SE.
Depending on the current output capabilities of your sources, you may or may not be able to get to the same loudness with the HE400SE.

I was happy with it with a 1V dongle, though I eventually bought a Fosi DS2.
I wouldn't bet, though, that it actually sounds better in a blind test at the same listening volume.

I'd say don't buy an amp in advance, perhaps what you have is enough.
If not, the Douk seems to have plenty power, but I didn't see any measurements regarding noise and distortion.

 

[roladyzator]

I did find some measurements for the Douk.
It seems to have reasonable performance, but there are some issues:
- Fixed 10x voltage gain.
- Volume knob jumping from -80 dB to -50 dB.

Douk Audio U3 Review: The Douk of Wishful Thinking

A friend in town handed this to me to check out, presumably on the condition that I write a review about it. Weeks go by - where's that review? OK OK,...

www.superbestaudiofriends.org

 

[vvox]

The HD330 seems to be at 104 dB / V according to my math, which is the same as the HE400SE.
Depending on the current output capabilities of your sources, you may or may not be able to get to the same loudness with the HE400SE.

I was happy with it with a 1V dongle, though I eventually bought a Fosi DS2.
I wouldn't bet, though, that it actually sounds better in a blind test at the same listening volume.

I'd say don't buy an amp in advance, perhaps what you have is enough.
If not, the Douk seems to have plenty power, but I didn't see any measurements regarding noise and distortion.

Thanks! Now that I know about Fosi DS2, and it is your fault, that I want to buy it)

"I'd say don't buy an amp in advance" Good thinking. In the worst case, I'm siting with cool headphones in box and waiting new AMP)

I have seen this information about Douk. There is nothing critical with headphones like the HE400SE in my opinion.

All reviews say, it is a hard model, and the numbers says the same.

In the calculator: For HE400SE on 2Vrms lgv50 (Amir measure) and for my HD330

Ohms - 32(25) 150
dB/mW - 91 96
mV RMS - 2000 2000
dB - 112(113) 110
mA RMS - 63(80) 13
mW - 125(160) 27
By numbers, it will be even louder with new. BUT I read comments, where people say about 200 mW for the 32 Ohm amp needed for this model. (I need more opinions) Thanks for the answer!

 

[roladyzator]

This has been discussed already in this thread.
Things usually sound better when loud, because it's loud, not because somehow spare power is converted into extra fidelity.

Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)

Yes, I tried this EQ already, I thought you had one that was fine tuned.

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Mr Vinyl]

Good day, music lovers!

I have now LG V50, fiio x5ii and superlux hd330 and KZ ZS10.

Wait 10 years before finding something really better than my headphones for this price. And always interested in new technologies.

Find out, that for the H400SE, I need a good amp.

Maybe someone knows the best deal? It can be portable or not. Maybe used market. But I from Ukraine, and our market is different) AliExpress is a good option.

Douk audio u3 mini must be enough?

I need the best variant for the budget price.

Will be buying v1, because it is chipper and differences in sound, not equal to the difference in the money. Like always with sound devices.

Thanks for your answers!

PS. HD330: 150Ohm; 96-sens. LG V50 2Vrms.

And for me, it is good loud. Use on 85-90% loudness. But, no room for quiet music.

X5ii has 2.4Vrms and this is enough for me.

Greetings!

'Loud' is also relative. You also make no mention of what your music sources are - phone, records, CDs, etc.
That said, here are a few scenarios (in my case) that works:
For quiet indoors, both my phones work. At maximum volume, it is 'loud enough' with Rammstein, but not more. With jazz or classical works, I would definitely
need more volume as they have a wider dynamic range.
My mini sound system in the kitchen plays more than loud from its headphone output.
My main Arcam stereo amplifier in my livingroom will play loud beyond any level I will ever use.
I also have a dedicated Topping headphone amp, but that is not at the price point you are after.
In my home studio, my PC is outed to a Behringer or a Mackie analog mixers.
You can also get the Behringer 5-channel mixer for around the same price as the Douk - even cheaper if you buy it used (don't get the one with USB, just the regular analog one). Its headphone amp is very decent, plus, you can hook up a bunch of peripherals (phone, cd player, etc, to its multiple inputs and even have a two-stage amplification from your phone).
Of course, you can also get the Douk!

 

[vvox]

Greetings!

'Loud' is also relative. You also make no mention of what your music sources are - phone, records, CDs, etc.
That said, here are a few scenarios (in my case) that works:
For quiet indoors, both my phones work. At maximum volume, it is 'loud enough' with Rammstein, but not more. With jazz or classical works, I would definitely
need more volume as they have a wider dynamic range.
My mini sound system in the kitchen plays more than loud from its headphone output.
My main Arcam stereo amplifier in my livingroom will play loud beyond any level I will ever use.
I also have a dedicated Topping headphone amp, but that is not at the price point you are after.
In my home studio, my PC is outed to a Behringer or a Mackie analog mixers.
You can also get the Behringer 5-channel mixer for around the same price as the Douk - even cheaper if you buy it used (don't get the one with USB, just the regular analog one). Its headphone amp is very decent, plus, you can hook up a bunch of peripherals (phone, cd player, etc, to its multiple inputs and even have a two-stage amplification from your phone).
Of course, you can also get the Douk!

I mentioned phone, LG v50 and Player Fiio x5ii. FLAC my main format. I mentioned my headphones, Ohm and Sens. And what loudness I use)
The best choice in my situation will be:
Buy the v1 version and give it a try with my devices. I read a lot today about all of this stuff. So, first try. Then Amplified)
Thanks for answering! Finde used Behringer for Douk prise. With usb( But don't need it. I hope...

 

[Robbo99999]

Thanks! Now that I know about Fosi DS2, and it is your fault, that I want to buy it)

"I'd say don't buy an amp in advance" Good thinking. In the worst case, I'm siting with cool headphones in box and waiting new AMP)

I have seen this information about Douk. There is nothing critical with headphones like the HE400SE in my opinion.

All reviews say, it is a hard model, and the numbers says the same.

In the calculator: For HE400SE on 2Vrms lgv50 (Amir measure) and for my HD330

Ohms - 32(25) 150
dB/mW - 91 96
mV RMS - 2000 2000
dB - 112(113) 110
mA RMS - 63(80) 13
mW - 125(160) 27
By numbers, it will be even louder with new. BUT I read comments, where people say about 200 mW for the 32 Ohm amp needed for this model. (I need more opinions) Thanks for the answer!

HE400SE is not difficult to drive. Most of my headphones are all used around about same small volume range re volume knob position (apart from HP50 which is very easy to drive), I'd say HE400SE are harder to drive than HD560s, and easier to drive than K702, but I'll doubt you'll need any special amps for them. I should add that this is after EQ to Harman Curve, so different negative preamps required. HE400SE gets an EQ boost above 1kHz so that would actually help increase it's sensitivity (make it easier to drive) vs other EQ'd headphones that might have cuts in that region as well as only boosts in the bass region, so it will depend on the EQ too.

 

[vvox]

HE400SE is not difficult to drive. Most of my headphones are all used around about same small volume range re volume knob position (apart from HP50 which is very easy to drive), I'd say HE400SE are harder to drive than HD560s, and easier to drive than K702, but I'll doubt you'll need any special amps for them. I should add that this is after EQ to Harman Curve, so different negative preamps required. HE400SE gets an EQ boost above 1kHz so that would actually help increase it's sensitivity (make it easier to drive) vs other EQ'd headphones that might have cuts in that region as well as only boosts in the bass region, so it will depend on the EQ too.

Thanks for answering!

I decided to try it with my devices. If it's worked, I don't need to waste money on an amp. The LG V50 has a good DAC. Amir has reviewed LG v7 (same thing in sound). Fiio x5ii is not bad either)

But, I need dac for PC. It will be something like a cheap on 43131. And if I need amplification, it will be Fosi DS2. Thanks roladyzator for the mention)

Better spend money in the situation.

I read a thread about EQ on h400se. If simplified, download a program, make presets. And comparing them. Chose one for my taste. Or make my own. Combining parts of them)

I saw negative preamps 9-10 on presets. Negative - must decree loudness? Or does it compensate for the peak height of equalization?

 

[roladyzator]

Thanks for answering!

I decided to try it with my devices. If it's worked, I don't need to waste money on an amp. The LG V50 has a good DAC. Amir has reviewed LG v7 (same thing in sound). Fiio x5ii is not bad either)

But, I need dac for PC. It will be something like a cheap on 43131. And if I need amplification, it will be Fosi DS2. Thanks roladyzator for the mention)

Better spend money in the situation.

I read a thread about EQ on h400se. If simplified, download a program, make presets. And comparing them. Chose one for my taste. Or make my own. Combining parts of them)

I saw negative preamps 9-10 on presets. Negative - must decree loudness? Or does it compensate for the peak height of equalization?

Yes, the negative preamp is to prevent the equalised audio signal from going above full scale in the worst condition.
Worst condition would mean that the signal was already reaching full scale at that frequency before equalisation.
That is more likely to happen with bass boost rather than treble due to how musical sounds are structured from the spectral perspective - most energy in low frequencies, decreasing energy in the higher frequencies.

If going by Oratory1990's EQ preset, you can skip the 38 Hz low shelf - it's barely noticeable (you need to listen quite loud, in a quiet room, and to music with significant energy there) and does give you back the 4 dB of headroom once disabled.
In my case, the suggested 7 dB of boost at 2 kHz was too much, I'm comfortable with 4.5.

The Fosi is nice and small, but it has sound dropouts on some devices (my work laptop, my phone unless I shut down BT and enable power saving mode).
Looks like they didn't fully figure out the USB receiver side of it just yet.

The dropouts are noticeable, because instead of just having silence for a fraction of a second, the sound level increases gradually from zero.

Buy from a place with decent return policy.

 

[GaryH]

@GaryH , you said in that other thread that you were going to buy the HE400SE at that £69 bargain price after we'd both seen that deal posted up by @oceansize over in the Edition XS thread. Did you end up getting it, have you worked out what you think to them yet? (and vs the HE4XX?) Thanks @oceansize by the way for posting up that deal, because I wouldn't have bought them otherwise, I'm enjoying them!

Sorry completely forgot about this! Yes I did get them, and they're exactly what I'd hope they'd be - as good or better bass impact than the HE4XX (both EQed to Harman via Oratory's EQ), but with better clarity (presumably due to the generally smoother treble), plus a fairly expansive soundstage. At that price I'd say they're probably the best value headphones you can get, and really just excellent sounding all-round cans, regardless of price. The only slight issue is the headband becomes a bit uncomfortable for me after extended listening, think I might prefer the HE4XX's headband comfort-wise.

 

[Robbo99999]

Sorry completely forgot about this! Yes I did get them, and they're exactly what I'd hope they'd be - as good or better bass impact than the HE4XX (both EQed to Harman via Oratory's EQ), but with better clarity (presumably due to the generally smoother treble), plus a fairly expansive soundstage. At that price I'd say they're probably the best value headphones you can get, and really just excellent sounding all-round cans, regardless of price. The only slight issue is the headband becomes a bit uncomfortable for me after extended listening, think I might prefer the HE4XX's headband comfort-wise.

Ah brilliant, we got a great deal on those at £69!! Yeah, they're truly excellent headphones. I've been enjoying them the most recently, and they were the least fuss to get the EQ right out of all my headphones.

 

[MrBrainwash]

Ah brilliant, we got a great deal on those at £69!! Yeah, they're truly excellent headphones. I've been enjoying them the most recently, and they were the least fuss to get the EQ right out of all my headphones.

Sorry for asking out of nowhere but do you bought V1 or V2 pair of HE400se and which one are measured by Oratory1990?

 

[roladyzator]

Sorry for asking out of nowhere but do you bought V1 or V2 pair of HE400se and which one are measured by Oratory1990?

Oratory1990 wrote in the PDF comments that there was no significant difference between the two.

I suppose there is some unit / fit variation so don't take the EQ at face value and you should be fine

 

[vvox]

Sorry for asking out of nowhere but do you bought V1 or V2 pair of HE400se and which one are measured by Oratory1990?

AutoEq

Automatic headphone equalization

autoeq.app

On this site you can finde preset by oratory and another guy, who make two different presets for two versions. I opened today for myself a 10EQ with kz zs10... What a shit I listening all this years?) And why this site on a paper not in all audio devices boxes?)
He400se only planning to buy before christmas)

 

[vvox]

Friends, I need your opinions.
Sundara Closed back, Deva Pro or HE400SE?
400 is chipper and win/win, but, maybe with $40 more, I can have something slightly better? Want Sundra closed, like the wood) But how does it compare with these other two models?