solderdude
Grand Contributor
Just production tolerance/variation (the impedance) and frequency response is also a bit subjected to tolerances.
Nothing to worry about.
Nothing to worry about.
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Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)
- Thread starter amirm
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roladyzator
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I don't expect there would be much differences. I would expect unit variation and the per-individual frequency response variation to matter more.
Anyway, I have a 32 Ohm unit purchased in August last year. Both Amir's and Oratory1990's EQ result in a sound that's too shouty to me.
I am boosting the 2 kHz filter to a lesser extent.
Also, with Oratory1990's EQ I am getting too much bass at 5.5 dB.
I'm using 3 dB for my HE400SE, even though I like my HD 700 with 5 dB and the K371 with no EQ.
I just want to say that you do need to personalise the EQ for best results that will be a combination of your preferences and the actual frequency response you're getting.
Great headphones, though. Have fun!
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
I found them very reliable with Oratory EQ, similar experience with an HE4XX headphone too - I tend to think the round Hifimans have quite low unit to unit variation - I don't think you should worry about it - I'd recommend you use the Oratory EQ.
Bought a refurbished one for only 59 € directly at the German distributor. Not that I would need another headphone, but at this price I simply couldn't resist. It should arrive this week.
Buying a balanced cable for using it with the Fiio BTR17 is planned. Since this is at least half the price of the headphone I'm going to check first whether the single-ended power of the device suffices.
Buying a balanced cable for using it with the Fiio BTR17 is planned. Since this is at least half the price of the headphone I'm going to check first whether the single-ended power of the device suffices.
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
If you like Harman, I think you should try it with Oratory EQ, I found it very good with that. In fact I want to try mine with Oratory EQ plus a modification to original GRAS Welti as per this thread:
AES 2025 Paper: New targets for the B&K 5128 GRAS 45CA-10
There is a new AES paper published by Dr. Sean Olive @Sean Olive and Dan Clark @Dan Clark on potential targets for GRAS 45CA and B&K 5128: A Preferred Headphone Target Curve Defined for the B&K 5128and GRAS 45CA-10 Test Fixtures ABSTRACT The Harman around-ear and on-ear headphone target...
www.audiosciencereview.com
AES 2025 Paper: New targets for the B&K 5128 GRAS 45CA-10
Ah, you're not gonna overlay a new curve over the top like you mentioned in your review? Instead you're gonna be listening to the headphones and deciding if you want to boost 3-8kHz by a certain amount each time & you may rest at a different boost level each time perhaps, and praps even zero...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Since Harman works quite well for me with open-backs I'm going to try Oratory1990's preset, AutoEQ and the suggestion of @amirm.If you like Harman, I think you should try it with Oratory EQ, I found it very good with that. In fact I want to try mine with Oratory EQ plus a modification to original GRAS Welti as per this thread:
I think I'll try it with Oratory EQ along with the 2 conversion filters I worked out in relation to Hifiman Susvara in same thread as perhaps headphone will behave the same way:AES 2025 Paper: New targets for the B&K 5128 GRAS 45CA-10
There is a new AES paper published by Dr. Sean Olive @Sean Olive and Dan Clark @Dan Clark on potential targets for GRAS 45CA and B&K 5128: A Preferred Headphone Target Curve Defined for the B&K 5128and GRAS 45CA-10 Test Fixtures ABSTRACT The Harman around-ear and on-ear headphone target...
AES 2025 Paper: New targets for the B&K 5128 GRAS 45CA-10
Ah, you're not gonna overlay a new curve over the top like you mentioned in your review? Instead you're gonna be listening to the headphones and deciding if you want to boost 3-8kHz by a certain amount each time & you may rest at a different boost level each time perhaps, and praps even zero...
roladyzator
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There are also some presets prepared by RTINGS based on measurements on B&K5128 that you could try.
RTINGS - Headphone Equalizer Repository
For me, the HE400SE doesn't sound right with any preset, most notably because anything above 4-5 dB for the 2 kHz boost filter becomes somewhat unpleasant.
And the bass feels a bit boomy with more than 3-4 dB boost, where I usually like more.
After addressing those quirks, though, they sound really nice.
To me their biggest advantage is lack of any annoying peaks in the treble, which I know can be an entirely personal thing.
That's one thing preventing me from blindly "upgrading" to Edition XS or Arya now that their price is lower.
RTINGS - Headphone Equalizer Repository
For me, the HE400SE doesn't sound right with any preset, most notably because anything above 4-5 dB for the 2 kHz boost filter becomes somewhat unpleasant.
And the bass feels a bit boomy with more than 3-4 dB boost, where I usually like more.
After addressing those quirks, though, they sound really nice.
To me their biggest advantage is lack of any annoying peaks in the treble, which I know can be an entirely personal thing.
That's one thing preventing me from blindly "upgrading" to Edition XS or Arya now that their price is lower.
The HE 400se arrived. Manufacturing quality isn't halfway as bad as it's sometimes told.
The oratory preset is too boomy and too shouty in the upper mids. Dialing the bass shelf back to 4db and the frequency from 105 to 95 Hz and reducing the 1.9k boost from 7 to 5 db moves things in the right direction. For 59 Euros definitely a steal.
The oratory preset is too boomy and too shouty in the upper mids. Dialing the bass shelf back to 4db and the frequency from 105 to 95 Hz and reducing the 1.9k boost from 7 to 5 db moves things in the right direction. For 59 Euros definitely a steal.
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You can get a balanced cable €10 or even less from AliExpress, you might have to make the order up to €10 to get free shipping.
Search: https://de.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-4.4-balanced-dual-3.5-cable.html
If it goes loud enough, you possibly don't need it. What can happen is it will start to distort subtly in the bass on the single-ended if you are pushing the amp into clipping, and you get 4x the power before that happens with the balanced out. Depends on the amp and the headphone when this happens, it's more likely to happen the lower the impedance of the headphone (lower impedance = more current). I get get audible bass distortion on 16Ω Hifimans out of underpowered single ended outputs which goes away on balanced. Less likely to happen on 25Ω or 32Ω (HE400SE).
Found a trustworthy looking one for a little more
roladyzator
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I had an occasion to listen to Sundara, the XS/Ananda/Arya line, XV, HE600, Susvara last weekend on an audio event. The Sundara immediately struck to as very clean sounding and neutral.
Like and EQd HE400SE if you don't boost the bass too much. The treble was just right as well, perfectly in the middle.
I did like the XS more as they felt more comfortable (like they're not on your head) and did appreciate the V shaped sound for my selection of music.
But I wouldn't say the egg shaped ones are next-level or something, they do go for a more "wow" sound and can be a hit or miss. Just a different choice, with only price and finish hinting at the next product tier.
Incidentally that was my exact approach when I listened to them last time. I had the Oratory1990 EQ dialed in and I mostly liked it at first, but then after listening to other headphones and IEMs for a while, on coming back to the HE400SE I was bothered by the bass and excessive midrange. I toned them down pretty much exactly the same as you.
Later I came across the correction filters for Gras fixture and that midrange adjustment is sounding very good to me. I put the 1.9kHz boost back where it was originally and added these two bands of EQ:
2250 Hz, -1.8 dB, 1.5 Q
6460 Hz, +2.5 dB, 1.11 Q
I left the bass at +4dB.
My HE400SE now sound very pleasant to my ear. That little bit of 6.5k boost makes them come alive on some music. I was tempted to upgrade them to a more expensive model but I decided against it. They have a place in my little collection and I like them for what they do. For the money they cost, they are a true bargain.
The Sundara arrived. What sets it apart from the HE400se: It sounds great out of the box without EQ while the 400se has a too big dip @1,9k to be enjoyable whitout some boost. Still, a bit added bass is welcome, +3 @95 Hz with Q 0.7 is sufficient.
Going back to the matter of build quality, the problem I ran into and that I'm going to share is highly unlikely to be unheard of, however I only found out when it happened to me.
Without further ado, the two drivers are attached to the headband with two screws (one in front, one in the back) that thread into two plastic swivels.
These T-shaped, retaining bits of plastic only hold the drivers through a wider plastic base that prevents them from sliding out of the metal-finish plastic shells in which the drivers reside.
The combination of the swivels' plastic base being very, very thin, and the heft of the headphones is not a recipe for long-lasting satisfaction unless you always handle them very carefully. Which I usually did, but all it takes is a couple falls and some bad luck.
Replacing the swivels, while definitely easy, would take some time, OTOH I have no idea if these tiny parts are available as replacement parts, I haven't bothered to check.
All in all I was disappointed to find that a pair of headphones that, while affordable, is generally speaking not badly made, relies on such a flimsy detail for these crucial junction points.
Without further ado, the two drivers are attached to the headband with two screws (one in front, one in the back) that thread into two plastic swivels.
These T-shaped, retaining bits of plastic only hold the drivers through a wider plastic base that prevents them from sliding out of the metal-finish plastic shells in which the drivers reside.
The combination of the swivels' plastic base being very, very thin, and the heft of the headphones is not a recipe for long-lasting satisfaction unless you always handle them very carefully. Which I usually did, but all it takes is a couple falls and some bad luck.
Replacing the swivels, while definitely easy, would take some time, OTOH I have no idea if these tiny parts are available as replacement parts, I haven't bothered to check.
All in all I was disappointed to find that a pair of headphones that, while affordable, is generally speaking not badly made, relies on such a flimsy detail for these crucial junction points.
Thank you so much. I added the gain for the two frequency bands you recommended to the equalizer of Oratory1990, and it really worked—it made the human voice a little softer. The overall atmosphere seems to have improved, but I’m not sure if it’s just my illusion. The musical instruments also seem to sound different. Everything has become truly appealing.
been using he400se for a couple of months, it works "well", but sometimes with static noise on one side. As I used it for works (team calls) so I just assumed it's because of the others' mic. But listen to this
clearly demonstrates the static noise. I thought the recording was problematic, so I asked a friend to check, and he said no he could not hear the noise. Switched to my HD650 and the noise disappears. Switched to my Bose QC and no noise neither. So it's clearly the HE400se that is problematic.
that highlights one point
- Hifiman QC is a hit or miss, this has been widely reported
Is there a way for me to remedy the issue? I bought it in 2023 (and left it in box for ~2y because of reasons), so no warranty left (and it's from Aliexpress so even if it was under warranty, probably no help)
that highlights one point
- Hifiman QC is a hit or miss, this has been widely reported
Is there a way for me to remedy the issue? I bought it in 2023 (and left it in box for ~2y because of reasons), so no warranty left (and it's from Aliexpress so even if it was under warranty, probably no help)
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
Might be worth swapping out the cable or using a different 6.35mm adapter (rather than the one bundled with the headphone) to rule out it's not a cable/connection issue. Simplest yet maybe just unplug & replug all the adapters & each of the wires into left & right side to make sure everything is plugged in properly & just to "renew" the connections. I received a dodgy 6.35mm adapter with my HE400SE headphones, and problem was solved by using a new adapter.
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