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Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)

Rate this headphone:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 5 1.1%

  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 22 4.8%

  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 135 29.7%

  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 292 64.3%
  • Total voters
    454
I have the HE400SE and the Anandas, the HE400SE sounds similar enough but just a tad less clear in the mid range? The Anandas are much clearer, and the soundstage is larger. I like the Anandas more than the HE400SE.
 
Ordered it yesterday, it came in delivery today, so quick! Upon first try, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's just a 99 USD headphone, it could easily beat up so many overpriced headphones, even when driving it with a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (Gotta cheat it into high gain mode using a 3.5 to 3.5 adapter though), it sounds rich and full, definitely a bargain.
IMG_20211207_210359.jpg
 
For anyone ordering this headphone, by the way, it is worth getting a replacement cable at the same time, as the one that comes with it (unless this has changed) is terrible. While it will undoubtedly work fine, it looks and feels like a thin, ugly plastic iem cable...
 
muslhead said:
Dont do it. Its like crack. Soon, you will be like me and on to the much harder stuff ... susvara.
You have been warned
Click to expand...
Dunno about that. Hifiman headphones all have a similar frequency response and cup design, so I do not think that the susvara is any better than a sundara. They basically try and sell you the same thing for a higher price. Just have a look at the Ananda, Arya and HE 1000. They are all basically the exact same headphone. Do not get me wrong, the FR target Hifiman uses SLAPS, but anything other than their cheapest headphones smell like rip off to me, especially considering that built quality does not get much better with an increase in price.
Well, it might be that the Arya for example offers better spatial qualities than the Ananda, but then again a 300€ pair of studio monitors is better still, which makes spending that much only for a little bit of simulated space seem like a bad deal, imho.
 
solderdude said:
Just ordered one. (€ 149.-)
I suppose it is the V1 though (not rounded-off silver colour magnets).

edit: Seller told me it is the latest version.
Click to expand...
Where? In Germany I could only find the recommended price of € 169.- :confused:
 
LTig said:
Where? In Germany I could only find the recommended price of € 169.- :confused:
Click to expand...
Tweakers.net indicated the €149 on Bol.com, but when I visited the site the price was indicated at €169.
@solderdude : Did you get it from Bol? Is there some discount code to get it for €149? Usually the price indications on Tweakers are correct.
 
RHO said:
Tweakers.net indicated the €149 on Bol.com, but when I visited the site the price was indicated at €169.
@solderdude : Did you get it from Bol? Is there some discount code to get it for €149? Usually the price indications on Tweakers are correct.
Click to expand...
bol.com does not ship the 400SE to belgium :facepalm: I ordered from amazon.fr
 
RHO said:
Tweakers.net indicated the €149 on Bol.com, but when I visited the site the price was indicated at €169.
@solderdude : Did you get it from Bol? Is there some discount code to get it for €149? Usually the price indications on Tweakers are correct.
Click to expand...

www.bol.com

Hifiman HE400se - Hifi Koptelefoon | bol

Hifiman HE400se - Hifi Koptelefoon. HiFiMAN HE400se De HiFiMAN HE400se is een planar hoofdtelefoon met een tijdloze vormgeving, een hoogwaardige...
www.bol.com www.bol.com

Schermafdruk van 2021-12-07 18-57-51.png
 
Last edited:
Fritz-Kola_Enthusiast said:
Dunno about that. Hifiman headphones all have a similar frequency response and cup design, so I do not think that the susvara is any better than a sundara. They basically try and sell you the same thing for a higher price. Just have a look at the Ananda, Arya and HE 1000. They are all basically the exact same headphone. Do not get me wrong, the FR target Hifiman uses SLAPS, but anything other than their cheapest headphones smell like rip off to me, especially considering that built quality does not get much better with an increase in price.
Well, it might be that the Arya for example offers better spatial qualities than the Ananda, but then again a 300€ pair of studio monitors is better still, which makes spending that much only for a little bit of simulated space seem like a bad deal, imho.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your subjective response to a post that was not asking for a response. Subjectivity rules here at ASR.
 
@amirm “The included cord is this thin, horribly coiled wire.”

They have changed that. The included cable that came with my model is neither thin nor horribly coiled. For those who like it loud. With my Shanling UA2 on single ended it gets quite loud. With the balanced cable of course really loud…
 
abdo123 said:
Actually that’s quite an objective response since most Hifiman headphones measure the same (Frequency response).
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say the same, but some models are very similar, with little to no objective justification for the large differences in cost e.g.:

Harman 2018-Hifiman Ananda-Hifiman Arya.png
 
GaryH said:
I wouldn't say the same, but some models are very similar, with little to no objective justification for the large differences in cost e.g.:

View attachment 170899
Click to expand...
there are differences in harmonic distortion, and some models have nasty resonances or cancelations that are removed with smoothing. Also the high-end models have often great L and R matching. All these are important factors, just less important.
 
RHO said:
Sooooooooooooooo tempting .... but I really don't need an other headphone right now (typing while enjoying my Sundaras :) ).
Click to expand...
Yea just enjoy those Sundaras, definitely don’t need an entry level pair.
 
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