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Member Reviews: HiFiMAN HE-400

Positive Reviews

The Fed

Hifiman HE400 - The Everyman Audiophile Can

Posted
By The Fed

Pros: Good across the frequency range, Live Sounding, Full

Cons: Connectors - Logo Paint

When I originally got into this hobby some 2 years ago, my first run of purchases included Sennheiser HD650's and Denon D5000.... I also had a couple beaters like Klipsch Image Ones and Koss Porta Pros..... upon purchasing my first bonafied head amp (a Fiio E10) I thought my journey was over.... I had an amazing closed headphone, an amazing open headphone, a decent amp/dac... nuff said. Lets close the book on this chapter and enjoy some music.   I focused a good amount of energy and resources from there on (A) fixing up my 54 Lincoln and (B) mechanical watches..... I was in the throws of said watch obsession waiting for Steinhart to fill inventory on the Ocean 44 dive watch...
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Negative Reviews

BK201

Pretty much one of the worst headphones I have ever heard

Posted
By BK201

Pros: Perhaps the bass extension

Cons: everything else

I really expected to like this as it seemed to be an audiophile favorite here. I listened to it for a few days to ensure that burn-in could occur, whether it be my brain of the headphones themselves. The problem with this headphone is that it's super harsh, harsher than the DT990. And interestingly it sounds dark. I don't know how they pulled that one off. At least the bass is fantastic, typical of orthos, but at this point, that bass extension and slam is pretty much useless due to that massive treble spike I'm hearing around the 10K+ region.
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More Reviews

project86

Exceptional yet affordable

Posted
By project86

Pros: Exciting, bold sound with great bass, engaging mids, and mostly smooth highs,

Cons: Stock cable is annoying (but easily replaced), highs can be edgy at times

  HiFiMAN HE400         By now I think most of us are familiar with the history behind the HiFiMAN HE-series headphones. What started with a single model has grown into a full lineup, with prices ranging from $1299 for the flagship HE-6 to just $249 for the entry-level HE-300. Worth noting is that the HE-300 stands apart from the rest by using a “traditional” dynamic driver. Every other model in the HE-series is based on planar magnetic driver technology.   The entry level position among the planar models is held by the HE-400. It is the most recent HiFiMAN headphone released and sells for $399, putting it in competition with some more...
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JustinBieber

HE-400

Posted
By JustinBieber

Pros: airy, good bass, cheap for a planar, imaging and soundstage, easy to drive

Cons: not for bassheads, bright, heavy, fatiguing

Build Quality / Design: Metal forks and a nice dark blue finish. The logo paint fades easily, so do not touch it.  Pictures you see online don't do these much justice, trust me, they look much better in person. The headband is lacking a bit of padding, but I do not find it uncomfortable at all. These are pretty heavy, but the weight is distributed pretty evenly for me and are comfortable, just not so much as the HD 650 or HD 598. Stock pleather pads cause my ears to sweat after a bit, but velour pads for a mere $10 fix this easily.    Bass: I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by the bass produced by these, especially after hearing about how well orthodynamic...
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soundeffect

Couldn't be happier

Posted
By soundeffect

Pros: airy, smooth, comfortable, slick looking

Cons: None

Wow after not being active in head-fi for a couple of years and finally being back to be able to own a good headphone like the HE400 is such an honor.  I stop searching for awhile after owning the D2000 and now I wanted to find something to compliment the D2000, I decided to search.  I finally reached the HE400 and it reminded me what I love about this hobby and why I love headphones.  The HE400 is a headphone you can truly appreciate with smooth mids, nice black background, none offensive sound, open, comfortable, and look professional to boot!  I can't say more as everything can be found here in head-fi and to me word can't explain what these headphone can give.
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Techno Kid

Coming From IEM's I'm Blown Away By The Detail, Presentation and Soundstage

Posted
By Techno Kid

Pros: Sound Quality, Detail, Sub-Bass, Crisp Highs, Huge Soundstage, Comfort, Build Quality

Cons: 10ft Cable which I hate and that's really it

Upon getting them the first thing I noticed was the build quality, its very good as you'd expect from HiFiMan and also how comfortable they are. I had other cheaper headphones but they weren't this comfortable, I can wear these for hours no problem at all.   As for the SQ its just great and I'm quite hard to please when it comes to SQ.  Three things I look for in a good IEM is detail, good mids and a good soundstage so I was hoping the HE-400 could stack up. Now with the soundstage I knew they would be good being open-backed and man are they, very wide with excellent depth and good height along with great imaging and good separation. Now the mids are the meat of music so...
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MoreBassPlease

Excellent open cans for rock, jazz, acoustics and traditional music

Posted
By MoreBassPlease

Pros: everything but in cons

Cons: a little miss mid high for female voice, too long stock cable

This is my first puchase of "audiophile level" headphones. I was looking for cans which can play "every genre" included traditional musics (gamelan from Bali & Java). Purchasing done mainly based on internet review. It's a rather risky desicion for $400 for me :)   But, it's really whorted the price. I've burn the cans about 40 hours now, and they're getting smoother and more transparent. Especially for the highs. I use Marantz PM5004 amp and mostly FLAC file. They sound soo beautiful.   Jazz, rock, classic, acoustic, gamelan, bamboo music just so alive. I only miss a little from female voices. And suprisingly, even my rockboxed sansa clip plus can drive this...
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RoMee

From a basshead's point of view

Posted
By RoMee

Pros: Everything not in cons

Cons: Long and stiff cord, bass is a bit lacking

I've been wanting a bassy open headphone for a while and after a bunch of research I decided on the HE-400. I normally have no interest in high end headphones because they lack bass, but from what I've read the HE-400 will give me a decent amount. This is a quick impression from a basshead's point of view since there's already plenty of reviews, but most reviews are from audiophile who don't normally use and listen to bassy headphones. I used the new FiiO E12 (the no bass version) for this impression with flat EQ on my iPod video 5.5G. I use this set up because I have multiple listening spot in my house.   Value: Definitely worth the $400, I got mine from Justin @...
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Spiderman

He-400 Review

Posted
By Spiderman

Pros: Detailed, great soundstage, amazing seperation,

Cons: Build quality, presentation, vocals, lack personality

I still recall the day I placed my order for the He-400's, I waited with anticipation and days seemed to last an eternity. But the moment they arrived and I connected the dac to my computer, I was severely disappointed. Needless to say I listened to them for about 30 minutes before I put them back in the box and left them there. My father is also pretty passionate about audio and knew beforehand that I had ordered these headphones. When he asked about them I just told him I'm returning them, he was curious as to why so I hooked them up for him. He listened to them and looked at me and said why don't you like these?   They sound extremely clear and detailed. I explained to him...
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MrMateoHead

Exceptional Sound Quality for $400

Posted
By MrMateoHead

Pros: Extrodinary sound quality, relatively easy to drive, well tuned for the "everything" listener

Cons: Comfort level not quite perfect

I've written a longer review elsewhere in the forum.   In short, these phones' offer tremendous sound for the money. I would say it is well-textured, virtually transparent, and well-balanced. The level of detail is limited mainly by the albums you play, but even complex recordings are played effortlessly by these phones. The bass is incredible - in the sense that it can be punchy, and very well extended. You will notice bass lines differently with these, and sub-bass frequencies skipped by most headphones will appear effortlessly with these. Planar technology is the real deal, I doubt this sound can really be emulated by traditional driver technologies anywhere near this price....
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RushNerd

Endgame sound quality for $400

Posted
By RushNerd

Pros: Price, stellar sound reproduction, fairly easy to drive, very snug

Cons: Headband is the chokepoint in the price, it's just ok. fairly heavy cans, and they are completely open

The title is not exaggerated either, but of course to get the HE-400s to that level you need at least a decent DAC and a tube or hybrid amp like the Schiit Lyr to even hear what they truly can do. Otherwise most amps will will work just fine with them! I have tried them with my Schiit Asgard solid state amp for weeks, but felt they need more that 1watt per channel (the Lyr has 6!). The gain in sound quality is extreme enough for most people probably, but as you get to really appreciate these cans, you will want to get everything out of them. Simply put (without resorting to headphone comparisons which I did against the HE-400 which can be seen here: ...
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choC.

HiFiMAN's HE-400: Small Price, BIG Sound!

Posted
By choC.

Pros: Solid, Taut yet Accurate Bass / Luscious Mids / Detailed yet non-fatiguing Highs / Price!

Cons: Potential Head Clamp/Weight Issues

I initially had my eyes set on the HE-500s but after some research I decided that the sound signature of the HE-400s may suit my tastes better as I predominantly listen to EDM (Tech House, Minimal, Trance, GOA, Psy). Initial impressions out of the box were quite impressive. For those of you who have yet to try a Planar Magnetic headphone - the detail and clarity are something else compared to dynamic headphones. There is no background distortion or noise at any volume as the background remains completely black.   The soundstage is adequately wide and does a great job at projecting space between instruments and vocalists, so much so in fact that I often forget I'm wearing...
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Where to Buy It

Amazon.comHiFiMAN HE-400 Planar Driver High Efficiency Headphones at Amazon.com$399.00See It »
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