Reviews by Netforce
Pros: Overall rock solid sound, clear sound, inoffensive sound, comfort
Cons: Could be a tad bass light with stock pads
Introduction

First and foremost I would like to thank HifiMan for providing me with a review sample!

 

The original Hifiman He-400 for me were a rather special pair of headphones for me. They were a gateway headphone for me that really got me where I am now. Now that I have been in the headphone hobby for a few years Hifiman offered me a chance to give the He-400s a listen for a review which I am gladly willing to write!

 

The He-400s are the latest headphone in the He-400 line which started a few years ago with the original He-400. After the He-400 we got the He-400i and now we have the He-400s. For those who do not know about a planar magnetic headphone, the Hifiman site for the He-400s page provides a little information about the difference and why to get a planar over the standard dynamic headphone.

 

Why Choose A Dynamic Headphone…When You Can have Planar?

Dynamic headphones utilize conductors that vibrate in limited areas of the diaphragm. Result is that a large percentage of the diaphragm cannot be directly driven by those conductors.
Planar headphones have conductive layers over almost all of the diaphragm. Evenly driven by these conductors, result is significantly lower distortion than conventional dynamic headphones.

 

Something to also consider for those new to the hobby. Keep in mind the He-400s are open headphones and do leak a bit of sound. A noisy environment will also be heard through the He-400s as you will get no isolation.

 

In this review I am going to cover what you will get with the He-400s, the specs of the headphone, the cable, the comfort, the build, the sound, compare the original He-400 to the He-400s and give my views about using the He-400s. I am a 23 year old college student that works part time for a book publisher. I am not being paid for this review and I am writing what I think about the Hifiman He-400s.

 

What's In The Box?

First off, the box is a rather solid feeling cardboard box. Definitely will keep the headphones nice and secure when shipping

 

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Inside the box we got:

  1. ·  The He-400s
  2. ·  Velour Pads
  3. ·  Cable
  4. ·  Little 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter
  5. ·  Warranty Card
  6. ·  Hifiman Card
  7. ·  Owner’s Guide
  8. ·  Foam
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The He-400s sat nicely in the middle, the little foam bit rested between the headband, and the cable and adapter were located in a little box.

 

The paperwork is nice and simple. The Warranty Card was in Chinese so I wasn’t able to make it out. The little Hifiman Card has a bunch of info about Hifiman like social media. And finally the Owners Guide comes in English on one side and when you flip it is Chinese on the other. It is in my opinion quite nice with promotional pictures and information about taking care of your headphones!

 

For me I quite like the simple packaging and think the box feels quite hefty and secure. The accessories I could describe as being simple and the bare necessities to listen. For me it quite an improvement from the original He-400 packaging which I could describe as a very thin cardboard box.

 

Specs

·         Planar Magnetic Drivers

·         Frequency: 20Hz-35kHz

·         22 Ohm Impedance

·         12.35 oz (350g)

·         Sensitivity: 98dB

 

Besides the drivers and the impedance, the He-400s specs are rather close to standard dynamic driver headphones. Maybe the weight leans a tad on the heavier side. The specs for a planar headphone are quite unique with a sensitivity of 98dB this makes the He-400s one of the easier if not the easiest to drive planar driver headphones.

 

The Cable

The cables in the past for Hifiman headphones I really wouldn’t call myself the biggest can. They were in the case of the original He-400 very long (10 feet), quite thick with a rather bulky y-split and a rather large straight angle plug. The original he-400 cable was certainly one of my least favorite aspects about the headphone and the weight led to some build issues for me. The connectors on the older Hifiman cables were also a rather annoying screw on connector which were rather unique in special though quite annoying at times.

 

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The new stock Hifiman cable this time around is short, 1.5m or 4.9 feet. It is fabric wrapped and terminates in a right angle plug. To me what is truly fantastic is Hifiman has finally ditched the screw on connectors found on the older Hifiman line in favor of a 2.5mm plug for the right and left channel! If by some accident the cable gets tugged the plugs will simply slip right out with damage! The 2.5mm plug connectors has been adopted in the flagship Hifiman He-1000 and it is nice to see the plug trickle down to the He-400s. Starting recently the previous headphone in the Hifiman He-400 line, the He-400i has also received the 2.5mm plugs on all the latest models which I applaud Hifiman. The Edition X also has the new 2.5mm plug connectors.

 

The cable being fabric I found could rub on clothing and that would result in some microphonics (cable noise) but I don’t especially move around with the He-400s in my house being an open headphones and all. The Y-split is a tad larger than most and as I tend to have a personal preference for a smaller y-split. A few times I got caught by the y-split in those rare times I did move around but at most it would yank out the cable from the headphone. I certainly would not recommend constantly removing the cable from the y-split!

 

The cable thickness has as well decreased so there is a lot less stiffness in comparison to the original He-400 cable. Below the y-split the cable has the most thickness and above the y-split are thinner individual cables which lead to each side of the headphone. The cable side below the y-split is a tad thicker than other cables for headphones at the $300 price point. I found the thick cable sturdy and don’t doubt the build myself.

 

The right-angled plug at the end of the cable is a standard 3.5mm plug and Hifiman has provided a little adapter to 6.35mm. The right angle plug is a thicker plastic bit but had no issue going into so my phone case or dap. The right angle may present some issues for plugging directly into an amp but a simple cable extension may help. Right angle plugs in my opinion pairs best with portable setups but is only a minor inconvenience for a desktop setup.

 

How comfortable are the He-400s?

Comfort levels on many different headphones can vary widely and many factors may be at play when getting a feel for the best comfort. The older Hifiman planar headphones tended to not to be comfortable headphones. The large planar drivers were heavier than a dynamic driver, the Hifiman headband did not have much padding and was a rather thin bar. Pads on nearly all headphones as well are quite and important factor to comfort. Clamping force (how tight a headphone will clamp your head) because of the weight did not help the comfort for my old He-400. The higher clamping force did as well not play too terribly well when I wore glasses. Eventually through enough use the original He-400 clamping force did loosen up but my neck and head by then had adapted to the weight of the headphone.

 

Comfort now on the He-400s through many changes from Hifiman has made the He-400s very comfortable! Starting with the weight that I had mentioned previously. The original He-400 has a weight of 440 grams as listed online whereas the He-400s clocks in a weight at 350 grams. This reduction of weight is rather significant to me. The 350 gram weight on the He-400s is a much less drag on the neck and allows me to effortlessly listen to the He-400s for hours and hours at a time without any neck strain. This reduction of weight was likely made possible through a change in the planar drivers to use a lighter magnet. The design of the He-400s has also changed with the times and the use of more plastics I would believe is also to help reduce weight on the He-400s.

 

The next aspect to comfort, the headband, has also undergone major changes. Gone is the old Hifiman headband with possibly a foam or cotton padding. Now the headband on the He-400s is a suspension headband with possibly a leatherette strap. The headband now works superbly to help distribute weight of the headphone. I never encountered a possible “hot spot” on my head from the headband.

 

The pads that came included with the He-400s are a rather new type of headphone pads from Hifiman that incorporates a few aspects of their older pads. The original He-400 for pads came with pleather (plastic leather) and velour (fabric) pads. The original He-400 pads left me a lot to be desired to the point where I modded my old pads. The old velour pads on the He-400 were comfortable on the around my ears but the foam inside was very tough and did me no favors for comfort. The old pleather pads on the original He-400 had a softer foam but the pleather wasn’t very breathable and irritated my skin. The Jergpads was devised by a Head-fier named Jerg who combined the fabric of the velours and the comfort of the pleather’s foam. Hifiman did take note of these pads and when they released the He-560 the FocusPad and FocusPad-A were born.

 

Now with the He-400s, the newest pads from Hifiman are the VelPads. The VelPads I believe use a different velour fabric than any of the other Hifiman headphones with maybe the exception of the He-1000/Edition X. The fabric is extremely comfortable on my head and does not irritate my skin. The velour is breathable and on hot days did not get sweaty and nasty for me. The foam has as well undergone changes and is likely the newest type of foam for Hifiman headphones. The foam is not a memory foam or anything super special but is very soft. The foam is a softer foam than my old modded He-400 pleather foam. The foam is very comfortable and works well for when I use glasses with the He-400s. Possibly the only gripe about the foam is that it may be a touch too soft. I would describe myself as having a larger ear and they can slightly touch the inside of the headphone/harder bits. This touching of the ears can lead to discomfort but after my first listening session it did not bother my ears.

 

Finally for comfort, the clamping force. The clamping force upon my first listen was not overly strong at all but strong enough that the headphones would not fall off my head. The only issue for the clamp of the He-400s that I ran into was in the beginning. The left hinge was a touch too stiff but did loosen with time and a drop of WD40 (I took much caution to make sure none would get into any mechanical bits!). The clamp of my original after over a year of use lost a lot of its clamping force but even then still was a bit tight of a clamp. The He-400s I feel has among the best comfort or is possibly the most comfortable planar headphone I have listened to!

 

How is the build?

Possibly while I covered a lot of the build already with the cable and the headphone parts already, I feel like there is still parts of the build that I can cover. For the original He-400 the connection between the headphone cup and headband rested with a few metal bars and led to a plastic connector. This part also served to adjust headband height.

 

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The older Hifiman build in my experience at this point did not inspire much confidence. I had received a He-500 in the past that had failed at point where the plastic bit met the headband.

 

The He-400s on the other hand through the introduction of a new headband has replaced this! The suspension headband’s adjustment mechanism now rests on a single solid piece of metal. This metal bit while it can stick out a bit when being worn I find is much superior to the old Hifiman build. The metal piece besides being for headband adjustment holds the He-400s together and leads to the headphone clamping. The metal piece is tough and slightly flexible to adjust for all heads in my opinion.

 

Besides the metal piece of the headband most of the external parts of the He-400s are made of lightweight plastic of silver color. I have read and heard some complaints that a headphone at $300 shouldn’t use as much plastic or should be built differently to which I would disagree with these complaints. The plastic used was likely an intentional choice in reducing the weight of the He-400s and a change in material would have led to either a heavier weight or higher price.

 

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A signature of the Hifiman line to me is the grills found on the outside of each cup. The grills have tons of little holes that make the He-400s open and covering them when listening will drastically change the sound. The grills can be modded with possibly another piece of metal with larger holes but requires just a bit of work to do so. The grills are held in place with little plastic rings and behind the grills is a piece of fabric to prevent dust from entering the driver. Another complaint or criticism I have read is how the grills can move a bit and that does not inspire confidence in the build to which I would disagree again. My unit has grills that would move slightly but I cannot see how that will affect me or the sound the He-400s produces.

 

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The other major observations from the build about the He-400s is how the VelPads were a magnet for small particles like lint and hair.

 

The original He-400 pads I had as well accumulated the small particles like all velour pads. For me taking a simple lint roller I was able to clean off a bunch of the accumulated lint and hair.

 

Other aspects about the He-400s?

The He-400s as mentioned earlier are quite easy to drive for a planar headphone. My devices doesn’t take much to get the He-400s to loud levels, Smartphones or an inexpensive dap can power them but they really will benefit in sound quality from a good dac/amp. An amp isn’t necessarily needed to drive the He-400s to loud levels in my experience but I would recommend getting at least a small amp.

 

How does the He-400s sound?

The sound in a nutshell when used completely stock and unmodified: neutral.

 

For my listening I listen through a variety of sources, tracks, and genres of music. A complete listen of equipment that I own can be found in my profile. Tracks I listened range from mp3 to flac, 192kbps all the way to 24 bit lossless vinyl rips. I as well listen to various genres such as metal, classical, and a lot of Japanese doujin circles.

 

How is the Bass?

Starting from the bottom to top, the bass. Bass on planar magnetic headphones are probably the most referred to aspect for a planar next to possibly weight.

 

Bass on the original He-400 was in my opinion the strongest part about the headphone that made me overlook a number of negatives of the He-400. The bass on the He-400s is unlike the original He-400 and closer to the He-400i. The He-400s is certainly not recessed and is fully present to an extent.

 

Sub bass on the He-400s at stock listening has roll off. The He-400s does not extend to the very deep depths of rumbling sub bass that other planars are characteristically known for. With some bass boost or eq it is possible to bring out more sub bass on the He-400s. The original He-400 for sub bass was among the deepest and detailed sub bass sounds for an open planar at $400. The sub bass to the original He-400 was one of my favorite aspects about it. The He-400s for tracks with plenty of sub bass certainly is gone but they certainly sound a tad lacking without a strong slam or rumble. I think it may come off as a tad harsh for railing on the He-400s as not having the same sub bass but if the intent was to have a neutral sound signature then a sub bass roll off is not a big deal.

 

The mid bass of the He-400s is hardy and solid sounding. Tracks with bass sound great on the He-400s and especially for an open headphone. In my opinion the mid bass is just right to fall into a neutral description. The mid bass does not bleed into the mids at any point is just on point. The mid bass is solid sounding and has the sound of a planar that I love so much. Mid bass isn’t the most detailed of headphones out there but at the $300 price point the He-400s shines well to be enjoyed with most musical genres. As the mid bass is not elevated I certainly would not call the He-400s a basshead headphone and a bass heavy track shines with a headphone with boosted bass.

 

How are the mids?

Mids on the He-400s are in one word, excellent! The mids on the He-400s sound absolutely fantastic and is a strong suit of the headphone. The mids are very fully represented and have a very even sound to them. I do not hear any parts that are recessed and at the same time I do not hear any parts that I would describe as forward. The mids are not thick or at the same time thin but meets somewhere in the middle.

 

The original He-400 when I was new to the hobby I enjoyed the mids but did come to hear issues with it. The upper mids on the original He-400 were recessed and as a result did not notice or care much about it. As I progressed more into audio the recessed upper mids did bother me a bit as it did feel like there was some parts of my music that was lacking. The recessed upper mids though may have brought out the bass and treble a touch.

 

When testing through multiple tracks I thought the He-400s had great detail in the mids and male vocals sound great in the mids. The He-400s I wouldn’t call colored in the slightest as the mids just sound so unaltered and natural to my ears. Instrument separation is fantastic as well and it is quite clear and easy to tell the differences in instruments. Overall the He-400s performs very well in the mids and I really can’t find a complaint to make. The mids will certainly make the He-400s an easy headphone to listen to for most genres.

 

How is the treble?

The treble is fairly smooth and even to my ears. Cymbals and female vocals when well mastered sounds absolutely fine and fantastic but a track with some mastering issues can run into some sibilance. The treble on the He-400s for these well mastered tracks never felt or sounded fatiguing for me and I could listen all day as a result. The treble for the He-400s doesn’t extend to the highest frequencies/has a treble rolloff so tracks with a larger emphasis on treble may not sound as detailed as they could. The treble rolloff I wouldn’t call that big of a deal as like the sub bass a neutral sound signature to me doesn’t need the highest and lowest extension. The treble rolloff does not severely hinder the He-400s when I it comes to treble for me as it doesn’t happen super early to make the treble recessed. The rolloff occurs to me may just cause the He-400s to lack a little in soundstage and hear all the treble detail.

 

The original He-400 had a rather large trouble spot in the treble. The original He-400 had a rather nasty treble spike that made a number of treble heavy or poorly mastered tracks of mine to come off as sibilant. The recessed upper mids certainly did not help the treble spike or sibilance. When I first used the original He-400 being young into the hobby of headphones I did not particularly mind the treble spike but going back and listening to the original He-400 again the treble spike is a rather large annoyance and made the original He-400 rather fatiguing to listen to.

 

The He-400s I felt does a very good job in addressing the issues found in the original He-400 and fixing them. The He-400s are definitely a fantastic sounding headphone and a great planar headphone to start with.

 

How is the soundstage?

The soundstage of the He-400s is exceptional! In my opinion the headphones with the largest soundstages are dynamic driver headphones but the He-400s is certainly not a slouch. The original He-400 blew my mind with how wide a soundstage could be but comparing the He-400s to the original I find the He-400s has improved in depth the original He-400. The original He-400 I found had in its soundstage had some more air in the higher frequencies possibly as a result of its treble spike.

 

How are the He-400s for gaming?

For me I actively play plenty of video games and find gaming on the He-400s lots of fun. The wide soundstage of the He-400s is very helpful when trying to hear the location of approaching enemies in a FPS or in an open world environment. The He-400s I found were detailed enough and had enough bass to truly make me feel part of a game. Recently I played through Metal Gear Solid 5 and used the He-400s nearly the whole time. The game sounded fantastic and sound cues played a rather important part for my play through.

 

The He-400s by having a 2.5mm plug for each cup will mean a plug in mic such as the V-Moda Broompro mic will not work. I personally used a stationary microphone and even though the openness of the He-400s meant I leaked sound others in the same conversation did not hear my headphones. In a noisy environment, the open back He-400s will not work well for gaming and a closed back will likely work better!

 

How do they compare to the original He-400?

The original He-400 packaging was small, had thin cardboard, and did not come with much besides the bare necessities. The He-400s had a nicer thicker cardboard box but did also came with just the bare necessities. The original He-400 cable had a screw-on connector for each channel, was very long and it was quite thick. The He-400s has a 2.5mm connector for each channel, is a shorter cable and a thinner cable. The comfort on the original He-400 wasn’t great as it was heavy, the headband wasn’t comfortable, the pads had issues, and it had a tough clamping force. The He-400s is a lighter headphone, with a redesigned headband, improved pads, and a looser clamping force. The build on the original He-400 had a weak point on the headband but the He-400s has redesigned the headband.

 

The sound differences between the two headphones I found were largely improvements in the newer He-400s. The He-400s has a neutral sound signature where the original He-400 had a rather unique sound that isn’t simple to define in one word. The original He-400 had a strong punchy bass, recessed upper mids and a treble spike. The He-400s has a rolloff in the sub bass but solid mid bass, the mids are fully present and clear, and treble is clear for well mastered tracks but has a rolloff in the upper frequencies.

 

For me after owning the original He-400 its issues has made me seldom listen to the headphones now. The He-400s isn’t the first successor to the original He-400, which was the He-400i, but the He-400s continued to improve. While it is mostly a successor in name I believe the He-400s has made significant improvements to build and in sound. The original has been long discontinued but is available through second hand means like the For Sale forums. The only reason I would say to get the original He-400 over the He-400s is if you are seeking a deeper and punchier bass.

 

Mods

As with lots of headphones that gathers a decent following, there is usually someone looking to mod their headphone in hopes it can improve or change the sound of the headphones. Hifiman headphones are no stranger to mods and I have tried my hand at modding my Hifimans in the past. Not all mods results in positive improvements as I learned.
 

Grill Mod

One common mod for Hifiman headphones is replacing the included grills on each cup with another metal mesh. This mod is done for aesthetics and some claim the sound stage or quality improves after replacing the grill. I tried the grill mod but taking out the plastic rings that keep the metal grills in place then listened for a time. I left the drivers unobstructed to basically emulate how the He-400s would sound without a grill.

 

I in all honesty did not hear the slightest difference with or without the grill. Soundstage for me remained basically the same and didn’t detect any change in the sound. The grill of the He-400s allows for the benefits of an open back headphone by allowing for a wide and natural soundstage. The grill also has a fabric on one side to prevent dust or other small particles from affecting the driver. I wasn’t comfortable leaving off the fabric so I returned the grills and the fabric.

 

Headphone Pads

Headphone pads can be easily modded and at the same time they can be swapped out with different pads. I tried a few pads out to see if they could positively benefit the sound. To swap the headphone pads on the He-400s requires an additional part, the plastic rings from the older Hifiman pads. The stock pads of the He-400s are glued onto the pad and would definitely not recommend removing them. The velour ear pads from Hifiman comes with the plastic rings you need for $10 before shipping/tax.

 


 

Alpha Pads

The first pads I tried, after spending a few minutes squeezing the plastic rings onto the pads and lining up the clips, were the Alpha Pads from MrSpeakers. The Alpha Pads are very large angled leather pads. After a few minutes listening I came to a few conclusions.

 

The large nature of the pads was certainly not what Hifiman had in mind and made comfort rather awful. Clamping force was intense and I could not wear my glasses as it was painful to do so. The sound did in fact change by swapping pads. The bass was suddenly boosted to the point where they had a decent amount of sub bass. The mid bass increased as well but was now bleed in the mids. The overall sound signature of the headphone became a dark sound signature because of the boosted bass. The soundstage as well narrowed quite considerably. Because the comfort got a lot worse I could not listen for a long time.

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Old Hifiman Velour Pads (Non-removeable rings)

Next up was the Hifiman velour pads that I got with the He-500. These pads had a plastic back and clips that was glued to the pads. These pads were an older version of the velour pads and I could not find a link to order replacements.

 

The foam was relatively soft but my ears were touching the inside of the cups. The most apparent change was I noticed the He-400s had become a lot brighter and this increased sibilance. The mids sounded rather grainy as well and the bass had less of a rolloff in the sub bass. Overall I was not impressed and found the changes in the sound quite negative.

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Old Hifiman Velour Pads (Removeable rings)

The velour pads I linked earlier are up next. These pads were the same velour pads that came with the original He-400.

 

These pads were right off the bat too stiff and the clamp was unbearable. The change in sounds was that bass was improved like the previous velours. The mids didn’t sound grainy but the treble had a rather annoying spike which increased sibilance. I couldn’t take listen to these pads for more than a few minutes before becoming tired of them.

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Angled HM5 Pads

These pads for me were by far a winner. They took a bit of a struggle to get on the rings also but sounded great. These pads are a pleather variety.

 

The comfort isn’t as great as the stock VelPads and I can only wear my glasses for a short time. The comfort is though better than any of the other pads I tried. These pads are in essence a smaller pair of Alpha Pads. They increased the sub bass and gave a thick bassy hit now. The mid bass also got a boost too and didn’t bleed into the mids. The treble was rather similar but I notice on recordings that I would describe slightly sibilant suddenly had some of their sibilance reduced. Soundstage did narrow a little as well. For me the Angled HM5 Pads were certainly my favorite of all the pads I tried. I sometimes found myself swapping between the stock and these pads depending on a track.
 

Conclusion

So in summary the Hifiman He-400s at $300 are well worth the price! The price for the He-400s finds itself in a rather competitive market between dynamic and other planar headphones but the sound quality is a definite winner. It has a rather neutral sound signature along fantastic comfort that allows for easy all day listening!

 

While it is not spiritual successor to the original He-400 and its monstrous bass, the He-400s for excels at everything else. The 2.5mm plugs are super handy over the older screw on connectors and the cable is probably the best cable Hifiman has offered yet. If you are looking to get into planar magnetic headphones or looking to find a fantastic $300 headphone then the He-400s is certainly the headphone for you!

moedawg140
moedawg140
Nice review, @Netforce!  Looking forward to reading more, keep it up (if you have time, of course)!
Netforce
Netforce
Thanks moe! I'll certainly keep up with more reviews in the future!
wpiaz
wpiaz
I just got an open box deal on ebay for $210. Base is an issue...I ordered the Focus Pads which are reported to improved the based quality.Have you tried the Focus Pads?
Pros: Amp sound quality, Powerful amp, Versatile, Bass Boost
Cons: Mixed DAC sound quality, Too powerful for most IEMs, Clunky for desktop use
Introduction!
Right off the bat I would like to give a shout out Cayin for letting me be a part of the Cayin C5DAC tour, thanks guys and gals!
Some info about me is that I would generally call myself someone who listens to lots of different genres and with many different headphones. I love myself some metal but at the same time EDM and lots of other types of music. Check my profile for me info about what I listen to regularly and the gear I have. For this review I listened to a whole range of my music library and through many different headphones.
 
What’s in the box?
Because this is a tour unit that I got my hands on I am not the first person to have the C5DAC but all is well as the previous person in the tour took great care of the unit!
First and foremost what are we getting in this box:
  1. Soft grey velvet pouch to carry the C5DAC in
  2. 2 Blue rubber bands
  3. 1 Right angle to right angle interconnect
  4. Small micro usb to micro usb cable
  5. Long usb to micro usb cable
  6. 3.5mm to coaxial cable
 
Cayin has included quite a nice selection of accessories and all worked quite well for me. I didn’t use the accessories all too much with my time with the C5DAC as I preferred to use my cables but didn’t really hear much difference between my cables and the included so all is well.
 
How does it work?
On the top of the unit we have a volume knob that goes from 0-9 with 0 being off and likely 9 being ear shattering loud. We got a 3.5mm headphone in and headphone out so fairly standard affair there.
 
On the side we got 2 switches of a bass boost switch and a gain switch for high and low.
 
On bottom we got some interesting stuff. First on the bottom left we got a Coaxial out, a micro usb in for the DAC, a switch for switching between the sources from either the DAC in or the headphone in, and another micro usb in for charging the unit.
 
On the front we get Cayin and on the bottom we get 3 leds indicating battery life.
 
On the back we got Cayin again, model info and some other assorted words, and finally a reset button for when things go wrong and need a little reset.
 
For the most part here we get the fairly standard stuff like most amps and at the same few neater things from the DAC part.
 
How is the build quality?
The build I feel in most part is quite nice. A lovely metal case for most of the unit and a solid feeling volume knob. There is a few things that isn’t too solid feeling though. The metal is a tad loose feeling and can move just slightly. The top of the unit has glossy and matte plastic bit that is rather loose feeling and aesthetically I am not too crazy about.
 
How easy is it to use?
With the C5DAC all one needs to do is just set it to DAC and then plug into a USB port. Simple and quick, after a few seconds everything was smooth sailing. Didn’t have an issue with getting the DAC feature to work on windows 7 or 8. On my Galaxy S5 through the included micro usb to micro usb cable I got the DAC to work with my apps on lollipop. I tried plugging into my Playstation 4 but even though the system recognized there was a DAC plugged in I was not able to hear any sound through the amp.
 
On DAC mode in windows the volume is fixed, changing it doesn’t have an effect minus muting. On Android the volume was not fixed and could be adjusted.
 
I had a few issues with the DAC if I unplugged the USB cable while still on DAC mode. On my Galaxy S5 simply turning off and on the unit did not always resolve the issue and would result in a few apps spazzing out. Tad weird and could never really properly troubleshoot the issue. On my desktop or laptop I had similar issues when unplugging the unit and would have to restart the C5DAC or my computer to get the DAC mode working again.
 
Because the Cayin C5DAC is a rather portable design, using the unit at my desktop or laptop was rather clunky. The volume knob wasn’t in a very convenient place to access or that big. To use it at my computer and to change the volume I would have had to lift the whole unit to change volume.
 
What does it sound like?
Onto the most important for me, the sound quality. And this is certainly where the C5DAC shines for me.
 
IEM Hiss:
Starting with the amp just like the regular Cayin C5 the amp has a tad of a noise floor with sensitive IEMs and hisses on a number of my IEMs. For me I noticed on hiss on my Noble 4 and Ostry Kc06a but didn’t notice any hiss on my Havi B3 Pro 1 or my Hifiman ES100 earbuds.
 
Sound:
Sound signature wise I would call the C5DAC on the neutral side. I didn’t distinctly notice anything extremely exaggerated or at the same time recessed. It is a tad tricky to evaluate the DAC section but in rather contrast to my other DACs and sources I would say I noticed I would prefer the DAC of my Dragonfly V1.0 over the DAC in the C5DAC. I noticed between switching between DAC mode and AUX going Dragonfly>C5 amp the Dragonfly had more refinement in the bass and was tighter in the low end. And the Dragonfly extended better in the treble with various headphones I tested.
 
IEM Nitpicks:
A rather common nitpick I have seen with the Cayin C5 and the C5DAC was that the amp was rather not exactly the best for IEMs as they had too much power. I would echo this sentiment and in my experience with sensitive IEMs like the Noble 4 I would have to lower the volume of the DAC when using the C5DAC on my phone. On the desktop with fixed volume on DAC mode the unit was a bit too loud for my ears. In most cases if I wanted to use the unit on my desktop or laptop my setup would be Dragonfly>C5 in AUX mode and turn down the volume in windows to be compatible with IEMs.
 
Gain Switch:
The C5DAC as mentioned before has a Gain switch that one can toggle between low and high. For me and my most difficult to drive headphones, the Hifiman He-500 I personally hovered at around 3 on the volume knob on low gain. The amp is certainly no slouch in any sense in terms of power and it can likely power most headphones without issue.
 
Bass Switch:
Another switch that I absolutely loved was the bass switch on the C5DAC. To me without the bass switch off the sound is very clean and clear. Bass is impactful enough for me. With the bass switch on the sound would take on a darker and warmer sound with plenty of bass. On the Noble 4 with the bass switch on I noticed some creep into the lower mids with the increase in bass and clarity did take a hit as a result but it did make the Noble 4 a whole lot of fun. My favorite headphones without a doubt to play with the bass switch was definitely the Hifiman He-400 and the He-500. The he-400 and its already exaggerated bass got bumped to the next level of bass quantity. The bass switch is a definite plus for bassheads looking for a most clean extra bump of bass into their headphones.
 
Planar Headphones and Objective 2 Comparison:
For planars the C5DAC truly excels at powering my Hifimans. Bass really comes alive with the C5DAC much more so than on the O2. The O2 for beefy power hungry planars I feel rather mixed about and kinda don’t feel like they are driven to their true potential. The O2 are very well and clear but just a tad too dry in comparison to the C5DAC. The C5DAC in comparison sounds much more like the complete planar package from driving thick planar bass, to delivering on clear mids and treble, and has better separation and clarity than the O2. The C5DAC is the real deal!
 
Conclusion:
So wrapping up in my experience with amp/dacs in the price range I would by far say the Cayin C5DAC is the one of the best bang for buck all in one packages out there.
Positives:
  1. Amp Sound Quality
  2. Very Powerful Amp
  3. Versatile
  4. Bass Boost
Negatives:
  1. DAC Decent Sound Quality
  2. Too Powerful For IEMs
  3. Clunky For Desktop Use
 
At the price of the Cayin C5DAC being around a competitive $215 price point I would definitely recommend it! It sounds absolutely fantastic and works superb for portable use~

Pros: Neutral sound signature, comfort, diverse wearing style, and large soundstage
Cons: Cable, price on the higher end for earbuds
Introduction
First and foremost I would like to thank HifiMan for providing me with a review sample of this earbud~
 
Back when I was getting my start in a tad higher end headphones Hifiman and their headphones among my first nicer pairs. Without the He-400 or the Re-400 I probably wouldn't be where I am right now so I am quite a fan of Hifiman products. For me I have mostly been an IEM guy and really enjoy exploring the sub $100 price range for IEMs. But towards mid 2014 I did explore some earbuds which were not particularly bad but not too interesting. The ES100 on the other hand are quite exquisite sounding.
 
What's In The Box?
The packaging on the Es100 was quite nice and came in nice hard case similar to the packaging of the Re-400 from way back in the day. Besides the earbud here was what I received with my review sample:
  1. Hard clam shell case
  2. Cable winder
  3. Spare rubber rings
 
How Are They Out And About?
On the isolation side they isolate as well as other earbuds in the fact that they don't isolate too well. The Es100 have a small hole in the rear of each side that lets quite a bit of sound in and out. At moderate volumes if I leave my pair playing and walk away 6 feet/2 meters I can still hear them in a quiet environment. In a noiser place such as the office I work or a relatively noisy food joint if I try the same thing it is drowned out by the background noise.
 
If you are planning on using headphones in a quiet environment such as a library or next to an individual then I wouldn't really suggest listening to earbuds in general.
 
The Cable Top To Bottom
In my experience with Hifiman products the cable has not been a strong suit for me. The Es100 is not an exception unfortunately. The cable on the Es100 is a rather glossy plastic cable and it is fairly thick. The plug is a 90 degree plug with a small strain relief. The Y-split is small and out of the way but does not offer in the way of strain relief. For me the cable is an improvement over the Re-400 whose think cable I quite did not like. The Es-100 and its glossy cable I have had issues with in its own right. The cable is slightly sticky to itself and can be prone to tangling when trying to unravel. This is particularly tricky trying to unravel the cable in the dark in my experience.
 
How Comfortable Are They?
In short... very comfy! I have no issue in terms of comfort for these earbuds~
 
The design of these earbuds cuts down on the stem typically found on most ear buds and this allows for an over the ear wearing along with a cable down wearing. And in all honesty I prefer and over the ear wearing as it cuts down on the microphonics/cable noise of the cable.
 
I can easily wear the Es100 all day and have on quite a few times. Even with my collection of IEMs I still find my ears irritated by the silicone tips after a day of listening. Listening in bed is also where these earbuds quite excel at. Typical IEMs when I try to listen in bed have either too large of a profile to lie on my side while wearing. Even small profile IEMs that sit flush in my ear when I lie on a pillow I find putting pressure on the IEM will cause a rather negative change in sound. The Es100 and its small profile I have found myself falling asleep with or staying up to wee hours of the night watching netflix on my tablet.
 
What To Use The ES100 With
Over the time I have had the Es100 I have used them a few different ways. Here is what I have listened to the Es100 on:
  1. DragonFly Dac v1.0>Objective 2
  2. Fiio X5>Objective 2
  3. Samsung Galaxy S5>Objective 2
  4. DragonFly Dac v1.0
  5. Fiio X5
  6. Samsung Galaxy S5
 
The 150 impedance is pretty unique to find on earbuds and makes the Es100 harder to drive than most earbuds but it is not terribly difficult to drive. With my DragonFly Dac I turned up the volume to the maybe 20-25% volume range in windows. On the Fiio X5 I am at around 50 out of 120 on low gain. With my Dragonfly>o2 on 1.0x gan I turn the volume to 9 o'clock.And on my Galaxy S5 I am hovering between 60-70%. I would describe myself as listening to music at a moderate volume. I found some benefit by changing to higher quality amps/dacs but differences in my opinion are not too large.
 
Do They Sound Any Good?
So main and important question, how do the Es100 sound? To me, fantastic~
 
The Es100 have a neutral sound signature with only a slight warmth to it, close to being rather dry sounding earbuds. There isn't anything particularly forward about the sound but nothing at the same time recessed sounding.
 
Bass isn't heavy and more tiled towards the mid bass and has quite evident roll off into the subbass. They most certainly are not bass anemic but at the same time not really bass heavy.
 
Moving up the sound spectrum to the mids. Mids are nice, clean, and coherent. I wouldn't describe the mids being forward or recessed at any notable point and is not overshadowed by the bass.
 
Treble wise I would say personal preference wise I enjoy a spot of extra treble with becoming too extreme and am not too big a fan of rolled off treble. The Es100 in this respect delivers wonderfully in the treble department. Only in my worst/brightest mastered songs did I notice any sort of sibilance and even then it was not as bad as similar headphones. Treble is fully present and not rolled off and quite well extended!
 
Sound quality for male vocals is quite lovely and well bodied natural sounding. Female vocals extend quite well into the treble and is likewise quite coherent and natural.
 
Finally I wish to touch on soundstage. Soundstage on earbuds in my experience has always been quite nice and wide due to the large shape of earbuds. The back vent does likely help the Es100 to its rather large soundstage.
 
How Are They For Gaming?
Frankly for gaming the Es100 excels with its detailed sound and large soundstage. Recently I tried the Es100 out while playing through Far Cry 4. Consistently one of the issues I along with many other people deal with was the bloody animals always ready to rip ones face apart. Eagles were especially difficult to deal with as they have just a quick audio cue before swooping down to eat a whole chunk of health. Consistently I was swapping through many headphones while playing and the Es100 served me quite well to avoid the blasted eagles!
 
Conclusion
So wrapping up, are the Es100 perfect? To me I don't believe anything is perfect. The Es100 certainly fills many niches for individuals wanting to move up in terms of price for earbuds. The Es100 are a wonderful package in my opinion. Neutral sound signature, diverse wearing style, and exquisite soundstage. Will they work in any and all enviroments? In my opinion no, they leak a tad and don't exactly isolate well as a result of the large rear vent. But if these are not of concern to you then I whole heartily recommend these earbuds~
Netforce
Netforce
mrmoto050
mrmoto050
Great review
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Netforce
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