[treecloud]

Hey guys, i was thinking of getting a pair of these headphones to try out some planars, and just found them for about 20 bucks off, so i was thinking of getting them right away.
Now, my issue is that the only thing i'd have to drive them would be my fiio x3ii (or an apple dac hooked to my computer :V). Would that be enough to drive them satisfactorily for the time being? I would be getting a dac/amp stack or combo in the next couple months anyway once i'd save enough for that (was eyeing the zen dac v2, but i'm starting to doubt even that would be enough from what i've read in this thread), but i still wouldn't want to end up with an unusable headphone for a number of months if i ended up to have to postpone that purchase.

Yes, good enough for the time being, and you will very probably be very happy listening. But you are definitely on the right track getting more power on tap. My choice is the relatively inexpensive Schiit Asgard 3, and I am very happy with it.

 

[Coldheart29]

Hi,

I can't help you with the fiio or apple dac enquiry, but I do have the Zen Dac V2 and it can handle the HE400SE very well. I would suggest that if you do go that route, get yourself a balanced cable. It does give the headphones that little bit more power and I have to say there is a marked improvement of using this dac/amp with it's balanced output.

I think what most people mean is that planars actually perform better when you provide them with plenty of headroom. So for instance upgrading and using a Zen Can in the future as a stack will give you more power which they will absolutely flourish from, but even without they perform brilliantly with the Zen Dac as it stands. My volume barely ever goes above the 10 o'clock position.

Yes, i'd definitely be getting a balanced cable, i'm actually looking forward to get the zen dac v2 or some other dac and amp with a 4.4 balanced output, so i can switch to balanced cables on all my phones (not like i have that many right now :V).

Yes, good enough for the time being, and you will very probably be very happy listening. But you are definitely on the right track getting more power on tap. My choice is the relatively inexpensive Schiit Asgard 3, and I am very happy with it.

Eh, i'm thinking of moving to a balanced environment, in fact the next purchase after a proper dac/amp setup will be a good DAP with a 4.4 balanced out, so that i can have only balanced cables on everything without having to swap them every time (i'd be concerned with sochet wear, especially on IEMs), so i guess the asgard is out. Also, being in europe Shiit stuff is a bit harder to get hold of, and also tends to be a bit more expensive than overseas.
Good to know the fiio would be a good enough stopgap measure.

 

[Black Sugar]

Anyone here pairing HE400se with topping E30 DAC? do these pair have good synergy in term of sound? Or maybe i just save bit money (???) to get Topping D50s since my desktop amp is A50s and at this time i plug them into 4.4mm. Thanks

 

[kilonewt]

Anyone here pairing HE400se with topping E30 DAC? do these pair have good synergy in term of sound? Or maybe i just save bit money (???) to get Topping D50s since my desktop amp is A50s and at this time i plug them into 4.4mm. Thanks

I have these paired to an E30 DAC with a Sabaj A10h as an amp. They sound phenomenal to me, I don't think you'll get more out of it by going up to a D50s, just my opinion.

 

[warrenpchi]

They sound phenomenal to me, I don't think you'll get more out of it by going up to a D50s, just my opinion.

Well then, here's a plot twist: I just found out that the HE400se scales quite well, or at least far better than I expected.

Driven by the single-ended headphone outputs of both the Weiss DAC502 and Chord Dave, the HE400se exhibits only the slightest bit of both mid-range recession and upper mid-range stridency. Both sources bring some weight to the low end, with the DAC502 doing a better job of that, such that I don't feel the need to boost the bass response for many a genre.

And yes, I realize there is a comically economic mismatch between the HE400se and those sources. Oh, don't look at me like I'm crazy y'all... it's not like I intended to pair them that way. I just happened to have the DAC502 and Dave here for a review, and experienced a happy accident.

 

[Coldheart29]

So, i bought them and have been using them for about a week, and i must say i quite like them.
Ergonomics are top notch the pads are the most comfortable i've ever felt, and the headband only produces an hotspot in the very center after long lsitening sessions (but that should be easily fixed by peeling the covering layer and cutting out some foam from the middle and puting the vinyl back, from what i've seen in a couple videos it should look pretty much factory afterwards).
The sound is quite nice too. I must say, the mids feel a bit more recessed than i expected (must be a mix of the 2KHz dip and me only using an x3ii to drive them). Also, They seem quite recording picky, i'm realizing much of the stuff i listen to is recorded/mastered quite poorly now that i'm listening to it with the he400se. That sucks, but it definitely isn't the headphones' fault.
I'm also picking a bit of sibilance/harshness, tho i have a suspicion that the limited power from my DAP is yet again the culprit.

This is as far as i fell i can judge them for now, can't weit to get a decent desktop dac/amp to drive them in the next couple of month, maybe a Dx3pro+ or a X1s GT, or a stack of some sort.


Ah, almost forgot, i got them from amazon.it, and they came with the nicer rubber cable, no signs of the original stiff cable. Not too bad i must say, doesn't scream premium quality, but it feels sturdy, kind of reminds me of a mic lead.

 

[NateInBelgium]

So, i bought them and have been using them for about a week, and i must say i quite like them.
Ergonomics are top notch the pads are the most comfortable i've ever felt, and the headband only produces an hotspot in the very center after long lsitening sessions (but that should be easily fixed by peeling the covering layer and cutting out some foam from the middle and puting the vinyl back, from what i've seen in a couple videos it should look pretty much factory afterwards).
The sound is quite nice too. I must say, the mids feel a bit more recessed than i expected (must be a mix of the 2KHz dip and me only using an x3ii to drive them). Also, They seem quite recording picky, i'm realizing much of the stuff i listen to is recorded/mastered quite poorly now that i'm listening to it with the he400se. That sucks, but it definitely isn't the headphones' fault.
I'm also picking a bit of sibilance/harshness, tho i have a suspicion that the limited power from my DAP is yet again the culprit.

This is as far as i fell i can judge them for now, can't weit to get a decent desktop dac/amp to drive them in the next couple of month, maybe a Dx3pro+ or a X1s GT, or a stack of some sort.


Ah, almost forgot, i got them from amazon.it, and they came with the nicer rubber cable, no signs of the original stiff cable. Not too bad i must say, doesn't scream premium quality, but it feels sturdy, kind of reminds me of a mic lead.

Hi, glad you like them!

I agree about the hotspot, I have to readjust after an hour or so as it can be quite painful, square on the top of my head. Otherwise the comfort level is astounding. Sadly yes, they are so good for a budget headphone that they will show up a poor master or recording. To be honest I can live with it for how well they perform with the good and great masters!

I think you are right in regards to your DAP source being the culprit for sibilance and harshness in the highs. These cans can reach up there but shouldn't sound harsh or sibilant. Your future source upgrade should help that issue. Going balanced helps purify the sound even more. Happy listening!

 

[pk4425]

Hi, glad you like them!

I agree about the hotspot, I have to readjust after an hour or so as it can be quite painful, square on the top of my head. Otherwise the comfort level is astounding. Sadly yes, they are so good for a budget headphone that they will show up a poor master or recording. To be honest I can live with it for how well they perform with the good and great masters!

I think you are right in regards to your DAP source being the culprit for sibilance and harshness in the highs. These cans can reach up there but shouldn't sound harsh or sibilant. Your future source upgrade should help that issue. Going balanced helps purify the sound even more. Happy listening!

I had the same hotspot when I bought these cans last spring. Time and some gentle kneading of the spot with your thumbs should cure all. That combination helped these progress from the most uncomfortable headband I've worn to one that's plenty comfortable.

 

[samandhi]

Though ugly, I miss the old headband style for comfort. My old HE400S can be worn for an infinite amount of time IMO, but I get that same hotspot using the Deva. I suppose it costs more to produce a set with this "hammock" style though, so I don't begrudge them that. Being able to have a planar of good quality and lower cost nowadays is fantastic! Some years ago, you had to mortgage your house to have a set.

 

[pk4425]

FYI: I have a pair of HE-400se in great condition -- bought new last March by me -- for sale. Also selling iFi hip-dac and Audiophile Ninja balanced cable for the HE-400se. Good individual or package prices.

PM me if interested, as I know these nice cans are getting plenty of attention here!

 

[Coldheart29]

I had the same hotspot when I bought these cans last spring. Time and some gentle kneading of the spot with your thumbs should cure all. That combination helped these progress from the most uncomfortable headband I've worn to one that's plenty comfortable.

Yep, i've been wearing them a lot in the last couple week, and i can now wear them for hours without issues, so the padding just needed to soften up with use.

 

[deckeda]

Just got these today. As an experiment I played straight from my laptop. Apart from having to max the volume the highs were splashy and sibilant. No surprise.

I have a Bluesound Powernode (current version). That sounded better — again, no surprise — but it’s built in amp didn’t push these too well either. Not horrible.

I went back to my laptop and plugged in a DragonFly Black. Now I had some power and control with good sound.

In all cases I played from Roon, which deletes most hardware variables except for whatever DAC and amp is used. Played with EQ, boosting at about 2K, giving some low bass rise, and a cut at about 8K.

So far I like them a lot. Hearing old music as “never before” is hard to describe. These aren’t perfect but to spend energy criticizing them at $129 seems bizarre.

My last headphone purchase was the original SR60 back in 1995. Corey Greenberg’s review surely sold a zillion copies. Swapping out the sorry Grado pads for yellow HR414 pads was way over due. Still have those. Prior to that it had been Pro4/A’s back in the day!

 

[samandhi]

Just got these today. As an experiment I played straight from my laptop. Apart from having to max the volume the highs were splashy and sibilant. No surprise.

I have a Bluesound Powernode (current version). That sounded better — again, no surprise — but it’s built in amp didn’t push these too well either. Not horrible.

I went back to my laptop and plugged in a DragonFly Black. Now I had some power and control with good sound.

In all cases I played from Roon, which deletes most hardware variables except for whatever DAC and amp is used. Played with EQ, boosting at about 2K, giving some low bass rise, and a cut at about 8K.

So far I like them a lot. Hearing old music as “never before” is hard to describe. These aren’t perfect but to spend energy criticizing them at $129 seems bizarre.

My last headphone purchase was the original SR60 back in 1995. Corey Greenberg’s review surely sold a zillion copies. Swapping out the sorry Grado pads for yellow HR414 pads was way over due. Still have those. Prior to that it had been Pro4/A’s back in the day!

So, is this your first pair of planars then? Seems like you found the formula. They scale with better amping.

 

[Black Sugar]

I have these paired to an E30 DAC with a Sabaj A10h as an amp. They sound phenomenal to me, I don't think you'll get more out of it by going up to a D50s, just my opinion.

Still gets confusing between D50s or look elsewhere cause lately i've been think the bluetooth feature give me more benefit and after spend several days with HE400se, i have to say the shrill sounding treble, sibilance become much more reduce. Everthing just sounds more organic, not significant change but it's real difference (still in neutral manner).
I have one question, i just do casual touch the driver magnet underneath the cloth. Just lightly touch, do these have bad effect to the driver?

 

[samandhi]

Still gets confusing between D50s or look elsewhere cause lately i've been think the bluetooth feature give me more benefit and after spend several days with HE400se, i have to say the shrill sounding treble, sibilance become much more reduce. Everthing just sounds more organic, not significant change but it's real difference (still in neutral manner).
I have one question, i just do casual touch the driver magnet underneath the cloth. Just lightly touch, do these have bad effect to the driver?

No, it shouldn't hurt it, but I wouldn't make a habit of it just in case.