HE400SE Stealth Magnets Version Over-Ear Open-Back Full-Size Planar Magnetic Wired Headphones for Audiophiles/Studio, Great-Sounding, Stereo, High Sensitivity, Comfortable, Sliver

They are amazingly good for the price, definitely much better sound than my old AKG K271 MKII (which aren't just V-shaped, they are N-shaped, I can't believe I've spent at least 6 years in them. Yeah, and they cost about 2.5x more than the Hifimans). I think these Hifimans are the really flat apart apart from being a bit bassy and having a peak at a few kHz that can make the "S" sound in vocals annoying. But YOU may like it, and if you don't, like me, it is a very easy fix, described at the end of the review. The sound is unbelievably detailed with and without the mod, but without the mod the vocals also an feel a bit odd, like there is normally a minuscule amount of echo or sustain, and here there is none, so it can sound oddly dry in a way. Like the diaphragm can start and stop so fast it causes the sound to have way less sustain than you are used to. I guess it could be that most people including me listen to music through dynamic drivers only, whether it's speakers or headphones, and then they add a little bit of sustain to everything. The mod diminishes this effect a little, turning it from annoying to actually good. I never had planar magnetics before, so this could be the effect all planars do have, and in itself it's worth the price as it is really interesting to experience. It makes brass and percussive instruments sound crazy good, like you are there. They are surprisingly comfortable when you are upright, but can slide off if you are lying on your back and didn't tighten the headband more than what feels best when sitting or standing. The build quality is OK, and much better than it looks on the photos. The earcups do have a vertical swivel even though it doesn't look like they do, just the point of rotation is within the black part of the headband. And the forks are metal. The cable is really nice and thick, and is probably like a balanced cable all the way except for the plug. These headphones are easy to disassemble (sometimes a little too easy, the grilles for example), and there is a plenty of upgrades available, including 3D printed and buyable (headband, earpads, grilles, cables, etc.). But you DO need a headphone amplifier/actual soundcard/Bluetooth DAC/stationary hi-fi equipment that has a headphone output, as a phone or other portable devices meant for ordinary headphones can be too weak to drive them properly and they will sound a lot worse than they otherwise can, even at the same volume. They definitely sound good from Creative SoundblasterX G6 and Douk U3, so you probably don't need anything unreasonably expensive. Other than that I can't really think of any reason NOT to buy them if you want wired headphones that sound good, have great soundstage, are easily repairable/moddable and are cheap. The $0 mod goes as follows: Just remove the earpads and put adhesive tape as seen in the picture. The earcup has a plastic ring that is rather flexible nad has four hooks that point outwards. The easiest way to get it off is to reach for the ring through the earhole and try to lift it where one of the hooks is. The tape has to be between the second most rear and fourth most rear magnet, and should not extend out beyond these magnets (and put it on the magnets, NOT on the diaphragm, this is just to make the sound go less directly into your ear hole). Just leave one rear gap and three front gaps. And leaving about 5mm from the top and bottom makes it as detailed as it was without the nasty sharp "S" sound, and just a very, very small amount bassier). You can adjust the tape length to your liking of course, the amount shown works best for me. Also be careful, do not touch the diaphragm, and be aware that the magnets are quite strong, so that if you use a ferromagnetic tool to trim or apply the tape, it can be attracted to them suddenly). Also be aware that the earpads have front (thinner) and back (wider) sides, and do one ear at a time to avoid mixing them up.

I bought these a a Christmas gift for my grandmother and tested them against my Monolith M1060s ($250 to $350 at the time of writing this, and also very well worth it if you can afford them as well) to make sure they were what I'd want to gift her. The HEs aren't as deep sounding and they're a little lighter on the build quality, but for 2.5 to 3x cheaper, they're totally worth it. The lows could use a bit of a boost in comparison to the M1060s for my taste, but other than that they're worth what I paid. The cups are plastic, but the joints and open-back grills are all metal. The ear pads are a mix of synthetic leather on the edge and velour on the face. It's really nice, honestly. My grandma is mostly gonna use them for her electric piano anyway, so I tested them on another keyboard she gave me and they really shine. Along with that, from classical pieces to pop to heavy metal, they're really clear and pretty well defined between 20hz to the 17-18khz that I was able to hear, which is right at what most people should be looking for and what's described in their specs. I like the extra weight of my M1060s, but the Hifimans will most likely be better for my grandma specifically because they're lighter. They're still very well built though, I have no doubt after handling them. I also want to mention that the foam that they come packaged in becomes a headphone stand once pulled out! I've never seen that, and haven't really seen anybody mention it, but it's nice to see the small features like that really bring the whole package together. I think that for a hundred or so bucks, these are definitely a grab if you plan to sit down and really listen to what you're hearing.

Should you want to venture into the world of 'Magnetic Planar' headphones without breaking the bank, then the HIFIMAN HE400SE Stealth Magnet headphone is a great place to start...!!! I bought mine in May 2022 and have been extremely pleased with their quality-build, comfort, and overall sonic performance...!!! You will notice small nuances in the music that weren't there before when using other dynamic headphones in the past... The clarity and detail retrieval is amazing, especially when considering the price point...!!! Hifiman is a well-known company that produces planar magnetic headphones, that come in a wide range of prices, so you're dealing with a quality brand from the get-go...!!! Before I jump into its outstanding features, you should understand one aspect of planar magnetic headphones versus dynamic headphones... Magnetic Planar Headphones require a little power to drive them to their optimum level/performance... You can't just plug them into your cell phone or laptop and expect them to sound great...!!! They require some extra power to perform to the best of their ability... I run mine through an iFi Zen DAC V2, which is a DAC/Amp that puts out 380mW-Balanced & 280mW-unBalanced, which is more than enough to drive these headphones to the maximum...!!! There are numerous portable DAC/Amps on the market that can drive these headphones, so it's not as bad as it might sound to people new to the Hi-Fi hobby... As to sound qualities - (1) Bass is well-detailed, well-controlled, and overall is pretty neutral in its tonality (2) Mid-Range is clean, highly detailed, organic/natural sounding... (3) Treble is slightly emphasized, but never too bright or harsh, with good clarity and detail retrieval... The soundstage is wide with accurate imaging overall... These headphones are neutral and well-balanced, so they are great for long listening sessions, yet you can also use an equalizer to tune them to your own personal tastes, if you like... At its price point, I believe the HIFIMAN HE400SE headphones outshine the competition with (1) High Resolution (2) Fantastic Clarity (3) Overall Balanced/Neutral Tuning (4) Top-Notch Price-Performance...!!! At approximately $120 dollars, it truly punches above its weight in every aspect you can think of... My friends are amazed when they try out these cans...!!!

I used to be into headphones. Tried about two dozen pair. I even attended the 1999 "headphone concert" put together by The Flaming Lips. Incredible. But it got too expensive. And other things took my attention. I stuck with my Audio-Technica ATH-M50s (three pairs) and my Gilmore Lite amp and moved on with life. I saw these planars for an unbelievable price and figured, why not? I didn't have any open headphones, and I mostly work from home now, so opens might make sense. I owned HE-500s back in the day for about a month, and I'd dabbled in open dynamic headphones like Sony MDR-SA5000s, AT ATH-AD700s, and a couple Senns. The first thing I love about this headphone is how inert the chassis is. It's QUIET. Sits on the head with comfort and complete silence. MY SA5000s would never shut up -- the slightest twitch of the head would cause chassis creaks that were often louder than whatever I was listening to. I exclusively listen to these through a Gilmore Lite amp, an older, class A amp considered "fast." I have a Marantz CD5001 and also listen to stuff on my PC through these. Here's the thing. To me, these sounded pretty bad even after 80 hours of "burn-in" until I put a Behringer FBQ800 in my signal chain and tamed the 2K and 4K bands a bit, and also boosted the 60hz band. They were "squawky" or "honky." After the EQ changes, they sound great. Nice compromise between detail retrieval and musicality. I wouldn't say they present an extensively wide or nuanced soundstage. But it is more expansive than the M50s. I do enjoy the effect of leaving my Emotive Stealth 6 studio monitors on for bass impact while using these. That seems to create an impressive breadth, and something that is not really possible with closed headphones like the M50s. I think these are great for the unbelievable price, but honestly they needed EQ. I'm sure the kids have far more advanced EQ apps for their mobile devices than what I'm using, so that shouldn't be a problem. This is a solid purchase.

I’m picky when it comes to my music’s sound, and have tested a ridiculous number of open-back/over-ear headphones in the last year, including Philips Fidelio X2HR, Sennheiser 599, 600, 650, 660s2, and 6XX, AKG k702 & k712, as well as HiFiMan Sundara (2020 version), Edition XS, and Ananda Nano. All but one pair went back, but it made for some really good perspective re comparing cans. I have spent the last 9 months happy as a clam with my AKG k702 + Schiit Stack (Modi Multibit, Loki Mini+, Vali 2++/3), but recently fell back into the research rabbit hole (oops) and decided to give the HiFiMan he400se a try, and boy am I glad I did. These deliver full and warm sound very consistently via an orb-like soundstage, i.e. music feels like it’s coming from all directions around your head, like being at the center of a large globe. The Edition XS & Ananda Nano are applauded for a large soundstage, but I found it to be too vertical in both, like having a “wall of sound” on each side of your head, and the headphones themselves were comically large for my small head. The he400se are super comfortable by comparison; they do not clamp too hard but aren’t too loose either, the ear pads are amazing, and the body is hefty without being too heavy (as someone who gets headaches really easily, this is a big win). They only ever sit on my head or their stand, so I can’t really speak to their durability as I’m not tossing them into a backpack or anything like that (be gentle with your beloved audio gear!!), but their brushed metal grilles, padded PU leather headband, and stepped per-ear adjustment feel very high-quality. I know people have had issues with HiFiMan products in terms of defects, but this pair was perfect right out of the box. There were no issues with the stock cable either, but it was too short for me (at around 3ft), so I am replacing it with a custom 6ft Hart Audio cable (Amazon’s replacement options are great as well; there shouldn’t be any difference in sound quality). Compared to the AKG k702, in my opinion, the HiFiMan he400se are better for passive music enjoyment due to their warmer tuning & ability to bring out the best in all genres*, while the k702 would be preferable for mixing/mastering, certain games, and other analytical listening, as they have a very wide & accurate soundstage (like being in a large, flat/horizontal disc-like space with musicians scattered across it). *Note re “bringing out the best in all genres”: open-backs aren’t known for boomy bass, and I am not a bass-head. But I can confidently say that the planar magnetic drivers in the he400se brings more bass presence than any of the open-back headphones with dynamic drivers I’ve tried, and the mid-bass-boosted tuning compensates for the imminent lack of “thump.” I do recommend having some way to fine-tune the EQ. With the Loki Mini+, I’ve increased the low bass as well as the treble — because of the warmer tuning, the highs (e.g. lead instruments & vocals) can sound a little recessed stock. These can easily be driven without a super-expensive amp, but having an amp/DAC *will* make them sound better than plugging them directly into your PC or phone (either of which can be sources of lossless music with the right equipment & >40gbps USB-C cable to the source). Not only are these great value, they’re great in general. I prefer them over several much more expensive counterparts. Nobody else can speak for your ears but you, though, so you’ll only know if you give them a try :)

I already own the Hifiman HE400Is I got on here five years ago, so why did I buy these? I tried to buy the IFI hIP dAC V2 AMP, only to find that it lacks a 3.5" basic input, all USB, which is not what I needed for my simple but solid Fiio X1 player/Fosi Audio amp rig. I am not using my smartphone for most music listening. I use the iPhone14 in the car and it's great for that. I realized I was looking a gift horse in the mouth: I have the player and amp I love, so don't mess with it! Headphones can always be improved, however. At least, until you hit the diminishing returns wall, but I'm not in the market for $10,000 speakers or headphones, in any case. Instead, this came up at $100 on here and I realized I was staring a true deal right in the face. I love the He400Is but they aren't terribly portable. Well, these are slightly more portable, but still a big, bulky headphone, let's face it. But, the tradeoff is sheer luxury, sound quality, and to me, the build quality is fantastic and solid. Maybe Focals are better, i dunno, but my budget is not for $8000 phones, sorry. I know some have had issues with Hifiman's quality control, I haven't. I tend to baby my gear, anyway. I'm not about to lug these around outside all day long, etc. I was willing to bet on Hifiman again, and I'm so glad I did. These beauties showed up Sat. night and I unboxed them gingerly, tested them on the Fiio player with .wav files, hours of Miles Davis Quartet the Second box set, (Columbia CD edition) Wish You Were Here (latest remaster), and some Morton Feldman For Bunita Marcus by Aki Takahashi (newest Mode edition CD). All sounded sublime, but particularly the Miles Davis. This is half the reason to invest in Hifimans or planars or electrostatics, treating yourself to quality music, well recorded, etc. I'm a heavy metal fan too, but I wouldn't buy these whatsoever for speed or death metal. Get something with more slam and heavy bass if anything. Beats, whatever. Even if you're not a jazz or classical fan, and I'm mainly a rock/pop guy, or dance, these are a darned good reason to expand your horizons and get a good headphone amp, portable or not, a good high res player (not your phone!), and load it with HQ sources and you're in for a real treat. Put on John Coltrane's Heavyweight Champion box set and have a good ol' time. Steely Dan! Hells yes. As with the HE400Is, these open backs shine with the detail, wide soundstage, solid but not super deep bass (just "true" but with bass boost/EQ on it extends more), and shimmering, natural sounding treble. The mids are decent, if not super extended. But the mids are anything but "screechy" or sibilant, either. Comfort level of the pads, suspension, and headbar are off the charts, at least for me. My head is smaller so I don't even extend the bands. You can sit there with these or the 400Is for hours and never get fatigued, either your ears, or your head. They bleed sound in room....who cares!? Don't worry about it unless you're in a public space with tons of people near you. I think the treble in the 400Is might be a bit clearer, or sharper, but I'm not sure since I haven't used those in a while. This is extraordinary in the headphone world, where in my experience, cheap earbuds and headphones are often totally lacking in comfort. Pioneer, I'm talking to you! These actually seem very efficient for planars, my Fosi Audio amp powers them very easily, and I only have to crank them up a bit more than say, my Sennheiser Urbanites XL to achieve the same level. I wouldn't try this without an amp, however, and let's face it, planars will only truly shine utilizing a good amp, so get one! Though via your phone with a good amp would be fine, too. Don't bother with Bluetooth either, you'll only cheapen the experience, and degrade the signal. As for Bass-heads: these are NOT for bass heads. There is some good bass here, but it's not like nightclub Beats over the top super sub bass. What you get instead is some of the tightest, truest general deep bass you're going to ever hear. It's all about accuracy, in the bass, but, never clinical, either. The 400Ses are accurate, detailed, but warm, maybe a tiny tad "dark" sounding. For $100 these are a total steal, I believe. You can spend $1500 for Audezes, I'm sure they're worth every penny (they are, I've heard them), but if you're starting out with mid-Fi, or audiophile stuff, you can buy these and be confident that your $100 was spent very wisely indeed. Just don't take them to the beach, for goodness' sake! Even better running these from a really good desktop headphone amp or receiver, but portable amps will do fine! At 32 ohms and "high sensitivity," these shine with an amp but you won't push the amp beyond belief. They also look phenomenal with a beautiful black and silver metal suspension and those velour pads. OMG! Get them now before they are discont'ed and sell for $1000. A bit of burn-in time will likely' be a good idea, too.

I have never owned or heard a planar headphone before. I am not a major audiophile, and the best headphones I have owned are V-Moda M-80, which I have had for a while, and Philips Fidelio X2HR, which I got a few weeks ago. I have been happy with both of these for casual listening, but wanted to try planar drivers without spending a lot of money. I decided to take a plunge with these entry level planars. I like the way they look. The colors are understated, and the size is about the same as the X2HRs. The build quality is not as good as the Philips cans, which use a lot more metal. The HE400se sound a bit more creaky when handling, and seem to be built with a much looser tolerance between parts. They do seem sturdy enough to last, but only time will tell. The headband is not as good as the Philips suspension support, but it is well cushioned, and better than how the V-Moda cans fit. The earpads are quite squishy, and distribute the clamping force quite well. Where these headphones shine is in the sound quality. The other two dynamic headphones I have aren't bad per se, but the bass seems to be a lot less crisp. Rapid changes in pitch never seem to get out of sync with the planar drivers, resulting in every drum hit, string pluck, and cymbal crash sound much more precise. These also resolve much more detail from layered songs, which make you notice nuances you miss with other headphones. I first drove these directly from my computer, and they seemed much quieter than my other phones. This is due to the planar drivers being more power hungry. I really couldn't drive them efficiently this way, as turning us the volume too much would cause my sound output start to clip. These issues were resolved after I added an cheap mini amp to boost the computer sound output, after which these came in line with the levels I was used to with my dynamic headphones. I also added an EQ profile to correct the response to be closer to the Harmon target. These now sound smooth, crisp, and detailed. The soundstage is nice, and the response is totally neutral. A great value for the money when you properly adjust the settings, and now my primary listening device. P.S. - This is getting to be an expensive hobby, or is it actually rising to the level of an addiction? I got a Fiio BTR5 and a balanced cable and matched them to this. The balanced signal is much louder and the output level is comparable to other headphones now. I can't tell if it made the sound quality better over the single ended 3.5 connection, but it certainly didn't make it worse, and louder is better, am I right?

this is my first pair of open-back headphones, i've only had closed-back headphones for the past 6+ years, so i'm not experienced enough to give a super helpful review, but i liked it. it sounded quite weird to me initially, but after using rtings and equalizerAPO to kinda tame the weird frequency response, i really like these. i had often been wearing my closed-back headphones with one ear off so i could hear things around me, but i don't need to with these. it's overall comfortable, but i do feel a bit of pressure where the earcups meet my head after wearing them for a while. it's not uncomfortable enough for me to hate wearing them as long as i'm listening to something, but my mdr-7506 headphones sat better on my head, to the point where i didn't feel the urge to take them off when the music ended. this definitely depends on your head shape and size, though, so your mileage may vary. this pair is also a little bit on the heavy side, so watch out for that. the cable is a little short for my preference, again, probably because i started with the mdr-7506 with its coiled cable, but it's a nice-feeling cable, and aftermarket cables are easy to find and use, given you can just unplug the cable from the headphones. the main thing i'm not liking is the earcups. i overheat easily, so i try to avoid synthetic fabrics, as they make me overheat faster, and while i couldn't quickly find something that said specifically what the earcups are made of, i have the same feeling wearing these as i do wearing, say, a polyester t-shirt. fortunately, this is another thing that's available from third parties. i'm overall very happy with it, though. if you're not a huge fan of how the mid-highs sound, i've attached my eq adjustments in case they help someone. you might need to tweak it a little bit depending on your preferences, but it's worth a shot if the only thing you don't like about it is the frequency response. (in case the image isn't available to you, my adjustments are +3dB at 1700Hz, +5dB at 5000Hz, and -3db at 8000Hz, all peak filters with the Q set to 3. i don't know if i'd recommend bumping up the bass/sub, i tried it but i kinda hated it, even though i'm used to the mdr-7506 which has a bit of a bump in the bass/sub, it just didn't sound right to me lol)