Hifiman HE400SE
HIFIMAN's entry-level open-back planar magnetic headphones
| Maker | HIFIMAN |
|---|---|
| Model | HE400se |
| Type | Open-back over-ear planar magnetic headphones |
Store #
| Store | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Hembiobutiken (via PriceRunner SE) | 1 258 kr | 2026-10-17 |
| Audiokauppa (FI) | €129 | 2026-10-17 |
Description #
HIFIMAN's entry-level open-back planar magnetic headphones. The international version came out in 2021 with HIFIMAN's "stealth magnets", shaped so sound passes through them with less interference, and at launch it was the most affordable headphone HIFIMAN had made.
I couldn't find a Frequency Response chart from SoundGuys to make it standard, but I got one from Bad Guy:
It has a good base response, and it's quite bright. But I also had to EQ it:
Preamp: -5.6 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 5.8 dB Q 0.70
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 301 Hz Gain -1.6 dB Q 0.18
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1975 Hz Gain 5.4 dB Q 1.84
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2837 Hz Gain -3.2 dB Q 3.31
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 304 Hz Gain 0.2 dB Q 1.78
Filter 6: ON HSC Fc 10000 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 0.70
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5436 Hz Gain 1.8 dB Q 4.63
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 122 Hz Gain 0.7 dB Q 2.63
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 61 Hz Gain -0.5 dB Q 1.83
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6782 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 5.20
Impressions #
This is the poor cousing of Sundara. It delivers, like, 70% of what Sundara delivers, but it looks really cheap… So basically the problem here is a bunch of design choices that I, personally, wouldn't have done.
So, the good parts. The sound is really something, it's lighter than the Sundara (definitely because it's all plastic), it's quite comfortable, the cups are bigger and it's nice because my ears actually fit on it.
There are some bad parts. First, it's all plastic, which I really don't like. The band is fixed, differently from the Sundara that has a headband on the top which lowers the weight of the headphone, but it's also less maleable so it's a bit less comfortable. It also not easy to adjust the size, I had to use some WD-40 to make it easier, but it didn't work.
Other than that, it's basically something close to the Sundara at a third of the price, but I think it doesn't deliver the same thing as the other.
Final thoughts #
If I hadn't bought it second hand for a good price, I would probably buy this one over the Sundara, but also, it's not a very pretty headphone, so there's that too.