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HIFIMAN HE-400i Planar Magnetic Headphones

HIFIMAN HE-400i Planar Magnetic Headphones

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291 Sold
Product Description
HIFIMAN has taken its HE-400 series to new heights. Introducing the HE-400i: a pair of planar magnetic headphones optimized for critical listening and uncompromising comfort Read More

Customer Reviews

4.6
(38 reviews)
5star
(25)
4star
(10)
3star
(2)
2star
(1)
1star
(0)
94% would recommend to a friend
By Feature
Build Quality
4.0(2)
Sound
4.5(2)
Comfort
4.0(2)
Music GenresPopular among reviewers
ActivitiesPopular among reviewers
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Haddedam
9
Feb 15, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Like Stroking a Seal
Promised to ship 04th Feb, shipped 29th Jan arrived 15th Feb in Estonia. Build: Sadly it doesn't have the fanastic old box 400i came with. Hifiman claims it's an upgrade since it's environmentally friendy but know what, I would've kept the old box, this one's propably going in the trash and I'll find a nicer storage solution for it. Box is not bad, it's just not the fantastic leather one. Build wise its VERY well built. Everything is solid, thick strong. Far cry from what it was back when they cost 500 bucks. Now it's 130 and better in every way. The cable tho could propably be used as a lifting spring on a f350 truck cause it's so rigid and coiled. I didn't know cables could get this bad. Sound: Comparing it to my akg k95's and fidelio x2's. Running them through ifi zen dac mostly. I've been listening to x2's ever since they were released and I couldn't imagine sound getting better. I tried them on for a while, playing some tracks and after half an hour, just as I was typing my initially slightly dissapointed impressions to my gf I heard it. I heard a detail in one of my favorite songs I've never heard before. It had a strong and loud presence and it felt like I was kicked in the face. And I was sold. Those headphones are well more detailed, have far greater instrument separation, really good soundstage compared to x2, bass is there, it shakes your eyeballs but it is clean and it is smooth. Everything is clean and smooth! It really does feel like stroking a seal. Just slick, clean, no fuzzies but still soft and feels good. A steal at 130plus shipping plus customs and a month's wait. It even sounds good through Valhalla 2, against the common "OTL and planars bad mkay". The sound is way different compared to solid state tho. I'd like to listen to the 400i more but I'm straightening out the cable and once parts arrive I'll make my own goddamn cable. If you want to try planars, you can't go wrong here. Especially for the money.
Recommends this product? Yes
etrigan63
44
Feb 18, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Nice and Clear (and probably overkill for my use case)
Got these to replace some AKG's with a broken headband. Sound great for the price but I am not the best judge of that as I suffer from chronic tinnitus. These are my everything headphones as I cannot justify anything more expensive as they all sound alike to me.
Recommends this product? Yes
acm70
9
Oct 30, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Much better than I expected
Not all that I wanted much better than I expected. Not a contradiction it's just that I sorta wanted these for years. Finally got them, and never meet your heros. It's just not the 100% improvement I expected but definitely better than all but one pair that I had already owned. Highs great, mids better than ok but little muddy. Lows. I prefer my m & dynamic 65's. But worth 160$ not original 400$ years back. Got my money's worth. But never meet your heroes.
Recommends this product? Yes
J_December_why
481
Jan 31, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
excellent sound! for only $145???
HE-400i is my new daily driver. The clarity and detail are amazing, bass is great. I like them a lot better than hd600, better than he4xx. The cable sucks, so I am using periapt balanced connection; ifi Zen DAC to Aune X7s (i know it's not truly balanced, it's just temporary setup). It sounds great!!
Recommends this product? Yes
TK1103MKII
55
Oct 24, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Lower model of HE-4XX.
I have Hifiman HE-4XX and HE-400i, and compared these 2 headphones. (Using DAC is RME ADI-2 DAC, Sound source is FLAC). These headphones have different sound quality trends, I felt that HE-4XX was more advanced especially in the bass. However if using with MP3 files, I felt HE-400i was good choice, because some badness of HE-4XX is very noticeable when the sound is not so good.
Recommends this product? Yes
hypnoticdcime
161
Dec 17, 2020
Thanks my 5xx went back,like the 4XX better!
TK1103MKII
55
Dec 31, 2020
hypnoticdcimeI think so too. 5XX has very natural good sound !
IaninSpain
36
Jun 11, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Amazing sound and great quality
These arrived about a month ago and since then I've been alternating between them and a pair of HE-35X, the difference between dynamic and planar drivers, while not chalk and cheese, certainly shows over the long term. My 60+ year old ears have after 45 years of 'rock n roll' tailed off a bit. I can still however make out all I want from my music collection. With the change to planar magnetic, I've heard a huge difference in the soundstage, both lateral and forward facing. I've always wanted a sound with almost excessive treble and upper mids with a sharp hard bass. I get more of what I want with the HE-400i's, and as a by-product they're extremely comfortable as well. I stiil read these headphones need 150+ hours 'burn in', at 3-4 hours per day, I'm at about 75-80 hours so far. I'll amend and extend this review when I've had another month or six weeks under my belt.
Recommends this product? Yes
QuintonB
4
Oct 28, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Worked for a couple hours
Rating is 4 because of the customer service I received and would have been higher if the headphones worked. I cannot rate the headphones because I received a faulty pair. The headphones worked for a couple hours. Initially only one side would work but both stopped working the first evening. I off course thought that it was the cable but no such luck. I reached out to customer service and we agreed that I return the set. Once I emailed them proof that the headphones were dropped off at UPS they issued the refund. Awesome service.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
Lostsolo
1
Jun 1, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Excellent choice for value
It was almost impossible to believe that for such price I can get such product. Headphones are comfy, sound is just amazing. Very detailed, very wide, clear and full of freedom. But beware - they need a lot of power. You can listen them almost everywhere, but if you want crisp and strong bass - give them power. Overall I’m totally happy.
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Recommends this product? Yes
hypnoticdcime
161
May 15, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Anything At All
Throw anything at these headphones and they come back with eargasm love that repeats over and over. Not expensive, great build, another Planar release from HifiMan. Yes all of this sounds to you like a bargain? Dare I say my audiophile friends. Yes! A bargain. Oh Boy, these are so much fun to listen to! I hear the entire band where they are positioned and evry guitar riff, high hat tap, vocal clarity, never bland, always exciting, promoting looking for more. The mids extend out way forward and it is lovely. I feel like to miss out on this drop would be a bad mistake. So I took the dive. I had $15 credit so I purchased these shipped for around $100-$120 I believe. These are the type of headphones you throw on with a good, solid DAC/AMP. It doesn't get that much press but a company, EarMen from Auris Audio. The DAC, TR-Amp designed, produced and assembled in Europe. with resolution of up to 24-bit/192kHz, this DAC/AMP really should get more notability. It's only $249 but man does it sing. 2 USB-C ports on the back, one for power to recharge its internal battery, (yes its portable!) the other to connect to well, whatever source that can connect to USB-C in. Don't you just love simplicity? The HE-400i are a great match. I believe these cans need a bit of a forward push to really get the most out of them. They can be played loud and clear. Just another fine example of Planar magic in another Hifiman skin. I know Hifiman gets a lot of banter about build quality. This I have never witnessed. I feel like the HE-400i just sound wonderful and a true delight to listen to. Grab em and plug em in and stay, don't go out much with these much because they are made open back and leak like crazy. They are for home use. Picture this, the Earmen TR-AMP that I mentioned, a new MacBook Pro with Audirvana MQA and the HE-400i all together playing in perfect harmony. I swear these cans take me far away from wherever I am and just sing. I love em!
Recommends this product? Yes
wmccord
21
Mar 26, 2021
checkVerified Buyer
Really good headphones
I have never listened to planar magnetic headphones before. These are awesome. The build quality for $150 is great and the sound is like no headphone, iem or anything I've ever heard before. I'm consistently looking around for things entering the room when it's just the great seperation and clarity of the background vocals or a xylophone or something. It definitely can't be run from a phone (maybe if you have a v60 or something) unless you want to sacrifice the bulk of what makes these great. I'm using the 4.4 balanced connection on the ifi zen dac and I'm really happy. Like others have said, if you are on the fence or haven't listened to planar magnetic headphones then get these.
Recommends this product? Yes
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Recent Activity
Just in case anyone else is wondering about this question, I have tried the HE400se, He400i (both 2016 and 2020 versions), and the HE4XX, as well as many Hifiman headphones all the way up the chain, and aside from the OG HE400, the 2016 HE400is are my favorites from the HE400 series. The 400se is a much drier sounding headphone that comes across as a bit more neutral in comparison. The 4XX is a warmer sounding headphone that sounds a bit veiled and seems tonlose some of the detail especially through the mids. The 2020 version of the HE400i sounds nearly identical to the 2016 with some very minor differences that are so small that they aren't even audible on many tracks, but they are significantly less comfortable than the 2016 version with the suspension headband. I also think the HE400i scales with better signal chains to a greater extent than the HE400se, though I can't comment on how the HE4XX scales because I didn't get as much time with varied gear when I had them around. If I was looking to purchase an HE400 headphone today and wasn't willing to pickup a used OG HE400, then I would definitely buy my 2016 HE400is all over again without a doubt. I actually like them quite a bit more than the HE5XX. That said, with versions if the HE560 and the Sundaras available for under $300 brand new these days, it makes sense to start with them *if* your budget allows (I prefer the HE560s and find the Sundaras a bit too bright, but that's for another post). The 2016 HE400is are still a very relevant headphone in today's market and they're a great, exceptionally comfortable budget planar. ***Disclaimer: All of this is just my opinion based on my experiences and, as with anything in audio and head gear, YMMV.
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