HiFiMAN HE400se HiFi Headphones for Mobile Use with Stealth Magnet Technology, Silver, Adjustable (packaging may vary)

I'm no audiophile, but I've owned and tried several pairs of budget and mid-range headphones like AKG702, DT990 PRO, HD 660S2, and not been particularly impressed with any of them. I was recommended to try this pair along with the Oratory1990 equaliser preset for them, and my god... it's like I'm hearing music properly for the first time. I wasn't really a fan of EDM before, but these headphones have changed my mind about that genre entirely. It's almost like these headphones were made specifically to listen to 80s/90s trance and techno. I never knew there were a whole range of bass frequencies I wasn't hearing due to other, inferior headphones.People complain about the build quality, and while it could be a lot better, I can't complain about it at this price point. Comfort wise, I've had no problem wearing them for hours at a time. They are decent headphones right out of the box, but certain frequencies peak and can sound a little harsh without a good EQ preset. The preset I recommended lowers the pre-amp and makes the headphones quieter overall, so you will also want a decent USB DAC amp to drive them.

Got these headphones at an absolute steal of a price at a special limited price of only £69 which at that price it would be damn right rude not to add these to my growing headphone collection.These at that price or in fact any headphone below £150 I would say are the best bargain in HiFi land.Build quality is really not that bad, I have heard lots of negative reviews on the build quality of Hifiman headphones but I do think that was based on earlier models or production runs as they seem to have now got their act together on build quality.The headphones are well built and use of decent enough materials with a mix of metal and plastic. The pads are comfortable and big enough to accomodate my slightly larger than average ears. A mix of soft pleather with a fabric surround as where it touches your head, comfort is very good in my opinion.The cable is decent enough and they have upgraded this cable from earlier 400 models, fitting an aftermarket cable is easy enough as the fittings are standard 3.5mm connectors and you can easily run these balanced too with a cable without breaking the bank.I run these on my Fiio K9 Dac amp on medium gain at around 2pm on the dial and I do listen loud on my 58 year old ears.Sound is extremely clear and present with stonking amounts of smooth treble detail presented. Mids are quite forward but very present and vocals in your face if you like that kind of presentation (not unlike Grado presentation).Bass is very good , definitely not bloated or muddy but it does dig quite deep and has a decent amount of sub bass before rolling off.Soundstage is not huge but definitely bigger than my HD600 but imaging is not so precise as that reference headphone. Imaging is good enough though especially for a headphone at this price point.If you can get this headphone below £100 its a no brainer provided you have a half decent amp to power them, even at their list price now on here at £129 I do think these are stellar value to get into the FUN of Planar Magnetics.Out and out recommendation from me!

First pair arrived with the right side completely inoperable.Replacement pair arrived and all seemed well at first, but then the right side started developing a small electrical hiss while listening to music.Apart from the issues, these are amazing. scale well with an amp, plenty detail and light in sub bass (my pref) - biggest strength would be attack and decay times and very low THD. Negatives would be build quality/QC issues & lean sub bass not for everyone.Ultimately returned them due to the QC issues. Trying Sundaras in hope of finding a well built planar headphone.

These are open backed , so noise cancelling is not what they are intended for. Nevertheless they partially exclude ambient noise and in a quiet room are fine. Very comfortable and, for the money, really excellent sound quality for music listening. Up against more expensive models, which I have not had the opportunity to try, I expect they are not entirely tonally perfect. There is a slight drop in the lower mid frequencies I suspect, but very clear and detailed as to be expected from a planar magnetic design. Absolutely superb for the price.