Need help finding HE 400S review

[RazerZ]

Does anyone know of a good review for the pair? The naming scheme...almost as bad as their advertisements. 

[doctorraichu]

At 400usd, the HE-400 is the cheapest currently-marketed Planar Magnetic that high end audiophile company HiFiMan has produced yet. It's a result of their finally figuring out how to streamline manufacture a planar magnetic driver headphone. Their HE-4 offering is discontinued.

In case you don't already know, the fundamental way a Planar Magnetic Driver operates is that it uses a very large and light membrane to move air instead of a smaller, heavier cone/dome structure that other headphones use. The Amazon description says the HE-400 has a 50mm driver, but in actuality it has a 70mm driver. Instead of the membrane being moved by a small voice coil, it is placed between two huge arrays of magnets spanning its entire surface, leaving it to move in an isodynamic magnetic field. The advantages of this type of operation over conventional headphone drivers are tremendous: faster response, less distortion (especially in the bass range) and speaking of bass, Planar Magnetics and their huge, powerful drivers deliver tremendous bass extension and impact down low for open headphones. The HE-400 without a doubt has the best bass extension out of any open headphone I've heard outside Audeze's LCD-2. The only downsides of planar magnetics are weight and the fact that they're power hungry, so it's best to use a beefy amp with them.

The weight is not a big deal for the HE-400, it is lighter than the higher end planar magnetics, the headband disperses weight very evenly so there's never a pressure point buildup on the top of your head, and the earpads are very big and spacious, so your ears never touch the drivers. The build quality and appearance of the HE-400 screams high end to me. It's a very sturdy feeling headphone that also has a very high-tech draw to it.

[KaminKevCrew]

http://www.lachlanlikesathing.com/2015/08/hifiman-he400s-first-impressions-review.html this might help you out.

[KaminKevCrew]

At 400usd, the HE-400 is the cheapest currently-marketed Planar Magnetic that high end audiophile company HiFiMan has produced yet. It's a result of their finally figuring out how to streamline manufacture a planar magnetic driver headphone. Their HE-4 offering is discontinued.

In case you don't already know, the fundamental way a Planar Magnetic Driver operates is that it uses a very large and light membrane to move air instead of a smaller, heavier cone/dome structure that other headphones use. The Amazon description says the HE-400 has a 50mm driver, but in actuality it has a 70mm driver. Instead of the membrane being moved by a small voice coil, it is placed between two huge arrays of magnets spanning its entire surface, leaving it to move in an isodynamic magnetic field. The advantages of this type of operation over conventional headphone drivers are tremendous: faster response, less distortion (especially in the bass range) and speaking of bass, Planar Magnetics and their huge, powerful drivers deliver tremendous bass extension and impact down low for open headphones. The HE-400 without a doubt has the best bass extension out of any open headphone I've heard outside Audeze's LCD-2. The only downsides of planar magnetics are weight and the fact that they're power hungry, so it's best to use a beefy amp with them.

The weight is not a big deal for the HE-400, it is lighter than the higher end planar magnetics, the headband disperses weight very evenly so there's never a pressure point buildup on the top of your head, and the earpads are very big and spacious, so your ears never touch the drivers. The build quality and appearance of the HE-400 screams high end to me. It's a very sturdy feeling headphone that also has a very high-tech draw to it.

This is not a review, nor is i helpful in the least. That looks more like a copy+paste from the product page or something.

[doctorraichu]

This is not a review, nor is i helpful in the least. That looks more like a copy+paste from the product page or something. 

 

http://wondergressive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shrug.jpg

 

It was the top Amazon Review.

[KaminKevCrew]

http://wondergressive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shrug.jpg

It was the top Amazon Review.

All it does is describe planar technology, and what advantages it brings over dynamic drivers. It doesn't do anything in the way of reviewing the headphones - at all...

[RazerZ]

http://www.lachlanlikesathing.com/2015/08/hifiman-he400s-first-impressions-review.html this might help you out.

Thanks, that is what I was looking for. Damn I was really hoping for more out of these when I saw tyll's first impressions a few months back.

[doctorraichu]

All it does is describe planar technology, and what advantages it brings over dynamic drivers. It doesn't do anything in the way of reviewing the headphones - at all...

Still, its a posotive review, so ynot m8?

[RazerZ]

Still, its a posotive review, so ynot m8?

Ha, just noticed that review was for the HE 400 not the HE 400S (they are two separate headphones). It may be positive but it does not go into detail describing the headphones. Most amazon reviews are like that, not worth the read.

[KaminKevCrew]

Still, its a posotive review, so ynot m8?

As noted below, not only does it not have any descriptors for the sound and experience, it's for the wrong headphones... So that's why.

[xtroria]

HE-400S initial responses seem to be underwhelming, if you consider it as a planar magnetic headphone. People expect a bass level that's similiar to original HE-400, good amount but tight bass, something that should be easily achievable with planar driver.

 

Somehow, it has rolled off bass and with the rolled off treble starting from 10K Hz, it will sound dark. So you have something that blooms in the mid-bass and rolled off treble, you'll basically end up with a somewhat mid / vocal focused headphone and while it might not be a bad thing, normal dynamic driver can also do it easily. People expect DEAD FLAT bass response, which you basically can't get from a dynamic driver.

 

I still feel Fidelio X2 and original HE-400 are the champs for bass lovers in this price range. Hell, my K7xx probably has better bass response than HE-400S

[SLiKRiC]

I was looking into these but the fact that it lacks the bass is making me look for something else.

[xtroria]

I was looking into these but the fact that it lacks the bass is making me look for something else.

The original HE-400 is what you should be looking for

[SSL]

Tyll seems to be excited about them still, so I'm sure we'll se a review.

 

I don't think these headphones are all bad, just not what a lot of people were looking for and not what I was looking for, either.

[JPopJRockFanatic]

Firstly, I think Hifiman's naming scheme is ridiculous. There are those that have no letter after the X00, then there's an "i", then out of nowhere, there's an "s" at the end. Way to go, Hifiman. Even Google is confused with finding your actual products.

Second, the only other "reviews" I can find are from Head-fi. From what I see, atleast one of them is not entirely happy with it. That said, I wouldn't touch this place for objective reviews. I wonder how did someone get alot of attention because he thought that the LCD-XC was a bad headphone because it didn't go with the music he liked to listen. So, until Tyll reviews the HE-400S, which has actual measurements, I think its only Lachlan that has a credible review of the product right now.