Baby Sundara? Well..
First I'd like to thank Headamp for always delivering when it comes to shipping, seriously, Justin & co, you guys are amazing. Out of the box, these headphones give a simply "okay" experience, it has a bright leaning tuning with some warmth that is fairly resolving however sibilant at times, a soundstage that often reaches out of head to avoid a claustrophobic sensation, and imaging competent enough but nothing to write home about. Then I remember, these are under $200. By a comfortable amount. Speaking of comfort, the stock headband is awful. Usually it's never an issue for me, but I found myself adjusting the headphones a bit to avoid sore spots due to it's inadequate padding (for me). The pads themselves are great, while I wish they were a hair taller, they provide a comfort experience that is simply amazing in this price point. For reference, the 900 Pro X from Beyerdynamic had me shying away from longer listening sessions 9 out of 10 times, and they cost a little over double the amount the 400se do. So how do these stack up against the Sundara? Well, I have to admit it's been over 2 years since I last heard one alongside it's big brother, the Ananda, but I should say it's not quite a baby Sundara. The Sundara I'd describe as being clinical, great for a critical listening experience that demands itself to be taken seriously with no party tricks up it's sleeve; just it's sheer planar quality. With that being the case, the 400se is it's little brother that just doesn't care. It's here to party! So where exactly does the 400se place itself? Well remember, we're comfortably under $200 whilst the Sundara sits around just above $300, and these take EQ like a champ. EQing a simple low shelf and high shelf to taste and you've got yourself a pretty nice sounding set on the cheap. They do like power. They will need power. But the cost of admission is fair, I run mine using a K7 ($200) using the balanced 4.4mm connection and that provides enough juice for these to sound at their best while also being able to take pre-amp adjustments to avoid clipping on the EQ side. So for the combined price of just over $309 (400se & K7), you have yourself a fine entry piece of gear that will land you just under the price of a Sundara alone, ($329 as of this writing). So all in all, is it a baby Sundara? Well, not quite. But if you are getting these, skip out on the Sundara and look at the Ananda as your next purchase. That will have you even more impressed and them some. Ok, wrapping this up. Hifiman HE-400se is: -Bright warmish tuning, very lean bass, mids slightly recessed, with a warmer lower treble but zingy upper treble that is prone to sibilance. -Excellent soundstage providing a convincing experience -Imaging well enough to place individual instruments in the stage, but nothing special here. Until you remember these are $109. -Again, the price. $109. Seriously, this is an outstanding value. That places it firmly in the 4 stars, "good" ranking for me. These make a fine entry to the world of planars or headphones in general I should say, even more-so for those willing to EQ. The only thing I would suggest is picking up an aftermarket cable. A dual 3.5mm to whichever termination of your choosing will suffice. Thanks for reading all this.
