All categories/Audio & Home Theater/Over-Ear Headphones/HiFiMan/HiFiMan HE400se
HiFiMan HE400se

HiFiMan HE400se

Scored on 127 verified owner verdicts, from 1,463 comments read across 7 communities
TL;DR
A standout-value entry planar with detailed, spacious sound that over-delivers for its price, especially after a small bass EQ. It is power-hungry and needs a DAC/amp, and stock bass runs light.

80% of 127 verified owners recommend the HiFiMan HE400se, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 14 owners report →

What 127 owners say
1,463 comments reviewed · scored on the 127 clearest verdicts
80%
Recommend
102 owners
9%
Neutral
11 owners
11%
Don't recommend
14 owners
Last 6 months:93% recommend(15 recent verdicts)↑ trending up 15pts vs older reviews
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
81%
104
Other forumsHeadphones, Audio Science Review, Head-Fi
76%
17
Independent blogsino affiliate links
83%
6
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
72%
25
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
100%
1
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
4

Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 80%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Outstanding sound for the price / bargain planar · 9 · 7%
  • Wonderful, fast planar bass · 5 · 4%
  • Responds beautifully to EQ · 4 · 3%
  • Impressive soundstage and imaging for the cost · 4 · 3%
  • Comfortable for long listening sessions · 3 · 2%
What owners flag
  • Uncomfortable headband with a pressure hotspot · 5 · 4%
  • Hard to drive / needs a proper amp · 3 · 2%
  • Treble peaks / harshness that need EQ · 3 · 2%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Budget listeners getting into planar magnetic headphones
  • Users who EQ their headphones for best results
  • Fans of warm, musical, non-clinical sound
  • Value seekers pairing them with a proper amp
Look elsewhere if
  • Phone-only listeners without a decent amp
  • People sensitive to headband pressure or hotspots
  • Listeners wanting reference-neutral treble out of the box

Synthesized from what HiFiMan HE400se owners say — not a spec sheet.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

1,463 reviewed · 153 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
Reddit— neutral

I also once had the Hifiman HE400SE and I can only say: entry-level planars are all well and good, but in terms of long-term reliability prognosis and build quality they are no match for the K702.

YouTube▲ recommend

The treble is still tamed, but the bass doesn't seem to roll off. Punchy and fun.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

Hifiman are known to last about two months. It's only a question of time before they fail and customer service is bad from what I saw.

Reddit— neutral

I recently got hifiman he400se, as hd58x owner. Granted, not same sound as s2, but it is senn sounding headphone. As you said, amount of details in highs is present, but they lack resolution.

YouTube▲ recommend

they are amazing, the replacement grills smooth out all the peaks and dips

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Tive exatamente o mesmo problema na minha unidade nova no HE400SE v1. O problema era físico infelizmente, mais especificamente a construção dos drivers, que geravam vibração excessiva em um intervalo de frequência específica (grave).

Reddit— neutral

Hifiman HE400se are great budget planar magnetic headphones. They have a fast, tight sound that works great with any type of media. They're not too high fidelity though and have awful build quality.

YouTube▲ recommend

Super comfortable, these are now my office daily drivers. Great value for the money!

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I had a problem with the driver of my brand new He400Se. Sold it and bought a used Ananda OG, it works like a charm

Reddit— neutral

I have the HE400SE that I bought on Amazon. Is the real deal, but build quality leaves a lot to be desired. Had to return the first one because the adjustment was janky and the drivers were super crinkly.

YouTube▲ recommend

these are amazing headphones in terms of comfort and the price is amazing at 150.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

This was an issue for me with hifiman he400se's. For me it feels like there is a pain in my ear, similar to when you press on a bruise. And i get headaches. So i sold the he400se's long ago and got sennheiser hd600's instead which are wonderful.

Reddit— neutral

I have the HE400SE and agree with almost everything you said, except comfort. For me the headband is almost rock solid

YouTube▲ recommend

This headphones is the single best deal in Headphone market IMO.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

The sound just sucks on these I got them a while ago and they ended up collecting dust. Terrible sound quality.

YouTube▲ recommend

tienen un sonido increíble, muy suave y detallado, no cansan.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

HE400SE: first Hifiman headphone I got, them make a point to show that their product range from absolutely boring to the best there is. Bass is the only thing interesting here imo. Mids and trebbles are boring to a point I always get annoyed when listening to these.

Reddit— neutral

I consider them very different from each other, the he400se is more detailed and the hd585 is cozy

YouTube▲ recommend

My hifiman he400se with balanced output cable sound path through my eq is unbelievable.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

Mine arrived today. Right driver completely DOA.

Reddit— neutral

He400SE: They are kinda just there. Don't hate them, don't love them. The other 2 headphones above kinda spoiled me though, for their price (I got them for $60) they are great. They don't really do anything exceptionally well but there isn't anything terrible about them either.

Head-Fi⚠ product link▼ don’t recommend

I had same issue with both HE400i 2020 and HE400se. New headband maybe soft, but the style just doesn't work as intended.

YouTube▲ recommend

me han maravillado y dejado boquiabierto

Reddit— neutral

The 400se seem to be better built & more comfortable but have probably the worst cable Hifiman has ever made

Showing 124 of 153

Common problems & things to know

Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

Head-Fiⓘ good to know

It is relatively hard to drive - what I mean is 400i 2020 can be powered by phone ( OnePlus 3T) it will not sound it best but it will be OK where 400se needs more juice

forum.headphones.comⓘ good to know

these cans aren’t ravenous for power. I drive them just fine with a TempoTec Sonata HD Pro and even better with an iFi Hip dac.

Redditⓘ good to know

it was a bit lighter than 1990

Redditⓘ good to know

more of a neutral sound