HIFIMAN HE400se Review: $109 Planar Magnetic Headphone?
A stupidly cheap open-back planar with Stealth Magnets technology at $109 - loved by some, criticized by others. So what's actually going on with it?
above 12 of the 69 other reviews in the catalogue
Value Excellent. It is one of the best-value pieces we have scored.
- Standout
- Stealth Magnets technology at just over $100
- Watch out for
- Bass extension lacking below 60Hz
- Better alternative
- HIFIMAN Edition XS: has a bigger stage, $160 more, scores 1.1 higher.
Is it for you?
Buy it if
- You want the performance close in
- You want the most performance per dollar (The HE400se scores 7.6/10 for $109, rated excellent on value against the 29 other headphones reviewed here with a list price)
Skip it if
- You want the room to open up around you (from the cons: Narrow soundstage)
Read the HIFIMAN Sundara review instead: its stage is wider.
Named Best Value in our Best Budget Headphones guide.
The HIFIMAN HE400se seems to be criticized by some people and loved by others. The opinions about that headphone seem to be so vastly different, depending on whom you ask, that it's unbelievable they're talking about the same headphone.
So what's up with it?
The HE400se is a stupidly cheap open-back planar magnetic headphone. Its price has dropped to $109 - that's REALLY cheap. Being a budget planar, it still offers HIFIMAN's rounded-off Stealth Magnets technology, to achieve less distortion and more transparency in sound. Stealth Magnets used to be present only in higher-end headphones, but as we can see, they're possible to implement at a very low price.
(view larger)
Plastic build, comfort that hinges on fit
They don't feel like a top-of-the-line product at all. Hmm, maybe because they aren't? I'm not going to complain about it, as they cost just a little over $100 - and I did not find any potential points of failure. They simply aren't made entirely out of metal, but rather plastic. The earcups, covers, and headband are all plastic. The only metal part is the yoke.
They feature the Deva-style solid headband, without the suspension strap. They're quite lightweight though, so it shouldn't result in any hotspots on your head - unless the headband's curvature really doesn't match your head shape.
The earcups swivel, tilt, and can be adjusted. But I'm really not a fan of this type of adjustment - it doesn't feel right when you do it. Doesn't sound right when I say it...
The pads on the HE400se can be either amazing or not so great for you. They're generally really soft, angled to fit your head shape better, and hybrid - meaning three different materials to achieve the ultimate comfort in contact with your head and to improve the sound.
But the thing you need to take into consideration is the inner diameter of them. Your ears are somewhat likely not to fit entirely inside. In that case, they're going to touch the pads from the inside. For some folks it's not a problem, for others it can get slightly uncomfortable. I wouldn't be too worried about it though - just a little soft touch never hurt nobody.
(view larger)
It needs an amp, and bass fades below 60 Hz
A sensitivity of 91dB and impedance of 32 ohms is a combination that makes them want some juice to unfold their potential. Nothing crazy is needed, don't get me wrong - I believe you're going to be just fine with most decent amps. I wouldn't recommend using them without any external amplification though, as their loudness and sound quality can easily degrade, leading to a tiny, thin, and quiet sound.
Tonally, they sound... interesting. I found many frequency response graphs, and they're vastly different from each other. Some indicate a huge drop in the bass, some a linear response all the way down to 20-ish Hz.
Starting from the bass: extension is simply lacking below 60Hz. It may seem like they don't have a lot of slam and punch in the bass region, but from my experience, they absolutely have it. It's not crazy, for sure, but they can definitely hit somewhat hard in the bass. There isn't a lot of information or detail in the lows, but they are clean and pleasant.
The mids sound just like every other HIFIMAN's headphone - with a larger dip at around 2kHz, which emphasizes the boosted treble even more. The mids sound quite muffled for some reason, which I'm not a huge fan of.
The highs are alright. There's some detail, not a crazy amount, and it's not the brightest headphone on the market. There are a bunch of typical peaks and dips, which is a common characteristic of planar magnetic technology. They don't really affect the sound nearly as much as it looks like.
Narrow soundstage, slightly recessed vocals
The soundstage is pretty narrow. They don't get wide, no matter what you listen to. It's not too precise, so if you're looking for a wide soundstage, look elsewhere. But for the price - it's pretty nice. There are much narrower headphones on the market, even at a higher price point. Because of the pretty narrow soundstage, the positioning is also lacking a little bit, but it's still decent. In games specifically, I've had no problems telling which way enemies are making sounds.
Vocals are a little bit backed off. They don't cut right through the mix, but rather stay blended in. That doesn't make them sound boring though - just not as forward compared to the rest of the mix.
Detail is good for the price, clarity less so
It's really good for the price, considering the HE400se costs around $100 at the moment. It obviously can't compete with higher-end headphones in terms of detail retrieval - but that would be a bit too much to ask for. It simply doesn't quite give you the sense of clarity present in other, more expensive options. The sound can seem a little muffled, which I'm not a fan of, but at this price, with that great tonality and other characteristics, I think it shouldn't be a problem to take one compromise, which is just that.
Sound signature
Derived from the words this review uses: each axis runs between two opposite descriptors, and the shape leans toward whichever side the writing does.
- Warm ↔ Bright Neutral, no clear signal in the review language
- Relaxed ↔ Analytical Neutral, no clear signal in the review language
- Polite ↔ Aggressive Neutral, no clear signal in the review language
- Lean ↔ Bass-heavy Neutral, no clear signal in the review language
- Intimate ↔ Wide stage Leans intimate
Hear what "intimate" means: a short synthesized loop, flat and then with those leanings. An illustration of the words, not a recording of the HE400se.
Not sure which signature suits you? Find yours with a blind A/B test
HE400se price history
List price on this review: $109. US stores charge the list price, Oct 7, 2026. The figures below are what retailers charged for a new unit on the days shown.
$109 at Bloom Audio and Headphones.com is the lowest current new price we track at US stores, checked Oct 7, 2026. In stock at 2 of 4 stores below.
- Since Oct 6, 2026
- unchanged at $109
- Tracked since
- Oct 6, 2026 (2 days observed)
| Retailer | Price | Stock | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloom Audio | $109 | In stock | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Headphones.com | $109 | In stock | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Apos Audio | $109 | Out of stock | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Audio46 | $109 | Out of stock | Oct 7, 2026 |
US prices are before sales tax and shipping.
New condition only, as each retailer listed it on the day shown. Every store is checked once a day and this page is rebuilt daily, but a price can change at any time, and past prices do not predict the next one. Only the retailers in the table are tracked. No link here is an affiliate link and no retailer pays to be listed. How prices are tracked
Watch the video review
Subscribe on YouTube (opens in new tab)Prefer to read? The written review above covers everything in the video.
Common questions about the HE400se
How good is the HE400se for $109?
Very good for the money, with a 7.6/10 score and an excellent value rating. The $109 gets you an open-back planar with HIFIMAN's Stealth Magnets, soft angled pads, decent detail and bass that's clean and punchier than expected. Budget for an external amp, though, and expect muffled mids, with a dip around 2 kHz.
Who should get the HE400se, and who shouldn't?
It's for listeners on a tight budget who already own a decent amp, or will add one, and want a clean, punchy planar sound for music and games. Look elsewhere if you want bass that reaches below 60 Hz, a wide soundstage, forward vocals or a headphone that sounds right straight from a phone. Try it on if you can, because the pad openings are small enough that your ears may touch the inside.
Does the HE400se sound thin from a phone?
It can. Without an external amp, loudness and sound quality both drop off, leaving a small, thin and quiet sound, so a phone on its own isn't enough. The demand is modest, though: at 91 dB and 32 Ω it just wants some power, and most decent amps will do. About 79 mW to reach 110 dB peaks, which is most dongle DACs.
What else have you tested around the price of the HIFIMAN HE400se?
We have not run it head-to-head against anything yet. In the same category and the same rough money we have scored the Sivga Robin SV021 at 7.8/10, which is the nearest thing to a shortlist until a matchup page exists.
Why do HE400se reviews disagree so much?
One reason is that its measurements disagree. Published frequency response graphs of the HE400se vary widely, with some showing a big drop in the bass and others a flat line down to about 20 Hz. How it's powered matters too, since it thins out without an amp, and the pads suit some ears better than others. In this test, bass extension ran out below 60 Hz, yet it still hit harder than expected.
Is the HE400se's positioning good enough for games?
It handles direction well enough: in testing, telling which way enemies were making sounds from was never a problem. The soundstage is narrow and doesn't widen with any material, so positioning loses a little precision while staying decent. At this price that's fine, and plenty of pricier headphones sound narrower.
Will the HE400se's plastic build hold up?
No point of failure turned up on it. The earcups, covers and headband are plastic, with only the yoke in metal, so it doesn't feel premium, which is fair at a little over $100. The cups swivel, tilt and adjust, though the adjustment doesn't feel right in the hand.
Is the HE400se comfortable without a suspension strap?
For most heads it is, thanks to its low weight. The Deva-style solid headband has no strap, but it shouldn't cause hotspots unless its curve doesn't suit your head shape. The soft, angled hybrid pads use three materials, though their opening is small, so your ears may touch the inside. Some people won't notice, and for others it gets slightly uncomfortable.
Sources
- IEC 60268-7: Headphones and earphones
Standard · International Electrotechnical Commission · Paid full text
The headphone standard: how impedance, sensitivity and frequency response are specified and measured.
- HyperPhysics: Diffraction of sound
Reference · Georgia State University
How sound bends around an obstacle in its path, the effect Stealth Magnets are shaped to reduce on the way out of the driver.
- Sakamoto et al. (2014): Experimental study on hearing thresholds for low-frequency pure tones
Paper · Acoustical Society of Japan
Measured hearing thresholds for low-frequency tones: why the bottom octave needs far more level to be heard than the midrange.
If you're interested in this
All 30 headphone reviewsClosest alternatives
Sivga SV021 Pro $70 more, a near-tie on score 7.6
Step up
Sivga Robin SV021 $40 more, scores 0.2 higher 7.8