For the more budget to midrange hifiman headphones
Interested in an alternative to Sundaras, liked the he4xx and heard that edition x was a nice upgrade path. How does the XS stack up in the lineup?
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Got XS, Ananda and Arya V2 in house, have heard a HE4XX, Deva, HE560 and Sundara in the past, will get down to some brief comparisons when I get the time
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If the sound of the XS/X aren’t anything to write home about, I may just end up sourcing a used he6 v2.
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I have an HE400i (2020) pair. They are reasonably comfy, not much clamp but sit well enough on the head. Earcups are big and a little warm. The pads do age quite fast, losing shape and compressing. Sound is full and fun. Bassy without feeling dark. They work particularly well with older, analog recordings where detail is less important. To my ear they sound better on a low detail amp with enough oomph to drive them well. For example on the RNHP or SPL Control One they sound too quiet and anaemic. On the Gustard H16 they do sound good, it’s warm leaning sound suits them but it only just about gets them there single ended. The Audio-GD R2R 11 is a great match with them. It’s fuzzy warmth suits their sound, the lack of detail plays to their strengths and it is just a fun combination for some old school rock or metal.
Good fun cheaper headphones that do come alive with the right amp and music.
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TIL a headphone called “HE4” even exists. Looks like it was from 2011 or so. Impressions of it? I seem to remeber hifiman being very very hit or miss in that era (HE6 was obv good and I think he560 was bad? dont remeber that well)
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So on some quick listenings I think the XS is a step up from the Sundara (and 4XX, Deva, possibly 560 depending on the sonic goal) and gives you a tiny taste of what the egg-shaped Hifimans can do (pretty grand and tall stage, effortless presentation of sound, good dynamics for a budget planar), but personally I think it’s technically a tier below the Ananda in terms of resolution and timbre (although the two are differently tuned and I understand many people don’t like the brightness on the Ananda). It is a cheap planar (relatively) and sounds like a cheap planar, tuned reasonably agreeable with a small elevated bass.
I personally think it’s a solid product for the price (if you can get it for 400USD) but it’s not a giant killer and probably does not deserve the hype. I might even think that it’s a better tuned GL2000 but suffers from the same issues with graininess, poor timbre and artificial soundstage and imaging. It does improve after burn in with noticeable more body and density to the sound, but overall it is still pretty unrefined to my ears. I also have issue with the comfort and fit, as imo this Deva/HE560 headband does not fit egg-shaped Hifimans as it doesn’t allow the pads to stay vertical and therefore can’t fit on my ears properly, and the headband is really just a pain and I am someone who doesn’t complain about Grado or even stock Fostex T50RP.
Also some brief comparisons between XS and Ananda:
- XS is warmer with elevated bass, slightly more v-shaped with potentially harsher treble
- Ananda is neutral tilting bright but the treble to my ears sounds smooth enough and nothing offensive
- XS has a wider but less coherent or immersive soundstage due to it being flatter and sound coming from left and right
- Ananda has a smaller stage but with more height and depth and overall more realistic
- XS is more laid back and the mid is more distant possibly a bit grainy and fuzzy
- Ananda is more intimate and the mid is the most noticeable in having better resolution and timbre
- XS is a little it more macro dynamic focused whereas Ananda is more micro focused
- Both have comfort issues on their own, with the XS being the curved headband not really fitting egg-shaped drivers and Ananda having more clamping force and the cups cannot swivel – both are a lot less comfortable than the Arya
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HE560 probably depends on which version. I think the early rev 1 with wood cups and SMC connectors and wood box is better than the later ones
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I want to add in on the XS that they scale very well with power and almost demand a high output of power. They’re not HE6 or Susvara levels but if you’re using some entry level amps with them you’re looking at a handicapped headphone at best. When you give them some juice the soundstage widens, though it doesn’t seem to have much height or depth. I may be wrong as I have not heard a headphone with lots of perceived height. You also drive more treble detail to them with the more powerful balanced output of the Jot 2.
I’m basing this off of going from a Hel 2e to Jotunheim 2 which was a jump from 1.3w to 7.5w at 16 ohms. I used the Hel 2 as a DAC/AMP and as a stand alone DAC with the Jotunheim 2 so the DAC wasn’t a variable in this perceived improvement.
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Wats everyones opinions on the HE400se?
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I know people like the HE400se as an entry-level headphone, but I personally didn’t love it all that much. (To be fair, I didn’t like the DT880 that much either, which is also a common entry-level rec.) My memory is that the HE400se felt a little too light and airy, and I wanted something with more weight, but it’s been a long while since I’ve listened to it. I honestly don’t even remember what amps I used, so that could definitely have been part of it.
Though if you want to hear it for yourself, I actually have one for sale.
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Thanks for the responce, Got some semi decent IEM’s but currently my only headphones are some Sony mdr-7506 so thought Id see and get a Planar. Heard the HE400se is a great entry point so great to hear ur feedback. Would grab them off u but sadly in the UK so shipping and tax would kill me haha
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Cool cool! Yeah, before I got into the audiophile hobby, I had a Sony 7506 and a Sennheiser HD 25, so you’re in good company.
To be fair, there isn’t really a ton of competition for entry-level planars, so I don’t know that you’d be able get a better planar than the HE400se for the money, and if you have an amp with a decent amount of power, you might like it more than I did!
Unfortunately, in dynamic-driver-land, I know the usual entry-level recs like the HD58X and HD6XX are somewhat tough to get in the UK because Drop. (A used HD600 should be under $300 though, which I really like and still own today.) I know people also recommend the AKG K371 as well, but I haven’t heard it myself.
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haha fab to hear, mainly got the 7506 cos heard they were really good for studio work but not doing much studio stuff atm and they have been mainly used as my mains till I can be bothered to use my Moondrop Starfields (which I just love haha). Got the Zen Can so hopefully plenty of power for some planars.
As for ur others yeah drop is abit of a pain from being in UK haha but also not really looking for say a studio neutral replacement so not too fussed if it isnt exactly flat. May have to give them a shot. Think they £150 here, saw on their site they are going for $100 atm in US… Lucky bastards 
Was tempted to get the Sundaras but kinda not wanting to spend Sundara money atm 
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Pulling the Sundara conversation over to this thread, does anyone here have thoughts on the Sundara? They’re a big reviewer darling, but I feel like I don’t know anyone who actually likes them all that much. (To contrast, I still hear people wax poetic about the HD600/650/6XX or about how the Elex opened their eyes to hifi or whatever.)
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The Sundara are awesome, if I had to recommend a headphone around that price range it would be the sundara or the Grado Hemps. However they really trail behind other things, as you mentioned with the 6xx it still holds up fairly well with good source gear and has an awesome midrange focus. The elex is just so much more fun than the sundara with its slam, dynamics and carries speed too. The Sundara is good for its price but it dosent scale as much and frankly for me it didn’t have enough punch to keep me engaged. Excellent in most ways tho, lovely headphone. Just a classic, stuck at its price point regardless source situation.
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Fwiw I use them as my “test” hps to plug in to any new gear in case any accidents happen. Lol
I mean I don’t think they’re bad, I just personally don’t see a reason to pick them over something like a senny (on thought-out source gear).
My sundara specifically is on the brighter side of things and can get a bit intense. Bass is on the lean side and dynamics is kind of flat.
I’m personally not a big fan of its flat presentation. But I still think it’s a fine hp for the price.
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I think it’s a well rounded and refined headphone for the price, but is more of a jack of all master of none. Whereas I feel most other headphones at it’s price point offer more flavor and also have more emphasized priorities (and downsides as well). It makes it generally impressive and a good all rounder but also not really stand out in a collection or all that memorable. Basically a competent and complete headphone that’s a good stepping stone and will give you a taste of what’s potentially above, but won’t give you much reason to come back to either. It’s a safe and reliable choice (sound wise) and that’s why I think it’s so favored when it comes to reviews
It’s also reasonably content with whatever moderately powerful midrange or budget source gear you give it, making it more consistently good off different appropriate chains (although it can’t scale as well as others in it’s range)
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I’ll say this too, the build/look of the sundara is something i really really like. To where once in a while I consider buying it, swept by the fancy look but then I remember the sound and avoid it lol. It’s a fine headphone for sure, but not something I would enjoy much.
Ha, it really isn’t as bad as people say but that’s literally what most people complain about for some reason
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