HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones

I do realize that this review runs pretty long so if you do not have the time, here are the basics: Conclusion for the HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones: These Hifiman HE-400I are highly praised by lots of experts and users alike. Personally, I would have loved them more if I had not compared them side by side with my trusted AKG K702 65th anniversary edition. Many people will disagree with this review I am sure. But nonetheless, I still prefer the AKG K702 for their punch, their headstage and their sound clarity. Comfort wise, the Hifiman are great. They can fit from a smallish head to a gigantic one and they stay put nicely without discomfort. The AKG are great too but will feel too loose for smaller heads. On the other hand, for people with bigger ears, the AKG will fit better. In consequence, neither has a clear advantage. You should know what you are looking for. Sound wise, they are very good. It is worth noting that Hifiman recommends a break-in time of 150 hours to get the best of them. Unfortunately, that takes a very long time to get there and I am not sure I will still have them by that time as for the moment the AKG do sound better to my ears. For the sake of accuracy, I must say that the AKG must have close to a thousand hours of playing so these are very well broken-in. Yet, they sounded magnificent from the first listening. The Hifiman will please most; I have no doubt as their sound quality is great. It is just that for those who love a large soundstage/headstage, the sound of the hifimans seems confined to a narrower space than with the AKG. A well-deserved 5 stars. Pros: - Excellent sound (Audiophile level) - Good construction quality - Comfortable for most people. - Highly discounted recently. Cons: - Cable is way too rigid and attached to both ears. Not removable. - Not meant for portable use (Leak too much). Yet the cable is too small for a home location use without an extension (5’). Now onto the longer version: As a disclaimer, even if I have performed many headphones reviews over the time and even if I own more than enough, I would like to say that headphones reviews are highly subjective. For those who say that headphones must go to a phase of break-in or burn-in, others suggest that it is more a question of having your brain/ears get accustomed to the headphones. Which one is accurate? Is it possibly both? In any case, I would encourage any reader to take these reviews with a grain of salt. Now, on to the review… My new headphones to review are the HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones. In order to provide a better review, I will attempt to rate them compared with some other headphones of my collection. A good choice for that would be the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition which are of an open design. I am aware that I will be comparing a Planar Magnetic headphone to a dynamic one but the difference is not that easy to spot. In order to compare effectively the two models, I will use my desktop computer Realtek Digital Output internal sound card as a source along with my Onkyo TX-SR308 AV amplifier. The tracks I will use are those that I always use when trying to compare headphones, because I love them first but also because I think I know how they should sound and more importantly because they provide a good sample of music genres and tonalities. Most of these tracks are MP3 compressed at 320Kbps or lossless (FLAC or PCM). The tracks will be the following: - Ultrasone Sound test Siley Put short (Jazz, Binaural recording perfect for localization of sounds). - Ultrasone sound test Wellen track 7 (sound of water waves perfect for the head stage definition). - Vivaldi: The 4 seasons – Winter III - Allegro (Classical music). - Frank Sinatra: How insensitive (Jazz, good also for localization of sounds). - Giants of Jazz Play Brassens: Le pornographe (Jazz, excellent also for localization of sounds). - Michael Jackson: Strangers in Moscow (Perfect for male voice testing and clarity). - Fiona Apple: hot Knife (Perfect for female voice and voice harmonies). - Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine (Rock and excellent also for the localization of sounds) from the album Piper at the gates of Dawn. - DJ Magic Mike: Feel the Bass (Infra-Bass, enough said...). - Kendrick Lamar: Mortal Man (Hip-Hop with some very nice infra bass) - Yello: Planet Dada (Electric Look) (Electronic music with lots of stereo effects). First, let's start with the non-musical parts: Since I am reviewing the HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones, let’s give a short description: The design of these headphones is very basic: Black with round shape and angled ear pads (thicker on the back of the ears than the front). The cable is the thickest I have ever experienced. It gives a good feel of quality but it is very rigid and can be a pain in the neck, especially with the angled 3.5 Jack. The cable is also very short and will need an extension to be usable when connected to an audio system. A 3.5 to 6.3 adapter is provided. Comfort: The Hifiman are great. They can fit from a smallish head to a gigantic one and they stay put nicely without discomfort. The AKG are great too but will feel too loose for smaller heads. On the other hand, for people with bigger ears, the AKG will fit better. Weight wise, the Hifiman are 50% heavier than the AKG. Conclusion: I would put the AKG first because of its size and weight but people with a smaller head may disagree with me. You should know what you are looking for. In general both will provide a superb comfort level. Portability: Although these headphones could be used with a phone to listen to music with an impedance of 35 Ohms for the Hifiman and 65 Ohms for the AKG, they are really not meant for it. Both would be cumbersome to travel with and both have an open design that make them not recommended for noisy areas or workspaces. It is worth noting that in spite of their apparent low impedance, the AKG are notoriously hard to drive and the Hifiman are even harder to drive. Neither is foldable and both are pretty large in size. Conclusion: Draw Construction quality and appearances: The HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones do look a bit bland. They are built out of ABS (hard plastic) and pleather ear pads and pleather and velour top support. I find that a bit cheap as I spent less money on ATH headphones that came with real leather and better construction materials. They feel however solidly built. They come in a magnificent box which will impress most but is not meant for everyday use or travel because of its size. Funny but the box breathes more quality than its contents… The AKG K702 ANNI looks a bit less bland with a mix of plastic, leather top support and very large memory foam ear pads. These are definitely solid as I have used them constantly for a good 3 years with no sign of wear and tear. The box it came in was not memorable at all. I still have it but in no way it looks as nice as the Hifiman box. Conclusion: Draw if you do not care about the box. Win for the Hifiman if you do. Sound Isolation: Both these headsets are of an open design. This means that I would definitely not recommend them for any environment where you cannot afford to disturb or be disturbed by others. The advantage will be in sound quality as the sounds will give more of a feel to come from outside your ears. Conclusion: Draw. Specs: Frequency response: Hifiman: 20Hz-35KHz AKG 8Hz-39800KHz. Efficiency: Hifiman: 93dB AKG: 105dB Impedance: Hifiman: 35 Ohms AKG: 62 Ohms Non discounted price: Hifiman: $499 AKG: $379 Weight: Hifiman: 370g (13.5 Oz) AKG: 235g (8.3 Oz) Provenance: Chinese Headphones made in China for the Hifiman. The AKG used to be German headphones made in Austria. They have now moved the production line to China. Note that the one I am using is made in Austria. Conclusion: Just on the numbers, the AKG seems like a clear winner. Now, let's come to the real important part of this test: the sound. I am partial to a large head stage and as natural a sound as possible. I like analytical headphones and my rating will be influenced by this factor. I still like good bass (I am a hip-hop fan) but not exaggerated ones... Ok, let's start: - Ultrasone Sound test Siley Put short (Jazz, Binaural recording perfect for localization of sounds). Encoded at 1411 Kbps. I started with the Hifiman. The sound is good with lots of details. However, as soon as I switch to the AKG, I can hear that the HIFIMAN are much less powerful than the AKG. To get to similar levels of output, I have to drop the sound level on my computer from 100 to 70. The Hifiman sound a bit more neutral and the AKG much present and brighter. I was expecting the Hifiman to have significantly less headstage than the AKG which is famous for it but I find it not to be the case. The instruments are not distributed exactly at the same place around my head but it is close enough. In the end, both sound very good. The AKG is more exciting to listen to. I would give an edge to the AKG for that reason. - Ultrasone sound test Wellen track 7 (sound of water waves perfect for the head stage definition). Encoded at 1411 Kbps. Both headphones are giving a nice sense of distance with this track. The water feels like flowing at the shoulder level and in the back for both. The water sounds are well restituted. There is a plane flying far above and that goes from the left to the right and it is perfectly rendered by both. Same thing for some seagulls chirping in the distance. It is really hard to define a winner as I do believe with this track. Both did a wonderful job. - Vivaldi: The 4 seasons – Winter III - Allegro (Classical music). Mp3 320Kbps. It is so difficult to evaluate headphones when they are of that level of high quality. Both are amazing at delivering for classical music. I may give an edge to the Hifiman because it may be a touch tighter at delivering the sounds. It is extremely subjective at this level. One thing though is that once again, I would tend to try pumping up the volume on the Hifiman when compared to the AKG. If you look at the numbers effectively, although the Hifiman has a lower impedance, it is much less efficient than the AKG and this is confirmed by the need to pump up the volume. - Frank Sinatra: How insensitive (Jazz, good also for localization of sounds). MP3 192Kbps. The HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones delivers this track with brilliance. Sinatra’s voice is very intimate. The whole experience can feel a bit cramped but maybe is it due to the strong clamping of the pads on my hears. Nonetheless, the Hifiman are shining even more than the AKG K702 ANNI even if the last one shows a better balance between low, mids and highs. To rephrase this, the AKG may be more analytical or clinical but the Hifiman are delivering better in emotions. - Giants of Jazz Play Brassens: Le pornographe (Jazz, excellent also for localization of sounds). MP3 196Kbps. A great track for the clear separation of instruments; This track leaves me confused after listening to both. I thought for a moment with Sinatra that the Hifiman may have better mids and the AKG better highs but in this case, I preferred the mids of the AKG and the highs of the Hifiman. As well, the AKG gave me more emotions this time than the Hifiman. In this case, the Hifiman feels colder and the AKG warmer. Both had a nice headstage. None missed any detail that the other one would have revealed. - Michael Jackson: Stranger in Moscow (Perfect for the voice testing and clarity). Mp3 320Kbps. It starts with some rain, then some electronic percussions that jump from one hear to the other to the center in cycle. Is it because I am better used to the AKG but I prefer the rendition of Michael’s voice with it. Yet the sound is crispier with the Hifiman. Once again, I am back feeling that the mids are more pronounced on the Hifiman and the highs more pronounced on the AKG. Both are doing a great job with the Bass. So in the end, it comes down to one’s taste. With the AKG, Michael’s voice seems more natural but a bit further away than with the Hifiman with give lots of intimacy with the sound. - Fiona Apple (perfect for female voice bass and voice harmonies). Mp3 320Kbps. This song starts with some drums and Fiona’s voice a bit to the center left. Then both Fiona and her sister start singing the same lyrics but on opposite ears. Roughly, Fiona’s voice is maybe playing at 10AM clock arm when her voice is at 11AM with the Hifiman. This is due to the headstage. Apart from that, I have the feeling that the Hifiman has a slightly cleaner sound than the AKG so I would give an edge to the Hifiman. - Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine (Rock and excellent also for the localization of sounds). Mp3 128Kbps. This song was recorded in the seventies by some of the pioneers of the use of stereo and multi bands. I do not have a highly encoded version but even the 128Kbps has served me well so far. It starts with some Russian cosmonauts voices on the right, then some guitar on the left and there is a very strong separation of the sounds between the left and the right ear. Both restituted the track fairly well. The difference starts to show between the two though. The AKG has a better headstage but the Hifiman feels a tidbit more clean in general. - DJ Magic Mike: Feel the Bass (Infra-Bass, enough said...) Mp3 80Kbps. The infra-bass is maybe the most difficult sound for any speaker to reproduce. Both deliver well with the Bass. In this case, the Hifiman ‘s bass is not as well felt as with the AKG. So for the deep bass, the infra-bass, the AKG is the clear winner. It may be due to the fact that the Hifiman’s membrane has not yet had the time to be broken in. - Kendrick Lamar: Mortal man (Hip-Hop with some very nice infra bass). Mp3 ~245Kbps. This track has an excellent bass that goes low and it is also very musical with horns,sax, Kendrick’s voice, some violins. All that in the same time. Again we can see the difference in tonality between the Hifiman and the AKG. The mids are more pronounced on the Hifiman and the highs on the AKG. The AKG feels airier due to its increased headstage. With the Hifiman, Kendrick’s voice take center stage and the rest comes after. With the AKG, there is a better balance. - Yello: Planet Dada (Electric Look) (Electronic music with lots of stereo effects). Starting with the HIFIMAN which prove excellent with electronic music; the stereo effects are well restituted. The bass is appropriate. A good performance overall, very punchy! The AKG are equally good. It is pretty difficult to differentiate the output of both, when one ignore the fact that I had to lower the volume with the AKG to come to similar results. Conclusion for the sound comparison: Both headsets in this comparison are excellent in their own ways. I still prefer the AKG because I am used to their sound and their soundstage. Now, if I did not have the AKG, the HIFIMAN would have blown my socks off with their sound quality. I will repeat the main difference I spotted between the two. - The Hifiman are harder to drive. Not very efficient when one considers that the AKG are normally not that efficient. I must admit though that the K702 65th anniversary edition may be the easier to drive of the whole K701/Q701/K702 line. - The Hifiman have less headstage than the AKG but it is still pretty good. - The Hifiman have more emphasis on the mids (voices) than the AKG. Price wise, the HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones are not cheap but for the quality they bring, the investment seems very good, especially with the discount. Also, the AKG are not for sale anymore since it was a limited edition. A similar model would be the K712 or the Kxxx (Massdrop) and the price is lower for the Massdrop edition but these are not available at all time and the K712 are more expensive. I must add that I compared an unbroken HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones against one headset I constantly use and that must have more than 1000 hours of listening. If ever my rating was to change, I would indeed come back and update this review. Conclusion for the HIFIMAN HE-400I Over Ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones: These Hifiman HE-400I are highly praised by lots of experts and users alike. Personally, I would have loved them more if I had not compared them side by side with my trusted AKG K702 65th anniversary edition. Many people will disagree with this review I am sure. But nonetheless, I still prefer the AKG K702 for their punch, their headstage and their sound clarity. Comfort wise, the Hifiman are great. They can fit from a smallish head to a gigantic one and they stay put nicely without discomfort. The AKG are great too but will feel too loose for smaller heads. On the other hand, for people with bigger ears, the AKG will fit better. In consequence, neither has a clear advantage. You should know what you are looking for. Sound wise, they are very good. It is worth noting that Hifiman recommends a break-in time of 150 hours to get the best of them. Unfortunately, that takes a very long time to get there and I am not sure I will still have them by that time as for the moment the AKG do sound better to my ears. For the sake of accuracy, I must say that the AKG must have close to a thousand hours of playing so these are very well broken-in. Yet, they sounded magnificent from the first listening. The Hifiman will please most; I have no doubt as their sound quality is great. It is just that for those who love a large soundstage/headstage, the sound of the hifimans seems confined to a narrower space than with the AKG. A well-deserved 5 stars. Pros: - Excellent sound (Audiophile level) - Good construction quality - Comfortable for most people. - Highly discounted recently. Cons: - Cable is way too rigid and attached to both ears. Not removable. - Not meant for portable use (Leak too much). Yet the cable is too small for a home location use without an extension (5’).