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HIFIMAN HE400se

#27 overall · open-back planar wired · counts updated Oct 2026

HIFIMAN HE400se

Ranked #27 of 31: 15 people recommend it and 13 say they own it. Most repeated praise: Cheapest planar-magnetic headphone people take seriously; called hands-down the best budget headphone by one owner. Most repeated complaint: Needs more power than a phone gives.

Recommended as the entry ticket to planar sound for just over $100.

PlanarBudgetAmp helpsUnder $200
People who recommend it
15
Say they own it
13
Mentions
187
Posts read
1,825
Check price on Amazon · $109

Price when checked (Sep 2026): $109. HIFIMAN's own HE400se page was not fetched; the $109 figure is the list price cited by a Head-Fi member in Nov 2023 and matched by Amazon listings seen during the search. Treat as approximate.

What owners love

3
  • Cheapest planar-magnetic headphone people take seriously; called hands-down the best budget headphone by one owner
  • Open, fast sound well above its price
  • Open-box units direct from HIFIMAN keep the full warranty

The complaints

3
  • Needs more power than a phone gives
  • Same HIFIMAN quality-control worries as the Sundara
  • Basic comfort and build

The 17 sources

Every thread and video these notes come from.

Owner = the person says they use it. Recommendation = passed on without saying so. Dates are when the thread or video was posted.

Compared with

The headphones people weigh against this one most often, counted from comments that name both.

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