Performance

HiFiMAN has kept it simple with the HE400i 2020 Edition. It features the same great driver as the previous version, but coupled with the improved ergonomics you get in a HiFiMAN Deva.

Like its predecessor, the HE400i remains semi-easy to drive. The low impedance and relatively high efficiency mean most sources will be able to go loud enough, but might be a little noisy. While they do sound best out of a dedicated DAC/amp, most phones with a decent headphone jack will get you pretty far. For all of our testing, we will be using the O2+SDAC with an upgraded power supply. This is a close-to-ideal pairing as the O2+SDAC has a very low noise floor and is capable of providing both enough current and voltage swing for the HE400i.


We are thrilled to note that HiFiMAN has tuned the new version just like the old ones. It is not nearly as bright as the SUNDARA, and the sub-bass is a little boosted, which gives it nice presence in the lowest octave. The bass to midrange transition is smooth, but adds a bit of warmth, bringing deep male voices a bit more forward. HiFiMAN manages to get the biggest selling point of planar magnetics, the bass, just right on their $169 entry level headphone, which is a great feat. Moving up into the midrange, it is somewhat busier than on the ANANDA and SUNDARA, but compared to the SUNDARA, there is no distracting boost in the upper midrange and treble. Compared to the Sony WH-1000XM2, the midrange is in a different league as expected.

Treble-wise, the HE400i 2020 Edition is balanced and has adequate power in the 5 to 9 kHz region. It is not quite as controlled as on the more expensive ANANDA headphones, but still extremely well behaved for a set of $169 headphones. From 9 kHz and up, there are a few peaks and dips that give my ears the impression of it rolling off faster than it actually does. This is also a bit problematic to equalize out as the narrow band issues are hard to compensate for. Detail retrieval and layering is very good for the price, and the only thing really missing is a bit of soundstage depth, which is a general trait of HiFiMAN headphones.

For the 2020 Edition, you get the Deva-type headband and the ear cups from the previous HE400i version. This combination works just as well as on the Deva. The headband is light, and for my average European-sized head, the clamping force is perfect. The pleather finish means it gets a little hot over time, but not quite as hot as the Sony WH-1000-XM2, which might be due to the different padding inside. With a total weight of 370 g, the HE400i is neither heavy nor light. The ear pads are still the vented, mixed pleather and velour featured on a lot of HiFiMAN headphones from the Deva to the Drop versions. They are angled front to back, which both improves imaging and leaves more space for your ears.

The 2020 Edition has one mini-jack for each cup, which makes it super easy to build your own cable or purchase a third-party variant online. There are so many cable options that I think most people will be able to get exactly what they want without having to go the DIY-route. The cable the HE400i 2020 Edition ships with is perfectly adequate if you sit relatively close to your source as it is 1.5 m long. The split is approximately a third of the way down the cable, which looks a little odd, but works in case of the HE400i when used at home. Even though the HE400i is not intended for use on the go, it is still possible, For that application, I would probably go for a slightly smoother cable to avoid picking up too much microphonic noise in the ear cups and getting the y-split closer to the ear cups.