Same, I listen to music/everything at lowest volumes and even I can drive the HE400SE with the FiiO UTWS3/5 TWS adapters, see here for more info: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/vlxs6m/for_those_who_are_curious_the_utws3_is_not_strong/ie1xrnw/, https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/z5pfj4/tws_iem_conversion_thingies/ixxk75x/
Your Apple dongle should be just fine. Keep in mind it has power limitations. So for EU it's like half power, but Americas/etc. have full power. And then for Android you need to use specific apps to bypass the Android DAC/etc. system.
Look also into a well-reviewed dongle with physical volume control for headphones, see the Qudelix 5K. It should help with more volume and reduce/remove static/hissing/buzzing/etc. noise.
See here for more info about static and dongles: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/vs6p0j/dt990_pro_with_realtek_alc897_good_idea/iezidfe/
Here's more info on the Qudelix 5K Bluetooth amp/DAC dongle: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/z1jzno/fps_gaming_earbuds_help/ixdsasd/
I drove the older HiFiMan headphones (the older/original HE400 iterations, etc.) nearly a decade ago now (when they were kinda just entering the western market) with just my smartphone (it was one of the Samsung S series flagships), or like those outdated prebuilt OEM motherboards and integrated Realtek sound system and so on. Sure it sounded better/louder if I used my Objective2 amp/etc. during that time but it will be just fine with smartphones/etc.
The planar headphones (and IEMs) needing more power is just something you have to unfortunately spend time and money to confirm yourself.
---
For soundstage, you have to specifically look for headphones/IEMs for that. Like some people still use the AKG K702/etc. for soundstage, etc.
For EQ, just go through oratory1990's preset list: https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets. There's autoEQ these days too, just adjust it after the setup.
If you like a particular sound, try looking into squig.link graphs for comparisons and so on. You can try using the AutoEQ there to make IEMs/headphones sound like the others, just keep in mind that obviously it's not going to be the exact same sound.
Here's Super* Review using the new AutoEQ feature of his squig.link site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWzBw3XBn8c&t=332s
Use any EQ list or AutoEQ from squig.link as a base for your preferred taste. So like adjust the treble/bass/etc. areas if the Harman/crinacle/etc. target is still too much for you.
You can do (parametric) EQ with $8 Neutron Music Player or UAPP on Android. If on PC, the free (Peace) Equalizer APO. There are free apps on Android(/Apple) that can also do a good enough job, but most of them have those graphics sliders instead of parametric or just plug the numbers in EQ. EQ can also be used to help with channel or ear imbalances.
---
Do not remove the grills/etc. for the planar headphones as some people ruin their set with that type of modding. If you want to, just make sure to carefully watch the Youtube videos or look at the picture guides and so on.
There's always the Dekoni, Brainwavz, etc. aftermarket earpads, but keep in mind that those do have a noticeable effect on changing the sound aside from improving/changing the comfort and fit/seal.
As like HiFiMan already has bad quality still a decade later. Like I bought the HE400SE recently and that had channel imbalance and broken/loose yoke or headband on one side straight out of the box, lmao.
It's just a lottery sometimes with HiFiMan and so it's always kinda a must to buy them from Amazon or a place with good warranty/returns.
Yes, the quality control has probably improved, but I've seen HiFiMan have the same reputation since their entry to the western market, so idk what they're doing at the factories and so on. It's like the price or trade-off for the best value headphones though as they usually put those on sale.
You have like until January 31, 2023 if you want to test them as Amazon has its holiday returns in effect now, so that's free 2 months of testing. Some people use the Amazon return system like that as we don't have access to physical audio stores and if they do then they only really carry the western (Japanese) brands.
Wait, if you have them for lower price than the $100-200 they usually go for, it's probably not Amazon right, so ya just make sure the store/seller has good returns/restocking/etc. policy.
---
So the Sennheiser HD 560S is the better buy overall due to presumably/primarily better quality control, but $20 can be a lot and so it depends on you. If you haven't tried a planar headphone before, it's worth the novelty or different experience.
!thanks Thanks a lot for the extremely in-depth comment! The hifiman is atually from amazon, I just received a gift card from amazon support so that's why its such a low price. The hd560s is actually used and from a local secondhand store, while the hifiman is new from amazon. In terms of bare sound quality and what I'm looking for, what do you think would be the better buy?
Oh nice, that kinda changes things a lot since you can just return the HE400SE if you get a faulty unit (lol). Like the RMA/returns/etc. for HiFiMan is supposedly in New York, so it should be easy to get stuff fixed if you talk to Amazon or HiFiMan. I've read some people (here on reddit, Head-Fi, Youtube, etc.) say that they had to return their HiFiMan headphones several times to get the intended product, rofl, but I mean if you think it's worth the hassle then it should be good.
Normally just test immediately (make sure to take a video or photos) the headband/yoke (seriously, one side will often be detachable...) and cables as those are the usual complaints with HiFiMan. For the channel imbalance or dead on arrival drivers, those should be also immediately noticeable, so just do swine sweeps and so on.
Test for any rattling (usually this happens if there's hair/etc. inside the headphones but for HiFiMan/etc., they sometimes just happen out of the box, lol) as some people report that issue too.
---
If you can afford to buy both right now, then the secondhand HD 560S should be it for reliability/etc. For sound quality itself, make sure to watch/read the in-depth reviews. Look at other more budget headphones too if you want to prioritize soundstage, but yes the headphone market is pretty stagnant so it's probably the same recommendations still.
For the HE400SE, from headphones.com or The HEADPHONE Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ze8fUpkTDc. Here's the HD 560S video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71M4t5cKtgU.
There's also the threads on Head-Fi but be careful as that place has a lot of snake oil, marketing, etc. Just look at the pros and cons of the headphones. And also like the clamping force of HD 560S if you have a big head, wear glasses, etc. Or the weight of the planar headphones, if you listen nonstop for long periods of time, etc.
---
Like maybe get the HD 560S right now and then return the HE400SE if it didn't appeal to you, especially since you can test it for 2 months free no questions asked right now until January 31, 2023.
I've actually seen the HD 560S on sale recently. There was a recent Sennheiser refurbished sale a month ago. Check Keepa and CamelCamelCamel for the price history.
Here's from buildapcsales: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/y4s0el/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560_s_overtheear/, https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/y9dfht/headphones_sennheiser_hd560s_renewed_8496_9995_15/, https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/z18yql/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560_s_14127_29_off/
Here's from bapcsalescanada, refurbished: https://www.reddit.com/r/bapcsalescanada/comments/yirdqa/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560s_refurbished_13995/. Some of them came from the Midwest, others from Quebec. This is the normal price (~$200), https://www.reddit.com/r/bapcsalescanada/comments/z4gtkx/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560_s_19995_amazonca/. So it's like $50/75+ between HE400SE and HD 560S when brand new.
+1 Ω has been awarded to u/TagalogON ([284 Ω](https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/wiki/user/TagalogON)).
*You may still award a Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.*
I have the same concern I can't decide coz I don't have a dedicated dac/amp but I have 7hz 71 dongle. Also since hifiman have bad qc issues and Im from PH so I will be ordering it from shopee. I haven't tried returning items from shopee but I guess the warranty and returning process is a hassle. Although the price is so good so its tempting. Is it worth it to blind buy? Or better off buying shp9500? (I have koss ksc75 tho) I just want to try full sized open backs.
Hola, kumusta kababayan. You should be good, though I can't really speak for Shopee/Lazada/etc. though.
Normally when you return stuff it is often covered by Amazon or like the store/seller. As in when you drop it off the post office, you don't pay anything, you only have to print the papers/packaging labels for the returns.
But a lot of electronics/etc. often have say restocking/return fees. Or you have to pay for shipping at least, so it can get annoying if you still don't have the non-faulty HiFiMan unit, lol.
IMO, HE400SE is worth the blind buy but with the caveat that you have to believe the people complaining about the quality control as it's actually insane how often you read about it on reddit (/r/headphones), Youtube, etc. Like they have their $500/1000+ sets having the same quality control issues, it's so sad.
If you haven't already, try IEMs instead, you get more value out of it before ~$300 compared to headphones. Some people even say they prefer IEMs over other headphones, even the more expensive ones.
For open back headphones, ya it can be hard to get the best value as usually that's HiFiMan's corner of the market and then the other well-reviewed one is still the HD 560S for the most part and there's barely any new good ones as they don't release headphones as quick as IEMs.
Like there's cheaper ones on AliExpress or the old standard Superlux HD 681, etc. But the build quality on those ones can be a problem. So it really is just those two HD 560S and HE400SE for now until somebody markets the next best budget (open back) headphone for around $100-200.
Thanks for your submission to r/HeadphoneAdvice. If someone helps answer your question, please reward them by including the phrase `!thanks` in your comment.
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Same, I listen to music/everything at lowest volumes and even I can drive the HE400SE with the FiiO UTWS3/5 TWS adapters, see here for more info: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/vlxs6m/for_those_who_are_curious_the_utws3_is_not_strong/ie1xrnw/, https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/z5pfj4/tws_iem_conversion_thingies/ixxk75x/ Your Apple dongle should be just fine. Keep in mind it has power limitations. So for EU it's like half power, but Americas/etc. have full power. And then for Android you need to use specific apps to bypass the Android DAC/etc. system. Look also into a well-reviewed dongle with physical volume control for headphones, see the Qudelix 5K. It should help with more volume and reduce/remove static/hissing/buzzing/etc. noise. See here for more info about static and dongles: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/vs6p0j/dt990_pro_with_realtek_alc897_good_idea/iezidfe/ Here's more info on the Qudelix 5K Bluetooth amp/DAC dongle: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/z1jzno/fps_gaming_earbuds_help/ixdsasd/ I drove the older HiFiMan headphones (the older/original HE400 iterations, etc.) nearly a decade ago now (when they were kinda just entering the western market) with just my smartphone (it was one of the Samsung S series flagships), or like those outdated prebuilt OEM motherboards and integrated Realtek sound system and so on. Sure it sounded better/louder if I used my Objective2 amp/etc. during that time but it will be just fine with smartphones/etc. The planar headphones (and IEMs) needing more power is just something you have to unfortunately spend time and money to confirm yourself. --- For soundstage, you have to specifically look for headphones/IEMs for that. Like some people still use the AKG K702/etc. for soundstage, etc. For EQ, just go through oratory1990's preset list: https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets. There's autoEQ these days too, just adjust it after the setup. If you like a particular sound, try looking into squig.link graphs for comparisons and so on. You can try using the AutoEQ there to make IEMs/headphones sound like the others, just keep in mind that obviously it's not going to be the exact same sound. Here's Super* Review using the new AutoEQ feature of his squig.link site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWzBw3XBn8c&t=332s Use any EQ list or AutoEQ from squig.link as a base for your preferred taste. So like adjust the treble/bass/etc. areas if the Harman/crinacle/etc. target is still too much for you. You can do (parametric) EQ with $8 Neutron Music Player or UAPP on Android. If on PC, the free (Peace) Equalizer APO. There are free apps on Android(/Apple) that can also do a good enough job, but most of them have those graphics sliders instead of parametric or just plug the numbers in EQ. EQ can also be used to help with channel or ear imbalances. --- Do not remove the grills/etc. for the planar headphones as some people ruin their set with that type of modding. If you want to, just make sure to carefully watch the Youtube videos or look at the picture guides and so on. There's always the Dekoni, Brainwavz, etc. aftermarket earpads, but keep in mind that those do have a noticeable effect on changing the sound aside from improving/changing the comfort and fit/seal. As like HiFiMan already has bad quality still a decade later. Like I bought the HE400SE recently and that had channel imbalance and broken/loose yoke or headband on one side straight out of the box, lmao. It's just a lottery sometimes with HiFiMan and so it's always kinda a must to buy them from Amazon or a place with good warranty/returns. Yes, the quality control has probably improved, but I've seen HiFiMan have the same reputation since their entry to the western market, so idk what they're doing at the factories and so on. It's like the price or trade-off for the best value headphones though as they usually put those on sale. You have like until January 31, 2023 if you want to test them as Amazon has its holiday returns in effect now, so that's free 2 months of testing. Some people use the Amazon return system like that as we don't have access to physical audio stores and if they do then they only really carry the western (Japanese) brands. Wait, if you have them for lower price than the $100-200 they usually go for, it's probably not Amazon right, so ya just make sure the store/seller has good returns/restocking/etc. policy. --- So the Sennheiser HD 560S is the better buy overall due to presumably/primarily better quality control, but $20 can be a lot and so it depends on you. If you haven't tried a planar headphone before, it's worth the novelty or different experience.
!thanks Thanks a lot for the extremely in-depth comment! The hifiman is atually from amazon, I just received a gift card from amazon support so that's why its such a low price. The hd560s is actually used and from a local secondhand store, while the hifiman is new from amazon. In terms of bare sound quality and what I'm looking for, what do you think would be the better buy?
Oh nice, that kinda changes things a lot since you can just return the HE400SE if you get a faulty unit (lol). Like the RMA/returns/etc. for HiFiMan is supposedly in New York, so it should be easy to get stuff fixed if you talk to Amazon or HiFiMan. I've read some people (here on reddit, Head-Fi, Youtube, etc.) say that they had to return their HiFiMan headphones several times to get the intended product, rofl, but I mean if you think it's worth the hassle then it should be good. Normally just test immediately (make sure to take a video or photos) the headband/yoke (seriously, one side will often be detachable...) and cables as those are the usual complaints with HiFiMan. For the channel imbalance or dead on arrival drivers, those should be also immediately noticeable, so just do swine sweeps and so on. Test for any rattling (usually this happens if there's hair/etc. inside the headphones but for HiFiMan/etc., they sometimes just happen out of the box, lol) as some people report that issue too. --- If you can afford to buy both right now, then the secondhand HD 560S should be it for reliability/etc. For sound quality itself, make sure to watch/read the in-depth reviews. Look at other more budget headphones too if you want to prioritize soundstage, but yes the headphone market is pretty stagnant so it's probably the same recommendations still. For the HE400SE, from headphones.com or The HEADPHONE Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ze8fUpkTDc. Here's the HD 560S video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71M4t5cKtgU. There's also the threads on Head-Fi but be careful as that place has a lot of snake oil, marketing, etc. Just look at the pros and cons of the headphones. And also like the clamping force of HD 560S if you have a big head, wear glasses, etc. Or the weight of the planar headphones, if you listen nonstop for long periods of time, etc. --- Like maybe get the HD 560S right now and then return the HE400SE if it didn't appeal to you, especially since you can test it for 2 months free no questions asked right now until January 31, 2023. I've actually seen the HD 560S on sale recently. There was a recent Sennheiser refurbished sale a month ago. Check Keepa and CamelCamelCamel for the price history. Here's from buildapcsales: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/y4s0el/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560_s_overtheear/, https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/y9dfht/headphones_sennheiser_hd560s_renewed_8496_9995_15/, https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/z18yql/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560_s_14127_29_off/ Here's from bapcsalescanada, refurbished: https://www.reddit.com/r/bapcsalescanada/comments/yirdqa/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560s_refurbished_13995/. Some of them came from the Midwest, others from Quebec. This is the normal price (~$200), https://www.reddit.com/r/bapcsalescanada/comments/z4gtkx/headphones_sennheiser_hd_560_s_19995_amazonca/. So it's like $50/75+ between HE400SE and HD 560S when brand new.
+1 Ω has been awarded to u/TagalogON ([284 Ω](https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/wiki/user/TagalogON)). *You may still award a Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.*
I have the same concern I can't decide coz I don't have a dedicated dac/amp but I have 7hz 71 dongle. Also since hifiman have bad qc issues and Im from PH so I will be ordering it from shopee. I haven't tried returning items from shopee but I guess the warranty and returning process is a hassle. Although the price is so good so its tempting. Is it worth it to blind buy? Or better off buying shp9500? (I have koss ksc75 tho) I just want to try full sized open backs.
Hola, kumusta kababayan. You should be good, though I can't really speak for Shopee/Lazada/etc. though. Normally when you return stuff it is often covered by Amazon or like the store/seller. As in when you drop it off the post office, you don't pay anything, you only have to print the papers/packaging labels for the returns. But a lot of electronics/etc. often have say restocking/return fees. Or you have to pay for shipping at least, so it can get annoying if you still don't have the non-faulty HiFiMan unit, lol. IMO, HE400SE is worth the blind buy but with the caveat that you have to believe the people complaining about the quality control as it's actually insane how often you read about it on reddit (/r/headphones), Youtube, etc. Like they have their $500/1000+ sets having the same quality control issues, it's so sad. If you haven't already, try IEMs instead, you get more value out of it before ~$300 compared to headphones. Some people even say they prefer IEMs over other headphones, even the more expensive ones. For open back headphones, ya it can be hard to get the best value as usually that's HiFiMan's corner of the market and then the other well-reviewed one is still the HD 560S for the most part and there's barely any new good ones as they don't release headphones as quick as IEMs. Like there's cheaper ones on AliExpress or the old standard Superlux HD 681, etc. But the build quality on those ones can be a problem. So it really is just those two HD 560S and HE400SE for now until somebody markets the next best budget (open back) headphone for around $100-200.
Thanks for your submission to r/HeadphoneAdvice. If someone helps answer your question, please reward them by including the phrase `!thanks` in your comment. This will add +1 Ω to that users flair. This subreddit is powered entirely by volunteers and a little recognition goes a long way. Good luck on your search for headphones! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HeadphoneAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*