In any gathering of headphones, the elephant in the room is almost always the planar magnetic models. They don't need a name tag: They're bigger, heavier, less efficient and often blare music into the room through their open-back design — not very neighborly.
Many of the world's most expensive headphones use planar magnetic technology, a thin membrane surrounded by magnets. Beneath the plastic, most headphones (and earphones) resemble the dynamic drivers found in a traditional loudspeaker. Planar magnetics are known for their vast sound field, precision imaging, heightened sense of realism and superb bass.
HiFiMAN's new HE-400S, the first planar-magnetic models under-$300, probably wouldn't exist if Beats hadn't established that headphones-upgrade price category. Though HiFiMAN makes earphones under $100, its comfort zone for headphones is $500 and above, with the new flagship HE1000 at an ear-popping $2,999.
What, for a 10th of the price, can the HE-400S offer the Beats Generation? Because of its open-back design — you can see (and hear) the speaker membrane through each ear cup's grille — they're sub-optimal for public use. So it isn't much of a challenge.
"They don't put out as much sound out the back as other open designs we have had," says Peter Hoagland, a HiFiMAN spokesman. "Still, it is not envisioned that someone would crank these up next to someone on an airplane."
In the right circumstances, though, I found the HE-400S sound intoxicating and entirely different from listening to standard dynamic headphones. Planar-magnetic headphones have steadily become lighter and more efficient. HiFiMAN's HE-6 weighed more than a pound and, with 50-ohm impedance and 83.5-decible sensitivity, needed a powerful headphone amplifier. (The higher the impedance number, the lower the flow of current. The higher the sensitivity number, the more efficient.) The HE-400S' numbers — 12-plus ounces, 22-ohm impedance and 98-decibel sensitivity — make it more comfortable on the head and compatible with most mobile devices.
Fang Bian, who founded the Head-Direct online store in 2005 in New York and adopted the HiFiMAN brand in 2007, now operates the company from Tianjin, China. Bian, who has a doctorate in nanotechnology — which explains the 0.001-millimeter-thick membrane in the new HE1000 — knows the universal language of mass-market headphones. To get under $300 and reduce the weight, HifiMAN's engineers designed the HE-400S with one driver on each ear instead of two, eliminating half the magnets. HiFiMAN also trimmed weight from the headband, borrowing from the HE1000 design, and used plastic where available.
The HE-400S in my tests worked with an iPhone and iPod Touch, though desirable listening levels usually required peak volume settings. An iPad, though, could not drive the headphones adequately: It compressed and flattened the Enrico Rava Quartet's "Don't," from the group's new "Wild Dance" album on ECM Records. Is that you, Enrico?
In such cases, the HE-400S needs an amplifier. The now-discontinued FiiO E3, which I reviewed in 2008, cost $8.50 in its lifetime and ran on a single AAA battery. This token amplification made Rava's trumpet recognizable, tightened the bass and added dimension and space between instruments.
"If you run the 400s through a good amplifier," says Hoagland, "they sound amazing."
FiiO's least-expensive portable headphone amplifier is now the Fujiyama E6, but the A3 ($59.99, Amazon.com) might be a more sensible low-cost pairing for the HE-400S. The HE-400S sounds somewhat tame, which I liked, with a beautiful, high-gloss midrange, somewhat tapered highs and at times thickened lower frequencies.
I preferred the HE-400S with the NuForce uDac3, a $129 mobile digital-to-analog USB converter with headphone amplifier, connected to a Macbook running Audirvana Plus audio software with iTunes and Apple Lossless files — a lossless file discards no information from the original, unlike a "lossy" MP3.
So, yes, the HE-400S can be as good as you want it to be on a budget. But, to these ears, a true mass-market, sub-$300 planar magnetic headphones designed for mobile devices must have a closed-back design. Mark this nonetheless as a significant development in the headphones world.
What: HiFiMAN HE-400S planar magnet headphones
Cost: $299
The Good: A taste of technology found in some of the best headphones. Glorious midrange, enhanced realism.
Not So Good: Open design does not isolate sound from people nearby. Loose, tapered bass depending on the associated mobile device.
Information: www.hifiman.com