Introduction and Specification

HiFiMAN is well known for their value planar magnetic headphones, and today, we will take a look at the latest and greatest HE400i offering—namely, the 2020 Edition. The 2020 Edition incorporates the headband assembly we first saw on the HiFiMAN Deva. Another minor change that perhaps many DIYers will enjoy is the fact that the 2020 Edition features mini-jack ear cup plugs instead of 2.5 mm, which should make it easier to make your own custom cables. HiFiMAN supplies the HE400i with a 1.5 m cable with a mini-jack on the source end, but you of course also get a 3.5 to 6.35 mm adapter.


Price-wise, HiFiMAN has kept the HE400i 2020 Edition at a very reasonable $169, which is still expensive, but compared to the first HE400i we tested 5 years ago at $499, it is a bargain, as well as the original Head-Direct HE-400 of 8 years ago.

Specifications

• Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 35 kHz
• Impedance: 35 ohm
• Sensitivity: 93 dB
• Weight: 370 g
• Socket: TRS 3.5/6.35 mm
• Cable length: 1.5 m

Specifications look similar to the previous version of the HE400i. The frequency response does not mention linearity, so while optimistic on the high side, it is probably correct.

The Package

HiFiMAN ships the new HE400i 2020 Edition in a study, well-padded box.


On the cable front, the HE400i now has the same mini-jack plugs on the ear cups as other recently released HIFiMAN headphones. This simple solution works great and is cheap to source in case you want to build your own cables. Durability of the normal male/female mini-jack parts is much better than that of the micro-jack used before, which should bode well for the longevity of these headphones.