Hifiman HE400se headphones and headphones.com, continued from last week: The Hifiman HE400se headphones are old-school, high-fidelity over-ear headphones for dedicated music listening. They use exotic planar magnetic drivers known for their agreeable, effortless sound, and feature an open-back design so these drivers can radiate freely to optimizing performance.
Open-back headphones do not isolate you from the outside environment, allowing you to hear what is going on around you. This makes them less than ideal for use in crowded environments or on airplanes, because not only do they not shut out environmental noise, they leak more sound than closed-back headphones do.
The big earcups with mesh backing and soft, adjustable headband make them comfortable and adds to the old-school, high-end feel. There are no microphones, Bluetooth or other distractions — just plug them in and listen to the beautiful sound. On sale for only $109 on headphones.com (reduced from $149) they represent a wonderful value.
