Go to CES and throw a rock. It's better than even-money that the guy who gets hit is wearing headphones. The odds are much higher that the cans attached to this unfortunate noggin are of the "dynamic" variety. Ninety-nine percent of today's audio headgear—the Skullcandys, EarPods, and Beats Solos—have dynamic drivers stuffed inside them. It's the default because the tech is simple, reliable, and inexpensive.
Excellent dynamic drivers do exist (See the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro) but there are two other driver designs that get headphone nerds excited: electrostatic and planar magnetic. Most consumers have never sampled these rare totems because the price is molto ridiculo. The revered Stax SR-009, an electrostatic model, runs a cool $3,825. You'll need a headphone amp to listen to them, so throw in another grand. Planar magnetics cost less, but can still trigger sticker shock—dropping $1,000 or more (again, sans amp) isn't unusual. Hardcore audiophiles pay dearly for these exotic drivers because they offer eerily realistic resolution and the kind of 3-D thrills normally reserved for a full-blown stereo rig with behemothic speakers.
Lately, though, a handful of boutique audio companies have released an array of affordable planar magnetic phones. One of the most highly praised examples is the $299 HiFiMan HE400S. Even the trade publication The Absolute Sound, a mag that doles out praise to three-figure components sparingly, gave it a slot on one of its 2017 "Buyer's Guide" lists. The great unwashed who've always dreamed of making the leap to the glamorous world of "planars" are bestowed a rare gift. Really? Let's see.
Dynamic drivers work like this: A magnetic field causes a coil of ultra-thin wire to move backward and forward, which, in turn, moves the driver diaphragm that the coil is attached to. This chain of electromagnetic events rapidly compresses and decompresses the air, creating the sound waves that make your head nod. Planar magnetics, a driver technology that Yamaha popularized in the mid-1970s, are a completely different beastie. Instead of using a relatively heavy and rigid diaphragm, like the one found in a DD, the planar diaphragm is made of a thin transparent sheet of film. This flexible film has extremely low mass, with conductive layers distributed throughout its large surface area. That means it can be moved by a magnetic force more evenly. Upshot: a more accurate signal, lower distortion, and greater detail.
The HE400S isn't going to win accolades in Milan, Eindhoven, Basel, or anywhere beautiful objects are fetishized. Perched on your head, the set looks like two Roomba vacs welded to a wire coat hanger. Like many audiophile jumbo phones, the HE400S was designed to be worn in an acoustically perfect fortress of solitude, not on the city bus. There's nothing techie-cool about showing these headphones off, not even in a self-deprecating or ironic way.
For all their aesthetic shortcomings, though, there's something admirable about these audacious form-follows-function lines. The "dual" headband system, for instance, looks godawful. But the precisely calibrated clamping force of the outer steel band, which allows it to fit any size head securely and comfortably, is an astonishing piece of engineering. The same goes for those enormous ear pads, which are removable and beveled, a subtle but effective ergonomic touch. The lacking looks shouldn't concern you. These HiFiMan cans are so light—only a shade over three-quarters of a pound—and rest so perfectly on the head that removing them during listening sessions is unnecessary. Your significant other will mock you to no end, but such is the burden of the stalwart audiophile.
Like in the performance auto world, where tech trickles down from the F1 track to the showroom, some headphone manufacturers like to crow about features from their priciest models migrating downward into the lower-priced offerings. That's true here. The comfy headband, beveled ear cups, R-L cable ports, and sturdy hanger design (those two curved pieces that attach to the housing) on this budget planar come straight from the HE1000, HiFiMan's $3,000 flagship. One thing that didn't cross over is the cable. This braided cloth monstrosity is stiff, tends to coil, and looks like something found on a cheap fan at a garage sale. Most audiophiles who buy the HE400S will do a switcheroo right out of the box and use the OEM cable to bundle newspapers. Everything else about the set's build, including fit and finish, quality of materials, and haptic feedback, is as primo as anything else you'll find in this audio category. Conclusion: To keep the price under three hundred bucks, HiFiMan scrimped on the cord because it knows its customers collect fancy cables like other people collect coupons.
Back in the 1970s, sales reps from Linn (a UK turntable company) and Naim Audio (a UK amplifier company) started tossing around an acronym to describe the elusive quality that made their stereo components so bloody expensive: "PRaT," or pace, rhythm and timing. It was this ideal combination of sonic qualities that conjured the elusive 3-D soundstage, making it possible to hear stealthy yet distinct recording events, like the third oboe turning a page of sheet music or the textured sound of rosin and bow meeting string. It was all marketing nonsense, of course.
And yet, listen to a hi-res file of Chet Baker's My Funny Valentine LP through these headphones and the concept of PRaT doesn't seem like such a nutty PR stunt. Everything that planar people rave about—the punchy and articulate bass, the frequency extension, the detail and clarity, the transparency of the mix and space between instruments—is in the cups. A credible headphone soundstage is usually something you pay dearly for, but it's front-and-center here.
If you really want to identify the musical chairs in your man cave, cue up the binaural recording of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 by the New York Symphony Orchestra. Not only will you be able to locate each instrument, you'll also pick up snippets of conversation during the applause. Likewise, the fret work of English avant garde guitarist Derek Bailey on Stella By Starlight takes on an added VR dimension when streamed at 320Kbps.
Those tracks were aided by adding a $200 USB DAC to the mix: the Audioquest Dragonfly RED. The sonic bump it provided improved the signal more than a tad; especially the bass, which was noticeably tighter and had more thump. Plug the HE400S straight into an iPad, though, and the quality remains intact. The high sensitivity and low impedance (22 Ohm) of these headphones means they can be driven by any mobile device. Even the miserly 1.5v output of an iPhone is enough to drive these cans at a decidedly loud volume level. Headbangers: Use the 6.35mm adapter, plug the cord straight into a power amp, and check your local provider network for a tinnitus specialist.
No debate: play. These audiophile-grade cans are the same price as the mass-market Beats Solo3 sold at Best Buy. At $299 ($249 refurbished), you would be hard-pressed to find a better value in hi-fi gear today. Yes, you will be tethered to a cord. And no, you shouldn't post Instagram shots of yourself wearing them. In fact, you won't even be able to use them while other people occupy the same room; the open-back design, which makes that wide, deep and airy soundstage possible, bleeds dBs like a screen door. But if you're on a budget and have yearned to join the big boy audiophile club, the price of admission has never been cheaper.