Did this coupon
work for you?
work for you?
Popular
Drop + HIFIMAN HE-X4 Planar Magnetic Headphones $79 (or $69 AC) - $79
$79.00
Drop / Massdrop has the Hifiman HE-X4 planar magnetic open back headphones for $79. New users get $10 off their first order, making this $69.
The "sister model" 4XX had more then +30 TU at $69 for b-stock earlier this week. According to Drop, the X4 is a structural and sonic improvement over the 4XX.
Good entry to planar magnetic and/or open back. And you DON'T need an amp. Does it help you get the most out of them? Perhaps… but in no way required.
https://drop.com/buy/drop-hifiman...d=111
The "sister model" 4XX had more then +30 TU at $69 for b-stock earlier this week. According to Drop, the X4 is a structural and sonic improvement over the 4XX.
Good entry to planar magnetic and/or open back. And you DON'T need an amp. Does it help you get the most out of them? Perhaps… but in no way required.
https://drop.com/buy/drop-hifiman...d=111
If you purchase something through a post on our site, Slickdeals may get a small share of the sale.
11 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank BeigeRoad455
This is a rather good deal, with a few caveats. The he-x4 uses the same drivers and is extremely similar to the Chinese version of the he400se (non-stealth magnets edition). It is decently compliant to the harman curve, with a deficiency in bass (especially subass), a sizeable dip around 2000hz, and some messiness in the upper treble. Due to having low distortion this headphone takes quite well to eq, for a more neutral sound signature and good bass response I highly recommend eq (oratory1990 eq presets are my go-to). The he-x4 has a headband that is supposedly a bit less comfortable than that of the 400se (this is obviously a matter of personal preference), and I have in the past seen a higher than average number of people complaining about the headband breaking compared to the standard 400se headband. The international version of the he400se (stealth magnets edition), which is $109, has mildly superior sound quality (though likely not enough to justify the $30 difference) and a different headband that's less prone to breaking. Hifiman quality control and product longevity in general tends to be somewhat worse than that of other major brands, but the low price relative to audio quality tends to make it worthwhile. The he-x4 have an impedance of 25 ohms and a sensitivity of 91 dB. While the impedance is quite low, the low sensitivity means these headphones are not very easy to drive. To be clear, if you don't use any eq then you can most likely get away with not using an amp at standard listening volumes. However, if you want to eq (which I highly recommend), then the high negative preamp values required in conjunction with the low sensitivity will require an amp unless you listen very quietly. For example, the oratory1990 eq preset requires a -11.5db preamp, and the majority of cheap motherboard audio outputs and portable devices like phones will struggle to drive the he-x4 to loud volumes with that preamp value.
I have a pair of the international he400se (stealth magnets), and with eq the sound quality is exceptional for the price. They're excellent value jack of all trades headphones, being decent for music, gaming, and movies. With eq the soundstage is good with decent imaging, dynamics are decent, sound signature is overall neutral, and bass is fairly good. Without eq the bass deficiency become rather glaring.
Based off the measurements I've seen the he-x4 gets fairly close to the he400se for $30 cheaper, and as such is a good value without eq and an outstanding value with eq. If you're looking to get into planar magnetic headphones, you won't find anything decent for cheaper.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank TheEdge
Good catch. I've had both and they have a very similar sound signature… and I believe one of the reasons they re-released it as this (I'm assuming such was the case based on model #) was to improve the headband durability "flaw" on the 4XX.
EDIT: Confirmed that's one of the improvements of the X4 over the 4XX.
Based on the HE4XX's classic build, the HE-X4 features earcups that HIFIMAN listeners know and love, plus an updated headband for improved sturdiness and comfort. On the sonic side, dual-sided magnet arrays similar to that of the HE5XX help the HE-X4 achieve improved sensitivity over the HE4XX—with a distinctly warm and subtly dark tone all its own.
Would you purchase these instead because of the headband? Kids late 20's early 30's mostly for gaming.
I still have to add a DAC's.
Would you purchase these instead because of the headband? Kids late 20's early 30's mostly for gaming.
I still have to add a DAC's.
I personally never had an issue with my 4XXs, but…
If it's going to incur a fee / be a hassle to cancel or return, I'd personally stick with what you got. All other things being equal, I think it's worth the $10 per pair to upgrade to new / get the more recent design.
If it's going to incur a fee / be a hassle to cancel or return, I'd personally stick with what you got. All other things being equal, I think it's worth the $10 per pair to upgrade to new / get the more recent design.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Yeppers peppers.
https://store.hifiman.c
This is a rather good deal, with a few caveats. The he-x4 uses the same drivers and is extremely similar to the Chinese version of the he400se (non-stealth magnets edition). It is decently compliant to the harman curve, with a deficiency in bass (especially subass), a sizeable dip around 2000hz, and some messiness in the upper treble. Due to having low distortion this headphone takes quite well to eq, for a more neutral sound signature and good bass response I highly recommend eq (oratory1990 eq presets are my go-to). The he-x4 has a headband that is supposedly a bit less comfortable than that of the 400se (this is obviously a matter of personal preference), and I have in the past seen a higher than average number of people complaining about the headband breaking compared to the standard 400se headband. The international version of the he400se (stealth magnets edition), which is $109, has mildly superior sound quality (though likely not enough to justify the $30 difference) and a different headband that's less prone to breaking. Hifiman quality control and product longevity in general tends to be somewhat worse than that of other major brands, but the low price relative to audio quality tends to make it worthwhile. The he-x4 have an impedance of 25 ohms and a sensitivity of 91 dB. While the impedance is quite low, the low sensitivity means these headphones are not very easy to drive. To be clear, if you don't use any eq then you can most likely get away with not using an amp at standard listening volumes. However, if you want to eq (which I highly recommend), then the high negative preamp values required in conjunction with the low sensitivity will require an amp unless you listen very quietly. For example, the oratory1990 eq preset requires a -11.5db preamp, and the majority of cheap motherboard audio outputs and portable devices like phones will struggle to drive the he-x4 to loud volumes with that preamp value.
I have a pair of the international he400se (stealth magnets), and with eq the sound quality is exceptional for the price. They're excellent value jack of all trades headphones, being decent for music, gaming, and movies. With eq the soundstage is good with decent imaging, dynamics are decent, sound signature is overall neutral, and bass is fairly good. Without eq the bass deficiency become rather glaring.
Based off the measurements I've seen the he-x4 gets fairly close to the he400se for $30 cheaper, and as such is a good value without eq and an outstanding value with eq. If you're looking to get into planar magnetic headphones, you won't find anything decent for cheaper.
https://store.hifiman.c
The Drop deal died.
The link you provided is for the 4XX, which is the previous "version" of these headphones. The X4 improved upon them.