Hifiman

Bigger is better when it comes to HIFIMAN, and the huge planar-magnetic diaphragm brought to bear in Edition XS is proof of that. It's eCoustics' Best Value Open-Back Headphone of 2022, something Headphonesty concur with. That's quickly led to accolades arriving from Headfonia and Headfonics. All the authority of HIFIMAN's flagships surface here, with the head-enveloping Edition XS pushing a wall of sound at your ears for sound that immerses – an experience that you can very much feel, as you can hear.  Keeping such a large driver under control is no problem for HIFIMAN's double-sided planar-magnetic array. [See Product Desc. For More] Just that alone wouldn't ensure a completely low-distortion affair, though. HIFIMAN's Stealth Magnet technology shows up here, with magnets that claim to be acoustically transparent allowing soundwaves to propagate to your ear with minimal diffraction and turbulent interaction with the surrounding structure.  Edition XS also brings NEO super Diaphragm to bear – a sub-two micron driver that's said to be up to 75 per cent thinner than its predecessor from 2015. Reducing mass allows for HIFIMAN to produce lightning-quick reaction times and transients, aiding reproduction of detail and soundstage cues. Naturally, a massive driver does no harm to the passive generation of a holographic, immersive soundstage around you as you listen. MOONSTAR Reviews says Edition XS "will immediately mesmerise you with its technical capabilities". Milk all that there is from Edition XS by ensuring it is properly driven by Questyle Audio's M12 and CMA18P current-mode amplifiers; the latter together with iBasso Audio's 4.4mm CB17 or the Nobunaga Labs Advance TPC. Or view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, and our other headphones here.

There is always something futuristic about R2R, so the R2R EF400 is not exactly out of type for HIFIMAN whose spirit for innovation spurred them to develop this DAC/amp. It's on Headfonia's Recommended Buys list as "one of the best all-in-ones". Headfonics concur EF400 is a huge crowd pleaser. It's an Audiophilia Star Component. Taking the company's discrete R2R Himalaya DAC and slapping on a 4.4 watt per channel amplifier, EF400 is HIFIMAN's claim that they are all you'll need to run a complete personal audio chain on your desktop. [See Product Desc. For More] EF400 wildly outperformed Ear Fidelity's expectations who didn't expect HIFIMAN's pedigree at building great headphones to extend to an amplification system. It's the best Audiophile Heaven can recommend today. Disregarding its entry-level standing, this diminutive powerhouse is a statement of technological ambition from China's leading headphone manufacturers, changing the game by equipping all levels of Head-Fi with an extremely capable source.  HIFIMAN originally developed its discrete Himalaya R2R for its portable bluetooth gear. But ever one to dream, Fang Bian's team strapped its technology to original DSP work carried on a FPGA and a massive toroidal linear power supply, before stepping back to marvel at their progress. The promises EF400 make in terms of fidelity and power output are not small. Head-Fi has paid attention when Himalaya decodes up to 24/192 PCM ala typical R2R – NOS (non-oversampling). That's double the feat because the precision demanded in exact resistor values – for the buttery, natural and resolving ability that R2R DAC topology is known for – goes up. For an entirely different sound otherwise, EF400's grants users the ability to switch from NOS to oversampling mode, for the cleanest possible result. That scrubs any last distortion and artifacts beyond the audible human hearing range, claiming over 115dB of signal-to-noise ratio. That's signal that sees EF400 output in fixed voltage via line XLRs and RCAs, in the sense of a conventional DAC. But HIFIMAN – famous for its immensely challenging Susvara and HE6 – challenge you to bring its balanced headphone outputs to bear. A full balanced, differential, Class A/B amplifier swings plenty of signal voltage and backs that signal up with a power stage bristling with current, to claim a mighty 4.4 watts of power. That's power beyond measure but HIFIMAN says it's always better to have more than you need. So EF400 can go about driving the likes of their headphones, plus any HEDDphone, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones, with tons of headroom, and no worry at all.Throw any headphone at EF400: you won't regret it. Also, view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, or our other amplifiers here.

There is always something futuristic about R2R, but the network-enabled EF499 ascends to another level. This streaming DAC/amp is exactly the kind of achievement HIFIMAN are typical of – these planar-magnetic headphone extraordinaire's spirit for innovation is what spurred them to develop EF499. Taking the company's discrete R2R Himalaya DAC and slapping on a 4.4 watt per channel amplifier, EF499 is HIFIMAN's claim that they are all you'll need to run a complete personal audio chain on your desktop. With an added ethernet input, you gain the ability to leash EF499 straight to your network router and enjoy music off your NAS, or favourite Android or iOS streaming app. Disregarding its entry-level standing, HIFIMAN's diminutive powerhouse is a statement of technological ambition from China's leading headphone manufacturers, changing the game by equipping all levels of Head-Fi with an extremely capable source. [See Product Desc. For More] That's double the feat because the precision demanded in exact resistor values – for the buttery, natural and resolving ability that R2R DAC topology is known for – goes up. For an entirely different sound otherwise, EF499's grants users the ability to switch from NOS to oversampling mode, for the cleanest possible result.  That's signal that sees EF499 output in fixed voltage via line XLRs and RCAs, in the sense of a conventional DAC. But HIFIMAN – famous for its immensely challenging Susvara and HE6 – challenge you to bring its balanced headphone outputs to bear. A Class A/B amplifier swings plenty of signal voltage and backs that signal up with a power stage bristling with current, to claim a mighty 4.4 watts of power. All so you can enjoy the benefits of EF499's network capability with nigh any flagship transducer. That's power beyond measure but HIFIMAN says it's always better to have more than you need. So EF499 can go about driving the likes of their headphones, plus any HEDDphone 2, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones, with tons of headroom, and no worry at all. Throw any headphone at EF499: you won't regret it. Also, view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, or our other amplifiers here.

A showcase of the value and performance of HIFIMAN's Himalaya LE DAC technology, the network-enabled R2R EF500 is another Everest of achievement. This streaming DAC/amp is exactly the kind of statement HIFIMAN chase – these planar-magnetic headphone extraordinaire's spirit for innovation is what spurred them to develop EF500. Taking the company's discrete new R2R Himalaya LE DAC and slapping on a 4.4 watt per channel amplifier, EF500 is HIFIMAN's claim that they are all you'll need to run a complete personal audio chain on your desktop. With an added ethernet input, you gain the ability to leash EF500 straight to your network router and enjoy music off your NAS, or favourite Android or iOS streaming app. A fully-balanced, differential DAC/amp through the signal path from decoding to amplification and output, EF500 counts on common-mode rejection to achieve excellent noise performance and combine resolution with R2R's lauded musicality. [See Product Desc. For More] HIFIMAN's diminutive powerhouse is a statement of technological ambition from China's leading headphone manufacturers, changing the game by equipping all levels of Head-Fi with an extremely capable source. That's double the feat because the precision demanded in exact resistor values – for the buttery, natural and resolving ability that R2R DAC topology is known for – goes up. For an entirely different sound otherwise, EF500's grants users the ability to switch from NOS to oversampling mode, for the cleanest possible result. That scrubs any last distortion and artifacts beyond the audible human hearing range, claiming over 115dB of signal-to-noise ratio. That's signal that sees EF500 output in fixed voltage via line XLRs and RCAs, in the sense of a conventional DAC. But HIFIMAN – famous for its immensely challenging Susvara and HE6 – challenge you to bring its balanced headphone outputs to bear. A balanced, differential Class A/B amplifier swings plenty of signal voltage and backs that signal up with a power stage bristling with current, to claim a mighty 4.5 watts of power. All so you can enjoy the benefits of EF500's network capability with nigh any flagship transducer. That's power beyond measure but HIFIMAN says it's always better to have more than you need. So EF500 can go about driving the likes of their headphones, plus any HEDDphone 2, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones, with tons of headroom, and no worry at all. Throw any headphone at EF500: you won't regret it. Also, view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, or our other amplifiers here.

HE400SE – HIFIMAN in its element. Bringing cutting-edge technology to this entry-level is something these planar-magnetic specialists have made their niche, giving newcomers a wonderful taste of great sound that can be achieved easily. Despite coming in on beginner budget, HE400SE brings to bear a double-sided magnet array to keep its planar-magnetic driver under control at all times.  Low levels of distortion are pushed down yet with HIFIMAN's Stealth Magnet technology – something that made its debut on the flagship Susvara in 2017 – proving their commitment to customers at all prices. [See Product Desc. For More] Shaped to allow airwaves to propagate smoothly from the driver without being impeded by the magnet array in its way, Stealth Magnets are shaped to be acoustically transparent so that sound arrives at your ear unimpeded by wave diffraction.  HE400SE's innovations to preserve the purity of music, lowering distortion to deliver detail and soundstage cues, was recognised by Headfonia and Headfonics; both recommending HIFIMAN's baby of the bunch unabatedly.  See that HE400SE is properly driven by iBasso Audio's DC06, cabled by the 4.4mm CB17. Or view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, and our other headphones here.

Handily accepts your Hifiman headphones on the go, as well as an assortment of other full-sized cans.

If there was one headphone that could give you a helping of the entire HIFIMAN experience, it would be Sundara. It's the quintessential HIFIMAN experience, on top of being one of the most important planar-magnetic headphones to surface in the last decade. Sundara's significance has been cemented thanks to its two-micron thick diaphragm, for excellent accuracy in the mids and treble. [See Product Desc. For More] Christened NEO supernano Diaphragm by HIFIMAN, Sundara promises bass that extends flat downwards – a customary planar-magnetic benefit, even at this price.  Reducing driver mass also allows HIFIMAN to produce lightning-quick reaction times and transients higher in frequency, aiding reproduction of detail and soundstage cues. Sundara's distortion is always kept low under the control of HIFIMAN's magnet array, making this a versatile reference listen that could be all you ever need. MOONSTAR Reviews hailed it for its "natural, detailed and spacious presentation" at its price. SoundGuys gave it their Editors Choice award. See that Sundara's properly driven by Questyle Audio's M12 and CMA18P current-mode amplifiers; the latter together with iBasso Audio's 4.4mm CB17. Or, view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, and our other headphones here.

If there was one headphone that could give you a helping of the entire HIFIMAN experience, it would be Sundara. And the next generation Sundara Closed means you can take that enjoyment anywhere with you. It's the quintessential HIFIMAN experience, on top of being one of the most important planar-magnetic headphones to surface in the last decade. "Incredible bass and exciting mids" were the highlight for Ear Fidelity. Headfonics says it's a different perspective of the Sundara legend. "They’re great for picking apart all the little details of recordings (but) don’t sound too bright" says SoundStage! Solo. With its closed beechwood cups for isolation in noisy environments, and Stealth Magnet technology, Sundara Closed is about to carve a niche of its own as one of the most versatile. [See Product Desc. For More] Tuning closely mirrors the original open but fidelity has stepped up. Dynamics crash harder under greater magnetic flux, soundstage expands forwards and mids are just a smidgen more present, via Questyle Audio's M12. Sundara's significance has been cemented thanks to its micron level NEO supernano Diaphragm, for excellent accuracy in the mids and treble. Keeping its large driver under control is no problem for HIFIMAN's double-sided planar-magnetic array. Just that alone wouldn't ensure a completely low-distortion affair, though. HIFIMAN's Stealth Magnet technology shows up here, with a magnet array that claims to be acoustically transparent. Stealth Magnets allow soundwaves to propagate towards your ear with minimal diffraction and turbulent interaction with the surrounding structure.  Sundara Closed's driver meanwhile is the usual low mass allowing for HIFIMAN to produce lightning-quick reaction times and transients. Reproduction of detail and soundstage is never sacrificed, even behind closed backs. Milk all that there is from Sundara Closed on the go and in the office by ensuring it is properly driven by Questyle's M12 and CMA18P current-mode amplifiers; the latter together with iBasso Audio's 4.4mm CB17 or the Nobunaga Labs Advance TPC. Or view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, and our other headphones here.