Sometimes it is fun to make comparisons that are odd and not along the ordinary lines. Something unexpected. I had a reader requesting my thoughts on a “supercharged” HE400SE (aka powered by a speaker amp’s speaker taps) vs an electrostat. This turned into the comparison you can read below.
The SR-L500 is powered by the STAX SRM-006tS energizer, the Hifiman HE400SE is powered from the speaker taps of the 100-watt quality speaker amp Creek Destiny 2 which cost 1800 GBP at launch in 2011. The results would not be the same with the HE400SE powered by normal headphone amplifiers. Even the powerful Topping A90 headphone amp (or any other headphone amp I’ve tried) can not bring the HE400SE to this level.
Thus, even though the HE400SE is a lot cheaper than the SR-L500, the total cost of the two setups are comparable. You probably can achieve similar results with the HE400SE and a cheaper speaker amp, though, but I have yet to try that out. Any amp that does well with the HE-6 SE will do the job.
COMPARISON
Fire Walker by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
They are remarkably similar sounding on this track. HE400SE has a much more solid bass, but otherwise, they are actually very close. The sound stage and the tonal balance are quite similar. Both are well-balanced, but the STAX is missing a bit finesse in the bass region, making me prefer the HE400SE.
Flight Less Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine
Both sound good, with an airy soundstage and crisp detail. The L500 has even more fine detail but sounds a bit drier than the HE400SE. The vocals’ timbre is superb with the HE400SE, the L500 is a bit thinner and drier. The L500 also has a bit wider soundstage, but the HE400SE is very close.
Floratone by Floratone
The bass is tight, solid and full-bodied with the HE400SE. The soundstage is reasonably big with good imaging. The sound signature is well-balanced and natural sounding.
The L500 has surprisingly good bass, but not the HE400SE’s level. It has better separation, imaging and a wider and deeper soundstage. I prefer the tuning of the HE400SE, but the detail level is a bit higher with the L500. The HE400SE is warmer and lusher.
Around the Bend by Pearl Jam
The L500 is very open sounding with good detail and abig soundstage. The bass quantity is there, but the quality is not at the level of the rest of the frequency spectrum. The HE400SE has a much tighter and more detailed bass. It also has a bit lusher presentation, the vocals are sweeter and fuller sounding. However, I’m again struck by how similar they are, relatively speaking.
As Before by Olga Konkova
The HE400SE sounds darker, warmer, and lusher. The bass is tighter and better controlled. The L500 has a brighter and slightly clearer sound. The piano and vocals have a sense of brittleness that’s not really there with the HE400SE.
Fading Sorrow by Marcin Wasilewski Trio
They are both presenting this delicate track in a very nice, but slightly different manner. The saxophone is brighter and more textured with the L500, and the HE400SE is more mellow. It’s more lush and sweet sounding. The bass is as usual better in terms of quality with the HE400SE. The soundstage is a bit more intimate than with the L500, which also has a bit more air between instruments. But the sound stage on the HE400SE isn’t small by any means, just not as airy as the STAX. I’m truly impressed with the amount of fine detail the HE400SE presents in the treble region. It’s not as clear as the L500 but it’s very delicate and nuanced.
Flush by Todd Sickafoose
The bass is insanely good with the HE400SE. Everything else feels well balanced and it’s a joy to listen to this track. The L500 also has good bass, and the quantity might even be larger than with the HE400SE. It’s generally brighter and airier.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sound signature and soundstage
The L500 generally sounds brighter, due to more treble and upper midrange energy. Both have enough bass quantity.
The HE400SE has a very good soundstage in this setup. It’s open, quite wide, tall and deep. Imaging is good, instruments are well-defined in space.
The L500, however, is even more open and spacious sounding, with better separation and imaging.
Treble
They both have good, non-fatiguing treble. The L500 has a pronounced and energetic treble. It’s more dynamic and presents more detail. The HE400SE is a bit darker but feels sweet and delicately nuanced.
Midrange
The L500 has more upper midrange energy and sounds brighter. It also sounds more textured and detailed. The HE400SE sounds a bit more mellow and smooth but in a very nice way. I do not feel like I am missing anything with the HE400SE.
Bass
Both have a good amount of bass quantity. The L500 is less linear and often has more quantity than the HE400SE, depending on the track. Quality-wise, the supercharged HE400SE rules: The bass of the HE400SE is rock solid all the way. It’s close to perfection.
Detail, dynamics, timbre
The L500 has more obvious detail in the mids and highs, but the HE400SE isn’t far behind. It presents detail in a subtler way, which I like. The L500 has more macro dynamics in the mids and treble, the HE400SE in the bass.
The HE400SE has the most pleasant timbre, to my ears. It’s tuned a bit like the older Hifimans like the HE-500 and HE-6. In short, the treble is a bit darker than on the SR-L500, the mid-range lusher and the bass tighter.
CONCLUSION
The takeaway from this article should not be that the 109 USD HE400SE is as good as, or better than, the SR-L500. It’s about how insanely good the HE400SE gets when connected to a quality speaker amp.
It’s simply shocking how good the Supercharged HE400SE is. I didn’t expect it to play at the same level as the L500. But that’s my conclusion. They have both different strengths, but in total, to me – they’re equally good.
If you own a good speaker amp, get the HE400SE and an adapter cable, or the Hifiman HE-adapter box. If you need several speaker outputs, you can get a switch box. There’s some extra costs getting it properly hooked up if you don’t already have the gear. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll regret it. If you already have the amp for it, the Supercharged HE400SE is a steal.
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