I dont have them, but:
I feel like mixing on 880 is better because most people dont have planar headphones.
Sundara might be more fun for listening though, especially acoustic pieces.
However, if you are making music for yourself, why not! 
1 Like
Ah, I see, thank you for the insight!
Hehe, sounds like they are not for me then.
Iām quite happy with the 880s, but Iām just wondering if there are headphones out there that are more transparent and better for mixing. Within a reasonable budget 
But perhaps the 880s do the job. Iām no expert at these thingsā¦
might not be the best to take out but the Hifiman HE400se are great for studio reference cans. very balanced and fairly neutral sound, really solid and deep bass without being boomy (which is especially impressive since theyāre openback), pretty cheap but built really well (they fixed the original cable issue, the cable they ship with now is great)
not super hard to drive either! plus you get planar magnetics for under $150 and probably wonāt need an amp to power them with
1 Like
see above, try the HE400se first, I promise you wonāt be disappointed and will save a lot of money
Thanks so much!
I really appreciate the ease of driving since they will go directly into my hardware boxes.
Do you think these would add a lot over my Beyer Dynamics DT880 in terms of transparency, for music production and mixing?
Definitely for mixing, aside from a few minor tweaks here and there I find they translate well to other playback devices/PA systems/speakers, especially for dialing in your low end if you donāt have a great way to monitor bass frequencies right now
iād be willing to bet theyāre much more transparent than the DT880ās just going off of their sound profiles and my experience with the HE400se, the only area that you need to watch out for really is around 1khz, the Hifiman have a slight dip, but honestly I find that more of a blessing as my ears get less fatigued that way.
Thanks again. This is very helpful! No I donāt have monitors atm, Iām only using headphones. Bass frequencies are my biggest nemesis right now, so this sounds really promising
Will definitely check these out! 
I had/have the older model Hifiman HE-400i. The only upgrade I could do from that that improved on the weaknesses and wasnāt a step backward in some other department was the Audeze LCD-X (which are a $1500 headphone so they damn well better be an improvement in every way).
The Sundara is more of a hi-fi headphone, so not as neutral as the Beyerdynamics. You can absolutely still work with them, but itāll take some getting used to.
1 Like
if you can afford to use monitors (you have space + not annoying those that live around you), definitely try it.
in my expirience using monitors would make me create mixes that im happy with - faster.
i find headphones to be more of a convinience solution for tight spaces. physical and social.
and since you already have 880, you can always crosscheck mixes on two vastly different ways of listening to music. 
1 Like
Good to know, thanks, sounds like a great value for money!
I used to have monitors back in the day when I was a bachelor. But those days are gone We do have a small stereo now, which is at least better than a bluetooth speaker ;D
But I dream of gaining that space again in the future to have proper monitors and gear. Itās something else, for sure!
Instead of the Hifiman HE400E, in the planar department in the same price bracket but closed/semi-closed you have the Fostex T50Rp MK3. Besides being a nice headphone, it is also a famous base for a huge modding community. On the Beyerdynamics side, my favorite headphone was the T1 first generation.
2 Likes
I just ordered a set of the HE400SE, a Schiit preamp and also a second pair of the Monoprice HR-5c. The HR-5c is no longer available direct from Monoprice, but Amazon still has inventory for $35 so I picked up a backup pair.
Will be interesting to hear how planars sound, and find out if Iāve been underdriving my bigger headphones. 
Definitely an interesting choice, and possibly a good next planar set.
2 Likes
would love your thoughts on the HE400SE when youāve had some time with them!
2 Likes
I recently bought the Avantone Planar and they sound amazing!
These are my first >100$ Headphones and the difference to my previous headphones is night and day.
I also use iLoud micros for music listening and mixing. And the Planars are much more revealing but on the other hand easier to listen to. Hard to describe.
This was my best gear purchase in the last couple of years!
3 Likes
Iām going to be living in a house where I canāt use my monitors for some years. Thinking about getting a pair of Focal Clear MG Pro to make this a bit easier to live with. Any users out there?
Iām only about fifteen minutes into this set with the HE400SE on, and Iām liking them. Iām driving them with the MOTU M4, which is said to be too weak to drive planars fully. But the beats sound excellent, filling my head.
Unlike my Monoprice HR-5c, I can move the earcups around for comfort and the sound doesnāt change. At all. So the planar audio field is doing its thing.
Update1:
The headphone port on a PS4 controller will drive the HE400SE, but you have to nearly max the volume. Previously, I had been using the Sony WH-1000XM4s in wired mode. I ended up switching back to the Sonys fairly quickly because the playstation is near a window that is usually open, urban Chicago is loud, and the open-plan kitchen is adjacent. Having ANC is more important than the extended bass and detail of the HE400SE.
I also tried the HE400SE with my Yamaha MG12/4FX. The Yamaha doesnāt seem to have any trouble driving them. I ran the Lyra into Space and Space into the Yamaha and droned away for a while. Then I hit play on a MnM pattern I created previously.
I can clearly hear a difference between the HĆR set and my own noodling. My stuff sounds less differentiated with a flatter spatialization. This isnāt surprising, but it is easy to hear with the Hifiman headphones. Iām not sure if these would be good mastering headphones, but they seem like they should be excellent sound design headphones.
Initial rating:
- Very good for listening to well produced music like the HĆR sets. Could be fatiguing for mediocre music / listening
- Acceptable for video games, but possibly overwhelming
- Likely very good for sound design, but I need to explore more
From a pice to performance perspective, these headphones are amazing.
1 Like
Is anyone familiar with KZ ZS10s? The praises and comparisons being thrown at them are pretty incredible, especially at their price.
I was looking at these (Focal Listen Pro), but not sure itās an upgrade. Iām looking for something more comfortable than the HD 300 Proās:
And this is what Iām currently using:
Rtings doesnāt think very highly of them.
Personally, I wouldnāt even consider connecting IEMs to my synths or mixer. Too much risk of ear damage.
Years back, I purchased a few different sets of āamazingā IEMs in the $50 range, some of which were āmarked downā from $300 or so. None came close to my Etymotic ER-6i (long out of production now). Iāve since switched to Shokz (formerly Aftershokz, formerly Trex) bone-conduction headphones for my travel and minimalistic listening needs. They donāt come close to the sound quality of the Etymotics, but are much easier to manage with modern portless phones.
1 Like