The resurgence of planar-magnetic headphones has seen several iconic models reborn with modern refinements, and HIFIMAN’s latest addition continues that legacy. The HE600 reimagines one of the brand’s most respected designs, bringing new materials, advanced driver technology, and improved efficiency to an already legendary foundation. It’s a headphone that aims to honour the spirit of the original HE6 while making it far more accessible to the everyday listener.
This new model arrives as part of HIFIMAN’s ongoing effort to refine its lineup with contemporary updates and reissues. The HE600 embodies that philosophy perfectly, blending innovation with heritage. Designed for those who crave accuracy, spacious sound, and the signature planar clarity HIFIMAN is known for, it promises an experience that appeals equally to audiophiles and casual listeners alike.
With a lighter build, an enhanced diaphragm, and a more efficient magnet system, the HE600 delivers a balance between high-end technicality and practical usability. It retains the hallmark transparency and control of its predecessors but introduces a smoother, more approachable tuning that broadens its appeal. For long-time HIFIMAN fans and newcomers alike, the HE600 represents a carefully considered evolution of a true classic.
Design and Functionality
The HIFIMAN HE600 adopts a design language that clearly draws from its predecessors while refining every detail to create a more cohesive and modern look. The open-back earcups feature a honeycomb-style perforated grille, giving the headphones a more spacious visual appeal and contributing to their wide, natural soundstage. The polished silver finish ties the design neatly to HIFIMAN’s current lineup, adding a subtle premium touch without becoming flashy.
One of the first noticeable improvements is the overall weight reduction. The HE600 trims over 100 grams compared to the older HE6 variants, making it noticeably easier to wear for longer sessions. This change is achieved through the use of lighter materials in both the frame and the yokes, showing HIFIMAN’s commitment to improving comfort without compromising structural integrity.
The headband has been completely redesigned to feature a composite construction. It combines a metal spring frame with a flexible plastic shell and a rubberised support pad, striking a careful balance between durability and comfort. This new approach also distributes pressure more evenly across the top of the head, which helps reduce fatigue during extended use.
Beneath the headband, the suspension strap is soft to the touch and perforated to allow airflow. This minor but thoughtful detail keeps heat from building up, particularly during long listening sessions in warmer environments. The design promotes breathability and enhances comfort for those who often spend hours immersed in their favourite music.
Despite the new ergonomic focus, the HE600’s clamping force is a point of conversation. Some users may find the initial pressure firmer than expected, especially during the first few hours of wear. However, as the materials loosen slightly over time, the fit becomes more forgiving and stable, helping the headphones stay securely in place without discomfort.
The headband and earcups are engineered to reduce unnecessary weight while maintaining solid build quality. Though the construction may not feel as dense or metallic as earlier HE6 models, it’s well-finished and feels durable enough for daily handling. The lighter design doesn’t compromise longevity; instead, it enhances usability for those who frequently move between home setups and listening spaces.
Adjustability remains straightforward, with extendable notches on each side of the headband ensuring a proper fit for various head sizes. Those with medium to large heads will find the adjustment range sufficient, though the limited swivel on the yokes restricts flexibility slightly. The headphones sit securely once positioned but could have benefited from a touch more articulation for a perfect seal.
The metal yokes are sturdy but offer minimal rotational movement. While this rigidity ensures consistent earcup alignment, it also means the fit doesn’t naturally adapt as easily to different face shapes. Users who prefer a looser, more adaptive feel might wish for additional swivel, but the trade-off contributes to a sense of structural stability.
The HE600’s ear pads use HIFIMAN’s FocusPad design, combining memory foam with a hybrid covering of pleather and velour. This combination provides a pleasant mix of softness and breathability, ensuring that the pads remain comfortable even during marathon listening sessions. The materials also create a secure seal that subtly enhances sound isolation and tonal balance.
In terms of heat management, the pads perform admirably. Even after hours of playback, they remain cool and dry to the touch, avoiding the clamminess sometimes found in leather-heavy designs. The padding thickness strikes the right balance between comfort and acoustic control, helping maintain the open, airy sound that HIFIMAN’s planar drivers are known for.
The overall aesthetic of the HE600 aligns with HIFIMAN’s latest design trends, reflecting both practicality and refinement. The mix of silver tones, open-grille earcups, and streamlined contours give it a distinctly modern character that feels consistent across the brand’s new generation of headphones. It’s a design that bridges classic inspiration with contemporary execution.
While the HE600 doesn’t deliver the same luxurious heft or industrial solidity as HIFIMAN’s top-tier flagships, its design is far more accessible and ergonomic. The reduced weight, breathable padding, and thoughtful materials make it one of the brand’s most comfortable full-size headphones to date. Functionally, it achieves an impressive harmony between heritage styling and everyday usability.
Key Features
At the heart of the HIFIMAN HE600 lies a second-generation Neo Supernano diaphragm, engineered to deliver lightning-fast response and enhanced micro-detail. This ultra-thin diaphragm is a significant advancement over earlier designs, reducing mass while maintaining rigidity for exceptional transient accuracy. The result is a sound signature that captures the finest nuances in both vocals and instrumentation without sacrificing tonal smoothness.
Paired with the diaphragm is HIFIMAN’s Enhanced Magnet System, which replaces the previous rare-earth configuration with a newly optimised setup. This change improves magnetic efficiency and consistency while maintaining strong driver control. By eliminating the magnetic interference that older systems occasionally suffered from, HIFIMAN has achieved greater transparency and a more natural sense of dynamics.
The HE600’s 28Ω impedance and 94 dB sensitivity make it vastly easier to drive than the original HE6 series. While the older model demanded amplifier-level power to reach its full potential, the HE600 is designed to perform beautifully from a wide range of desktop and portable sources. This makes it a far more practical choice for modern setups where convenience and quality must coexist.
By modernising the magnet structure, HIFIMAN has managed to maintain the characteristic planar-magnetic authority while improving usability. The new system balances efficiency and power, ensuring that the headphones retain a commanding sense of presence and control even at moderate listening levels. The improvement in drivability does not come at the expense of accuracy or scale.
HIFIMAN has also refined the HE600’s overall acoustic design for a more open and immersive soundstage. The honeycomb earcup grille not only enhances the visual appeal but also reduces air resistance, enabling the drivers to breathe more freely. This design decision helps to achieve a more natural flow of sound, improving imaging precision and spatial depth.
The use of FocusPads contributes not only to comfort but also to acoustic stability. Their material blend ensures that the sound remains consistent across extended sessions by minimising frequency changes caused by shifting ear seals. This subtle but critical feature maintains tonal balance and prevents unwanted resonances.
Internally, the HE600 benefits from precise channel matching and refined wiring layouts. These internal adjustments improve stereo accuracy, helping instruments and voices sit more precisely within the mix. For enthusiasts who appreciate fine spatial separation, this results in a presentation that feels effortless and lifelike.
HIFIMAN’s attention to engineering detail extends to the connectors and cable design as well. The detachable cables allow for easy upgrades or replacements and ensure secure, low-resistance signal transfer. This modular approach gives listeners the flexibility to pair the HE600 with higher-end cables or balanced outputs depending on their setup preferences.
Every component of the HE600 reflects a measured balance between innovation and practicality. Instead of overhauling the entire architecture, HIFIMAN focused on refining what made the original HE6 so special—its realism and clarity—while smoothing out the usability challenges that once limited its audience. The outcome is a headphone that blends heritage with modern sensibility.
All these features come together to make the HE600 a headphone that is not just about sound but also about usability and craftsmanship. It’s designed to perform at a high technical level while remaining approachable, ensuring that both audiophiles and music lovers can experience planar precision without the complications of specialised equipment.
Experience Using the Product and Performance
Listening to the HIFIMAN HE600 is a captivating experience that demonstrates how much refinement has gone into this reissue. The headphone immediately delivers a sense of openness that draws the listener into the music, with every element of the sound reproduced with remarkable clarity and balance. It feels both effortless and controlled, revealing layers of detail that are easy to appreciate without ever becoming fatiguing.
The first thing that stands out is how natural the presentation feels. Instruments occupy a realistic amount of space, and the transitions between frequencies are smooth and seamless. There’s no artificial edge or exaggeration; instead, the HE600 strikes a convincing balance between accuracy and musicality. Whether playing acoustic tracks or complex electronic compositions, the headphones manage to retain their composure.
The midrange is where the HE600 truly shines. Vocals sound rich and authentic, with a tone that captures every subtle breath and inflection. Acoustic instruments such as guitars and pianos have body and warmth, yet remain clean enough to highlight their unique textures. This combination of detail and emotion makes vocal performances particularly engaging, whether male or female.
Across the lower mids, there’s an underlying sense of weight that provides structure to the overall sound. This ensures that instruments like cellos or rhythm guitars feel grounded without overpowering the rest of the mix. It’s a presentation that maintains balance and presence, ensuring the midrange acts as the central anchor of the HE600’s sound signature.
The upper mids are slightly forward but never harsh. This allows vocals and lead instruments to stand out naturally within the soundscape without being forced. It also contributes to the headphone’s sense of immediacy, giving music a lively and responsive quality that keeps listeners immersed for long sessions.
Treble performance is beautifully executed, with a fine balance between sparkle and refinement. The top-end energy is crisp but controlled, providing excellent extension without introducing harshness or fatigue. Cymbals shimmer with air, string instruments sound fluid, and ambient effects come alive in a way that adds realism and depth to recordings.
HIFIMAN’s tuning ensures that the treble retains its detail while maintaining a smooth tonal flow. The HE600 captures micro-details such as reverb tails and subtle harmonics without making them sound clinical. This is particularly noticeable when listening to high-resolution tracks, where even the faintest nuances are faithfully reproduced.
The bass response is another area where the HE600 displays impressive discipline. Instead of overwhelming the mix with excessive low-end energy, it provides tight, articulate, and well-textured bass. Each note is distinct, offering a sense of punch and presence without smearing into the mids. The precision of the planar drivers ensures low frequencies remain quick and accurate.
Sub-bass extension reaches deep, offering a satisfying rumble when called for, yet it never dominates the overall balance. The focus is on control and realism rather than brute force. This makes the HE600 suitable for a wide range of genres, from classical and jazz to modern pop and cinematic scores, where bass texture is more important than sheer volume.
The headphone’s speed and transient response are remarkable. Percussive instruments, plucked strings, and rapid electronic sequences are rendered with agility and precision. The drivers handle complex passages effortlessly, separating overlapping tones and delivering each with clear definition. This technical prowess gives the HE600 an energetic and lifelike quality.
Imaging performance is another strong point. The HE600 positions instruments with pinpoint accuracy, allowing listeners to visualise the arrangement of a live performance with ease. The stereo field feels well-proportioned, with a convincing sense of depth that adds to the headphone’s immersive qualities.
The soundstage is expansive and layered, stretching beyond the boundaries of the earcups. It’s not artificially wide but instead feels naturally open, with precise spatial cues that allow every instrument to breathe. This gives recordings a sense of scale and realism, particularly noticeable in orchestral and live tracks.
Separation between instruments is handled gracefully, with each sound occupying its distinct space. Even during complex arrangements, the HE600 never feels congested. This clarity helps listeners appreciate the interplay between instruments and subtle production details that might go unnoticed on less capable headphones.
Dynamic range is equally impressive, with the HE600 capable of transitioning effortlessly from quiet passages to explosive crescendos. It captures the ebb and flow of music with a sense of control and refinement that makes every performance feel alive. There’s no compression or strain, even at higher listening levels.
When driven by a capable amplifier, the HE600 scales beautifully. It rewards clean, stable power with greater depth, smoother treble, and firmer bass response. Yet, it’s not overly dependent on high-end gear—modern desktop DAC/amp combinations are more than sufficient to bring out its best qualities.
Long listening sessions highlight just how fatigue-free the tuning is. The tonal balance, combined with the airy presentation, makes it easy to enjoy hours of continuous playback without discomfort. The headphone’s controlled treble and soft pad texture also contribute to this long-term comfort, both sonically and physically.
One of the most endearing aspects of the HE600 is its versatility. It handles a wide range of musical genres with equal confidence. From jazz quartets to rock bands, from orchestral compositions to ambient electronic tracks, it consistently delivers a sound that feels engaging yet honest to the source material.
In film soundtracks and gaming, the spatial imaging adds another dimension. Subtle environmental sounds, footsteps, and ambient cues are rendered precisely, enhancing immersion. The combination of wide staging and accurate imaging makes it an enjoyable choice for both music and multimedia experiences.
For analytical listening, the HE600 offers excellent transparency without sacrificing soul. It allows the listener to dissect production layers and tonal characteristics while still maintaining the emotional core of the performance. It’s an ideal blend of studio-level accuracy and musical enjoyment.
Despite its technical nature, the HE600 never sounds sterile. There’s a warmth and humanity in the presentation that invites long-term engagement. This emotional connection is what separates it from purely analytical headphones—it’s not just about hearing the music but feeling it.
Every aspect of the HE600’s performance reflects a mature and thoughtful tuning philosophy. HIFIMAN has managed to capture the essence of what made the HE6 iconic while making it accessible to a broader audience. The result is a headphone that is technically refined, musically expressive, and deeply enjoyable to live with.
The HE600 proves that progress in audio doesn’t always require reinventing the wheel; sometimes it’s about perfecting what already works. Its combination of precision, tonal harmony, and comfort makes it one of HIFIMAN’s most compelling mid-to-high-end offerings to date, capable of delighting both seasoned enthusiasts and new listeners alike.
Conclusion
The HIFIMAN HE600 stands as a thoughtful revival of one of the company’s most beloved designs, merging the character of the original HE6 with the usability of a modern headphone. It manages to capture the spirit of its predecessor while refining the experience for today’s listeners, offering a blend of precision, comfort, and efficiency that feels both nostalgic and forward-looking. Its elegant engineering and balanced sound make it an excellent choice for anyone seeking a truly immersive listening experience.
Every design choice in the HE600 appears intentional—from the lightweight frame to the improved diaphragm and magnet system. These refinements ensure the headphone is not only easier to drive but also more comfortable to wear for extended periods. The result is a product that feels carefully considered, addressing the weaknesses of past models while enhancing their best qualities.
Sonically, it excels where it matters most. The treble sparkles without sharpness, the mids bloom with lifelike richness, and the bass remains tight and controlled, supported by an expansive soundstage that draws you into the recording. This cohesion across the frequency range is what gives the HE600 its charm—it’s engaging, technically capable, and musically inviting all at once.
The HE600 exemplifies what HIFIMAN does best: bringing advanced planar technology to a wider audience without compromising on quality. It’s a headphone that respects tradition while embracing modern innovation, and it rewards every listen with detail, depth, and emotion. For those who appreciate fine audio craftsmanship, the HE600 is a worthy evolution of a legend.
