HIFIMAN HE1000se

No. The HE1000se is a planar magnetic headphone using HIFIMAN's thin diaphragm and Stealth Magnet design, not a normal dynamic driver.

It is easier to drive than many older high-end planar headphones, but it still benefits from a clean desktop amp. Its open-back design also means it is meant for quiet rooms, not commuting.

The HE1000se sits in HIFIMAN's high-end open-back planar lineup, while the Susvara is the more demanding flagship reference model. Many listeners choose the HE1000se because it keeps the large, airy HIFIMAN sound without requiring as extreme an amplifier setup.

Its strengths are detail retrieval, staging, and treble extension, so acoustic jazz, orchestral recordings, and well-mastered electronic music are common demo choices. Poorly mastered tracks can sound exposed because the headphone is very revealing.