Over-Ear
AKG N9 Hybrid
86Outstanding
$290
Full review dataAKG N9 Hybrid vs HiFiMAN HE400SE: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the AKG N9 Hybrid comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 86. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: AKG N9 Hybrid - Outstanding overall at around $289.
Over-Ear
HiFiMAN HE400SE
76Great
$150
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
AKG N9 Hybrid leads on 5 of 7 measures.
- AKG N9 Hybrid
- HiFiMAN HE400SE
HearWiki score
86
76
Sound
9.0
8.0
Noise cancelling
8.4
-
Battery
9.8
-
Calls
9.1
-
Value
9.0
9.4
Price (USD)
$290
$150
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
Half a step newer
AKG N9 Hybrid (2024) against HiFiMAN HE400SE (2021). The AKG N9 Hybrid edges ahead on platform, but only just: ANC type Adaptive against None.
- N9 Hybrid20243 yr newer
- HE400SE2021
What differsN9 HybridHE400SE
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
Platform
Specifications
N9 HybridHE400SE
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $290
- $150
- HearWiki score
- 86
- 76
- Released
- 2024
- 2021
- Availability
- Still sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- 40 mm dynamic
- planar magnetic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- planar
- Driver size
- 40 mm
- -
- Drivers per side
- 1
- -
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 40 kHz
- -
- Impedance
- 32 Ω
- 32 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 98 dB/mW
- -
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- -
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- -
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- -
- Battery life
- 100 h
- -
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 55 h
- -
- Full charge time
- 180 min
- -
- Quick charge
- 10 min → 6 h
- -
- Wireless charging
- No
- -
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- adaptive
- -
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- -
- Companion app
- Yes
- -
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- touch
- -
- Voice assistant
- Google Assistant, Siri
- -
- Weight
- 281 g
- 385 g
- Water resistance
- none
- -
- USB-C
- Yes
- -
- Microphones
- 1
- -
What reviewers said
AKG N9 Hybrid
The AKG N9 Hybrid is a versatile over-ear headphone that balances detailed, well-controlled sound with strong adaptive noise cancellation and an exceptionally long battery life. It offers modern connectivity including Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint, and LDAC support, plus a comfortable build suited for music, gaming, and movies. Its feature set makes it a practical choice for users who value both performance and endurance.
- Pro:Very long battery life, even with ANC enabled
- Pro:Adaptive noise cancelling with customizable options
- Pro:Support for high-quality LDAC codec
- Con:No water resistance rating
- Con:No wireless charging support
- Con:Only one microphone for calls
HiFiMAN HE400SE
The HiFiMAN HE400SE is an affordable open-back planar magnetic headphone that delivers a neutral-to-bright sound signature with balanced mids and treble, making it a strong entry point into planar audio. It offers impressive clarity and detail for the price, though its deep bass rolls off and the open-back design leaks sound and provides minimal isolation, limiting its use to quiet environments. It performs well out of the box and can be further enhanced with EQ, but benefits from a dedicated amplifier to reach its full potential.
- Pro:Excellent value for planar magnetic sound
- Pro:Balanced and detailed midrange and treble
- Pro:Lightweight and comfortable for extended listening
- Con:Bass rolls off in the lower frequencies
- Con:Open-back design leaks sound and offers poor isolation
- Con:Requires a decent amp for optimal performance
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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