Introduction

HIFIMAN is one of the most covered brands on TechPowerUp even outside of just the audio categories, such is the tenacity at which it releases products that leave a strong impression on our review team and audience alike. Indeed, of the 20+ HIFIMAN product reviews done to date, you will note the vast majority of them tend to be for the headphones it is most popular for. There are a few in-ear monitors covered too, including the occasional unique TWS set, but did you know HIFIMAN also makes sources? HIFIMAN (then known as Head Direct) sold the EF1 and EF5 headphone amplifiers in 2008-2010 and the EF6—the company’s first DAC/amp combo unit—released in 2012. There were a few other DAC/amps along the way, including the HIFIMAN EF100 we covered in 2015, but that used an off-the-shelf DAC which simply wasn’t good enough for HIFIMAN founder Dr. Fang Bian.

It took ten years from the release of the EF6, but 2022 saw HIFIMAN publicly launch the new EF400 desktop-class DAC and headphone amplifier. It uses HIFIMAN’s own developed R-2R DAC chip it calls HIMALAYA, which you will see also referred to as HYMALAYA given the company seems to be going back and forth on whether or not it wishes to trademark the term. For now it seems to have settled in on HIMALAYA and that’s what I will use henceforth. The DAC stage is paired with a current amplification stage to make for a compact all-in-one device that HIFIMAN claims punches far above its price and form factor in the sonic experience it delivers. We’ll put that to the test today in our review of the HIFIMAN EF400 that begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below, and thanks to HIFIMAN for providing a sample to TechPowerUp!

Specifications