Hifiman Audivina LE

A Closed-Back Planar chasing an Open Soundstage in Hifiman’s Egg-Shaped Earcups

Hifiman sent all four of these headphones — the HE600, Edition XV, Ananda Unveiled, and Audivina LE — together, and over the past few months they have become permanent residents in my listening space. All four have lived within easy reach, and I have spent considerably more time with them than a typical review would allow. It has been genuinely enjoyable, and I must apologise to Hifiman for how long it took to actually finish these reviews.

Note: I first came across the Audivina LE at last years CanJam London:

Since I have been giving nicknames to each of these Hifiman headphones, I ended up cheekily calling this one “the hollow one.” It is the only closed-back in the group, and that instantly makes it an unfair comparison as the other 3 are superb in their own ways, while this closed back seems like an experiment that tries to be a little too different.

Three months of listening, driven mainly through the JDS Labs Element IV and Topping DX5 II. Of the four, the Audivina LE got the least daily use — but it saw plenty of comparison sessions, especially with other closed backs in my collection, mostly when I was trying to understand how different it sounded.

But first, let’s take a look at what’s in the box.

Unboxing and Packaging

The Audivina LE arrives in Hifiman’s standard outer packaging, with specifications on the side panel — worth a look as the spec list here is notably different from the rest of the lineup:

Opening the box reveals the carry case immediately:

The carry case is well-built and practical, and inside with the headphones sits alongside all three cables:

The Audivina LE is the clear winner of the accessory comparison for Hifiman headphones. The package includes the headphone itself, earpads (installed), a 3.5mm single-ended 1.5m cable, a 6.35mm single-ended 3m cable, an XLR balanced 3m cable, and a headphone travel bag.

Three cables and a carry case at $399 is genuinely impressive and represents a direct response to the consistent criticism that Hifiman’s cable inclusions are inadequate — and on that front, the Audivina LE delivers.

Here is a look at the full cable set together, and the individual cables:

I especially like the inclusion of the XLR cable:

Design, Build Quality, and the Concept

The closed-back earcup design uses Hifiman’s signature egg-shaped form factor — the same large, deep geometry found on the open-back siblings — with a solid rear panel replacing the open grille. The concept is ambitious: Hifiman is attempting to use the unusually large internal earcup volume of their egg-shaped design to create the spacious, open-sounding presentation that their full-size open-backs are known for, while maintaining closed-back isolation.

The driver is visible through the inner grille:

The 449g weight sits at the same level as the Ananda Unveiled, and the new headband distributes it reasonably across the crown:

The extension range is generous, and the headband comfort is good even on larger heads. Hifiman has also added a leather strap on the underside, a small but meaningful comfort upgrade:

The earpads are deep and comfortable, one of the genuine comfort strengths of the closed-back egg-shaped design. The dual 3.5mm entry — standard across the Hifiman lineup — is present here as expected:

Clamping force is present but not excessive, overall I feel it is a bit heavy but generally a comfortable headphone.

Sound Impressions

All impressions were formed using the JDS Labs Element IV and Topping DX5 II, with no EQ applied unless stated. The Audivina LE was the least-used of the four headphones over the three-month review period, but it saw regular sessions particularly when I was comparing it directly against other closed-back headphones.

Bass

The bass is the most immediately noticeable aspect of the Audivina LE’s sound, and not entirely for the right reasons. The large closed-back earcup cavity produces a bass presentation that is fuller and more present than the open-back siblings, but it crosses from body into bloom in ways that affect the overall balance.

On “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, the low-end energy is substantial and initially exciting, but the mid-bass warmth bleeds upward in a way that slightly obscures definition in the lower midrange. It is not unpleasant — and for some genres, a warmer, more enveloping bass presentation will feel like a positive — but against the linear planar bass of the HE600 or Edition XV, the Audivina LE’s low end feels less controlled.

Midrange

The midrange is the most problematic region. Where the open-back siblings have smooth, consistent midrange responses, the Audivina LE shows an uneven character — some frequencies forward and present, others slightly recessed — that makes vocal and instrumental timbre feel less natural than it should.

On “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman, the vocal sits unevenly within the mix, and the guitar body carries a colouration that would not be there on a more neutral headphone. This is not catastrophic, and at moderate volumes and with forgiving recordings the effect is less pronounced, but it is difficult to EQ around because the midrange irregularities are not simple broad-stroke deviations — they require careful work to address.

Treble

The treble is energetic and, at times, uneven. There are regions of the upper frequencies where the Audivina LE produces a forwardness — some would call it shoutiness — that can be fatiguing on extended listening.

On “Close to Me” by The Cure, the cymbals and upper percussion come through with more bite than the recording demands, and the overall presentation in the upper midrange/lower treble region carries a harshness that the open-back models do not share. For comparison purposes within this review group, it is the starkest departure from the mature, controlled tuning that Hifiman achieved with the Ananda Unveiled and Edition XV. EQ can help at the extremes, but the midrange unevenness makes a simple fix elusive.

Soundstage and Imaging

This is the area where the Audivina LE’s design concept is most visible — and most honest about its limitations. The soundstage is wider than most closed-back headphones at this price, and Hifiman’s egg-shaped earcup volume genuinely does produce a more open sense of space than a conventional closed-back.

On “Hotel California” by the Eagles, there is a real attempt at width and instrument separation that most closed-backs cannot replicate. But the word “attempt” matters: against the open-back siblings — particularly the Ananda Unveiled — the Audivina LE’s soundstage reads as a closed-back trying to sound open, rather than a headphone that has actually achieved it. The imaging precision is reasonable but not exceptional, and the tonal unevenness in the midrange and treble affects the stability of the image.

Comparisons

Against the ZMF Bokeh Closed — one of my favourite closed-backs the Audivina LE’s tuning irregularities are put into sharp relief. The Bokeh has a warmer, more even character with significantly better midrange coherence and a more controlled low end. The Audivina LE has the wider soundstage but loses on tonal accuracy:

The Meze Audio 99 Classics V2 is another excellent closed-back in this price range with a warmer character and significantly better midrange evenness. The Meze’s warmth may be polarising, but its tonal coherence is hard to argue with in direct comparison:

The FiiO FT1 and FiiO FT13 represent the clearest value challenge to the Audivina LE at its price point. Both are dynamic driver closed-backs with better midrange coherence and — particularly in the case of the FT1 — a more balanced, listenable sound signature for a significantly lower price.

The Hifiman Sundara Closed-Back is an interesting internal comparison — also a Hifiman closed-back attempting a more open sound. The Audivina LE has a wider soundstage attempt but the Sundara Closed is the more tonally coherent of the two:

The Crosszone CZ12 is another headphone in the collection that prioritises soundstage and spatial presentation above conventional tonal balance — placing both together highlights the niche that these kinds of headphones occupy and who they are for:

One comparison area where the Audivina LE does very well is the comfort of the large earcups, I feel only the ZMF is more comfortable:

Against FT1	Against ZMF Bokeh Closed, Crosszone	Adding Sundara Closed and the Sennheiser HD490 Pro

And finally comparing it to some of my other ‘Eggman’ Hifiman Headphones, the Ananda Nano, Edition XS and the Edition XV:

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Specifications

Measurements

Against the Harman OE 2018 target, the Audivina LE’s bass elevation and midrange unevenness are clearly visible. The deviation from the target in the midrange region is precisely the area that makes the headphone difficult to EQ effectively:

You get a better idea of the swings of the frequency response when shown against the tilt DF target a midrange that is uneven compared to the open-back siblings, with elevated energy in certain regions that produces the shoutiness and boominess described in the sound section:

Though the fit did not change the Frequency response as it stayed consistent:

Comparing it with other Hifiman Closed backs that I have reviewed, shows each has it own tuning but none are what could be described as neutral:

Against the Yamaha and Crosszone CZ12 two other headphones that chase a wider-than-typical spatial presentation — the Audivina LE’s tuning profile sits in interesting company and again, this only confirms it is hard to create a neutral sounding closed back:

Distortion is measured clean, which speaks well of the driver hardware itself — the issues with the Audivina LE are in the tuning and the acoustic interaction of the closed-back cavity with the planar driver, not in any fundamental driver quality problem:

Rating Explanation

The Pragmatic Rating of 3 is honest, I love the concept here— big egg-shaped closed-back, wider-than-average soundstage is creative and partially works. But the tonal unevenness in the midrange and treble makes it hard to live with long-term, and better-sounding closed-backs exist for less money, for example, the FiiO FT1. I love the attempt to do something different, I do hope Hifiman eventually pulls it off.

The Price Rating of 3 reflects the competition. At $399, the FiiO FT1 , FT13 and Meze 99 Classics V2 give you more tonal coherence for less money. The ZMF Bokeh Closed are more expensive but offer midrange evenness that makes them easier to recommend. Then there is the new Sennheiser HD480 Pro ( review coming soon ). The Audivina LE is at a price where the sonic compromise is difficult to justify unless the accessory package and the concept genuinely appeal to you.

The Features Rating of 5 is the one area that is genuinely excellent: three cables, a carry bag, a carry case in the box — the Audivina LE is the best-accessorised Hifiman headphones by a wide margin. The Measurements Rating of 3 reflects the driver itself measuring cleanly — distortion is fine — but the frequency response deviates from neutral in ways that are audible and difficult to EQ effectively.

Conclusion

The Audivina LE is that headphone that tries to sound like a ‘stadium’ with spaciousness a priority but ultimately sounds like an empty stadium rather than one filled with atmosphere. The egg-shaped earcup design reaches for a stadium-filling scale from a closed-back enclosure, and it genuinely tries to deliver it — wider staging than any conventional closed-back at this price, a sense of space that most sealed headphones cannot touch. But the hollow quality that creeps in — the uneven midrange, the bass that blooms rather than punches, the staging that sounds like a closed-back approximating openness rather than achieving it — is exactly what you hear echoing around a beautiful stadium on a quiet Tuesday.

Hifiman is clearly trying something interesting here pushing the egg-shaped earcup concept toward a space where a closed-back headphone can achieve something approaching open-back staging. It is a worthwhile experiment, and I would not be surprised to see a future version improve on what the LE started. For now, the accessories package is good, the comfort is real, and the headphone is best appreciated as an interesting collection piece rather than a first-choice closed-back recommendation. For everyone else, the Edition XV at the same price is the more pragmatic choice.