Hfiman Edition XS vs Ollo S5X

[Usato]

Hi,

Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to listen to the HIFIMAN Edition xs, but listening to some tests on YouTube (for what it's worth), I perceived the trebbles as really angular and annoying, almost sharp (I didn't check what frequency, sorry).

This is something I really can't stand listening to with headphones.

In the meantime, I ask if anyone has tried the Edition xs if it's just my impression, but more importantly if the Ollo S5X have the same possible defect.

I would use them with a Scarlet Focusrite 2i2 2gen, so I have no amplifier and I think one of these two headphones would be ideal, but I don't want to spend almost €500 on a pair of headphones that have such annoying trebbles. I can't throw my money away.

Furthermore, I only ask those who have tried both if the detail and speed of the bass, mids and trebbles are of good quality and what they think of the soundstage and stereo image of both (Edition XS and S5X)

My main use would be analytical listening, but I'm sure that with adequate equalization I would also enjoy them as listening headphones.

Thank you

 

[Jimbob54]

Ollo falls a fair bit short of target above 1khz https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../ollo-s5x-headphone-review.46166/post-1646063

Edition XS has a fair bit of excess energy at 3kz which might bother some and the hifiman dip below that https://www.dropbox.com/s/djhxtkvqne01kxv/Hifiman Edition XS.pdf?e=1&dl=0

I would say based on those measurements the Ollo should be the flatter- possibly warmer- listen

After EQ its anyone's guess.

Havent heard the Ollo but I quite like the spatial effects of the Edition XS wit ha bit of EQ.

 

[Dunring]

I've had that Scarlett model and on the Sennheiser HD700 was really loud just a little over 50 percent volume and sounded good. If your treble sensitive I'd go with the Drop Hifiman HE5XX which I use every day since they're comfortable and versatile. You'll never get treble fatigue with them, and easy to power. The Scarlett will be able to handle them easily. Even an Apple 3.5m to USB adapter sounds good, but near max volume.

 

[Usato]

I've had that Scarlett model and on the Sennheiser HD700 was really loud just a little over 50 percent volume and sounded good. If your treble sensitive I'd go with the Drop Hifiman HE5XX which I use every day since they're comfortable and versatile. You'll never get treble fatigue with them, and easy to power. The Scarlett will be able to handle them easily. Even an Apple 3.5m to USB adapter sounds good, but near max volume.

What I'm looking for even before the ease of the sound card is the flat curve of the headphones with the highest quality that I can have with headphones worth €500 at mostflat headphones that have excellent details and everything I wrote in the first post.
Above all, I don't want to remove transients with forced equalizations.
This is difficult to translate from Italian to English.
I hope it can be understood through a translator.

 

[Usato]

I've read many times on the web that if the volume is good you don't need an amplifier, but for me this is bullshit, if your PC or your sound card doesn't have strength, it's the bass that you're missing, not necessarily the volume. I mean it has to have the "strength" to give you the low frequencies.
I would like to understand if the Scarlett 2i2 has the strength to make 50ohm of these headphones sound good.

also the 38 ohms of my audio technica m50x work well with my laptop output, I don't think the laptop could run 50 ohms right?

 

[Dunring]

The Scarlett 2i2 got the Sennheiser HD700 which are 300 ohm headphones sounding really good and very loud at a little over half volume. It's got balanced RCA output if you ever need an amplifier, but I doubt it. A laptop can't, but if you add a $9 Apple USB to 3.5mm adapter you can power a lot of headphones well with it.

 

[Usato]

The Scarlett 2i2 got the Sennheiser HD700 which are 300 ohm headphones sounding really good and very loud at a little over half volume. It's got balanced RCA output if you ever need an amplifier, but I doubt it. A laptop can't, but if you add a $9 Apple USB to 3.5mm adapter you can power a lot of headphones well with it.

sorry but I connected a beyerdynamic dt 990 pro, (250ohm) the bass was non-existent, precisely because the Scarlett's output couldn't push it.

 

[Mr Swing King]

It is certainly not the most powerful amp on the market with 32 mW into 33 ohm and 22 mW into 300 ohm.
I’d stick with easy to drive cans such as AR5000, K371, DT900 Pro X or indeed something like the Ollo (which I haven’t heard yet).

One thing though; I’ve had a fair few friends utter the same thing as you did ‘the bass is missing because a lack of power’. Heck..one time they even had me fooled!
The thing is…once you start implementing controls and hide away the electronics from view - only using your ears to judge sound…then the bass will most oftenly sound uniform across the options‍.

 

[Usato]

It is certainly not the most powerful amp on the market with 32 mW into 33 ohm and 22 mW into 300 ohm.
I’d stick with easy to drive cans such as AR5000, K371, DT900 Pro X or indeed something like the Ollo (which I haven’t heard yet).

One thing though; I’ve had a fair few friends utter the same thing as you did ‘the bass is missing because a lack of power’. Heck..one time they even had me fooled!
The thing is…once you start implementing controls and hide away the electronics from view - only using your ears to judge sound…then the bass will most oftenly sound uniform across the options‍.

Thanks for the advice, they are great headphones, but I would like to try a planar magnetic.

 

[GM3]

You can search for s5x on this forum and there are quite a comments threads comparing both. @solderdude has measured and commented on them (both) here and on https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/ollo/s5x-1-0/

I perceived the trebbles as really angular and annoying, almost sharp

That's my biggest gripe with my 400i, which I still find to this day very enjoyable. IMHO, you still see it on the XS measurements, and while some users report hearing it others don't... But that did stop me from getting a pair of XS also. I wouldn't put too much faith in internet video auditions though!

My main use would be analytical listening, but I'm sure that with adequate equalization I would also enjoy them as listening headphones.

From everything I read, pretty sure the Ollo would be the better HP for mixing/analytical. But I've not compared them myself.

 

[Dunring]

sorry but I connected a beyerdynamic dt 990 pro, (250ohm) the bass was non-existent, precisely because the Scarlett's output couldn't push it.

The one I had was the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (1st Gen) I wonder if they made any big changes for different versions to the output.

 

[Usato]

I don't know how to do these calculations well, but it's not enough to know the impedance, but you also need the sound pressure, to understand on headphones you need voltage or amperes. Certainly, at least from what I've read, both the Edition XS and the Ollo S5X need an amp and Apple USB-C is not enough (for example).
Planar magnetics are certainly watt hungry so I don't think my Scarlett 2nd gen will be able to give them enough to eat.
I read that Edition XS needs 1volt per channel

 

[Smaestro]

On what headphones did you "listen" to the Hifiman on YouTube? If you listened on the DT990pro, it has very little bass and very elevated treble, if you used that to listen to the bright Hifiman, you get 'double bright'.

I have the S5X and the treble is nice and clear, not sharp to me, but my ears are not yours.