HiFi Man QC Strikes Again (Edition XS) - What should I get instead?

[WeBuild4Life]

Needles to say, the edition XS is an AMAZING headphone. It is shocking the difference compared to the HE 400i I have.

When I bought the HE400i they were DOA within 2mo and I had to get a new one. They treated me well for 6+ years.

Now I have a D90LE and a A90D and was hoping to blow my mind with running the Edition XS off of it, but sadly there is insane buzzing in the left ear. A common un-solvable issue it seems that is only cured by playing RMA Roulette until you get a pair that works.

My question - Due to my preference for planar open backs, and the imaging/clarity they provide, what should I get? I checked the review index and all that I could land on that compares to the Edition XS (but better) is the Audeze LCD-X at over 2x the price. I think I can stretch it but really didn't want to be spending that much on audio gear this month (or this year!!).

Also from the reviews, there is the Aeon RT (supposedly not as good sounding) and the Focal Elex (dynamic driver) but I don't believe these will meet my expectations.

Is there another headphone not listed at all that the D90/A90 could take advantage of that I am missing? Should I just RMA and try again? (Amazon RMA is very easy, I won't have an issue doing it)

Thanks!!

 

[WeBuild4Life]

Actually from a build-quality stand point, and a longevity, the Audeze is probably the best options as one of my final upgrades. Probably the best bet.

 

[Dunring]

I'd RMA it while you have the chance. I have a pair and the left side connecting wire came loose, the solder joint wasn't good enough to stand up to vibration. On the he4xx they don't use enough thread locker on the negative ground wire to the ear cups and they come loose too. You could rma and sell the new one and try for something better, or if it's good you'll really like it.
Using an He5xx now on a Topping a90 and d10b DAC and it's a lot of fun. Have you tried switching the cables left and right to see if it's them or the headphones? With multimeter it's easy to check for a short in the wire, but just reversing them will tell instantly.

 

[majingotan]

Drop DCA Aeon Open X is built like a tank and sound better than most HiFiman models at or upto 5x its price sans Susvara (Susvara is still the king of midrange frequencies IMHO)

 

[WeBuild4Life]

I'd RMA it while you have the chance. I have a pair and the left side connecting wire came loose, the solder joint wasn't good enough to stand up to vibration. On the he4xx they don't use enough thread locker on the negative ground wire to the ear cups and they come loose too. You could rma and sell the new one and try for something better, or if it's good you'll really like it.
Using an He5xx now on a Topping a90 and d10b DAC and it's a lot of fun. Have you tried switching the cables left and right to see if it's them or the headphones? With multimeter it's easy to check for a short in the wire, but just reversing them will tell instantly.

Did try swapping as well as other cables. I do have a multimeter, but I am tired of dealing with Hifiman QC so I already initiated return.

 

[WeBuild4Life]

Drop DCA Aeon Open X is built like a tank and sound better than most HiFiman models at or upto 5x its price sans Susvara (Susvara is still the king of midrange frequencies IMHO)

Did see that one, but I probably wrongly assumed the Edition XS were better.

 

[bodhi]

Actually from a build-quality stand point, and a longevity, the Audeze is probably the best options as one of my final upgrades. Probably the best bet.

If you can stand the weight, LCD-X has potential to be the last upgrade. Built like a tank and takes eq like a champ. But the weight and tight seal makes it hard to forget you have them on, with XS you can. My advice regarding Audeze has been to really think if you want to listen the music from headphones or want to have headphones on and hear some music, if that makes sense.

 

[WeBuild4Life]

If you can stand the weight, LCD-X has potential to be the last upgrade. Built like a tank and takes eq like a champ. But the weight and tight seal makes it hard to forget you have them on, with XS you can. My advice regarding Audeze has been to really think if you want to listen the music from headphones or want to have headphones on and hear some music, if that makes sense.

So after a lot of reading, and I may return them, I decided to get the HD800s. If I like them I will keep them with the idea of also getting the LCD-X later this year maybe. Thank you!