Hifiman Edition XS

[Tobi]

I just bought brand new ones at 404£ this week. After extensive testing I can say "what a deal that was"!
I have yet to determine if I prefer them to my Arya V2: it is much closer than I expected from various reviews.
The only thing that left me disappointed, and certainly not a reason to return them, is that they are power hungry and both my BTR5 and Qudelix 5K barely power it ok with little to no headroom,while the Go Blu does better but still at close to 90% of the power. So it's not comparable to the Ananda as power requirements go: unfortunately also in this the gap with the Arya is less than expected.

Do you have any thoughts on sound differences between the Edition XS and the Arya, so far? In other words, how would you describe their differences apart from tonality?

 

[rieku123]

Guys, this sounds very weird, I am usually against all types of snake oil. But changing the cable out from stock has improved sound quality for me. Bass sounds less muddy and mids and highs clearer. If this goes against rules feel free to delete this and if anyone has the XS's and would like to test them as well please do so and let us know. Just wanted to put this out there.

Then again, it could be placebo.

 

[LaL]

The Edition XS are on sale in Europe right now for £346 / €408

►https://Amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09PH1N67T

 

[Blorg]

The only thing that left me disappointed, and certainly not a reason to return them, is that they are power hungry and both my BTR5 and Qudelix 5K barely power it ok with little to no headroom,while the Go Blu does better but still at close to 90% of the power. So it's not comparable to the Ananda as power requirements go: unfortunately also in this the gap with the Arya is less than expected.

Are you using a balanced cable? Qudelix 5K does 3-4x the power out of the balanced output. I have balanced cables from FAAEAL and OpenHeart for Hifiman (2.5mm TRRS to dual 3.5mm), cost $10-15 on AliExpress (or maybe even cheaper on Lazada/Shopee if in SE Asia). The specified max power of the Qudelix and the iFi Go Blu are virtually identical (240mW / 245mW) out of the balanced but the iFi has more single ended comparitively, the balanced is less of a step up on it. Qudelix is only 80mW spec from the single ended and I think Amir found reality was even a bit less, spec is 3x power from balanced but I think his testing found 4x.

You'll run into clipping on the Qudelix single ended before you can max the volume, it will run out of power before you get anywhere near the max on the volume setting.

I find them quite usable with the Qudelix, but using a balanced cable. The Ananda is a lot easier to drive, it's much higher sensitivity.

 

[Bernard23]

Guys, this sounds very weird, I am usually against all types of snake oil. But changing the cable out from stock has improved sound quality for me. Bass sounds less muddy and mids and highs clearer. If this goes against rules feel free to delete this and if anyone has the XS's and would like to test them as well please do so and let us know. Just wanted to put this out there.

Then again, it could be placebo.

Now, if someone could objectively quantify the benefit of placebo, we'd have a winner!

 

[Bernard23]

The Edition XS are on sale in Europe right now for £346 / €408

►https://Amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09PH1N67T



View attachment 206560

I so nearly pulled the trigger, then read this and decided no, be sensible.

HiFiMan Edition XS: A Comparison to the Sundara and Ananda

The $500 Edition XS is HiFiMan's latest addition to their line-up but will it be the sweet middle ground between the Sundara and Ananda that Fc-Construct hopes?

www.headphones.com

 

[Jimbob54]

The Edition XS are on sale in Europe right now for £346 / €408

►https://Amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09PH1N67T



View attachment 206560

Good spot. They accidentally jumped into my shopping basket and got ordered.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

why haven't I seen a review of this headphones that compares them to the previous Edition X (v1/v2)? Isn't XS the successor of the lineup? Or comparison against the HE1000 series? I know price gap is big but their designs have many similarities.

 

[Bernard23]

Good spot. They accidentally jumped into my shopping basket and got ordered.

A pair of Grado RS2x accidentally fell into mine. This is what happens when you drink whisky and listen to AC/DC at elevated volumes. Harman can go to hell on the headstock of an SG!

 

[Jimbob54]

Well, mine arrived. Never seen a pair of any Hifiman egg cups in the flesh. Bloody huge!

Decent bass, doubt I would want to EQ that up any. Really not hard to drive for any half decent desktop amp. THX 789 low gain is fine with a DAC thats 4+ V (and thats with some preamp reduction too).

No idea how these stack up to other HFM egg shaped phones but at £350 I am not complaining.

 

[techguypaul]

I am currently enjoying the Hifiman Edition XS.
Occasionally there's some fatigue that I believe is coming from the upper midrange/lower treble area from the EDM I enjoy.
Despite having a large head I wear them on the shortest setting and the pad lands on my jaw and can be uncomfortable over time.
Overall they sound wonderful.
Now that the bug has bitten me I'm curious about what comes next.
What would the collective suggest as offering a worthwhile upgrade say up to $1,500?
Oh and doesn't matter if it's closed or open.

 

[Bernard23]

I am currently enjoying the Hifiman Edition XS.
Occasionally there's some fatigue that I believe is coming from the upper midrange/lower treble area from the EDM I enjoy.
Despite having a large head I wear them on the shortest setting and the pad lands on my jaw and can be uncomfortable over time.
Overall they sound wonderful.
Now that the bug has bitten me I'm curious about what comes next.
What would the collective suggest as offering a worthwhile upgrade say up to $1,500?
Oh and doesn't matter if it's closed or open.

If you enjoy the sound of the XS, the concensus seems to be that Arya or LCD-X is the next step up, though my guess is the laws of diminishing returns applies.

 

[aravaioli]

Are you using a balanced cable? Qudelix 5K does 3-4x the power out of the balanced output. I have balanced cables from FAAEAL and OpenHeart for Hifiman (2.5mm TRRS to dual 3.5mm), cost $10-15 on AliExpress (or maybe even cheaper on Lazada/Shopee if in SE Asia). The specified max power of the Qudelix and the iFi Go Blu are virtually identical (240mW / 245mW) out of the balanced but the iFi has more single ended comparitively, the balanced is less of a step up on it. Qudelix is only 80mW spec from the single ended and I think Amir found reality was even a bit less, spec is 3x power from balanced but I think his testing found 4x.

You'll run into clipping on the Qudelix single ended before you can max the volume, it will run out of power before you get anywhere near the max on the volume setting.

I find them quite usable with the Qudelix, but using a balanced cable. The Ananda is a lot easier to drive, it's much higher sensitivity.

Yes, of course I am using the balanced out: this headphone can really use the extra power... At 90 to 95% of the volume on the Qudelix and 100% on the source the volume is about enough but the bass is not as satisfying as on a desktop amplifier.
The Go Blue is actually more powerful, irrespective of the official specifications. I believe the BTR5 and the Qudelix are both at the same level, instead.

 

[Blorg]

What would the collective suggest as offering a worthwhile upgrade say up to $1,500?

The Arya, but it sounds almost identical to the Edition XS, you are looking at a tiny, tiny improvement that may even be placebo. It is much more comfortable than the Edition XS (and also more comfortable than the Ananda) but $1,500 is a lot for a nicer headband.

 

[Blorg]

The Go Blue is actually more powerful, irrespective of the official specifications. I believe the BTR5 and the Qudelix are both at the same level, instead.

The Go Blu has significantly higher voltage (5.6V vs 4V) so it will go "louder" and you will have it at a lower % of the "max volume". This may indeed have more power as a result with high impedance headphones where you need more voltage.

You can't go anywhere near the notional max voltage/volume on the Qudelix into a low impedance headphone like the Edition XS without clipping. How are you figuring the 90-95%? It will go all the way up to 4V even into 18 ohms, as the Qudelix doesn't limit the voltage, but it will be a distorted mess. It would also be a severely dangerous listening level.

By the numbers I figure you should be able to get to just above 2V (2.08V) out of the max 4V, at that level you reach the 240mW max power and it will clip. Actually testing, distortion is audible already at 2V and is severe at 2.1V, with a 40Hz test tone. This is already at much too high a volume to actually listen to music though, I can listen to 40Hz briefly at this volume.

Maybe you mean 90-95% of 0dB? 0dB is 2V on the Qudelix, but 2V is only 50% of the actual volume range, it goes to 4V (+6dB). 1.8-1.9V would still be much too high a listening level for me, I can only put it to that for a second. Even 1V is too much, I'd be down around 200-250mV.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

does XS's sound quality hold a candle to higher end Hifiman headphones? Namely the Arya, HE1000V2 or the previous Edition X

 

[dreamscene]

does XS's sound quality hold a candle to higher end Hifiman headphones? Namely the Arya, HE1000V2 or the previous Edition X

For me comfort plays a huge role as well. I have the HD 598 and HD 650 Sennheisers and by God the Sennheisers are so much more comfortable and lighter than the Edition XS that any auditory gains with the Hifiman cancels out with it being so much more heavier and with a poorer fit. You never forget you are wearing headphones when you use the Hifiman and with Sennheisers it melts away and becomes a part of your head. I have found I am more and more going back to my HD 650 unless I am listening to bass heavy modern music than I pull out the Edition XS. Don't get too carried away with just small audio quality improvements, comfort is just as important. Also the Hifiman feels like it won't last half as long as the Sennheisers. 2 months on and it's already creaking and squeaking when you pick up the headphone. The jack connection is also flimsy and often touches your shoulders if you move your head around and that introduces audio distortions. There are quite a few drawbacks to the Edition XS that reviewers don't talk about.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

For me comfort plays a huge role as well. I have the HD 598 and HD 650 Sennheisers and by God the Sennheisers are so much more comfortable and lighter than the Edition XS that any auditory gains with the Hifiman cancels out with it being so much more heavier and with a poorer fit.

For me the EDXS is comfortable , after I installed a leather strap!

.....I have found I am more and more going back to my HD 650

See how personal hifi could be! I could not tolerate HD650 extra dark sound, I flogged them.

......Also the Hifiman feels like it won't last half as long as the Sennheisers.

Absolutely .

2 months on and it's already creaking and squeaking when you pick up the headphone. The jack connection is also flimsy and often touches your shoulders

Yes, Yes , jacks are in a bad place.

if you move your head around and that introduces audio distortions.

??

There are quite a few drawbacks to the Edition XS that reviewers don't talk about.

Over all, very happy with my EDXS .

 

[Blorg]

does XS's sound quality hold a candle to higher end Hifiman headphones? Namely the Arya, HE1000V2 or the previous Edition X

I have the Edition XS and the Arya Stealth, I find them very similar. Certainly in the same ballpark. Edition XS and Arya sound more similar than either does to the Ananda, mainly due to their both having less sub-bass roll-off. I haven't heard the HE1000V2 or the Edition X.

The Arya is substantially more comfortable and more secure, without being overly clampy. As it is more secure, it also creaks less, the Edition XS has an issue with creak for glasses wearers as it is loose and the pads move against the arms. But sonically, discounting the creak (which isn't an overbearing problem), they are very very similar, more similar than different.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

It's assuring to hear that Hifiman continues to step up their sound quality - price performance game. I remember when the he400se/2020 is pretty good while being way cheaper than the original he400.

On another hand a large part of headphones community continue to be concerned and disturbed by unwanted stories and samples of faulty drivers and longevity issues... I haven't heard of any reliable planar headphones models but if that's a given then Hifiman headphones are pretty much a karma test to the owner(s).