Hifiman Edition XS

[Ken Tajalli]

Good idea. Is there any description/pictures how to remove the pads?

I suggest you don't.
it is easy to poke yiur finger through an openning and touch diaphragm . There is nothing to see. The drive is covered by a fine net or fabric mesh. Not even a hair can get in. Without taking cups out, with a torch you can examine it.
You can also check the socket and the jack, by listening to some music while twisting the jack and moving it gently, at both ends. the cup end and the amp end.

 

[arnea]

I've swapped the left and right cable and the problem was still in left cup. So I think the cable is ok. I've slightly pushed and pulled the jack - it doesn't cause this noise.

 

[Phoney]

Not that unit to unit variation is a big surprise, but I notice that with Oratory and Rtings measurements this model does not have a peak at 4,5-5khz, while in other measurements online it has a fairly noticeable peak here.. By my own ears there doesn't seem to be a peak here with my unit.

 

[JediMa]

Still so happy about the recent purchase of the Edition XS, I was wondering which cable I could get to upgrade the stock one. I was searching for something Aliexpress and I found something like this Open Heart just to give an example. What did you or would you get?

 

[Blorg]

From left to right, Luna Shops, Meat Eaters, Tripowin, Open Heart, FAAEAL. These are all dual 3.5 which will fit the Edition XS. I have the FAAEAL on it myself. It's really down to aesthetics and feel as they do nothing to the sound. I would say, while that brown OpenHeart is good, I have two others from them which are less good, a bit stiff. Still sound the same but handle worse. So if you get OpenHeart I'd pick that one.

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

From left to right, Luna Shops, Meat Eaters, Tripowin, Open Heart, FAAEAL. These are all dual 3.5 which will fit the Edition XS. I have the FAAEAL on it myself. It's really down to aesthetics and feel as they do nothing to the sound. I would say, while that brown OpenHeart is good, I have two others from them which are less good, a bit stiff. Still sound the same but handle worse. So if you get OpenHeart I'd pick that one.

View attachment 270811

Wow! I have also had all five of these headphones at different times.

 

[JediMa]

From left to right, Luna Shops, Meat Eaters, Tripowin, Open Heart, FAAEAL. These are all dual 3.5 which will fit the Edition XS. I have the FAAEAL on it myself. It's really down to aesthetics and feel as they do nothing to the sound. I would say, while that brown OpenHeart is good, I have two others from them which are less good, a bit stiff. Still sound the same but handle worse. So if you get OpenHeart I'd pick that one.

View attachment 270811

Thank you, excellent reply! What did you add to the Edition XS headband?

 

[Blorg]

Thank you, excellent reply! What did you add to the Edition XS headband?

I bought from Shopee which is a SE Asia site but what I got looks exactly the same as this here, from AliExpress. You'd want the large size. It helps distribute the weight preventing hotspots and also the increased contact area improves adhesion to my head, although bending the Edition XS made the most difference.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000159705526.html

 

[JediMa]

I bought from Shopee which is a SE Asia site but what I got looks exactly the same as this here, from AliExpress. You'd want the large size. It helps distribute the weight preventing hotspots and also the increased contact area improves adhesion to my head, although bending the Edition XS made the most difference.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000159705526.html

Thanks a lot

 

[BobSmith]

Still so happy about the recent purchase of the Edition XS, I was wondering which cable I could get to upgrade the stock one. I was searching for something Aliexpress and I found something like this Open Heart just to give an example. What did you or would you get?

Headphone Cable For Hifiman Sundara Ananda HE1000se HE6se he400i he400se Arya | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Headphone Cable For Hifiman Sundara Ananda HE1000se HE6se he400i he400se Arya at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.ca

Another poster here put up a link to this cable from ebay several months ago and I made note of it, ending up buying one very recently for my new XS's. It's 99% pure copper and I got mine in 4.4mm termination, 1.25m length (perfect for portable use).

It's a beautiful cable, very soft, drapes across your body with no irritation, no microphonics and sounds great. Really nice hardware with solid connections to the cans and DAP or amp (Shanling M6 Pro21 and Topping NX7). All in it cost around $50CDN w/free shipping. Plus you can use it for any other cans with the dual 3.5mm's. Seller was good, got in about 3 weeks, bubble wrap envelope. Highly recommended.

 

[truckers_atlas]

How well does the Edition XS breathe? I'm thinking about upgrading from Sundara purely for comfort reasons.

While I've seen people talk about the bigger earcups and cup swivel, I haven't seen many people talk about how breathable the Edition XS is. When I wear the Sundara it feels like a closed-back headphone on my head, which is suboptimal since I live in the tropics.

 

[Blorg]

How well does the Edition XS breathe?

I find it quite breathable, it's very open and the cups being so large and not touching my ears probably helps. I live in the tropics too, although with AC, inside temperature around 27-29C. I don't have the Sundara for comparison but I do find it more breathable than other round stuff I have where the pads are closer to my ear, I think that is a factor. As headphones go, it's one of the most comfortable in that regard.

 

[bodhi]

While I've seen people talk about the bigger earcups and cup swivel, I haven't seen many people talk about how breathable the Edition XS is. When I wear the Sundara it feels like a closed-back headphone on my head, which is suboptimal since I live in the tropics.

Do you have a large head? I think the Sundaras have a pretty light touch to ears and allow airflow. The Edition XS was better in this regard, maybe the best I have tried, but it's not something completely different.

 

[_thelaughingman]

Is the plastic headband on the XS durable and comfortable? I’m contemplating buying the XS or the AEoN X and want to know if the headband is comfortable.

 

[JediMa]

Is the plastic headband on the XS durable and comfortable? I’m contemplating buying the XS or the AEoN X and want to know if the headband is comfortable.

I can't tell about durable but i find it quite comfortable

 

[Blorg]

Is the plastic headband on the XS durable and comfortable? I’m contemplating buying the XS or the AEoN X and want to know if the headband is comfortable.

I don't think it's uncomfortable on the XS, the XS is light enough that it's not a problem. I do find it uncomfortable on the HE6SEV2 which is heavier. I added a headband cover which helps distribute the weight more, but I was OK on the XS even without this. The other benefit of the headband cover is the greater surface area helps with fit stability.

 

[solderdude]

There is no 'fresh air' getting in the cavity around the ear with Planars.
The front volume is always closed and may only have some pressure equalization though the pads or by some leakage.

How 'warm' such a headphone feels is determined by the amount of trapped air (bigger with XS so takes longer to heat up).
Heat radiation through the pads, pad surface and material that touches the skin.
There is no 'cooling' airflow with planars and some dynamics.
The small amounts of dissipated power are inconsequential as well.

 

[BobSmith]

Is the plastic headband on the XS durable and comfortable? I’m contemplating buying the XS or the AEoN X and want to know if the headband is comfortable.

It's certainly durable but it's quite firm. When I first put on my XS's it's OK, but after 5-10 minutes I can feel it on the top of my head. I don't know why HiFiMan could not have made a real effort to put a super soft material in there but this seems to be an afterthought for many manufacturers. I've got a few other headphones modded with the OEM Sennheiser 650 headband pads (Audio Technica ATH-M40x, Drop HE-X4, SIVGA SV021) for just this reason--the hard headband pad-- and they really do the trick for me. The OEM is critical as you can depend on the padding material being soft, which is the whole point.

However, for my XS's I've modded mine with a Sennheiser 4-bump pad (like on the old HD-600's) attached with some thin velcro ties and it's really comfortable now and gives a bit more clamp too. This pad was one of those aftermarkets from Amazon that I bought a couple of years ago and I got lucky because it had the OEM-like very soft pads. I since got another 4-bumper that has much firmer pads and it, for me, is not usable. An OEM 650 pad would also work, as I tried one of those also, but the bulk of the 4-bumper made more sense for Edition XS. Plus it's a little easier to attach unobtrusively.

There's lots of solutions for modding the headband pad (search headband mod on this thread and there's an XS mod thread on head-fi) so, for me, this was not going to be a deal killer, I just knew I'd have to deal with it at some point.

 

[pk500]

It's certainly durable but it's quite firm. When I first put on my XS's it's OK, but after 5-10 minutes I can feel it on the top of my head. I don't know why HiFiMan could not have made a real effort to put a super soft material in there but this seems to be an afterthought for many manufacturers. I've got a few other headphones modded with the OEM Sennheiser 650 headband pads (Audio Technica ATH-M40x, Drop HE-X4, SIVGA SV021) for just this reason--the hard headband pad-- and they really do the trick for me. The OEM is critical as you can depend on the padding material being soft, which is the whole point.

However, for my XS's I've modded mine with a Sennheiser 4-bump pad (like on the old HD-600's) attached with some thin velcro ties and it's really comfortable now and gives a bit more clamp too. This pad was one of those aftermarkets from Amazon that I bought a couple of years ago and I got lucky because it had the OEM-like very soft pads. I since got another 4-bumper that has much firmer pads and it, for me, is not usable. An OEM 650 pad would also work, as I tried one of those also, but the bulk of the 4-bumper made more sense for Edition XS. Plus it's a little easier to attach unobtrusively.

There's lots of solutions for modding the headband pad (search headband mod on this thread and there's an XS mod thread on head-fi) so, for me, this was not going to be a deal killer, I just knew I'd have to deal with it at some point.

Bob nailed it. But I solved the firmness problem by simply kneading the foam gently with my thumbs. Softened it considerably. Became comfortable.

The best kind of mod -- free!

 

[Ken Tajalli]

There is no 'fresh air' getting in the cavity around the ear with Planars.
The front volume is always closed and may only have some pressure equalization though the pads or by some leakage.

How 'warm' such a headphone feels is determined by the amount of trapped air (bigger with XS so takes longer to heat up).
Heat radiation through the pads, pad surface and material that touches the skin.
There is no 'cooling' airflow with planars and some dynamics.
The small amounts of dissipated power are inconsequential as well.

As lovely as Aeon X is, the EDXS is subjectively better sounding. I had both.
Regarding the headband, if you don't mind a little DIY, search for a mod. I did, for adding a simple leather strap.
It is do-able, and will last.
I am typing on my phone, so you have to find it yourself.
It is on Headfi too, same username.
Good luck.