Hifiman Edition X (HEX)

Ditch the stock cable (they suck) and use a better quality balanced cable. Oppo's work great and is cheap.

Gungnir Multibit + liquid carbon is very good. These are more transparent (as in "being there") than the HD-650 I've heard (Torpedo, Crack, Vali), by a good margin. Soundstage is very good for me, as it's relaxed and out of the head.

These are the most complete and agreeable Hifiman headphone I've heard. Maybe not as engaging as the modded HE-6, but all things considered (and for long listening sessions), they are very capable.

 

Received a loaner pair today. Impressions and comparisons etc later, but for now, the mom test:


Test Track: Pink Floyd ~ Wish You Were Here

HE-X: These sound rich and deep, sound slightly muffled, they're very cushiony.
HD800 (modded and slight EQ): These sound more crisp, I feel as if I can hear everything, I like these more.

 

yea I'm with Tm an Purrin I have my loaner pair with me, granted only stock cable an SE out of my iBasso PB2 [still a nice little amp thank YOU] feeding it from my NFB10ES2

anyways, I'm not really diggin these on the home field... at first listen they have a more balanced an less agressive presentation than my HE 4, which really allows me to appreciate different parts of my music depending on the genre, though the more I listen to the two... the more... well muffled the HE X sounds, yea I like the smoother top end, but the mids... aren't 100% right an honestly the bass ins't nearly as clear or textured, though it's hard to compare the stock HE X to my modded HE 4 :/ either way

the HE X reminds me of a more balanced LCD 2 F [without the linear sub bass extension] though it has more UMPH than the HE 4, more body to the bass, the HE 4 has more texture an a little less decay

still though I'd totally rock these as a portable. They are easily the greatest sounding headphone I've EVER heard with just my Phone! Combine the V10s Ess Sabre dac + Neutrons awesome EQ an I could stop at just those two... maybe

either way, I'm happy to hear the Ether has a little more clarity,

 

Depends on where you buy the cable...wink, wink. Yes, I agree that the Oppo cable offers a nice improvement over the stock cable both in terms of build and function.

 

The cable was the first/only thing that struck me as a bit weaksauce upon opening it up. Wish I had a balanced cable to properly compare to the HD650, but my impressions so far (~20 minutes of subjecting them to my usual test battery) from my Audio-GD Master-11...

• Super comfy for me. I have a monster noggin' and tall ears and they fit me great. Small/normal-headed people would get eaten alive by them. I'm only a notch or two from the smallest band size and the earpads end close to my jaw (again, I'm big). Pretty light for a planar.
• Soundstage is pretty good. Better than the HD650 in that category on first blush.
• Overall frequency response is pretty smooth, slightly warm.
• Detail/clarity vs. my modded+balanced HD650 actually seems slightly inferior. A little more gooey and lush. A touch soft.
• Bass extension is very good. Bass impact is meh. To be fair, I was using a SubPac S2 on my chest with the HD650s 20 minutes ago, so bass impact from all of the things would be shite comparatively. (Nevermind, I just tried the HD650 for comparison and they have more satisfying impact and less extension like I thought).
• They're a little bit... sluggish? I want to lean forward and make them go faster. Like my Grandpa is driving me to the grocery store or something. Get some lead in the foot.
• Just got the first touch of very mild headache, which means there's a treble peak somewhere that I can't obviously hear (I'm super sensitive to treble).
• They actually sound slightly boxed in despite the soundstage being good. Like I'm listening inside a sound-dampened oversized shipping container facing the skinny side. Wide soundstage that faceplants several yards in front of and behind me.
• I just realized I'm only at 60 volume single-ended. These must be pretty efficient compared to some of their siblings.
• They aren't a terribly engaging listen. Pleasant and forgiving but not once have I tapped my foot, drummed on my desk, or nodded my head. Just got to my final test track, Varient - Beyond the Surface, and somehow I'm not rocking back and forth in my seat like I usually do. WTF.

So far, I'd say these are quite solid. Of the few HiFiMan cans I've heard, I like these the most. Would I pay the price tag? Nope, but I haven't heard a headphone I'd pay over $1000 for. I'd expect more resolution, less softness, and a balanced (or at least good) cable with them for $1800.

Son just woke up so I gotta stop now. He thinks they look cool.

 

Agree with everything Kap said. Would like to add that these have the same soft planar sound as the HE1000 (and others). I think this headphone meets its goals quite nicely of being a baby HE1000.

 

So I got the loaner pair from @velvetx on Sunday, and I've had about... 3 days with this headphone now.

Here are some thoughts, stream of consciousness style:
- Bass impact and extension are very good, per ortho standards. There is a very agreeable amount of heft and weight to each bass note. Me likey. I actually find them to be better than HEK in this regard. If nothing else, I think HiFiMAN nailed the bass tuning of this one. I didn't like the HEK's ethereal fast snappy bass, but I'm loving the bass of the HEX even if it's just running single-ended in my system.
- Vocals are a bit... "chesty"? There's a sense of warmth, but it's quite transparent/see-through, and not an articulated/solid sense of "warmth" to vocals. So vocals end up being more "enveloping" than I'm used to. Upper midrange presence is definitely... "less there", so the resulting sound is just a tiny bit more blurred, a tiny bit subdued and relaxed compared to my reference. But hey, it makes for a nice kick-back-and-relax headphone.
- Treble is definitely not lacking to my ears. There is enough of it there to satisfy, and without causing sibilance. There is definitely sparkles, but any "sharpness" is definitely less noticeable. The general presentation of this headphone is kind of... smooth, relaxed, inoffensive. It doesn't quite "snap" or "articulate" like some headphones (HD600/580), so there's a sense of "softness" to the sound, but I don't think it's a soft headphone at all. Bass is quite violent, actually, to make up for the treble.
- Imaging is less precise due to the less sharpened treble, and also because the midrange is a bit too enveloping. Fans of precision may be disappointed here, but I can understand, and I honestly appreciate the enveloping sound.
- Soundstaging is decent. It's open-sounding for sure, with good depth and decent width. But I think this plays well with the intimacy of the sound.
- With EDM, dubstep, glitch hop, etc... it's awesome! Bass impact, tightness, extension, the slightly recessed upper midrange to take the edge off of software-generated tracks, and just enough treble to not sound too closed-in, congested... I think this one is a winner for this genre. Certainly better than HD650 in this regard because I don't think HD650 has the transparency/clarity/speed in the bass necessary for proper performance.
- With movies (and trailers), it's also awesome because there really isn't anything that can offend.
- With vocal music, depending on the kind of music, the enveloping effect may work, but I find myself gravitating more toward my HD580/600 or the HD650 for most vocal music. It's basically the difference between listening to the singer right next to you (HD6x0), or listening to yourself singing with a different voice (HEX).
- With instrumental music, acoustic, classical, etc... it's also the same deal. Some acoustic tracks I prefer with the HEX, while others I prefer with the HD6x0. Same thing here: do I want to hear instruments where they are in the recording (HD6x0), or do I want myself to be the one playing said instrument?
- The HEX is actually quite efficient. It's about on par with my HD800 where the volume knob is... typically. So that means my Geek Out V2 doesn't have any issue handling this one like a champ, even in single-ended mode. I wish I can try balanced output, since I feel like the GOv2 has more to offer in balanced, but... ah well.

Overall, I think it's a very good headphone. I'm a midrange-head, and I listen to vocals + acoustics more so than other genres, and I feel the HEX does a fairly decent job at that, about on par with HD650, but it'll squarely surpass HD650 with anything that has bass, so there's that.

Why do I compare it to HD6x0 headphones? Because I'm sure some here can agree that the HD6x0 headphones are just legendary in their tonal balance and resolution/performance. I don't think the HEX quite reaches the resolution of the HD6x0 headphones, but that's probably more on amping on my part than on the headphone. On the other hand, HEX sounds pretty much like a stock HD650 to me in terms of tonal balance, and that's quite something to achieve, so kudos to HiFiMAN for pulling it off! As it is, I think... HEX is probably their best headphone yet to date. I didn't quite like the HEK, but I really like this one. If I wasn't modding headphones so hardcore, I'd probably pony up the cash for this one and call it a day.

Will post measurements and all soon.

 

Where's the loaner sign up thread?

 

Lots of impressions on this headphone.

I was really hoping this to be a purchase of mine but it's a no no for me simply because i like a more physical sound.

Bass:
Like most say its good in balance and solidity. The impact is okay but I actually don't like it on EDM. It extends really deep and has good insight down low with audible textures besting my lcd2.1. I just like a bit more impact with the same quantity. Thats just me though.

Mids:
Now despite the good tuning and FR balance of this headphone most of my gripes reside here (or are easily percieved here). The vocals lack dimension because there is a gray background, the transients don't pop, the imaging is only okay. The micro and macro dynamics are bested by my LCD2.1 which has a slower decay than the heX. The treble extension doesn't lift the vocals into the airiness that brings realism. The mids are pretty flat and actually sound kind of distant to me and also lack the physical realism of the throat and mouth do to its softness. Take the Omni for example, it too needs a blacker background but has a way better physicality to the mids to make them more tangible. Also the imaging is better so the vocals and pianos etc. pop out from the rest of the sounds around it even if it has a touch of hash to it that the hex doesn't, its a ton and heap more engaging and captivating. Trumpets on the very lush, and relaxed LCD2.1 actually blare stronger and produce more energy than the slightly brighter heX. Not to mention the snares, cowbells, and woodblocks that snap sound a little hampered.

I recall the transparency being better in the he6. Despite all of this... the heX has a euphony and sweetness that offers much appeal on certain atmospheric songs and a level of cohesion that binds all of the instruments together where nothing sounds really disjointed, even if I would prefer stronger leading edges to the music. This headphone is not for honing in on individual parts of the music as much as it is about hearing the big picture as a whole.

Highs:
While they don't extend super high, I feel they sound very balanced to me. The treble peak that people are pointing out is actually a very non-issue to me. There is a tad bit of shimmer but the energy could be a shade more for me. I am of the opinion that the HD650 is not too dark and neither is this headphone. I imagine if it had better macro dynamics it would pop more?

Soundstage:
Rather large but I never get the feeling it is really wide or deep. Kinda tall sounding to me but I haven't really tried to nail it down. The imaging and sound separation should be a lot better for the price but I also don't hear it as horrible.

- build gimbals of plastic used on the he400s... I will never even with a written letter from HFM be able to understand that on an 1800 dollar headphone.
- case is pretty cool looking but they should have went the beyer route since its so efficient and given you a carrying case.
- cable seems better quality than its previous offerings as well as the looks and comfort.

 

Hey Mshenay - I just found out from my HF buddy Travis that the Oregon HEX just developed a connector issue, too. He said the left channel cuts out when the cable is moved near the connection. He swapped channels, and the sound always cuts out in the left channel indicating an issue with the left cup's female connector. Is that what was going on with the HF loaner you had?

I tried these as part of the HF loaner program. My only real reference was HE400. I like HEX better than my non-modded HE400 due to smoother FR, better spacial cues and increased soundstage. Not sure I'd shell out the $$$$, though.

 

I auditioned the HEK for a couple hours last month and thought it was a worthy upgrade over my ZMF Omni, but the price was disgusting. I'm interested in the HEX with its lower price. Can anyone else give any comparisons between the Omni and HEX?

 

I got a loaner pair in the mail yesterday. My first thought after a couple seconds of putting these on with music... is there some sort of funny metallic/plasticky enclosure resonance somewhere? I feel like there's some midrange wonkiness happening.

I noticed the grills ring terribly when tapped... and is that window screen underneath? Jeez...

 

Not on mine.