Hifiman Edition XS

Did anyone test this headband?
It shout be lighter and fit better
€ 45,60 32％ Rabatt | Kopfhörer Stirnband Metall Stirnband Kopf Strahl für HIFIMAN HE4 HE400 HE5 HE6 Kopfhörer für 95mm -105mm Kopfhörer stirnband
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mP6cJj8

 

Personally wouldn't buy that... doesn't look so hot. I haven't heard many complaints from people that I know that own the edition xs, they all seem to like the headband on it a decent amount.

 

I ended up with one these headbands and they are very narrow. I can't even fit it on my head.

 

This will not fit. I have it. AT best it fit my He400i (also with some deeper holes I had to drill in it, not damaging, but not a drop in replacement for even rounder Hifimans).

 

Got these in yesterday and have a few hours in now. I think these may be a bit overlooked due to the silly influx of new HFM models as well as the awkward pricing. I feel like budget buyers are more intrigued by the HD6XX bracket and people stepping up from those tend to go higher up the ladder. $500 sits right in the middle, but perhaps that bracket will fill out with the Moondrop Venus coming out.

Overall, my impressions are very positive. Not surprising since I've always been inclined towards the HFM house sound, and I feel these are a good example of that (well extended, but non-boosted bass, sparkle on the top end, scooped mids/upper mids).

For reference, my favorite setup is the BF2/SW51/HD600.

I'm running the XS from the BF2/Liquid Platinum.

Comfort and fit are fine for me, but I understand the complaints I've read. I don't wear glasses, so I don't get any dreaded creaks or squeaks when I move my head.

They are big headphones, and I really don't understand what HFM was doing on this one. I have a pretty average-sized head (maybe the tiniest bit larger than normal) and I can easily wear these on the smallest setting. I can go up to 2 notches, but they get looser with every click and anything beyond that is a no-go. That said, my 12 year-old daughter listened last night with them at their smallest setting and she didn't have any complaints, so maybe I'm making too much of it. She classified them as "definitely better than the 650" for whatever that's worth

The headband gets the job done. I'm getting the slightest of hotspots on the very top of my head, but that always happens to me with new headphones. It's easy enough to shift the headband away from the hotspot without messing with the sound and I expect the padding to soften a bit over time.

Sonically, having listened to the HD600 for so long, I forgot how much I missed a more 3-d sound, and these put you firmly back into that world. The speaker-like presentation is something I've gone without since I mistakenly sold my HE-500s and it's nice to have that feeling back. These aren't the 500s by any means, but they evoke the same sense of being in the recording studio with the band and being able to pinpoint sounds from various spaces in the room.

The sound signature is what I'd consider to be a warm version of neutral. I've read that some people struggle a bit with the sparkle in the treble, but I'm completely unbothered by it. I'd consider these a relaxing listen with the ability to slam when you want them to. This slam/energy is enhanced with the right tubes...Gold Lions in the LP do the trick nicely. The bass is more than I'm used to coming from the 600...well extended and not too boomy. It's more than enough for my tastes, but bass-heads may not be satisfied.

Overall, these are what I really wanted the Aeon Opens to be when I owned them. They have the same clean/smooth planar sound, but with none of the congested and over-damped qualities of the AFO. For anyone who finds the Anandas too lean/analytical, I think this would be a nice step in a warmer direction without giving up too much in terms of technicalities.

These don't replace my beloved 600s, by any means. But, they do provide a perfect change of pace. Highly recommended.

 

Did someone compare the Edition XS with HE1000 V2 or HE1000 V2 stealth ?

 

Got a pair of edition XS to replace a pair of Arya I had fail. I heard from reviews these were really close to the Arya in performance, and I was not disappointed. Honestly I think I prefer them!

The EQ out of the box muffled vocals a bit and the bass was a bit subdued, the effect did create the illusion of a bigger soundstage though. To adjust the EQ towards my preference, I used the equalizer APO preset from Rtings to start and added more of a low end bass boost to adjust to my taste. From the rtings preset the bump at 1833hz really helped bring the vocals back out, and the shelf at 10khz took some harshness out.

Once EQed I started to do more focused listening. The first thing I noticed was how clear / convincing these sounded, without sacrificing warmth/naturalness. In "A Concert Six Months From Now" by Finneas, my wife pointed out there was a female vocalist singing in sync with the male vocalist we both never noticed before. It was faint and hidden behind the male vocalist, but much more well defined on these headphones compared to the HD6XXs I had next to me. The bass guitar notes were really convincing too, I could hear that it was wood haha. I think it was the transient response / decay of each note, you could hear the wood-like warm tone thump and decay after each strum and it just sounded "right".

I think the Arya sounded a bit more spacious in width, though the XS still has a big holographic soundstage with good width/depth balance (maybe a bit deeper than wide as mine are tuned). Due to the clarity I think the XS is superior in image separation compared to the Arya. Its clearer than any headphone I've heard before, I don't remember the HD800 sounding this realistic/clear either but I didn't have as good a source when I owned it years ago (spotify -> Modi MB V1 vs Audirvana/Qobuz -> Gungnir MB Unison).

I'm really enjoying them in my system, maybe it has some good synergy with the Mjolnir 2 (siemens tubes) and Gungnir MB. Its the kind of sound that makes me want to listen to old tracks and look for new releases to hear on it.

 

I picked these guys up last week, and I have to say I'm loving them. My previous fav was the sennheiser hd650, with a close second to a hifiman he4xx. These are better than both. That's all I have to say. I can't really give a full audiophile review, but just want to cast my vote for these.

 

My infatuation with them has only grown since I made my post almost a year ago.

I've basically stopped looking into audio purchases at this point...I've always wanted a clear upgrade from the 600/650 line and these are it. I'm not sure what else I could want from a pair of headphones. They are warm without being dull or murky. Nice staging...open without feeling disjointed. Easy-ish to drive so I don't feel the need to get a $1000+ amp to reach their full potential. I've finally stopped missing the HE-500s I sold so long ago...I'd pick the XS in a heartbeat.

I highly recommend picking up a pad for the headband, which started bothering me worse and worse as time went on.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0993NBFCR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This fits well, made all discomfort disappear immediately, makes the fit a little more snug, and lets you go up a couple more notches on the sizing.

 

@Skyline thanks for the headpad recommendation. Ordered!

But yeah, these are really the bomb. I'll defer to your comments/description of the audio, I think you nailed it.

Cheers

 

@Skyline God that looks ugly, bought one lol.

Some more impressions:
Having listened to these for almost 2 weeks now, I'm still floored. I never used to look for good vocals in my music since I've always gravitated to electronic / instrumental, but these just deliver vocals with such convincing body and clarity its almost surreal and I want to explore it more. This delivery of convincing vocals coupled with similarly convincing instruments, all crisply defined and spaced, and delivered with with teeth rattling macrodynamics in bassy synth sounds, really catches me off guard. Its weird, I felt like I needed to curate what I let other people listen to on my gear when demoing it so they'd "get it", but this headphone shines in so many areas I almost feel like its a challenge to find a track that doesn't flatter it. It makes me want to explore/re-visit more genres so I can hear what I've been missing, and what other kinds of sounds there are. I think I might do that, and dive back into discovery mode through last.fm and whatever other track recommending services there are. I think this might be the first headphone I genuinely felt is "endgame", which I never expected given its price point.

 

Sounds like you have great synergy with your Schiit gear. I like my XS's a lot, and they sound really nice out of my Shanling M6 Pro 21 straight out of the 4.4mm balanced and also my FiiO M11 Plus ESS/Astell & Kern PA-10 amp balanced stack. Coincidentally, regarding vocal clarity, there's a song off Melody Gardot's album Sunset in the Blue--it's a duet she does with another singer called C’est Magnifique...I'd been listening to it on other headphones for ages and the first time I heard it on the XS's I said to myself, I can really hear their individual voices when they sing in unison much more distinctly.

 

You can't see it when it's on your head!

I actually quit using it after about a week because the looks drove me insane. I was determined to break in the stock headband...figured I was just being a baby. It took about 4 hours before my head was screaming and the cushion was back on. That was about 8 months ago and I haven't touched it since.

 

There's this one from Custom Cans in case no one has seen it. I'm still rocking my HD-600 pad but considering this one more for a secure/tighter fit:

 

Currently rocking the HiFiMan Edition XS through some old gear. I have an OG Bifrost multibit and an OG Vali hybrid tube amp. This sounds fantastic. I also have an OG Jotenheim and Magni+, which also sound fine of course. But I think the vali may have a touch of tube liquid that I am groovin' on.