[inthere]

Even in this thread you see guys completely dismiss them because they aren't planar-without even hearing them

 

[goodyfresh]

Even in this thread you see guys completely dismiss them because they aren't planar-without even hearing them

Yeah nman, and you and I have already discussed what BS that is.  Dynamic-drivers are totally capable of sounding truly high-end, and in this case it mostly does, despite the price too!  Once again right now I am listening to music with them this very moment and hearing all kinds of details I've never heard except with much-more-expensive headhones.

 
If people are concerned because HiFiMan is "accustomed to making planars," that's stupid too.  They are experts at audio-engineering for headphones, and considering that dynamic drivers are easier to setup and engineer than planars, it makes 110% complete sense that they could design and manufacture a fantastic dynamic headphone
 

  Ok. Burn in has smoothed out the treble a lot. 
 
Found out that the Sine has rolled off bass and boosted treble. The Edition S has even MORE rolled off bass and MORE boosted treble than the Sine. 
 
Bass is light, but it's there and there's also more bass than a lot of my high end headphones
 
 Edition S has a bit more clarity in the treble than Sine. Edition S clarity crushes the Sony MDR 100aap, Momentum 2.0, JVC SZ2000, and even beats out my Sennheiser HD 650 for clarity, which I wasn't expecting. With the covers off the soundstage is also equal to the HD650's. Sound quality also running neck-and-neck with my Alpha Dogs........which is also double the price of the Edition S. 
 
I'd say in that price range (under $300) it wipes the floor with everything else I've heard so far. 

I pretty much agree with everything @inthere says here, guys--Insane clarity.  SQ about equal to the Alpha Dogs, which are very heavy/non-portable and cost $500 (but are much better built and have much better isolation).  The soundstage with the covers off is VERY nice.

With covers on, I'd call these more semi-open rather than truly closed.  But still isolate better than a few I've heard, and with music pumping it's often not a problem   And the soundstage while closed is fantastic for a "closed" headphone.
 
These headphones REALLY need to get more recognized.  In another week or so I am definitely going to write a review.

 

[trellus]

Even in this thread you see guys completely dismiss them because they aren't planar-without even hearing them

 
Hadn't posted on this thread before now, but I admit that I have lurked with some interest but have been a bit biased against them because in my mind I associate HiFiMan with their planar headphones, and indeed I have the original HE-400 headphones which I really do like, and yet my bias is a little funny since almost my headphones have dynamic drivers and I like them quite a bit: Sennheiser HD 600, Grado SR325e, Alessandro MS2i, etc.  
 
The Edition S initially intrigued me though, mostly because of its novel ability to be used closed or semi-open, but from what I've heard so far, the isolation when closed isn't superb, so I'm not sure I'll be buying these since I already a nice collection of open and semi-open cans but lack in the closed department.

 

[goodyfresh]

   
Hadn't posted on this thread before now, but I admit that I have lurked with some interest but have been a bit biased against them because in my mind I associate HiFiMan with their planar headphones, and indeed I have the original HE-400 headphones which I really do like, and yet my bias is a little funny since almost my headphones have dynamic drivers and I like them quite a bit: Sennheiser HD 600, Grado SR325e, Alessandro MS2i, etc.  
 
The Edition S initially intrigued me though, mostly because of its novel ability to be used closed or semi-open, but from what I've heard so far, the isolation when closed isn't superb, so I'm not sure I'll be buying these since I already a nice collection of open and semi-open cans but lack in the closed department.

The sound is absolutely amazing for $250 though, it really is.

I would tell anyone that if they could get reasonable fit/seal with the original Sennheiser Momentums (supposed over-ears but very small earcups, I could wear them though, my ears are small-ish) then to DEFINITELY get the Edition S, because they will fit them as over-ears (these are "on-ear" but have ginormous earcups for that) and I can say that as over-ears they are just. . .wow.  The sound is easily at or well over two times their price in terms of value.

 

[SurvivorNVL]

I really hope that Hifiman eventually release an HE400i, but closed back.  The edition S has really taken my interest.  The sort of hybrid open/closed, and sound signature people are talking about sounds like a good all rounder for a great price.  I swear if Grado and Hifiman took some of their most popular designs like the 400i / 560 and the SR325e and GH1, made them in to closed backs, they'd have such a huge influx toward them.  Maybe one day.  Hopefully Fostex does the same with an update to the TH500RP.

 

[goodyfresh]

  I really hope that Hifiman eventually release an HE400i, but closed back.  The edition S has really taken my interest.  The sort of hybrid open/closed, and sound signature people are talking about sounds like a good all rounder for a great price.  I swear if Grado and Hifiman took some of their most popular designs like the 400i / 560 and the SR325e and GH1, made them in to closed backs, they'd have such a huge influx toward them.  Maybe one day.  Hopefully Fostex does the same with an update to the TH500RP.

It is not that simple, unfortunately. You can't just take a really good sounding fully-open headphone design, pop a closed back on there while not drastically changing everything else about the driver-cavity, and expect it to sound good.  That would result in a headphone with a totally-whack, What-sounding signature and tonality, for sure, at least in most cases (there are certainly exceptions, headphones that can actually be modded pretty easily from open to closed, but that's by chance rather than design).
 
That's why doing something like HiFiMan did, and making a headphone which sounds GREAT open as well as closed (well more like semi-open) is a pretty major feat that few other headphone manufacturers have even tried to pull-off at this point.  But trying to just take the HE400i or HE560 and make it closed would actually be a HUGE engineering feat, if they wanted to actually preserve most of the tone and voicing of the headphones (obviusly not preserve the soundstage though).  Sure they could just slap a closed back on there and say "done," but it would end up having all kinds of new ringing and such in the signature due to the new resonances created, that's the real issue.  It's also one part of why designing a hi-fi closed back headphone is actually in many ways a greater engineering challenge than an open-back of the same clarity/resolution.  And why you'll hear much greater clarity from a typical $150 open-backed headphone than a typical $150 closed design. 

About the Edition S: if only they had made this as a true over-ear design (larger earcups) so that it would fit everyone (not just people with small-ish to---maybe--medium ears like me) as over-ears.  I've simulated their sound as on-ears for myself by holding them in the right position, and they still sound AMAZING that way (as people with larger ears who wear them on-ear do attest), but their true greatest clarity and signature can only be achieved as over-ears, with small ears like mine or @inthere's (who recommended them to me).  Basically like I said, anybody who could wear the old Sennheiser Momentum as intended (over-ear, but they had too-small cups for many people) should theoretically be able to wear these as over-ears, and as such they become truly top-grade/high-end sounding.

 

[goodyfresh]

Learned something cool from the HiFiMan USA rep on here.  The drivers are nano-coated with a material to reduce distortion and ringing.  He didn't say what material but that almost definitely means titanium.  So yeah, this has nano-titanium coated drivers (which are otherwise a normal--but high quality--polymer material with a normal but of course high-quality copper voice-coil).

 

[Maxx134]

Actually they could also coat it with aluminum, or a mineral like beryllium, or an alloy mixture...
I had some drivers in past coated with gold (!)
Haha


Edit :
I do feel their drivers are very "planar" like in performance. .

 

[DatPixel]

I agree with people saying that they are very fast, ryhtmic, a bit on the sharp side, but bass is very good and tight. To me they sound much much better without the earcup covers.

 

[goodyfresh]

  I agree with people saying that they are very fast, ryhtmic, a bit on the sharp side, but bass is very good and tight. To me they sound much much better without the earcup covers.

Hmmmmmmmmm.  By the covers you mean the thin little fabric film on the inside?  You removed those?  How did it affect teh sound?  They can easily be put back, right?  Do you think that would lead toa  risk of dirt and gunk getting in and damaging the driver over time?

 

[DatPixel]

Nope, I mean the metallic, magnetic panels that are removable. They make the sound congested and isolation doesnt gain much, compared to making them completely open.

 

[goodyfresh]

  Nope, I mean the metallic, magnetic panels that are removable. They make the sound congested and isolation doesnt gain much, compared to making them completely open.

That's the whole point of what those are, they're for swittching between closed (really semi-open) mode, and fully open.  Of course the semi-open mode sounds more congested than the open mode, that's to be 100% expected.
 
No they maybe increase the isolation by another decibel or two, maybe three at best, but they do decrease the sound leakage to outside by a lot. I had my roommate help me test that last night.

But anyway it's not like the panels are anything to criticize, haha, since they're made to be removable anyway

 

[inthere]

I personally think they sound great with the covers on, and they don't sound congested at all; i honestly think if you blind tested you'd be hard pressed to call them closed headphones with the covers on. 

 

[goodyfresh]

  I personally think they sound great with the covers on, and they don't sound congested at all; i honestly think if you blind tested you'd be hard pressed to call them closed headphones with the covers on. 

Oh yes but the difference in soundstage and airiness between the open and "closed" modes is still quite noticable, to the point that I could most definitely distinguish between the two in blind testing (as I've gotten quite accustomed to the sound of both modes).

 

[inthere]

Oh I didn't mean you couldn't the difference between the two modes in a blind test, I meant in a blind test they would sound anything except congested.