[inthere]

Agree with everything said. I try to tell people i like Edition S better than Audeze Sine, but nobody believes me. I guess they just want to spend more money. 

 

[Maxx134]

If they wanna spend money, get the ultrasones Ed8, Ed5, Oppo PM2, Hifiman HEX...
They are the only other "portables"(?) that give instrumental space, but they are not true portables.

I spent alotta dam money to find out.

 

[goodyfresh]

In the portable arena I have
I have the:
Hifiman edition S,
OPPO PM2 modded

I recently had the:
HEX
PM1
Ed8 modded
Ultrasone ED5
Audeze Sine

Amoungst countless other portables in my signature.

This edition "S" can match the level of transparency/realism, and Soundstage of ALL the others,
With exception of the HEX.

The Audeze Sine has a suction that can give you a bit more of low-level "oomph", but is a bit flat and tight so needs to be amped to sound best.

These edition "S" don't need anything being so efficient.
They don't look so expensive either.
They actually look a bit cheap with the emblem covers off, and don't look like expensive looking headphones, which I like.

Bottom line is:
These headphones are the underdog of headphones. ..

They are just open and airy, like an hd800.
The main difference compared to other headphones is how the Soundstage is presented.
Detailing is not forced upon you like other cans.
Everything is layered properly to me, having space.
It is the only can to match the ultradone ed5 in spacial separation of instruments.
In the beginning the bass changed from a little too much,
to too little to lean,
Then settling in just right.

The other issue is the signature.
At first in beginning, there seems to be a slight recession somewhere in the mids, to help or accentuate the presence of Soundstage.

With other headphones,
I have also noted in past that an increase in mids or lower mids also gives a perception of more proximity.
This is where Hifiman seems to have tailored the signature to enhance Soundstage.

With all Hifiman latest models (I owned the 3 latest), they try to maximize Soundstage, and this headphone does as well.

But after the break in period, the recession is more gentle and not noticeable at all once you start listening.
Just beautiful lively music.

So they are my favorite cans for now.
Perfect for my purpose of outside.
I use with the cups open even outside,
as they not totally open to outside.

When I need to close them, the sonic difference is minimal with bass being lessened and mids being more pronounced and closed , but still more open sounding than most others.

They simply look nice until you take the covers off.
Then they look like cheapo headphones.
This is why they are the underdog of headphones, looking like a very sturdy & cheap throw around unit, while having one of the absolute best 50mm drivers I have heard.
It is really top quality.

That's why I love these headphones.

I would say, for sound alone,
the two portables to beat so far, are these headphones and the Audeze Sine.

The only issue with the Sine, once you get used to the on ear suction& clamp,
Is that they look so luxurious and expensive,
that you worry about scratching the luxurious leather,
Not to mention they are a more expensive .
For an outside portable, these Hifiman edition "S" fit the purpose better, and are an "over-ear" for most users.
Big plus in comfort.

Glad that you took note that these are in fact over-ear for most people
 
The signature does sound like it changes with burn-in!  It probably has to do with changes in ringing-properties (as would show up in a CSD Waterfall Plot), since it's a known fact that frequency-response curves do not or hardly change audibly with burn-in.  But I've definitely heard a difference with burn-in.  Now with over 100 hours, the highs have lost their stridency and smoothed-out, the bass has gained a TINY bit more impact, and any recession in the mids seems to be gone or almost-gone, just like you described happening with your pair.
 
It is AWESOME to read that the Edition S stacks up so well against something as expensive as the Oppo PM-2!  The Oppo PM-2 is $700 and a quite good headphone. . .for something costing only $250 to match it in transparency, is completely insane!

Underdog-headphones, indeed

 
So is anyone else planning to write a review of these soon?  I am definitely going to sometime in the next few weeks.  Going to make it my longest and most detailed review yet, because these headphones do not get teh attention they deserve from the community!

 

[inthere]

  It is AWESOME to read that the Edition S stacks up so well against something as expensive as the Oppo PM-2!  The Oppo PM-2 is $700 and a quite good headphone. . .for something costing only $250 to match it in transparency, is completely insane!

 
Not only the PM-2s bro, from what I remember, they beat out the PM-1s too. Of course, I think the brighter tuning is what takes it past both the PM-1 and the HD650.
 
I still think the PM-1 is an awesome headphone because it tests completely flat, but for just sitting and listening unprofessionally I think you'll get more detail and soundstage out of the Edition S

 

[Maxx134]

These edition S match the instrument separation of an Ultrasone ED5, without the frontal presentation of that unit's "s"-logic.

They have more information in spacial decay over the Audeze Sine,
Which have a sharp decay,
wich cuts out some low-level information and makes them sound more dynamic.

That's why the Sine will need a lot more break in and amplification to sound best, and I do not know if they can ever match these edition S in clarity.

These Edition S and my PM2 (modded) are my favorites.
The edition S have further Soundstage depth, while the PM2 has a bit more the planar bass oomph.

They both more efficient over the Sine.
Yet PM2 still too big to be portable outside for me.

The edition S fits the portable purpose best while having an amazing level of clarity.

 

[Maxx134]

 
It is AWESOME to read that the Edition S stacks up so well against something as expensive as the Oppo PM-2!  The Oppo PM-2 is $700 and a quite good headphone. . .for something costing only $250 to match it in transparency, is completely insane!

I still think the PM-1 is an awesome headphone because it tests completely flat, but for just sitting and listening unprofessionally I think you'll get more detail and soundstage out of the Edition S

the PM2 has better treble than PM1.
PM1 treble not flat but from my testing have a 4-6db gradual recession from mid to treble, and a sweet signature overall probably from the driver.
I owned PM1 and returned it first week.
The ED8 crushed it.
Now the PM2 treble was better and crushed the ED8,
And the ED5 crushed them both,
Then come these, and I sold my Ed5 (!).
So where does that put any other portable?



Edit:
Nothing truly crushes the ED5, save for the HEX in soundstage only, not detailing.
In which case, neither are truly portable to me.

 

[Hobgoblinpie]

It's nice to see some increasing interest in these headphones. They truly sound fantastic, and not just 'because of the price'. I would honestly recommend these to just about anyone.

 

[Jbmorrey]

Just placed my order for the Hifiman Edition S. Currently have a pair of Audeze Sines to compare them to anxious to see how these two stack up according to my ears. I am hoping these meet my expectations of a closed back PS500e, a little bright, airy and fast.
 
James

 

[Hobgoblinpie]

Came across this review of the Hifiman Edition S, looks pretty favourable. http://headphone.guru/hifiman-edition-s-review/

 

[goodyfresh]

  Just placed my order for the Hifiman Edition S. Currently have a pair of Audeze Sines to compare them to anxious to see how these two stack up according to my ears. I am hoping these meet my expectations of a closed back PS500e, a little bright, airy and fast.
 
James

They're actually over-ear by the way, despite HiFiMan's misleading (and mistaken) marketing, unlike the Sines.  One look at the earcups tells anyone they are meant as over-ears (although they won't fit folks with very big ears).  But HiFiMan has been very dumb, to be honest, about their marketing of these--They were supposed to be on-ears earlier in the design process, but later got changed to over-ears.  But HiFiMan has never changed the marketing!
 
@inthere and others excited about these headphones:  Do you guys think we should start a petition to HiFiMan to change the marketing of these to indicate they are over-ear?  I suspect a large reason these have gotten so little interest from the community is because they are listed as on-ears!  If more people knew they can be used over-ear, more people would be willing to try them!  As it is, even the box they come in says "on ear,"  and that is causing very few audiophiles to actually want to buy them (since on-ears are generally frowned-upon by the community except for a few models).  My biggest fear is that these will be discontinued sooner rather than later due to poor sales, and that HiFiMan will never again make a low-cost dynamic headphone as a result!  And in the end those poor sales will have been all HiFiMan's fault for incorrectly marketing these headphones as something (on-ears) that most audiophiles dislike!!!!!!!!!!!
 
So yeah, anybody else want to start a petition to HiFiMan to actually market these correctly?  The first step will have to be to correct their own inaccurate knowledge.  The U.S. HiFiMan rep on here told me taht these are on-ears. . .apparently, even their reps have not been properly informed of what these headphones really are, the miscommunication about them being "on-ear" extends to all levels of the company, and most people at the company think they are supposed to be on-ear (if they saw the earcups in-person, they'd know better).

I think HiFiMan should be receptive to it if we point out the reason for the petition is because we LOVE these headphones and want them to get more attention and sales (and not be discontinued).

By the way, what makes it most obvious that these were in fact engineered as over-ear, is the fact that the earcups are not only large enough to fit most human ears inside, but are actually shaped to accomodate the human ear.  So they are OBVIOUSLY over-ear!  They just don't have the biiig inner-earcups, that can fit ANY person's ears inside, that their planar models tend to have.

 

[inthere]

I also think part of the problem is they're not planar magnetic. A lot of guys are telling me dynamic headphones can't possibly compete with planar magnetic and I try to tell them these can but they're not listening, even when i tell them I've owned and compared both.

 

[goodyfresh]

  I also think part of the problem is they're not planar magnetic. A lot of guys are telling me dynamic headphones can't possibly compete with planar magnetic and I try to tell them these can but they're not listening, even when i tell them I've owned and compared both.

Yes, exactly--Very good implementation of any of the three driver-types can sound fantastic.  Yes, the three types do have a different "tonalities" to them and differing traits (such as the unmatched speed of electrostats), but the fact is that there are plenty of high-end dynamic headphones that have amazing sound quality.  Just look at the HD800 (ignoring the peaky treble), the Nighthawks (if one loves bass), and many more--there's no reason dynamic headphones can't sound awesome with very good driver-tech.  And the point is, these drivers do have very good tech.

I also believe in not knocking something without trying it, unless one has a valid scientific reason to do so (like my reaction to multi-thousand-dollar cables).
 
So what do you think of the idea of trying to communicate with HiFiMan to push them to investigate and clear up this marketing-mistake about them being "on-ear?"  I suspect they would sell a lot more of these (to people who don't read this thread) if they stated that they are, in fact, over-ear.  Plenty of people do like the idea of a $250 full-sized dynamic, after-all; if that weren't the case, then the market wouldn't already be so saturated with such headphones (none of them as good as the Edition S, of course)

 
It seems like the entire marketing process for these headphones has been the antithesis of what headphone manufacturers usually like to do--giving accurate info about the headphones that makes them look really impressive to potential buyers.  Instead, they're giving inaccurate info that drives potential customers away by saying they're on-ear, and also giving incomplete info that if marketed would make them more appealing.  The drivers are apparently nanotech-coated, for example--The HiFiMan rep told me so.  If that's the case, why do they not advertise that (including whatever material is used in the coating) in the marketing for the headphones, like how pretty much every other coated-driver headphone in this price-range has that tech hyped-up?  Or like how HiFiMan themselves hyped-up the coated drivers of the HE-6, if I recall correctly, in some of the marketing?  They've made a fantastic headphone, but the marketing basically amounts to them saying "hey it's dynamic and on-ear [inaccurate], has good extension, and sounds good.  It can switch between open and closed.  We did some special stuff with the driver enclosures.  You should buy it I guess.  The end."  It's almost comical to me that a company would make one of the best sounding very-reasonably-priced dynamic headphones ever (if not the best, maybe), and then have such a disastrous marketing campaign that three months later the vast majority of the Head Fi community have never even heard of it, and people are returning it in-box without ever listening to it once.  There were other headphones and IEM's (including mid-fi-priced items like these) released during the last three months or so, but with good marketing and such, which have hundreds of pages in their threads and people posting in them pretty much every single hour.  This one has 13 pages and goes for days at a time without anyone posting or showing interest.

The last thing I want is to see these headphones discontinued (along with, someday, any possible repair services from HiFiMan for them) and for HiFiMan to never again make a reasonably-priced dynamic, simply because these didn't get much recognition.

 

[inthere]

I'm with you! Focus on over-ear in the marketing!

 

[goodyfresh]

  I'm with you! Focus on over-ear in the marketing!

Let's talk about it more tomorrow man.  We need to get at least a group of people aside from us two who will point out to HiFiMan's reps that it does work as over-ear for a very large proportion of people.  We can also cite the fact that its earcups are clearly larger than those of, say, the Sennheiser Momentum, which is considered an over-ear.  Their width, meanwhile, is greater than that of the Sony MDR-100AAP's inner-earcup width as far as I can tell, and those are considered over-ear too!  These might not be quite big enough to be truly "full sized" (they won't be comfortably over-ear for people with truly BIG ears, and they certainly aren't as big as HiFiMan's planars), but they are definitely over-ear if they have larger cups than headphones from other, reputable companies that have been marketed as over-ear!

Let the headphone-world know, these are over-ears, not some kinda crazy open/semi-closed on-ear that would seem unappealing!
 
Edit:  In fact, does anybody who has an Edition S have a pair of the Momentums, here?  If so we could get a direct comparison of the earcups.  I'll get out the MDR-100AAP (which I sold to my roommate) tomorrow once he's awake (he'll be fine with it) to take pics to compare earcup-sizes for it and the Edition S.

 

[Hobgoblinpie]

I have a pair of the original momentum on-ears, I can give the measurements when I get back home. Someone else should compare to the over-eager model too.