[Hobgoblinpie]

 
His video was the first time I realized that these aren't really on-ears. Hifiman did themselves a disservice by marketing them as such, because while I was very intrigued when I first heard about them and being able to convert from open to closed, once I read that they were on-ears I immediately dismissed them because I hate on-ears. Now I'm thinking about picking up a pair

 


A few people in this thread have tried contacting Hifiman to correct them about the marketing, but they do not want to change it. Despite having multiple people interested in this thread only to not buy them because they didn't want on-ear headphones. I mean, these things aren't huge, but they are not on-ear headphones by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[atjohnson23]

These or X1s for gaming/ Lindsey Sterling and House music? Leaning towards X1s.

 

[Z3ph3r]

One of my close friend bought these recently. I'm going to try to give my honest opinion ; I haven't heard anybody else's feedback (yet).
 
I am a "Bass-head" so I used the Fiio Q1's bass boost for some more low end, but I will not talk about that in the rest of this until the end.
 
Comfort - exceptional, or at least miles better than my monoprice 8323s with HM5 pads.
 
 
When they are "OPEN":
"Pretty good" Bass - There is lots of quality but not much quantity, this might be good for some. I honestly am not qualified to talk about the difference between sub-bass and mid-bass, so I won't comment on that.
 
Decent, not rolled-off mids, but I don't particularly like the transition between the bass and the mids.
 
The highs are ALMOST too high for me, but the "open"-ness keeps it in control
 
GREAT imagining
 
GOOD soundstage
 
 
 
When they are "CLOSED":
Bass - SLIGHTLY lower, but the Q1 helped.
 
Mids were basically the same, but the fact that they were more in-your-face made them more acceptable.
 
Highs- Too much for me, but tolerable because of the fact that they can be opened
 
GOOD imaging
 
Decent soundstage
 
These are great portable cans, I made sure they work with the Boom-pro as well
They are very easy to drive, but I would recommend getting a Fiio Q1 or E12 for bass boost and DAC
 
It's my Bday, so that's all for now. I will edit this later when I try these again.

 

[Z3ph3r]

  These or X1s for gaming/ Lindsey Sterling and House music? Leaning towards X1s.

I'd recommend these if you EVER go portable, ever.
I may  be wrong, but I think the comfort and imaging on the S is better than the X1, but the X1's low end is SLIGHTLY better.
They're both great buys, so you will be happy either way.

 

[atjohnson23]

I can get the X1s for 140. And then thinking about getting m40x for portable use. How does this sound?

 

[Z3ph3r]

I can get the X1s for 140. And then thinking about getting m40x for portable use. How does this sound?

Where are you getting the X1? Also, these can be used for BOTH portable AS WELL AS home use.

 

[atjohnson23]

Where are you getting the X1? Also, these can be used for BOTH portable AS WELL AS home use.

Thanks Z3ph3r. I do know they can be used for home and portable use. These currently cost 240 on Amazon. My decision comes down to these facts really. First off, I am an fps gamer as well as an active music enthusiast. I listen to a variety of truly everything but with a focus on House, EDM, and Classical Dance mix. I also have my desk in my room where my family also sleeps at night while I game. So i need open headphones for intense day time sessions and closed for casual night play. As well I enjoy the sound quality of open, with better imaging soundstage and mid and treble presentation at the sacrifice of some low end. The reason why I consider going the two headphone route instead of an all in one is due to a few reasons. I love the sound of the X1s. I find the X2s artificial, almost as if they are reaching to far when i listen. This one flaw in presentation FOR ME causes them to be a no go. I bug the hell out of my cousin trying to borrow his X1s just because they are great with soundstage. Not too wide and not too close. I have to agree that the imaging could be better. I think I can live with that due to their excellent darkness when it is needed especially for open. I like the m40x's more refined sound than the bass boosted m50xs. And they are still highly portable and closed for the rare occasions I need them to be. Now, I liken my idealogoy of this to that of cars. You can have a prius and get excellent gas and a gtr and go very fast. Or you could get a maxima that is somewhat fast and somewhat fuel efficient but does not excel at either. However, there are some cars that can. Like a tesla. So Im stuck in between two headphones that are specialized in two different task or one headphone that covers them both. My question becomes this. Do you think that these headphones are a tesla? Do they beat both the X1 and the E40xs at their respective niches. If so how? I appreciate your help very much! I hate to drown you with such a long post but headphone shopping is horrible although the end result is rewarding. I value your opinion Z3ph3r. I'm assuming you've listened to the X1s and am interested to see why you think this would be the better route.

 

[philipdharris1]

You may want to check Zeos ( or Z Reviews ) on youtube. He's recently uploaded a review of the Hifiman Edition s.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0NqlVHoJFo

 

[Maxx134]

For those that feel they want more low end and Less high there is a mod can be done to elevate the whole lower spectrum..

But it is possibly irreversible because it involve a slight removal of the rear felt that is attached to the driver...
So it can possibility be tuned to your liking...

I am considering testing this, but frankly, O am very satisfied with this headphone as is...

The only "Achilles Heel' that I feel this unit has, is the headband.
I left my unit in the car many times in sweltering heat and I believe it made the plastic more stiff.

Anyways I decided to mod these heavily because they are my favorite portables.
Take note I have had many many top portables, (also modded ones),
and you can see what I had in my signature.
edit*
Although headphone choice is a personal thing,
As a whole these are the best for me, and the possibility for modding is easy.

 

[Viber]

Anyone compared these with Beyerdynamic T51p ??

 

[atjohnson23]

You may want to check Zeos ( or Z Reviews ) on youtube. He's recently uploaded a review of the Hifiman Edition s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0NqlVHoJFo

Thank you sir! I am subscribed to his channel. His video is what got me interested. Though he still preferred the X1 or X2 for my needs.

 

[philipdharris1]

Depends if you've already got portable cans or not. I was considering these a few months ago but decided against these for portable use since even with the magnetic caps on, in closed form, reports suggested they leaked quite a bit. I went for a pair of Denon AH-mm400's instead

 

[atjohnson23]

Thats why Im goint to rock my iems and m40xs for portable I think.

 

[Maxx134]

Depends if you've already got portable cans or not. I was considering these a few months ago but decided against these for portable use since even with the magnetic caps on, in closed form, reports suggested they leaked quite a bit. I went for a pair of Denon AH-mm400's instead

Yep.
These are the cans to get if you like your soundstage.
There is a sea of headphone choices with their own set of compromises.

I have seen this happen before in other threads, about concerns on the level of isolation.

Unfortunately for some this will be a priority.
If you are more fortunate, and desire great sound with maximum soundstage (for a portable) this is it.

 

[Z3ph3r]

AtJohnson, sorry I haven't responded yet, but my short answer is that you should buy all 3 and see what works and then return 1 or 2. I have a deal on the S for 180 dollars if you want it.