Hifiman Edition X

[bmichels]

  The irony is I bought the HEX because i so loved the HEK....my desire was to have similar sound while traveling with the HEX using a mojo or hugo and perhaps a LIquid Carbon or vorzuge along with it....I happen to love the sound of the HEX with my Mojo and mojo with portable amp .I tried listening through my phone and really didnt like it at all......as much as i like them if the intended potential buyers are essentially only phone users then these will quickly drop in price to the 1100-1200 range because 1800 is for a product that can and will be used by those here and elsewhere who are audiophiles with high end amps etc...there just are not enough people interested in using an 1800 dollar can with a phone....poor job of market research if that is the intention

 
OK you like the HEX with the MOJO (I also love the mojo as well or even better than my HUGO).  Bu... have you tried the HE-K with the MOJO ?  
 
Is the HE-X better then the HE-K with portable amps like MOJO/HUGO ?  I tried the HE-K myself with my HUGO and it was OK !  But, I never tried the HE-X, so I am VERY interested to know if (without any price consideration) the HE-X can sound better than the HE-K with HUGO/MOJO type of amps.

 

[hrq12345]

Got the HEXs from the loan program yesterday. Some first impression:
 
1. Smaller headband than those for the HEKs, can't fit well with people like me who have big heads.
2. The highs are not only dark, but some little details are missing.
3. Fairly good lows and mids on portable devices. 
4. The HEXs have the ability to scale up with better amps or systems, but the improvement is not very obvious.
 
I have the HD800s and have heard the HEKs for like 5 times. Will post some more comparisons later. From what I have heard right now, if you have the money and a decent amp, go for the HEKs definitely. I also don't think the HEXs can outperform the HEKs even on portable devices. 

 

[tuna47]

I guess I am crazy but sounds much better on lyr and bifrost than fiio monte blanc
Hope I am not doing the drivers any harm, trouble is I would need to sell my desktop to get a good portable amp mojo Hugo etc. then what do I do if I ever move to a harder to drive can.
This information should have been made clear up front

 

[bimmer100]

  Got the HEXs from the loan program yesterday. Some first impression:
 
1. Smaller headband than those for the HEKs, can't fit well with people like me who have big heads.
2. The highs are not only dark, but some little details are missing.
3. Fairly good lows and mids on portable devices. 
4. The HEXs have the ability to scale up with better amps or systems, but the improvement is not very obvious.
 
I have the HD800s and have heard the HEKs for like 5 times. Will post some more comparisons later. From what I have heard right now, if you have the money and a decent amp, go for the HEKs definitely. I also don't think the HEXs can outperform the HEKs even on portable devices. 

the HEX will not outperform the HEK. did you assume they would at all?
But can you honestly say the HEK is worth 1200usd more than the HEX?
 
I own the HD800's too...but i didn't actually like the HD800 until I got the Sonarworks plugin for Jriver with the specific HD800 profile that fixes the freq curve to be flawless!

 
now if only sonarworks comes out with profiles for the HEK and HEX...someone please have their headphones custom measured for this program.
it did wonders for the HD800...seriously. 

 

[cute]

 

  Got the HEXs from the loan program yesterday. Some first impression:
 
1. Smaller headband than those for the HEKs, can't fit well with people like me who have big heads.
2. The highs are not only dark, but some little details are missing.
3. Fairly good lows and mids on portable devices. 
4. The HEXs have the ability to scale up with better amps or systems, but the improvement is not very obvious.
 
I have the HD800s and have heard the HEKs for like 5 times. Will post some more comparisons later. From what I have heard right now, if you have the money and a decent amp, go for the HEKs definitely. I also don't think the HEXs can outperform the HEKs even on portable devices. 

the HEX will not outperform the HEK. did you assume they would at all?
But can you honestly say the HEK is worth 1200usd more than the HEX?
 
I own the HD800's too...but i didn't actually like the HD800 until I got the Sonarworks plugin for Jriver with the specific HD800 profile that fixes the freq curve to be flawless!
 
 
now if only sonarworks comes out with profiles for the HEK and HEX...someone please have their headphones custom measured for this program.
it did wonders for the HD800...seriously. 

 
Well looks like Hifiman took it to us early adopters this time!  They come out with information that should have been out there weeks/months ago.  Given the information I never would have purchased a full size headphone meant for portable gears.....get serious Hifiman, hungry for profit instead of going through beta tests and proper reviews before releasing them.  What kind of development process is this?  80-90% of the HEK is bogus, IMO!  Please tell the early adopters of the Edition X how you will make it right with your "world class" Customer Service!
 
Hifiman is a money hungry company by doing this type of business, IMO!

 

[SeaWo|f]

I don't think the implication of what their rep said about powering them with desktop gear is that you shouldn't. I don't really think it even means that these are more susceptible than your average headphone out of an amp. Just that you could turn the power up too high and damage them. Thats true of many headphones on powerful amp with perhaps the exception of the he6.
 
Unless I am miss understanding something.

 

[bimmer100]

   
Well looks like Hifiman took it to us early adopters this time!  They come out with information that should have been out there weeks/months ago.  Given the information I never would have purchased a full size headphone meant for portable gears.....get serious Hifiman, hungry for profit instead of going through beta tests and proper reviews before releasing them.  What kind of development process is this?  80-90% of the HEK is bogus, IMO!  Please tell the early adopters of the Edition X how you will make it right with your "world class" Customer Service!
 
Hifiman is a money hungry company by doing this type of business, IMO!

wow, sounds like you're quite upset...
As I am too. If I knew they made this headphone specifically for portable gear, I WOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED IT!  I know i'm quite upset, and waiting for my replacement pair to be shipped out. I dont' even want to get into that. Anyhow, the whole not having a balanced cable is quite upsetting to be quite honest. Apparently hifiman is moving to new york and explains why it's been a week since i've heard from them. I paid 60usd to ship my headphones back to them for a replacement pair with 3 specific RMA issues. THey have been fantastic to deal with short of this dead zone of communication due to their moving. Anyhow, I like the EditionX, but if they are going to "die" on me due to me using them on a desktop amp... well shoot, I guess I should get a refund or exhange for something else. that will be my net conversation. 
I'm not imagining that the editionX sounds better with a balanced cable on my M11 than with a SE cable.It's plain as day to hear the improvement of soundstage, not just the obvious volume increase due to going to balanced. The m11 simple sound better when in balanced mode. I wouldn't have dropped 1800usd on some headphones if I knew they were not designed to be used with summit-fi gear.  I can't really describe the fire of fury i'm feeling for having purchased these now.
 
walking away....

 

[TokenGesture]

It's a strange intervention by HFMan but I don't read it as saying you can't use full size gear, just to be prudent in terms of output power.

Clearly they had a very specific market in mind which maybe they could have been more up front.

I think they need to clarify the issue given the reaction here

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

The reasoning for discouraging the use on high power devices is to prevent distortion. The high sensitivity limits the headroom you will get. This is not to say these are intended for portable use only, rather that you can achieve excellent sound with less expensive equipment. If you would like a headphone that scales more with better equipment, we recommend the HE-1000 over the Edition X.
 
If you are operating under reasonable circumstances, and using common sense, you should not damage the driver!
 
However, we have experiences HE-6 drivers failing when haphazardly connected to dedicated power amps.

 

[bimmer100]

The reasoning for discouraging the use on high power devices is to prevent distortion. The high sensitivity limits the headroom you will get. This is not to say these are intended for portable use only, rather that you can achieve excellent sound with less expensive equipment. If you would like a headphone that scales more with better equipment, we recommend the HE-1000 over the Edition X.

If you are operating under reasonable circumstances, and using common sense, you should not damage the driver!

However, we have experiences HE-6 drivers failing when haphazardly connected to dedicated power amps.

Another thing that I would like to mention. If it's portable, please make a portable case to protect it. It's long overdue for a hex/HEK case. Please make one ASAP for everyone with these affordable headphones that have no protection during their portable ventures outside the household. Can you let us know if there are plans for one just like the other case but maybe with a nicer logo on it this time? Not gold chrome print. Maybe just embossed with hifiman logo. Or something clever

 

[Audiowood]

We are some your earliest adoptors, and I do hope that if Hifman reduce the cost or add in new case, or change material, please don't forget us. 

 

[jlbrach]

I do not understand why this should be a problem with the HEX but not the LCD-X or even the Ether which are both very efficient and work very well with desktop amps etc.....as an owner of the HEX I really am very confused as to why one should be told that desktop amps are not recommended.....when i bought them I did indeed intend to use them with my portable amps but also assumed I could also use them with my Yiggy/Rag combo or any other desktop combo without incident......as an owner of the HEK which I feel is the best headphone i have ever heard i am far from a hifiman basher but this situation has me completely confused and a bit annoyed......an 1800 dollar headphone simply cannot be only suited for a phone or portable amp or nobody is going to buy it going forward.......it will have to drop dramatically in price to reflect this situation and will thus anger quite a few people who bought it 

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Again, we are recommending as such to avoid possible distortion, which is very easily achieved due to the high sensitivity of the Edition X...
 
You may, of course with common sense, use the Edition X with most desktop setups.... We are just saying you don't have to do so to get the most out of the Edition X...

 

[jlbrach]

just for kicks I hooked my HEX up to my iphone and listened to Tidal.....to be perfectly honest I found the sound totally lacking relative to listening through my Mojo or Hugo...in fact to be honest I cannot conceive of anyone spending 1800 dollars to listen through a phone alone...am I missing something?....do people listen to such expensive headphones through a phone?....are any people here who own the HEX listening through their phone alone?If so is it good enough to you to warrant such a large outlay?Perhaps I am missing something here,if so I apologize

 

[pippen99]

This all somewhat discouraging.  While my headphone budget is not unlimited the range I operate would have included the Edition X.  My purpose in signing up for the loaner program was to compare the HEX to my LCD-X and ETHER.  Since these all are around the same relative price point I was hoping to find if the HEX had a sound signature that worked for me better than my two current phones.  If the HEX brought something to the table that one of the other two didn't then it would be time to move one onward and pick up an Edition X.  I didn't recall anyone saying that the HEX was particularly sensitive or easy to drive especially in comparison to the LCD-X or ETHER.  In fact the first time I heard the ETHER Dan was using a WA5, a Rag, Liquid Crimson, and a Liquid Carbon to audition the new ETHER.  Apparently the Ether is not as susceptible to distortion as the HEX.  I do not use my phone for music.  The only music players I own are Ipods which I keep hooked up in the car and for lawn mowing.  If it is nor recommended to use the HEX with my WA5 or Liquid Carbon I am thinking I should take my name off the loaner list or just pass it on immediately to the next name on the list.