Hifiman Edition XS Launched

[Fullbrewz]

First try to see if the cable is bad, mine comes with pretty bad cable, 2ohms difference between L&R; then try to RMA; if it's out of warranty (depends on your region) try to fix it, the drive is unlikely to fail but soldering might fail.

Yeah been through the fault finding and it's definitely the driver. All good, it's under warranty so back to the retailer it goes .

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Mine failed last night, right driver is dead.
Was working fine, paused for dinner, come back and nothing from RHS.
Purchased late February and used daily.
Bummer!

Hi there, we are glad to hear that this has been resolved. You are always welcome to email us at customerservice@hifiman.com for any support!

 

[vrsx]

hmm after a week with XS, i think i prefer sundara ... overall its an upgrade of sundara in most sector but with less intimacy and quite harsh treble (for me)

also im quite noob with EQ, is there some EQ preset that i can try? already try searching for it, but looks like not many people try EQ it yet?

 

[pokrog]

hmm after a week with XS, i think i prefer sundara ... overall its an upgrade of sundara in most sector but with less intimacy and quite harsh treble (for me)

also im quite noob with EQ, is there some EQ preset that i can try? already try searching for it, but looks like not many people try EQ it yet?

The answer is almost always a better amp. SMSL doesn't make anything that drives them well other than basically an SH-9 or HO200, Topping doesn't have anything that drives them well, including the A90. Maybe the A90D is better, but I haven't tried it. IFI doesn't have anything at all that drives them well. Also, the stock cable is straight up defective on every single one. Maybe @TeamHiFiMAN can answer why that is, but every single person I've talked to that has changed cables has all of their problems instantly alleviated. Hifiman really needs to step their cable game up because the crappy replacement cable they used to remedy the joke of a cable that came with the 400se originally might feel better, but it's laughably bad sound wise and I don't know why, but it's just absolute trash and that's the cable that comes with the Edition XS now. Dead serious, buy a $10 cable and a lot of that treble problem will disappear.

 

[Kentajalli]

hmm after a week with XS, i think i prefer sundara ... overall its an upgrade of sundara in most sector but with less intimacy and quite harsh treble (for me)

also im quite noob with EQ, is there some EQ preset that i can try? already try searching for it, but looks like not many people try EQ it yet?

Although I agree with @pokrog regarding the substandard bundled cable, but I doubt replacing it, will cure a rainy day.
EDXS has some issues:
- It has a very low impedance of about 18 ohms, it requires an amp that has a low output impedance, to drive them.
For example, a Topping DX7 pro (top of the line) has an output impedance of about 9 ohms (from memory), this is too high! A chord Mojo2 or Hugo2 has about a fraction of 1 ohm output impedance - that is good!
- EDXS is also power hungry (well, a bit!) , you need an amp of low impedance, that can pump at least about 0.5W into 32 ohms (a standard measurement to look up), 1 W would be better. Again those Chord DACs have 0.4W and 0.7W output respectively, which is OK, they go loud enough but won't shake your skull (if you are after such a thing).
- EDXS also has a resonance at 5kHz+, which can make it sound Tizzy - this, I am of firm belief, is because of the back grill bars. They are metal and ring like a bell! Just pluck one with your finger nail and listen. I found a cure for it! Just search under my name and Edition XS mod. - you will find it.
- By all means get a replacement cable for it, not any cheap crap from Amazon basics! Read for reviews here and there. I ended up making my own.

 

[bagwell359]

Although I agree with @pokrog regarding the substandard bundled cable, but I doubt replacing it, will cure a rainy day.
EDXS has some issues:
- It has a very low impedance of about 18 ohms, it requires an amp that has a low output impedance, to drive them.
For example, a Topping DX7 pro (top of the line) has an output impedance of about 9 ohms (from memory), this is too high! A chord Mojo2 or Hugo2 has about a fraction of 1 ohm output impedance - that is good!
- EDXS is also power hungry (well, a bit!) , you need an amp of low impedance, that can pump at least about 0.5W into 32 ohms (a standard measurement to look up), 1 W would be better. Again those Chord DACs have 0.4W and 0.7W output respectively, which is OK, they go loud enough but won't shake your skull (if you are after such a thing).
- EDXS also has a resonance at 5kHz+, which can make it sound Tizzy - this, I am of firm belief, is because of the back grill bars. They are metal and ring like a bell! Just pluck one with your finger nail and listen. I found a cure for it! Just search under my name and Edition XS mod. - you will find it.
- By all means get a replacement cable for it, not any cheap crap from Amazon basics! Read for reviews here and there. I ended up making my own.

Agree to a large extent. Depends on what you define as cheap. I'm very suspicious of cable from the Far East so that's not an option for me. I burned out on DIY cable making these last few years. Custom Cans out of the UK makes a very low impedance O2 free cable wrapped in paracord. Seem clean and neutral compared to rubbish HFM puts out. Not ibterested in snake oil or very expensive cables.

I removed the back grills on my HEX v2 and you are right they ring like a bell. Felt might help with the high end but I went all way. Looks like crap but sounds better without them and drops weight.

Compared to various HE-6 models these are very efficient.

 

[davesday]

Has anyone received their Edition XS recently? I got mine this week and it was shipped in a brown box (with colour sticker band). I believe there were 2 previous versions in retail box format (one in landscape and one in portrait format). So this brown box is the '3rd version'? There is no warranty card, product document and no inner lining. However mine came with foam inserts (for protection) which double as a headphone stand. The cable and adapter came in an inner box.

The fit seems perfect for me. It has just the right tightness and it doesn't have the fall off sensation when I move my head (left, right, up and down). Sound wise, it is exactly the same as what you all describe.

 

[Nimra]

Has anyone received their Edition XS recently? I got mine this week and it was shipped in a brown box (with colour sticker band). I believe there were 2 previous versions in retail box format (one in landscape and one in portrait format). So this brown box is the '3rd version'? There is no warranty card, product document and no inner lining. However mine came with foam inserts (for protection) which double as a headphone stand. The cable and adapter came in an inner box.

Yep, mine is the same - plain box with foam insert.

I am looking for a good storage box now.
Pelican V100 looks good but not sure if it too small and I will have to remove all foam to fit them there. There is no retails shop selling V100 around to try before buying.

 

[robertom]

Just received my Edition XS. Overall I'm happy and I'm keeping them, a lot of strenghts and just one thing I don't altogether like, and I was not expecting this from graphs: a little too much bass and sub for me, not to a great extent, but it could almost be my perfect headphone with a lesser emphasis on bass. I have read lots of comments here, and almost no one seems to consider bass level (slightly) excessive, I'm suspecting that there could be some variation in FR between samples...

 

[Krekmate]

From oratory's measurement the bass is pretty linearly below harman target. Unit variance can occur but not likely to that great an extent; you may just like less bass.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5st1w8rpe5iggwd/Hifiman Edition XS.pdf?dl=0

 

[robertom]

From oratory's measurement the bass is pretty linearly below harman target. Unit variance can occur but not likely to that great an extent; you may just like less bass.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5st1w8rpe5iggwd/Hifiman Edition XS.pdf?dl=0

I had seeen measurements, that's why I'm surprised. Bass is below Harman from measurements, and it should be slightly a bit more elevated than in Hi-X65, but just a bit:
https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory/headphones?ids=344
ok... I don't know why, but this is not my perception, bass is audibly more elevated than on Austrian Audio... Anyway, I don't want to complain by all means, the XS is a spectacular headphone. For me, just a little bit more linearity in bass and sub, and it was almost perfect. Excellent soundstage, almost ideal, I like it better than 702, 612 (excellent btw) and for sure 560S soundstage (that I find fake and almost blurring the phantom center)

 

[vrsx]

Although I agree with @pokrog regarding the substandard bundled cable, but I doubt replacing it, will cure a rainy day.
EDXS has some issues:
- It has a very low impedance of about 18 ohms, it requires an amp that has a low output impedance, to drive them.
For example, a Topping DX7 pro (top of the line) has an output impedance of about 9 ohms (from memory), this is too high! A chord Mojo2 or Hugo2 has about a fraction of 1 ohm output impedance - that is good!
- EDXS is also power hungry (well, a bit!) , you need an amp of low impedance, that can pump at least about 0.5W into 32 ohms (a standard measurement to look up), 1 W would be better. Again those Chord DACs have 0.4W and 0.7W output respectively, which is OK, they go loud enough but won't shake your skull (if you are after such a thing).
- EDXS also has a resonance at 5kHz+, which can make it sound Tizzy - this, I am of firm belief, is because of the back grill bars. They are metal and ring like a bell! Just pluck one with your finger nail and listen. I found a cure for it! Just search under my name and Edition XS mod. - you will find it.
- By all means get a replacement cable for it, not any cheap crap from Amazon basics! Read for reviews here and there. I ended up making my own.

just saw ur mod in other forum ... its the one that u put something vertically inside the grill right? .... sadly cant do it if it left the mark from some glue or tape, it can void the warranty (i bought it from local retailer)
also what type of screwdriver u use to open XS?
and for cable , even im half believer about cable, i never cheap out for cable, always custom build with quite reputable material but not snake oil level, so at least i hope it can last for long time like people said and also i can sleeve it to my taste .... for XS & sundara i use full oyaide hpc cable & jack

 

[yeboyi]

I had seeen measurements, that's why I'm surprised. Bass is below Harman from measurements, and it should be slightly a bit more elevated than in Hi-X65, but just a bit:
https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory/headphones?ids=344
ok... I don't know why, but this is not my perception, bass is audibly more elevated than on Austrian Audio... Anyway, I don't want to complain by all means, the XS is a spectacular headphone. For me, just a little bit more linearity in bass and sub, and it was almost perfect. Excellent soundstage, almost ideal, I like it better than 702, 612 (excellent btw) and for sure 560S soundstage (that I find fake and almost blurring the phantom center)

Remember if the headphone doesn't seal well, it will actually boost the bass. Maybe that's whats happening.

 

[robertom]

Remember if the headphone doesn't seal well, it will actually boost the bass. Maybe that's whats happening.

ah! I believed otherwise. You are absolutely right, this is the point: if I press with my fingers the bass quantity decrease.
I also have a Hifiman HE-R7DX, and those have almost no clamp at all; with the r7dx is the exact opposite, less clamp less bass. In that case you can raise the clamping force by bending the headband, did you try to do this on the XS?

 

[Kentajalli]

just saw ur mod in other forum ... its the one that u put something vertically inside the grill right? .... sadly cant do it if it left the mark from some glue or tape, it can void the warranty (i bought it from local retailer)

Buy some 5mm gel type double-sided tape, and put it on the outside! just don't peel the skin facing out. it should tell you if it works for you, but no wider than 5mm, 2mm to 5mm. The gel type, can be taken out leaving no residue.

also what type of screwdriver u use to open XS?

Standard Philips.

and for cable , even im half believer about cable, i never cheap out for cable, always custom build with quite reputable material but not snake oil level, so at least i hope it can last for long time like people said and also i can sleeve it to my taste .... for XS & sundara i use full oyaide hpc cable & jack

If you are good with DIY, then I strongly suggest you try my cable, the only downside is that the cable will not be as soft and pliable as the softest cables out there.
You can get silicon rubber 0.8mm heat shrink from eBay, and also 0.6mm (0.5mm works too) pure silver wire from eBay too, both are cheap.
Plugs and jacks, again from eBay or Amazon.
Again, silver is not magic, just soft! copper, stainless steel, alu . . . . all sound the same, but much stiffer.
Can even artistically plat your cable!