[cfranchi]

Which portable DAC/Amp (they can be bluetooth) would you recommend for XS ?
Some reviews say that XS pair well with warm sources.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

The XS are on Hifiman store for $279 refurbished. That is just STUPID lol.

 

[tpac]

I'm considering picking up a pair of Edition XS, but they appear to have even worse isolation / +10db higher sound leakage when compared to my current open backs (HD6XX). I am able to use the HD6XX without issue in a shared home office (with sound damping panels), but anything louder would be audible enough to others it would be a problem.

Would it be possible to control the Edition XS's isolation / leakage characteristics a bit with a pad swap or other easy change? Or is worse isolation / sound leakage just a characteristic of open back planars more generally?

 

[Mr Trev]

I'm considering picking up a pair of Edition XS, but they appear to have even worse isolation / +10db higher sound leakage when compared to my current open backs (HD6XX). I am able to use the HD6XX without issue in a shared home office (with sound damping panels), but anything louder would be audible enough to others it would be a problem.

Would it be possible to control the Edition XS's isolation / leakage characteristics a bit with a pad swap or other easy change? Or is worse isolation / sound leakage just a characteristic of open back planars more generally?

See them big open grills on the back of the XS earcups. There's your lack of isolation. You could spray-foam them to your head and it wouldn't make a difference. Just as much sound going out the back as into your ear (and the other way round). One the plus side, that's also the reason for the big soundstage I really, really, love.

 

[tpac]

See them big open grills on the back of the XS earcups. There's your lack of isolation. You could spray-foam them to your head and it wouldn't make a difference. Just as much sound going out the back as into your ear (and the other way round). One the plus side, that's also the reason for the big soundstage I really, really, love.

That... makes more sense. For some reason I was thinking open back = open back & closed back = closed back when it came to sound leakage, but I'm realizing more and more that it's extremely dependent on the individual headphone.

 

[yeboyi]

I've compared these extensively to the Arya Stealth over the past month, and I think I've come to the conclusion that the Edition XS sound better. Perhaps there is something wrong with me lol.

The Arya SE is smoother, particularly in treble ("s" sounds are less sharp) but I really struggle to name anything else that it does better.

Soundstage: XS > Arya SE
Dynamics: XS > Arya SE
Tuning: XS > Arya SE (def preference here)
Bass: XS > Arya SE (doesn't extend as deep but you can actually feel it)
Mids: XS > Arya SE (vocals sound more tangible, where they sound weirdly too close and above eye level on the Arya SE)
Treble: XS > Arya SE (just enough emphasis in the treble to provide a bit more dynamics....on Arya SE it sounds a bit boring while being bright, not sure how lol)
Comfort: Arya SE > XS (will give this to Arya SE, although I personally have zero problem with XS headband)

I realize many of these will be down to preference, but with the difference in price there is no reason why it should be so close.

Bottom line, with the XS I enjoy the music or game audio more. Find myself just lost in it more. With the Arya SE, I find myself thinking "wow this sounds really smooth and doesn't do anything wrong really, I'm just not enjoying it as much".

Also there is something weird with the Arya SE soundstage. Its like a triangle where the base is in front and the point is behind you, so audio to L/R sort of tapers inward to the back of your head. And as I mentioned, vocals sound like they are above my eyes which is a really weird experience. They're definitely taller, but not as wide as XS.

Again, XS at $379....just wow. This should be everyone's entry into planars at this point IMO. And you can probably be done, so long as the fit agrees with your head.

Arya Stealth stage is really weird. There is no right and left on those headphones. Side channels are like your right and left eye rather than right and left ear. It's like mono rather than stereo. Claustrophobic and weird stage. Can be good or bad.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Arya Stealth stage is really weird. There is no right and left on those headphones. Side channels are like your right and left eye rather than right and left ear. It's like mono rather than stereo. Claustrophobic and weird stage. Can be good or bad.

Yeah agreed. I tried to describe it with the triangle analogy.

Its like you have two speakers at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, and there is a line connecting from each speaker to a singular point at 6 o'clock behind your head. Its definitely weird, though it seems to loosen a bit the more I use them...though that could just be brain burn.

I find that as you said its good and bad. Good in that some sounds are closer and more intimate than on other planars I've tried, which makes them more engaging. Bad in that imaging and placement just feels, for lack of a better term, "wrong". I find that imaging and placement is done much better on the XS.

If you switch between Arya SE and something like HD800s that has huge stage and impeccable imaging, it becomes readily apparent how peculiar Arya SE stage is. Though I think if you primarily use Arya SE as your main you'll get used to it and it will be a non issue over time.

 

[Djam1234]

Hey guys! I am currently torn between getting the Hifiman Edition XS and the Drop Aeon Open X. If anyone has owned or tried both, would you be able to give me some advice?

 

[jasswolf]

Hey guys! I am currently torn between getting the Hifiman Edition XS and the Drop Aeon Open X. If anyone has owned or tried both, would you be able to give me some advice?

Haven't tried both but the Open X is well understood to be tonally difficult, and lacking technical performance at its price point. The Closed X is a nice experience but lacks dynamics due to the dampening and materials involved.

Edition XS is the clear choice really, and you would be comparing that against EQ'ing the Ananda Nano and the Moondrop Venus.

Here's an excellent review from a Head-Fi native.

 

[psy472]

Just got the edition XS today. It’s a pretty good headphone with strong bass. It bought Hifiman’s upgrade wires. Sound wise the sibilance at high frequency is a bit bothersome. It got better after I toned down the high frequency on my Lokius.

Then I changed the cables out to my ZMF grand palladium cables, and the sibilance was totally gone without any EQ. The headphone is sounding a lot better now. The sound is much more detailed. The sad part is my cable cost more than the headphone. Uggg.

 

[bagwell359]

Just got the edition XS today. It’s a pretty good headphone with strong bass. It bought Hifiman’s upgrade wires. Sound wise the sibilance at high frequency is a bit bothersome. It got better after I toned down the high frequency on my Lokius.

Then I changed the cables out to my ZMF grand palladium cables, and the sibilance was totally gone without any EQ. The headphone is sounding a lot better now. The sound is much more detailed. The sad part is my cable cost more than the headphone. Uggg.

I've been beating the drum on how sonically bad HFM cables are - I've owned 11 and they all are not up to snuff. I don't complain about DCA or Audeze cables, and I'm generally not a cable guy, but they pay attention to the drivers. On the round cups (not yours) the pads, screens, and headbands are all far below the level of quality of the drivers. Sad but true. I have not messed with the pads of the long cups nor the "shutter" rear "screens" so I can't comment. But the cables still suck.

 

[psy472]

I've been beating the drum on how sonically bad HFM cables are - I've owned 11 and they all are not up to snuff. I don't complain about DCA or Audeze cables, and I'm generally not a cable guy, but they pay attention to the drivers. On the round cups (not yours) the pads, screens, and headbands are all far below the level of quality of the drivers. Sad but true. I have not messed with the pads of the long cups nor the "shutter" rear "screens" so I can't comment. But the cables still suck.

The HiFiman cables sucks. I highly suspect they are overcharging people and the whole crystal copper bit is a sham. Their cables are flimsy as heck. Even my Moondrop cables do better. Just get any cable from audio46 and you’re set.

 

[Kentajalli]

Technically cables should not alter sound, unless they are really faulty!
However, with my EDXS, I felt the same from day one, and I said so on my review of it.
Either the EDXS are very sensitive to cables or the bundled cables are rubbish.
My review in 2021.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Technically cables should not alter sound, unless they are really faulty!
However, with my EDXS, I felt the same from day one, and I said so on my review of it.
Either the EDXS are very sensitive to cables or the bundled cables are rubbish.
My review in 2021.

I am 100% in the camp that cables make no difference.

And even I think there is something wrong with Hifiman cables. Every pair I've owned (Sundara, Ananda SE, XS, Arya SE) has sounded better using a Hart Audio cable vs the included stock cable.

 

[psy472]

How is the XS compared to other HiFiman cans? I ask because this is my first HiFiman and I’m pretty happy with them. From what I’ve been reading on this forum the only gripe people had is the cheap plastic feel (which is a plus for me because it’s so light on my head). In terms of sound quality, it’s not much different from the HEK and others except a bit less separation and clarity on trebles.

Any charts comparing all the HiFiman cans?