[pokrog]

hello everyone

i received my edition xs this afternoon , listened to them all day . im quite disappointed .

i bought them because my he400i broke and wanted to upgrade ; read lots of positive reviews on these XS .

but my first impression is that they sound too bassy and the sound is kind of muffled . and i find it WEIRD . because nobody seems to complain about that ?

the sound on my he400i was bright , clear and accurate and thats what i LOVED about them .

on the XS , the soundstage is a big improvement , as for details that are great , but that bass is really taking too much space . and i can’t find that clarity i had on my he400i .

is it just me , and my personal taste ? or is there a possibility that the XS i received are somehow faulty ?

in any case im probably gonna return them .
ill try to give them few days of burn in to see if things get better , but i dont think so .
really disappointed

what's your amp? they get kinda muddy on either a pc 3.5mm output or a weak amp. bass gets super flabby and bloated and like @yeboyi said, breaking seal can up the bass quite a bit.

 

[kateblolo]

maybe it could be that . the bass is definitly muddy . i ll try later today to plug them on an amp with a 6.35mm cable to see if this could be the problem . but i listen music on my topping dx3 pro with 3.5mm cables so i dont see myself buying a new amp just for these..

i have a really big head so the seal can’t be the problem . actually they suit me perfectly !

i was just trying some other planar headphones this afternoon , way warmer than the hifiman ones and even though the sound was warmer , their bass didnt give me this « muddy » effect .

anyway thanks for your replies .

 

[Abrahans]

hello everyone

i received my edition xs this afternoon , listened to them all day . im quite disappointed .

i bought them because my he400i broke and wanted to upgrade ; read lots of positive reviews on these XS .

but my first impression is that they sound too bassy and the sound is kind of muffled . and i find it WEIRD . because nobody seems to complain about that ?

the sound on my he400i was bright , clear and accurate and thats what i LOVED about them .

on the XS , the soundstage is a big improvement , as for details that are great , but that bass is really taking too much space . and i can’t find that clarity i had on my he400i .

is it just me , and my personal taste ? or is there a possibility that the XS i received are somehow faulty ?

in any case im probably gonna return them .
ill try to give them few days of burn in to see if things get better , but i dont think so .
really disappointed

I had the same feelings, I was thinking about selling, the point is burning, more than 100 hrs to feel the difference, then they are great, and lot of power to drive them right, 3w into 32 ohms, like A30pro amp, schitt asgard 3, Xduoo xa-10...

 

[baunauf]

maybe it could be that . the bass is definitly muddy . i ll try later today to plug them on an amp with a 6.35mm cable to see if this could be the problem . but i listen music on my topping dx3 pro with 3.5mm cables so i dont see myself buying a new amp just for these..

i have a really big head so the seal can’t be the problem . actually they suit me perfectly !

i was just trying some other planar headphones this afternoon , way warmer than the hifiman ones and even though the sound was warmer , their bass didnt give me this « muddy » effect .

anyway thanks for your replies .

The bass is definitely not muddy. I am using them with an Asgard 3/ifi zen air dac. The bass is bliss.

 

[Light - Man]

maybe it could be that . the bass is definitely muddy . i ll try later today to plug them on an amp with a 6.35mm cable to see if this could be the problem . but i listen music on my topping dx3 pro with 3.5mm cables so i dont see myself buying a new amp just for these..

i have a really big head so the seal can’t be the problem . actually they suit me perfectly !

i was just trying some other planar headphones this afternoon , way warmer than the hifiman ones and even though the sound was warmer , their bass didnt give me this « muddy » effect .

anyway thanks for your replies .

It sounds like you have a faulty unit. Can you easily return it and get another?

Was it new or an open-box?

I have the Topping dx3 pro (as well as you) and it seems to drive the XS quite well.

However I should have delivery of a Topping A30pro amp today and will give my impressions within a few days.

BTW, my first XS also sounded a bit bass lumpy and muddy, also quite closed-in for an open back.

My recently bought XS sounds much more even and open. The headband is very noticeably much tighter, which I will provide evidence (in the coming days, when I have the time and can be bothered).

 

[theMUKe]

Would it be possible to get good sound of Edition XS using a Hiby R5 Saber on balanced out?

The R5 Saber outputs around 1000mW output into 32 ohms.

 

[Kentajalli]

Would it be possible to get good sound of Edition XS using a Hiby R5 Saber on balanced out?

The R5 Saber outputs around 1000mW output into 32 ohms.

Never had the Hiby, however, the output at 32 is over 500mW and over 1W into 16 on balanced, this means it has a low output impedance, and the EDXS's 18 ohm impedance can be accommodated.
I don't see why Hiby should have any problems.

 

[galaxysound25]

Hello, could you plase help in one query. I have Meze 99 classic which I really like how it sounds with ifi GO blu + Meze balanced cable (Meze - 99 Series Silver Plated Balanced Cable - 4.4mm). I want to buy Edition XS but I do not have any other desktop dac. My question is if ifi GO blu would be able to drive it. I listen to Meze on 60% power (sorry not sure about db but it is just where on moble the volume blinks red). Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[baunauf]

Hello, could you plase help in one query. I have Meze 99 classic which I really like how it sounds with ifi GO blu + Meze balanced cable (Meze - 99 Series Silver Plated Balanced Cable - 4.4mm). I want to buy Edition XS but I do not have any other desktop dac. My question is if ifi GO blu would be able to drive it. I listen to Meze on 60% power (sorry not sure about db but it is just where on moble the volume blinks red). Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

The go blu has plenty of power, you'll be good.

 

[galaxysound25]

The go blu has plenty of power, you'll be good.

Thank you for confirming, I was also thinking the same. But actually on reddit someone posted below like on high volume the bass is getting loose, with quotes

"Hey guys, been a long time lurker on here and finally bit the bullet and picked up the HiFiman Edition XS headphones. I am pairing with an IFI Blu Go portable dac/amp. Running in balanced it has about 245mw in power @ 32ohm. I don’t know a ton about this stuff, but my question was …. The headphones sound incredible, but at high volumes >92db the bass gets kind of loose and distorted. Is this an under powering issue with the amp or just the headphones ? If it is in fact the amp can you suggest a stack or AIO dac/amp that is under 300 to pair with them ? I appreciate the help in advanced, I contact the manufacturer but they said they couldn’t give any suggestions on amps. I found that odd."

I know there can be different scenarios and it is very subjective. But in general I find ifi GO blu as sufficiently powerful dac.
But due to above comment, I was somewhat confused before ordering Edition XS.

 

[Pelilin]

I just purchased the edition XS it was great the bass isnt like usual open back i owned. This HP is very technical and bright up there. As with any planar it need decent AMP to run great and scale up with better amp. I have one issue with this unit tho. Anyone have any way to fix the loose adjustment in the headband? My unit adjustment slide too easily.

 

[Abrahans]

Would it be possible to get good sound of Edition XS using a Hiby R5 Saber on balanced out?

The R5 Saber outputs around 1000mW output into 32 ohms.

I'm just trying Xs with the little AK Sr15 by the single output, it sounds good knowing it needs more power, I think you will enjoy even with more like the hiby

 

[Ultrainferno]

The Hifiman Edition XS headphone is one of the most talked about headphones of the moment.is now reviewed & Awarded on Headfonia. An article by @Virtu Fortuna

https://www.headfonia.com/hifiman-edition-xs-review/

 

[fordski]

It sounds like you have a faulty unit. Can you easily return it and get another?

Was it new or an open-box?

I have the Topping dx3 pro (as well as you) and it seems to drive the XS quite well.

However I should have delivery of a Topping A30pro amp today and will give my impressions within a few days.

BTW, my first XS also sounded a bit bass lumpy and muddy, also quite closed-in for an open back.

My recently bought XS sounds much more even and open. The headband is very noticeably much tighter, which I will provide evidence (in the coming days, when I have the time and can be bothered).

I'm considering the Topping A30 pro for my XS and am interested in your impressions about the Topping A30 pro with your headphones. Look forward to hearing them.

 

[Light - Man]

I'm considering the Topping A30 pro for my XS and am interested in your impressions about the Topping A30 pro with your headphones. Look forward to hearing them.

The Topping A30 pro in my opinion seems to pair very well with the XS.

It is very early days but I reckon that it is a keeper and good value, which is important to me.

Part of the challenge for me is to get good gear at a reasonable price.

The A30 has a nice effortless, full body and easygoing sound that will be hard to beat.

I had the Topping L30 Amp about a year ago and I was concerned that the A30 would also sound sterile, but to my pleasant surprise, the A30 is natural, musical and very fluid sounding.

I went for the silver version and it looks great and the build quality and finish is very good.

I reckon that A30 could be an easy end-game Amp for most people.