[Tarkus1984]

Oooh, I own both, and those are fighting words.

Both are terrific cans. But the LCD-X is a step above in imaging and detail, with a more forward, energetic signature than the Edition XS. But the XS are $500 and the LCD-X $1,200. The difference between both isn't huge, but the LCD-X are better. But you can easily make the argument the Edition XS are a better overall value for money.

I agree with this. The XS are a great bang for buck but the LCD-X are superior IMO. Detail retrieval and slam are better on the Audeze while both offer the same kind of sense of space and staging. I would say the XS offers a more relaxed and lush sound, while the LCD-X is a more impactful, detailed and dynamic type of sound.

 

[Tarkus1984]

Forgot to mention that comfort-wise, I much prefer the XS. I have a big head, so the almost non-existent clamp force, weight and super spacious ear pads suit me a lot better. the LCD-X on the other hand makes its presence known, the ear pads are not as spacious and you feel the clamp after an hour or so.

 

[antyman]

Forgot to mention that comfort-wise, I much prefer the XS. I have a big head, so the almost non-existent clamp force, weight and super spacious ear pads suit me a lot better. the LCD-X on the other hand makes its presence known, the ear pads are not as spacious and you feel the clamp after an hour or so.

Agree regarding comfort. Haven't tried the LCD-X but definitely more comfortable (less clamp) than the Ananda.

 

[pk4425]

I agree with this. The XS are a great bang for buck but the LCD-X are superior IMO. Detail retrieval and slam are better on the Audeze while both offer the same kind of sense of space and staging. I would say the XS offers a more relaxed and lush sound, while the LCD-X is a more impactful, detailed and dynamic type of sound.

BINGO. Very well said, @Tarkus1984.

 

[pk4425]

Forgot to mention that comfort-wise, I much prefer the XS. I have a big head, so the almost non-existent clamp force, weight and super spacious ear pads suit me a lot better. the LCD-X on the other hand makes its presence known, the ear pads are not as spacious and you feel the clamp after an hour or so.

I have a large noggin, too, and the first-run Edition XS are almost TOO big, if that's a thing. They don't slip around my head with regular movements, but I also can't bop my head to the music too much, even while sitting, or the XS will start dancing, too.

Is it true that HiFiMan tightened the fit on later production runs of the XS? That would be perfect, if so.

The cups are HUGE and have plenty of room, regardless of the production run. No problem there. But the overall fit is pretty damn loose, even for my sizable melon.

The LCD-X 2021 are plenty comfortable despite their weight because the pads are plush -- although a bit smaller than the last-generation LCD-2C pads, which are INCREDIBLE -- and the suspension headband does a very good job at distributing the heft.

 

[Kentajalli]

I agree with this. The XS are a great bang for buck but the LCD-X are superior IMO. Detail retrieval and slam are better on the Audeze while both offer the same kind of sense of space and staging. I would say the XS offers a more relaxed and lush sound, while the LCD-X is a more impactful, detailed and dynamic type of sound.

I have the XS and LCD-XC 2021.
I have to agree too. The XC's are more impactful, and the XS sound a little softer in comparison.
But my slightly moded XS is a little better at staging!
But seriously! the XS is about quarter of the price of the Audeze, that makes them a lot better value for money.
Frankly the sound quality improvements on Audeze is slight.

I have a large noggin, too, and the first-run Edition XS are almost TOO big, if that's a thing. They don't slip around my head with regular movements, but I also can't bop my head to the music too much, even while sitting, or the XS will start dancing, too.

Is it true that HiFiMan tightened the fit on later production runs of the XS? That would be perfect, if so.

The cups are HUGE and have plenty of room, regardless of the production run. No problem there. But the overall fit is pretty damn loose, even for my sizable melon.

The LCD-X 2021 are plenty comfortable despite their weight because the pads are plush -- although a bit smaller than the last-generation LCD-2C pads, which are INCREDIBLE -- and the suspension headband does a very good job at distributing the heft.

My head is probably bigger than yours, so I find Hifiman easier to wear.
I have done a small mod to the headband, that makes the XS a bit firmer on the head.
Just do a search under my name and Edition XS mod.
You will find it, it may work for you too.

 

[Tarkus1984]

But seriously! the XS is about quarter of the price of the Audeze, that makes them a lot better value for money.
Frankly the sound quality improvements on Audeze is slight.

This right here. I know we got a bit sidetracked with the comparison of the LCD-X and the XS and I totally agree with the performance vs cost ratio of the XS. At less than half of the LCD-X you're getting a very capable, comfortable and absolutely great sounding headphone!

 

[rlanger]

For those of you with a Mojo 2, I'm curious to know what your EQ settings are. I often change on the fly depending on the music I'm listening to, and because it's so easy to do.

But I generally start from a baseline of . The high-end bump does nothing since I'm old and can't hear a thing in that region anyway, but the colour balance is nice.

 

[vrsx]

anyone here have comparison XS pairing with topping dx3+ , fiio k5, and new fiio k7?


used to pairing it with dx3+ at my office, but sold the dx3+ cause got offered from my friend at new price (dx3+ keep getting sold out here)
and now months later i want to bring XS to my office again... and im only want to spend around $200 for dac+amp combo, and only founds those 3

 

[musicloverca]

My two cents: I would definitely recommend the Edition XS for the price. They're like a watered down version of the higher end Hifimans like HE1000v2 and Arya (which have more detail and wider soundstage). The biggest con I found was because of their very low impedance of 18 ohm (the other Hifimans have 35 ohm), it sounds terrible on a tube amp. Obviously most planars don't sound as good as dynamic driver headphones with tube amps, but the XS was unlistenable in that case, extremely muddy. I'd recommend pairing them with a decent solid state amp like the Burson Soloist 3XP or Singxer SA-1, with a balanced aftermarket cable (Hart Audio sells them for a good price). For DACs they sounded good with the Denafrips Ares II and Schiit Bifrost 2, and okay with the Schiit Modius.

 

[7KRP]

As of yesterday, officially ordered a pair. Read some about QC issues, has anyone run into any?

Has anyone purchased an extended warranty?

With my amex card I get an extra year, so ill have two years of limited warranty/whatever hifiman provides

 

[musicloverca]

As of yesterday, officially ordered a pair. Read some about QC issues, has anyone run into any?

Has anyone purchased an extended warranty?

With my amex card I get an extra year, so ill have two years of limited warranty/whatever hifiman provides

I hear people say Hifiman has QC issues, but I've never encountered them, and I've used 4 different pairs of headphones from them. I can't speak to how they are after years of use, but I've never had a pair of Hifiman headphones which didn't work out of the box.

 

[Tarkus1984]

As of yesterday, officially ordered a pair. Read some about QC issues, has anyone run into any?

Has anyone purchased an extended warranty?

With my amex card I get an extra year, so ill have two years of limited warranty/whatever hifiman provides

I've owned the Sundaras for over 18 months without a single issue. The XS I've had for 5 months without issues either

 

[cycloverid]

As of yesterday, officially ordered a pair. Read some about QC issues, has anyone run into any?

Has anyone purchased an extended warranty?

With my amex card I get an extra year, so ill have two years of limited warranty/whatever hifiman provides

Incidentally, I just sent my Edition XS back to Hifiman for a replacement so I'll comment on this (still under warranty - almost exactly 1 year in). Everything was going great with them, but then I started to encounter what sounded like a driver rattle during certain tracks. Previously I had the Sundara without any of these issues. My brother got the Edition XS at the same time and no issues for him yet. It seems like a bit of a lottery. Some will go years without any issues, and others will encounter a couple during that time.

I'd say that, having owned a couple planars now from different companies, this technology is just more fragile than dynamic drivers. I don't currently have reason to believe Hifiman is worse in this regard than other brands. I think their build quality tends to be cheaper, so this might influence the overall sentiment. WIth my Oppo PM3, I had one driver failure after two years of use, but so far none with Hifiman. The driver rattle issue (something was rattling) is odd though, seems to fall more just under general build/QC.

I'm completely fine with repairs/maintenance and have budgeted that in at this point with planars. Though if I ever experience it too frequently with a particular brand, I'd definitely change my mind on this.

 

[Fullbrewz]

As of yesterday, officially ordered a pair. Read some about QC issues, has anyone run into any?

Has anyone purchased an extended warranty?

With my amex card I get an extra year, so ill have two years of limited warranty/whatever hifiman provides

My Rev.1 pair failed after about 5 months with the right driver failing. I'm 4 months in on my 2nd pair and so far so good.
The XS are my 4th HFM headphones and the only ones that have had a failure.