[Danx3k]

What about the sound compared to the stock ones?

In all honestly I'm not sure. As soon as they arrived I replaced them. I didn't notice anything obvious, I certainly didn't notice or feel that the sound was any worse. I didn't want to swap them back and forth to hear the difference as they're a bit fiddly to remove with the small clips and swapping them back and forth could result in breaking one of the clips.

They do sound great still with the velour pads though - but now they're even way more comfier and sturdier on my head.

 

[csch92]

...

 

[Homeless2]

Does anyone have any recommended DAC / Amp pairings for this headphone? I like the sound of my current one (Grace m9xx), but I think it's hardware is failing so I'm looking to replace it. Budget of up to $1500 for both.

 

[Johnfg465vd]

Does anyone have any recommended DAC / Amp pairings for this headphone? I like the sound of my current one (Grace m9xx), but I think it's hardware is failing so I'm looking to replace it. Budget of up to $1500 for both.

HiFiMan EF400, also get a Balanced Cable.

 

[yeboyi]

Does anyone have any recommended DAC / Amp pairings for this headphone? I like the sound of my current one (Grace m9xx), but I think it's hardware is failing so I'm looking to replace it. Budget of up to $1500 for both.

$1500 for dac amp ? I'd rather buy a better headphone. Bulk of the budget needs to go to headphones. That's what makes the biggest difference. For dac/amp, i'm personally eyeing the daart yulong aurora but the economy is so fcked around here i can't buy anything anymore. It has lots of class a power and play well with low impedance planars. It's also all in one. Get the Hek Stealth's and Aurora if your budget allow. Otherwise buy a cheaper dac amp. Just my 2 cent, no judging or anything.

 

[pk4425]

$1500 for dac amp ? I'd rather buy a better headphone. Bulk of the budget needs to go to headphones. That's what makes the biggest difference. For dac/amp, i'm personally eyeing the daart yulong aurora but the economy is so fcked around here i can't buy anything anymore. It has lots of class a power and play well with low impedance planars. It's also all in one. Get the Hek Stealth's and Aurora if your budget allow. Otherwise buy a cheaper dac amp. Just my 2 cent, no judging or anything.

Agree with the above. A $1,500 DAC/amp for a $500 headphone seems like overkill unless you also have some flagship cans in your collection.

I ran my Edition XS just fine off a JDS Atom+ DAC/amp stack, which costs $225. Ample, clean power, minimal colorization of sound by the DAC. The JDS Atom stack has provided all the power I've ever needed for my cans, even my power-hungry planars.

 

[Homeless2]

HiFiMan EF400, also get a Balanced Cable.

I've read multiple reviews stating this is overall a good amp but has issues when playing higher bitrate FLAC files which is a no go for me.

$1500 for dac amp ? I'd rather buy a better headphone. Bulk of the budget needs to go to headphones. That's what makes the biggest difference. For dac/amp, i'm personally eyeing the daart yulong aurora but the economy is so fcked around here i can't buy anything anymore. It has lots of class a power and play well with low impedance planars. It's also all in one. Get the Hek Stealth's and Aurora if your budget allow. Otherwise buy a cheaper dac amp. Just my 2 cent, no judging or anything.

Agree with the above. A $1,500 DAC/amp for a $500 headphone seems like overkill unless you also have some flagship cans in your collection.

I ran my Edition XS just fine off a JDS Atom+ DAC/amp stack, which costs $225. Ample, clean power, minimal colorization of sound by the DAC. The JDS Atom stack has provided all the power I've ever needed for my cans, even my power-hungry planars.

I completely agree that it's likely overkill and spending more on headphones is the better option, but I'm trying to create an endgame setup at some point so I figure I'd skip the midsteps if possible. The budget was more of an open ended thing and I don't have to use all of it.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Just got my Edition XS in. They sound INCREDIBLE. I'm like immediately blown away, which I can't say for every headphone I've bought over the years- sometimes it takes a bit for a pair to grow on me. These though, right out of the gate they knocked my socks off.

When I took them out of the box, I chuckled at how crappy the build is. To my surprise though, I think they're comfy as hell and fit me well. They remind me of the HD800s in terms of fit a bit. Super huge cups that sort of just rest on either side of your head, very loose fit. But sometimes that's nice coming from clampy pairs like the HD6 series.

The build does feel truly awful though lol. Feels like a cheap toy. I hope these hold up.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Just got my Edition XS in. They sound INCREDIBLE. I'm like immediately blown away, which I can't say for every headphone I've bought over the years- sometimes it takes a bit for a pair to grow on me. These though, right out of the gate they knocked my socks off.

When I took them out of the box, I chuckled at how crappy the build is. To my surprise though, I think they're comfy as hell and fit me well. They remind me of the HD800s in terms of fit a bit. Super huge cups that sort of just rest on either side of your head, very loose fit. But sometimes that's nice coming from clampy pairs like the HD6 series.

The build does feel truly awful though lol. Feels like a cheap toy. I hope these hold up.

I’m not as harsh towards the build as you are but your point is totally valid. They’re largely plastic and the cups don’t swivel more than a few degrees. That said, I find them to be exceptionally comfortable. The clamp force is low but they don’t bounce around much on my head.

I’m in total agreement with your assessment of their sound. They’re excellent.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I’m not as harsh towards the build as you are but your point is totally valid. They’re largely plastic and the cups don’t swivel more than a few degrees. That said, I find them to be exceptionally comfortable. The clamp force is low but they don’t bounce around much on my head.

I’m in total agreement with your assessment of their sound. They’re excellent.

Yeah I may have been a bit harsh. I can see the design philosophy in that they kept them amazingly light.

Also having read all of the posts here and on reddit about how bad the headband was, how huge and loose the fit was, I was ready to be disappointed with that aspect. I even purchased the Geekria hook and loop headband in anticipation before I had the headphones in hand. I can happily say that I find them EXTREMELY comfortable. They might be the most comfortable headphones I own actually. I love how light the clamp is. I have the headband at one click on each side and its perfect for me, doesn't move around when I turn my head, the cups sit at a perfect height, and it feels like I'm not even wearing headphones. I have a relatively small head, but I guess I just got lucky in terms of the clamp working with my head shape.

Its early days, but these give my HD800s a run for their money in terms of sound. There is no reality where the 800s costs $1,000 USD more than these. Nutty value.

Also, these make my Sundara obsolete basically. They have way more soundstage, better imaging (its really good), better separation, and way more low end. I also find them way more comfortable. I love the Sundara but I can't see giving them any head time over the XS.

 

[Johnfg465vd]

I've read multiple reviews stating this is overall a good amp but has issues when playing higher bitrate FLAC files which is a no go for me.

I have not tested playing files higher than 24 bit 192 kHz but that and anything below works perfectly.

If you change your mind, the synergy with this setup is really good and there's a good chance you will enjoy it.

 

[rlanger]

Does anyone have any recommended DAC / Amp pairings for this headphone? I like the sound of my current one (Grace m9xx), but I think it's hardware is failing so I'm looking to replace it. Budget of up to $1500 for both.

I can't say that I've tested the XS with other DAC/Amps, but I can recommend the Chord Mojo 2 without hesitation. Soundstage, imaging, and clarity are all excellent, and the ability to transparently EQ has been a game changer for me.

 

[NaN93]

I feel that there is no better dac/amp than the hifiman EF-400
For the XS and perhaps several hifiman like the he6sev2, that the , and with that, the combo is killer.

 

[rlanger]

I feel that there is no better dac/amp than the hifiman EF-400
For the XS and perhaps several hifiman like the he6sev2, that the , and with that, the combo is killer.

What are you comparing it to?

 

[Johnfg465vd]

I can't say that I've tested the XS with other DAC/Amps, but I can recommend the Chord Mojo 2 without hesitation. Soundstage, imaging, and clarity are all excellent, and the ability to transparently EQ has been a game changer for me.

I also owned the Mojo 2 and it is definitely a good DAC but compared to the EF400 (I know it's nor fair) It was a bit lacking in Dynamics (especially with High Gain on EF400) and the soundstage is also less wide. The resolution/detail is equal on both but on first listen Mojo 2 sounds more detailed because of the slightly laid-back and smooth sound signature of the EF400. When comparing it to other portable DACs however, Mojo 2 is easily top 3 in my list.