[SchwizzelKick66]

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I have emailed with pics and asked for a replacement. Part of me feels bad for contacting Hifiman support so many times now, but honestly its not my fault I've encountered so many issues due to defective products. I don't think its asking too much for a $500 headphone to not have obvious paint chips, scratches and rubbing plastic noises brand new out of the box.

Luckily their support has always taken care of me, but after getting my replacement Sundara and XS I think I will finally learn my lesson and not go back to the well again lol.

 

[h1a8]

Has anyone compared these to the new Sennheiser HD 490 pro? Which is better (what do each do better than the other)?

 

[psy472]

i just got the Hifiman HE1000 stealth and strangely I still prefer my Edition XS over the more expensive HE1000. The bass and mid has more timbre to the XS. The HE1000 is certainly much clearer sounding but for certain genre like pop and dance type music and slow meditation/sleep music, the XS really shines.

 

[Rakyan]

Has anyone compared these to the new Sennheiser HD 490 pro? Which is better (what do each do better than the other)?

What immadiately better in the XS for the first sight, is that it has two induvidual cable inputs to the earcups, so u can trial and error with different cables, u can use it with full balanced dac/amps like my fiio K7. Why i would not buy the 490 pro (in my case) is this, as the fiio K7 (and there are others) only really strong in the balanced output, so its just not a good idea to use with these "studio" design headphones.

 

[cfranchi]

i just got the Hifiman HE1000 stealth and strangely I still prefer my Edition XS over the more expensive HE1000. The bass and mid has more timbre to the XS. The HE1000 is certainly much clearer sounding but for certain genre like pop and dance type music and slow meditation/sleep music, the XS really shines.

Which one is more mid forward ? Which one has better soundstage ?

 

[psy472]

Which one is more mid forward ? Which one has better soundstage ?

I use EQ on my headphones. If you are looking for clear mids and sound stage then the HE1000 stealth has that down. The risk is the some of the highs and mids can get harsh. I had to tone it down with EQ. My personal enjoyment isn’t the soundstage but how the sound roll off after each note for both mid and bass. In my XS it rolls off naturally. If I lack mid forward I just EQ it up without worrying about the harsh high and mid like the HEK.

if you are comparing without EQ, then HEK is better in all aspect, but with EQ XS does very well.

I am keeping the HEK mainly for my Jazz and classical music. The instruments are very detailed.

And if you believe in burning in time then I haven’t allowed these cans to burn in yet.

 

[cfranchi]

I use EQ on my headphones. If you are looking for clear mids and sound stage then the HE1000 stealth has that down. The risk is the some of the highs and mids can get harsh. I had to tone it down with EQ. My personal enjoyment isn’t the soundstage but how the sound roll off after each note for both mid and bass. In my XS it rolls off naturally. If I lack mid forward I just EQ it up without worrying about the harsh high and mid like the HEK.

if you are comparing without EQ, then HEK is better in all aspect, but with EQ XS does very well.

I am keeping the HEK mainly for my Jazz and classical music. The instruments are very detailed.

And if you believe in burning in time then I haven’t allowed these cans to burn in yet.

I wonder how XS would compare to HE1000 V2.
HE1000 V2 is supposed to be smoother and more natural than HE1000se and HE1000 Stealth.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

i just got the Hifiman HE1000 stealth and strangely I still prefer my Edition XS over the more expensive HE1000. The bass and mid has more timbre to the XS. The HE1000 is certainly much clearer sounding but for certain genre like pop and dance type music and slow meditation/sleep music, the XS really shines.

Not surprised. I find the XS the most natural sounding of the Hifimans I've tried. Though the Arya SE is slightly more detailed, the XS just sounds better overall, and one big aspect to that is the timbre and realism of the sound. The Arya SE sounds slightly metallic and fake in comparison. The Ananda SE just sounded closed in and dry in comparison.

Its really a remarkable headphone at its price point.

 

[debart]

Just got the XS refurb for $280. Almost too good to pass up.

Liking it so far except for the headband. Not sure if it's going to bother me long term.

Has anyone modded it with a strap like this

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1548705110/hifiman-comfort-strap

How happy are you with the result? How hard was it to install? I'm wary about breaking something, knowing hifiman's builds are rather iffy.

Thanks

 

[Kentajalli]

Just got the XS refurb for $280. Almost too good to pass up.

Liking it so far except for the headband. Not sure if it's going to bother me long term.

Has anyone modded it with a strap like this

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1548705110/hifiman-comfort-strap

How happy are you with the result? How hard was it to install? I'm wary about breaking something, knowing hifiman's builds are rather iffy.

Thanks

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-edition-xs-mods.961413/
Two years ago
Scroll down to 6 Jan 2022

 

[bagwell359]

I wonder how XS would compare to HE1000 V2.
HE1000 V2 is supposed to be smoother and more natural than HE1000se and HE1000 Stealth.

HFM has canilly tuned the XS. But to my ears there is very large gulf between them and any of those HEK's. The v2 has less treble energy than the XS. The Stealth somewhat similar, and the SE the most. All 4 need PEQ.

Now if the system running them is modest, the XS is probably the best bet.

 

[bagwell359]

I use EQ on my headphones. If you are looking for clear mids and sound stage then the HE1000 stealth has that down. The risk is the some of the highs and mids can get harsh.

Highs 3.5-6k has to be treated with PEQ, but mids harsh? I don't hear that, what aspect do you mean?

I had to tone it down with EQ.

EQ or PEQ? EQ is like using a broadsword, PEQ (6 or more bands) is like rapier.

if you are comparing without EQ, then HEK is better in all aspect, but with EQ XS does very well.

I am keeping the HEK mainly for my Jazz and classical music. The instruments are very detailed.

And if you believe in burning in time then I haven’t allowed these cans to burn in yet.

About 90 hrs ought to do it.

With or without PEQ the HEK Stealth >> XS - IMO.

 

[psy472]

Highs 3.5-6k has to be treated with PEQ, but mids harsh? I don't hear that, what aspect do you mean?

EQ or PEQ? EQ is like using a broadsword, PEQ (6 or more bands) is like rapier.

About 90 hrs ought to do it.

With or without PEQ the HEK Stealth >> XS - IMO.

I’m not good with PEQ, could never get it right. I used both software and hardware EQ and sometimes mix EQ with PEQ. Usually doing EQ stacking will cause more distortion but the Schiit Lokius has next to 0 distortion. Weird, I know but that’s how I like it.

Maybe my XS is somewhat faulty but the mid is a bit harsh on high volume.

I value different things in music. I go for sound that’s smooth and flow instead of quick and clear unless the music type demands it. The other plus to the XS is being able to drive it to 90% of its best using just a portable dac/amp like my BTR7.

 

[bagwell359]

I’m not good with PEQ, could never get it right. I used both software and hardware EQ and sometimes mix EQ with PEQ. Usually doing EQ stacking will cause more distortion but the Schiit Lokius has next to 0 distortion. Weird, I know but that’s how I like it.

Various web sites offer PEQ numbers, a good basis to use to learn settings and to arrive at a pleasing result.

Lokius is fine as far as it goes.

I have always heard the XS as a bit bright, but, didn't investigate much since I granted its lack of perfection due to its price. But as some are comparing it favorably to the HEK line I read up on it, and considered my experiences with it. There is need at 4.5k, 7.5k, and 12k for attenuation - using steep but not broad curves. No fixed band EQ - even a 31 band is going to allow that to be done.

Maybe my XS is somewhat faulty but the mid is a bit harsh on high volume.

OK, that is then a given. But I'll mention it *Could* be the difficult areas in the treble on 2nd and beyond harmonics.

I value different things in music. I go for sound that’s smooth and flow instead of quick and clear unless the music type demands it. The other plus to the XS is being able to drive it to 90% of its best using just a portable dac/amp like my BTR7.

Once price is factored in, the XS is a very high performer - but like the HEK Stealth and my HE-6 SE and HE-500, they need PEQ (IMO) to get that insightful yet smooth sound I value too.