$200 vs $600 Amplifier!? Which is best for the Hifiman XS? 

I really like these sort of videos that answer those niche questions, or maybe its just cause I have an XS running on Schitt already! ;) Thanks Josh!

This type of content definately has its benefits. At least for me. I found it educational and enjoyed it very much. Hope to see more. Thank you.

Got an open box Edition XS for $350. I am happy

I bought the Edition XS and SMSL SU-6 and SH-6, partly due to your reviews of them, and find the default tuning of the XS to be the best I have ever experienced. With all my other headphones through various Sennheisers, Focal Elegia, Sundara, and some lower-end stuff I have always been able to EQ the headphone and it sounds better overall after doing so. I have tried for hours on numerous days since owning them and I cannot EQ a net positive benefit outside of a small 2 dB bass shelf. I don't even find the bass shelf to be necessary, but it helps add just a tiny bit more punch on some songs so I leave it. There is just something about the default tuning that sounds very 'natural' and unique to me that I can't shake once I start EQing. Was fun to listen along to the songs you used in the video and then compare your experience to mine. Muddy Waters sounded a little bass light for sure but the vocals sounded pretty good. Sidetracked sounded INCREDIBLE to me, just a very full and lush sound overall. In So Handsome Hello, that metallic chime sound alone will have me coming back to that song. All of Me feat. Kiah Victoria is also just amazing, absolutely love her voice.

Really like this format. I can compare my gear with what you describe and get an idea of what you are trying to convey.

Edition XS on Topping E30 --> Zen Can here. For songs like Muddy Waters (LP) I have to turn off x-bass, because it becomes too dominant. So not sure what you are hearing Josh, bass seems plenty and fine to me. Also: big fan of Woodkid, S16 is such a phenomenal album for listening on the XS. Great article!

This is a great idea, talking about this gear outside the context of a singular review is a good idea.

I do like the comparison videos and hope you will continue with them. On a straight-up basis, I like to see your review of the Schiit Bifrost (maybe a comparison with a full R2R DAC) and the Burson Soloists 3X. How about a review of that system - you choose the headphones. (Arya or Clear/Elex) ?

Would love one of these kind of vids for the LCD-X

Hi Josh and many thanks for your great videos. For my Hifiman XS, I am using digital players, the Hi-Res FiiO M7 with DAC or the Hi-Res Shanling M3X with double DAC, and I am quite pleased with the result, at half of the volume available. Do you think that with this kind of players an external ampli would still improve substantially the sound quality ? Kind regards, Pierre

Thanks for the comparison Josh. I’ve been thinking about the XS for my second headphone (have the 6XX) and the Singxer to replace my Zen Dac then look for a new DAC. I’m new to the hifi and trying not to waste too much time getting the sound I like best.

Hi Josh - thanks for all the great reviews & info! They've been very helpful to me as I'm getting more into headphones. Quick comment: as others below have already said, I'm surprised to hear you say the Edition XS is lacking in bass!!?? I've had mine for 5-6 months & I find the bass (in most cases) pretty much perfect - well balanced, plenty of volume/body, great tone & texture, and as a former professional musician - very realistic/accurate. BTW, that's listening through either a Schitt Magni or even directly off my iPad (with Apple dongle).

thanks dude for doing this vid with my Schiit Magnius an my desired cans !!!!! next id love to get your take on which is best eq to use with those cans an that amp either pc base software or the Lokius 6-Band Balanced Tone Control ?

Hi Josh, I think this is a great format to compare some upstream equipment using the headphone in the spotlight. I'd like to see some hyped headphones from the recent past with the newer upstream equipment. Thanks! I'm a 6XX + THX AAA 789 + Grace SDAC Bal user asking for focal, hifiman and audeze! :D

For the XS I prefer the warm setting on the Atmos app, sounds great. This headphone is really capable of great bass but you have to eq it up.

Production quality was fine & great

Thanks to you I am now rocking Edition XS with Topping DX3 pro +. This is the killer combo for me and I swear I am not thinking about upgrade anytime soon. I SWEAR. So enjoyable to watch your video about Edition XS on Edition XS lol

Nice review, can you advice which Amplifier is suitable die the Sennheiser HD 250 lineair II ?

Like the off the cuff review, hot takes are the best takes!

Josh this is perfect example of subjectivity. The Edition xs bass is killer for my setup. I've never heard one person before you have lacking bass for this headphone. Maybe try EQ because lack of bass is last thing from the DNA of this headphone that applies to it. And if Xs lacks bass then the sundara ...which you at first praised for its bass must not have any bass

Did you try it on the XI Broadway? The Arya Stealth sound great through that little amp!

Hi Josh, what's the headphone cable you are using. I noticed those are not stock. Thanks.

What's the source for music? Streaming from your phone? I am interested in small source for desktop. Using old CD player.

I just bought the Edition XS and have it plugged in with a Topping EX5. The truth is that it sounds amazing! But I don't know if I put a better dacamp on it I could improve the audio quality even more. That's my doubt, if it could scale the audio quality a bit more and take the Edition XS to the maximum of it scalability!

Just got a deal of $421 for the XS and $340 the Liquid Platinum amp, paired with an SMSL SU9, man i'm in heaven, my first headphone setup for 2/3 of the price of my LS50 Meta makes me so much happier and get my love for music back!

I have the XS with the DX3 Pro+. Is the performance worth buying the Schiit stack or any other stack? Or just keep what I have?

Can you please review the new chord mojo 2. I’ve been waiting your feed back on it

I am using an xduoo XA10 and it pairs very well with the Hifiman Edition XS in XLR balanced mode.

I’m wondering some headphones are easy to drive like ananda,Do I still need an amp? Will it improve the sound quality a lot?

I have the Edition XS paired with a Magni Heresy and Modi 3E DAC - Personally I think its sounds quite good. I actually have the pads reversed, and while they dont quite go back on properly, they leave a gap at the bottom which seems to increase the amount of bass and also bass detail, not a lot, but I find it helps. Do you have any recommendations for a SE cable, one better than stock?

Curious what DAC was being used to these amps? Also what was the source going to the DAC? I recently got open box HIFIMAN Edition XS as my 1st Planar Magnetic Headphones. Depending how and what I'm using and driving them . Quite difference between. Still completely amazed how these XS sound. Sadly never head anything in the plus $600 to $1k+ headphones.

what was that XLR cable? Its lovely!

I like these sort of videos

Pair the Magnius with the Zen DAC then you will get the Bass that makes the hifiman a much better experience

would a magni be able to run these headphones?

Hi!! I'm choosing a good headphone for listen soundtracks (bso films). Could you make some recommendations under 1000€? Thanks.

My XS seemed to pair the best with my iFi iDSD Signature, was a match made in heaven, 3D and Xbass toggles enabled. It seemed like a different headphone, a more exciting one. I wasn't as impressed with the XS on my Hifiman EF400, Schiit Asgard 3, THX 788, Liquid Spark or Vali 2. For DACS I was using a iFi Zen DAC air, DAC part of the EF400 and a Topping D10s. I've tried using balanced cables when possible.

I feel like the Lokius is the obvious thing that doesn't get mentioned enough. A $200 amp + Lokius is going to match or beat all these "its a little more bass" or "a little sweeter" for 3-4X as much $$ - and it will work with a lot more headphones favorably. Personally, start with a Lokius and build out from there and you won't be chasing your tail flipping things for tiny differences IME.

i just bought a DT1770 pro by looking at alot of your vidoes before deciding. I love them, but i feel like i lack in power as it is reviews as a big base headset. Just the way i like it. I have a soundblaster z internal soundcard. where some people say buying a amp is a waste of mney and wont do much when i already have a soundcard. While othere people say that is not near enough for that headset. I want to aske the community and YOU, What do you recommend if i have about 300$ to spend on an amp IF it will get a real noticable improvement.

Please help! Does anyone know if the Hifiman XS would pair well with the Cambridge DACMagic 200M? Seems like they would go great together, but i don't know a lot about this area of audio.

Hi, i am thinking of buying the Edition xs, so Is a great video. What do you think about the dx3pro+ vs the other 200usd dac/amp feature in this video? (Noob en the hobby, so every aclaration Is important) greetings from Argentina (sorry for my shit english)

I was between getting a stack like the JDS Atom or a amp/dac combo like the Topping DX3 Pro+ or the Fiio K7 and ended up getting the Topping DX3 Pro+ due to the features and design (BT, remote control, 80s style with orange LEDs). I am pretty sure those all sound identical and perform equally well, it's more about the features and looks.

Would a topping A90 D and Denafrips ares 2 be overkill?

Ciao posso secindo te ifi gryphon e in grado di pilotare le hifiman he1000 stealth?

good video. bought the xs few months ago and never really enjoyed them. no matter what amp i am using. i keep going back to my 660s or he r9. really really want to enjoy the xs but i just dont.

I purchased the Singxer SA-1 for my Sennheiser HD 660S headphone. I found the sound to be "veiled" or somewhat muffled compared to every other amp I had previously used, so I sold it on eBay (I kept it past the free return date). Then I bought the Schiit Magnius, and it is much more accurate. Accurate means that if a recording is too bright and harsh, you will hear that, because the Magnius is not forgiving of a bad recording or a recording tuned (or voiced) by a recording studio to be played on cheap IE headphones on a smart phone. But I listen to enough high quality recordings that I much prefer the Magnius. Note that I used the Magnius in fully balanced mode from the DAC to the amp and from amp to the headphones (the HD 660S comes with both balanced and SE cables). As many are aware, there is a jumper mod than can performed inside the SA-1 case to bypass the input capacitors, and supposedly remove the "veil." I did not try that since most other reviewers said the difference is only slight, although some more recent reviewers say the difference is definitely more noticeable and makes the SA-1 more accurate. I personally would not recommend the the SA-1 unless you are willing to do the jumper mod, but that voids the warranty.

I've found that listening without a hat/glasses (or adjusting your glasses so they don't break the seal) improves bass response and presence.

Two comments... there is also the synergy factor that you didn't consider. For an upgrade, instead of the Singxer I would have suggested the Jotunheim 2, which I've heard is one of the best choices for these headphones, I'm still undecided between the Jut and the Burson Audio Conductor 3 Reference, which does not fit in this comparison. The other thing is that I currently use my XS only with the THX Onyx, which is not the best choice but what I have until I get a better amp, and I did find bass a tiny bit short for my taste even considering that I am not a basshead at all, so I'm using a little bit of EQ and now they sound fantastic! No need to go frustrated for not being able to afford crazy expensive headphones such as the Abyss, just use a EQ to adjust bass to your liking and voila!

I use the Schiit Magni modi+ combination for listening to my iMac iTunes ..I have no complaints

This is an excelent review, most of this please. I like the fact that you point to the songs, any chance you could add them to the description? Always appreciate to hear what others consider good testing songs. Greetinga from Panama.

I think given the high popularity of the Drop THX-789, including it in the mix even if at slightly above the $200 mark, would have been advantageous

Please do one and tell us what is best for $hd800s!!!

If you want more bass use EQ or get a ZEN CAN with x-bass.

What balanced cable is he using?

what balance cable are those?

1:42 From the 1950s came the truism that the electronics could be viewed as consistent in the sound path. The input microphone, record or tape was a conversion device (from sound or media to electronic) and needed to be the best available. The speakers or headphones were the output conversion back from electronic to sound. They also needed to be the best. If everything is equal then spending more on the input and/or output devices will yield more noticeable improvement, than spending on the amplification. This (of course) assumes that the amplifier is gain, power, and impedance matched to the in/out. Today we add a midstream conversion to and from digital that can also affect the final sound. Following the same analogy, the voice or instrument being recorded needs to be the best, and the listener's ear needs to be treated like a fine instrument. It is the final conversion device and it needs to be understood that we all hear things differently.

I have my edition xs paired up with the ifi zen dac+can stack. Curios as to what the difference would be going with either of these two amps.

there is a difference if you NEED or WANT a amp for the edition xs. You can run the edition xs just fine and loud enough from a iphone with dongle dac or laptop or even a ps5 controller. a amp just makes thing LOUDER and not better. i guess every audiophile has hearing loss when saying you NEED a amp for edition xs. its like having a diskussion with people who believe the earth is flat: the discussion is pointless. for all the people thinking what amp they should buy: you dont need a amp for gods sake

thanks!

There seems to be a near-unanimous consensus that the bass on the XS is substantial relative to Hifiman's other offerings. Is the bass perhaps not as *impactful* as dynamics?

What about a DAP like the Fiio BTR7?

A lot of people say the HD-600 is scalable. How about using it with two different amps, both with sufficient power, to see what differences you find?

Singxer SA-1 vs Gustard H16 please :)

Question. Is the Edition XS and upgrade over the Sundara solely for rock and metal? Just got myself a Sundara and it performs well for other genres. But I primarily listen to rock and metal and it has been quite underwheing so far :(

they sound really good on my jotunheim 2.

I think headphones is the best answer 90% of the time. I paired down to 4 headphones and I'm going to have 6 max. Some variety and slowly going up in quality.

I have 3 pairs overhead headphones,1 open,1closed,1planar an i have 1iem and ksc75 (Wich i liked pressed to my ears). Mostly i use iem trn v80 and my Android 3.5mm phone.becouse sometimes i just want to enjoy the vibe without to much analysing stuff. Maybe I just miss time ,when walkman and included headphones, were enough to get you going :)... I make some music electronic mostly breaks and techno. When I need to keep low profile at night hours I use closed dt770 80 ohm when i want to experience sound and get pleasure of sound i use open HD 650 older revision with custom XLR cable. When i make music in Ableton do some bass or lead sounds on synth I use planar Fostex t50rp mk3 ,no mods. only they give me info how bass sound on speakers or how much fx do I need..they are te worst experience and most uncomfortable but they are only one I can trust. Downside is their efficiency but i got solid amp thx flat smsl sh-9. And i must mention when i get this amp in use i emidietly got impression what are the sound signatures of my headphones. It is very important thing to me and i think everyone deserves to have amp like this and only then you get the opportunity to know your headphones.. before this amp i was using default soundcard phones out and loxije p20 balanced amp ,and my conclusions where al wrong. Now when i have good neutral amp i can clearly hear what i gain what i loose..that loxije amp is only good with hd 650 and everything else is disaster because higher output resistance and own tuning. Maybe this topic is something that implys to you as default knowledge but it took me so much time to learn this,and When is discussion about some headphones it should always be some base point description of their included sound signature when paird with neutral amp and then will be interesting to introduce some amps with impactful character to go in some exciting fields of sound character creation... It takes time to learn thing or two especially with sound Wich is very subjective Field.i have 2 questions : 1.If someone have experience in monitoring headphones that could give insight when sound designing, how it will sound on studio monitors please share i only have experience with Fostex t50rp mk3. Hd650 are ok for mids but can not trust them on bass. Something that resonates with wide sound spectrum, tight detailed sound ,whit solid orientation in space and good fx character judgement. 2.And as HD 650 is something that i use when i want to enjoy music what will be interesting upgrade in terms of more pleasure comfort in better reproduction of bass notes ,go deeper ,stay thight,and pronaunced highs are welcome to and details are much appreciated..i listen mostly electronic music and it is wery enjoble when bass is not loose or muddy and can go deep, without of negative interaction with mids. I do not care about vocals,like to hear where sounds are positioned,like to hear character of reverb and compression. It should be fun experience with fun being accent. :) Thank you all as a community in advance. :)

This is the kind of stuff i've been waiting for. I'm using a pair of HD650, and been thinking about going from a Vali 2, to a Valhalla, but I'm honestly not sure how much of a difference I should expect. Otherwise I could look into getting better headphones, but I'm already going into the 1k+ range for that upgrade then

I think once you cross a certain level with amplifiers, jumps dont come that easily. Both are desktop class, well build, low distortion etc. Where Singster will win is definitely versatility. Low noise floor and usable volume knob for iems while doing justice to XS.

Does anyone drive the Edition XS with ifi Zen stack (dac + can) using the balanced cable ? It seems on the can with gain +6db if I pass after 12-13 mark on volume it starts to lag and interrupt the sound in headphones... does this happens to others too ? I am using foobar2000 with volume set to max. It seems the issue is with the zen CAN.... it doesnt have enough power to drive the Hifiman edition XS to max... on 0 gain it starts lagging and intrerupts with foobar2000 volume on max and volume to max on zen CAN. if I hit +6db gain on Zen Can it starts lagging and interrupting as I said at 60% of the max volume on Zen CAN. Maybe my zen Can is deffective ? I tried edition XS on FiiO K5 PRO directly and it can be really loud without interrupting.

would be nice to show alternatives to Shiit products as they've got SHIT availability throughout Europe... in my TWO years I looked up, I never saw the products I'm interested in being in store...

Do you need a dedicated amp in order for these to sound well?

Next: Which is the the best Ampflifier for Hifiman Sundara please.

The ominous background music makes me feel like you're gonna shoot a puppy in the end or something.

XS vs Arya Stealth please

With how I was treated with the HEL2 debacle, I may never buy another Schiit product.

Mind melting

Now check if the same brand hifiman ef400 amplifier helps a tiny bit... 😉

Tell Schiit to start selling their products on Amazon again. They have been “currently unavailable” for months.

I take issue with a few of the things said. [6:53] If you're hearing ambient background noise from the recording, it's intended. You should be taking better note of the fact that the ambient noise isn't as present on the Magnius by comparison. Which is a negative on transparency, not a positive to behold for the Magnius. You also made reference to the Singxer being better defined in the vocal region [3:36] for a brighter/sharper-sounding artist [2:24], then contradicted that by saying it sounded darker [3:50]. Accuracy is key, and these solid-state amplifiers are meant to reproduce sound in such a way. If one measures better, that means it's objectively more accurate. It doesn't make sense how a lesser measuring amplifier, like the Magnius, could come across as more accurate in certain aspects [5:00], or more dynamic [6:10]. The measurements disagree. You also later contradicted yourself again, stating you thought the Singxer had better dynamic ability [8:48]. The confusing narrative about how you're undecided on which is more accurate is just silly [9:53].

Or else get a single ended THX AAA™ ONE LINEAR AMPLIFIER Currently on sale for $149

MOAR

I wouldn't spend more on the amp than did the headphone and since I just got Edition XS for $329. 😏 ...Really I'm using the Aune x7s I already had.

ZenCan Signature HFM the best for XS 😎😁

Ino, these are both such good amps that your bottleneck is gonna end up being the source, streaming.

Is there any objective, scientific proof that these amps make headphones sound better in any way other than volume? It just seems ridiculous to me that people are being recommended to spend hundreds or even thousands on amps when the only basis for why they should do so is a subjective detection of audio improvement that sound equipment cannot detect, and not only that, but which fail blind tests consistently. If the audible improvement from one amp over another cannot be determined as more than a placebo, how is it reasonable to advise people to spend so much money on them when they can drive their headphones with sufficient clean power for a dramatically lower cost?

I really enjoy your channel & uploads but your opinion on the XS on multiple uploads has bugged the heck out of me. I wasn't going to post but this latest review has had me bothered for a few weeks every time I use my XS cans. I really respect and admire your knowledge but now feel I have to take your opinion with a grain of salt as you're absolutely wrong when it comes to the XS's Bass capability. You've had multiple chances to test this but still come to the same conclusion. What bothers me is when starting out I would have watched your review and simply looked past the XS because of your opinion. The XS has the most insane quality Bass/ Sub Bass I've ever experienced, granted I've never tried the LCD's but most other mid-high spec cans. The XS when EQ'd and then paired with a decently powered amp will absolutely blow your head off. The drivability of these cans is astounding, the amount of headroom is endless and the XS truly shines when EQ'd. I feel like this should be part of your testing procedure. Just my 2c to anyone looking for an incredible pair of cans capable of absolutely amazing Bass when paired with a decent amp.

The XS is only 18 ohm, you can drive this headphone from any source, it doesn't need an amp.

The Asgard 3 has better current control than the magnius. You kinda missed the mark on this. The magnius isn't really good for low impedance low sensitivity planars and the asgard 3 does much better.

I didn't hear a lot of deep clean bass or punch or slam on any of those test tracks. On the other hand my bass playlist kicks ass. ru-vid.com/group/PLIiIuyCyAOnf2DBU7MRlhBu6KKOTbFqsz

audio sound alil weird to anyone else?

Just power it with goxlr mini people need to understand if your not sound professional you really don’t need more

Schiit ! 😊

First one here 😀

Hmmm 🤔 might be better if it didn’t have Hifiman 🤣

If an Amp sounds different it's simply broken. That's what someone told me and I kinda believe it. It's all snake oil.