HiFiMAN Edition XS Review - $500 just got a lot more competitive 

Please, PLEASE review the also from HiFiMan Deva Pro's next!!! IMO, as a total package it's THE best value in ALL of open-back over-ear headphones! Yeah, ALL OF THEM. ESPECIALLY for first time high end headphone buyers! (Aka no suitable DAC + amp setup.) The wired headphones & their near 2020 Sundara level quality drivers but with much more warm, "fun", & less hyper-analytical tuning are almost worth the $330 price of admission just by themselves! And that's before even mentioning the normally $150 if bought ala-carte & now deliciousy analog R2R based, 2nd Gen "Bluemini" combo R2R DAC + amp + "high-res" (LDAC & aptX HD) Bluetooth receiver dongle!!! :D

@@Cooe. Thought they reviewed the Deva Pro's already?

@@JTB-- OG Deva's only afaik. And there's a BIG ol' difference between the OG's & Pro's. Lol that new analog as all hell R2R based in-house "Himalaya" DAC is truly something fucking else, in the bestest way possible... Let alone the updated, now Stealth Magnet packing, & notably retuned for the better drivers. IMO, they went from being "a pretty fucking cool idea but still with a number "meh" factors" to an ABSOLUTELY GOD-TIER, BANG/$ TABLE DESTROYING VALUE basically over night w/ the Pro update haha.

@@Cooe. I don't think Resolve did an official review of the Deva Pro's but I remember him talking about them after CanJam 2021

@@JTB-- Source by any chance? I'm VERY interested in his thoughts. Though a proper review would be far, FAR preferred to takes from a loud show floor demo, I'll take what I can get. 🤷‍♂️ Haha.

Lol 😂

Yeah, I might even compensate it to show that, or find some other solution for showing 'sound signature'. Because people really seem to misunderstand headphone measurements and targets a lot.

@@ResolveReviews You should make a measurement database like Crin's. It's super convenient just picking graphs and compare with whatever smoothness you want. BTW what is the smoothness value of Harman ? I wanna use it in Crin's graph comparison tool.

@@musicxxa6678 We're working on ways of representing the graphs that are a good balance of usability and accuracy. Then it'll eventually be put into some database.

@@ResolveReviews Keep up the good work. We are following! 11:26. I feel like you are hinting something here :) I hope you guys can find some correlations between the measurements and what we hear in terms of technicalities and other stuff.

We miss your videos! All love my man ❤️

the legend

Please share your opinion about the XS especially compared with the ananda

Please come back ignore the haters

@@davidmason8212 have not heard it

Have you also tried the Arya Stealth?

They own all the price brackets. Edition xs is better than meze 109 pro

Do you just plug them into your desktop? how do you use them? I am very new to headphones lol and was looking at the edition xs

@@bubberduck4964 I am using SMSL M300SE DAC/Headphone amp.Although even plug to a desktop they will play alright.But with the SMSL (affordable but high performing dac with cyrrus logic D/A chips) they really sound outstanding.I have also "Focal listen" headphones but the Edition XS are outstanding!Also they are not heavy and they are comfort to listen on long sessions.Cheers!

​@@bubberduck4964Planar headphones like this benefit from an amplifier (maybe a DAC too but that's less important). Pick up an AMP like the JDS atom or an AMP + DAC like the Fiio K11 and you'll be good.

​@@bubberduck4964 you are definitely going to want to get a stand-alone amplifier does not have to be anything fancy but it will make a big difference in overall sound quality

No, about the same as the others.

I have the Fulla e in my bedroom system and have the Hi-Fi man 560 V4. It actually drives them quite well at about 1:00 and quiet tracks at about 4:00. The living room system uses a magni which actually gives more space and definition to the quality of sound.

They are actually much more comfortable with memory foam earpads. They have stiffer earpads and no swivel combined really bad for comfort. Memory foam pads nicely conform your face so you don't miss the lack of swivel.

it's so personal though. I actually like the snuck fit of the Sundara's, I guess they just fit my skullsize really well.

yes as a Suds 2020 owner I wouldn't buy this as well, esp as also have Deva Pro which for musicality I really enjoy, I also use the blue mini to drive my Sundaras when wandering about just requires a 2 part cable and I can use blue mini 2 r2r with any of my balanced headphones

100% - if you have a sundara there’s no need to rush out and get the XS. Ananda on sale is a more logical next step.

@@Reeeepicheep I don't know. XS seems to have better bass than the Ananda according to Resolve and except that both Ananda and XS seems similar. Besides one can get a brand new XS for a similar price as a used Ananda (which is important due to the infamous Hifiman QC control). So, for some one (including Sundara users) who wants to venture into the egg shaped hifiman cans (which generally has better sound stage), XS seems to offer better VFM.

you might look at the Dt 1990s and try pad swapping them to the dekoni velour or hybrid pads.

its a new product...should be edition xs only china exclusive...now they bring in on the western user

Six months later and XS is now universally acclaimed.

I would go for he6se tbh

@@kalakalaiand3343 Those require a really high end amp that costs more than the headphones or hell even a speaker amp though and the HE6SE has some tuning problems that the Edition XS rectified

@@adilahismail2440 yeah, they cost like €1500 in my country compared to €520-550 for the XS

@@adilahismail2440 agreed but i belive affordable amps like jot 2 with he6se will be better than xs for sure

IMO, a much better use of your money would be to pad-swap your Sundara. To do so, you'll need to acquire a pair of HIFIMAN pad mounting rings. (Generally speaking, though, you'd be better off saving for a truly special headphone... and/or upgrade your DAC and/or amp in the meantime.)

Always possible.

XS has more low end/Bass

Have had it for 2 weeks now and it’s an awesome headphone indeed. Headband/fit is hit or miss; personally i love it. Low clampforce and just dissapears after wearing it for a while. For me, it’s a perfect headphone 👍

Should I buy Edition XS or HD 660s?

​@@Chopper153 edition xs is probably the best headphone under 1000 dollars. 660s is not even in the same playing field

Sundara does not have more bass than the Ananda, XS. Slightly more dynamic though.

@@theunsbotha5188 I just ordered the XS 👍.

@@joshuasterling2144 on which amp are you listing it and what do you think of it? is it non fatiguing and enjoyable ?

If you're looking for something to last, you might want to consider the Sundaras. They're probably one of the best built Hifiman. They're still one of the best value for money headphones, even if new things have come along in other price ranges above and below it.

Go watch Golden Sound's review

@@bluemonstrosity259 i saw golden soud review, but crins rate the he1000 v2 on par with the focal utopia which got me curious since you can get the v2 for half the price when they're on sale. Plus goldensound had a very old models of both headphones (Arya v1 and the HE v2 with 2.5mm plugs).

@@orthosympa6993 there are HE1000V2 with 3.5? I'm not aware of that

I have that same issue. I still find them to be a less secure feel. Love the sound hate the fit.

When they are gonna invent adjustable clamping force lol. You can swivel and adjust the headband height but you can't change the clamping force conveniently.

@@musicxxa6678 I wish that feature too in the future. I had to sell my SHP9500 bec. of fit issue. Too effin loose in my head when I tilt up/down 😑

I had the HEXv2 and Ananda. The Ananda cleans up the signature a bit, less distortions and peaks, and adds some sparkle to the treble. The soundstage is a step up. However all of these nice things come at a cost... that extra treble detail can be a bit grainy sometimes. I couldn't say how the XS compares but if the tonal balance is closer to the Xv2 then I'd prefer it imo. Also, it could be amp pairing or pads on my end. Overall, Ananda's a great headphone. Slightly better than the HEX most of the time, but slightly worse some of the time, imo.

Depends on your OS. Could be ViPER4Android on rooted Android, Wavelet on non-rooted Android, PulseEffects on Ubuntu varieties of Linux, Equalizer APO for Windows...

@@d0nj03 what I meant was what EQ to fix the zingy treble. If I remember correctly it’s around -5dB at 12khz with a Q of 4

Damn, you got me.

@@ResolveReviews I would be glad to send you some CBD Salve to help in your recovery . It helped Zeos to recover from his terrible Anime / autoerotic accident of 2012 . Poor kid hasn't been able to do a face reveal in years

hahaha

@@turbomustang84 Zeos recovered, oh OK 😂😂😂

Well with the Ananda you probably do want a good seal. With Edition XS, it's not that you want a gap, it's merely that it's fine if there is one because Fs is so low. Fs is higher on the Ananda.

Did you get an answer?

Never did but am powering them nicely with ifi Zen Can amp

Same her, may e a little at first but I prefer the suspension strap on the. to the new headband that is on the deva pro I also have

Different head shapes, most likely.

You need a susvara

@@Cxs1a3 it's on the maybe list but I'm not ready for it yet, still working out my preferences

Not the exact comparison you were looking for but I have owned both the sundara and the ananda, and more recently the LCD-X and I can say that the latter is definitely headband inducing haha. The dynamics are unreal! Had to return it though due to some issue with one of the drivers.. broke my heart.

@@spacelama666 I almost wish you hadn't told me this lol. I'm currently using the Sundara for rock but if the LCD X is that much better I might have to bite the bullet on the weight and the price someday.

I’m wondering if you ever picked up the LCD X? I just got my Edition XS and I’m already looking for the next best thing planar wise. I’m between the LCD X, Arya Organic and He1000 v2

@danielgregson2023 I haven't yet. Though I've heard great things about the Arya Organic. If I personally had the money and needed an all-rounder, that would be my pick.

thats bullshit, as long as it is getting enough power, if your Zen Can can get your headphones loud enough you won't have any benefits from going to another solid state amp, it is technically transparent with a pretty nice SNR

you can easily eq a bass shelf to any planar

@@RF-INF planars benefit from more current. Bigger amps with larger capacitor banks will drive planars better at the exact same volume. Manufacturers like audeze and hifiman have come out stating this fact.

@@enjoshi-godrez8775 So IFI Zen Can will not be enough for drive them? You have ruin my day, I had high hopes for these, but I would not buy a new amp just to drive them.

@@kentbergstrom3020 It will drive them fine, its just their Ican Pro isn't their most expensive amp for no reason, it is going to sound better but that varies from headphone to headphone how much difference a better amp makes and the XS are not that power hungry so the difference would be very small.

if you do start a review channel please let me know, for the short time it exists before being removed I think it will be very uhhh entertaining 😂😂😂

Yeah, I wish he'd been clearer about driveability, I couldn't understand anything he said, 1. because he said the amp names too fast, 2. because he seems to like talking only about expensive stuff that most of the world knows nothing about, and that shouldn't be necessary for midrange headphones (impact-appropriate budgeting means not spending nearly as much on the source as on the transducers). If I look at the specs the BAL output of the ZenDAC v2 can put 330 mW into 32 ohms, but iFi also recommends that output for 16-600 ohm headphones. Assuming that means at least the amperage capability stays the same going down from 32 to 16 ohms, you would get around a 185 mW max into the EdXS. So with the EdXS efficiency of 92 dB/mW, that means your max output works out to 92 + 10*lg(185) = 114.69 dB, almost perfect for even the loudest passages in the most dynamically demanding symphonic music. But this is only when powered from the wall, otherwise iFi says "If powered from USB, power output may vary".

I have ZEN DAC V2, and it does NOT give enough power to the XS. Even with a DC 5V P/S, i doesn't matter. At 3 o'clock on hi-gain, the XS starts to fart out. This, when the volume is only JUST starting to get loud enough for a comfortable 85-90db (for me, anyway). So, it depends on if you use EQ and how loud you like your music. I'd certainly run the Zen Dac into a separate amp, for the XS.

@@JohnSmith-oe4bw Yeah, what you call "comfortable" mandates that employers provide hearing protection if they're subjecting you to such sound levels throughout an entire workday :)), but at the same time what I said above was just a best estimate considering iFi didn't really tell us how the device performs below 32 ohms, there was always the possibility that it gets real weak real fast. I don't recommend that you keep listening at 80-90 dB average unless you're in a hurry to join us at the Hearing Damage and Tinnitus club, but I will agree that any amp that can't push these headphones to hearing-damage levels without distortion is not quite the perfect amp for them - ideally you want that headroom to be available, and the guaranteed fully linear behavior below it at normal listening levels.

I wouldn't. Arya SM are on another level

v2 though right?

5g fan edition se

@@crazykev5 aliexpress with promocode

@@crazykev5 yep

What did you get?

@@pvhari2000 Hi, I bought edition xs with zen stack. It was good. Now I upgraded to Topping E70+ Topping A90D with Hifiman HE1000 SE. It is not exaggerating to say that XS is not far behind HE1000SE which is 8X its price. I think It would be better to skip Ananda and buy newer Arya organic along with newer Hifiman EF600 Dac/amp if available in Headphone zone. this combo would be extremely good. anything beyond this combo price will give diminishing results.

@@gamingandmusic9217 Thank you for the detailed answer!

Audeze Mobius build quality sucks, the side of the headband broke easily.. bought 1 spoiled, 1 for 1 exchange for a 2nd set, same issue happened

If you really wanna use it portable with that dap, go Ananda or iem.

I can't recommend the DT1990 because it's extremely sibilant with a massive 8.5khz peak. It's just far too piercing for me.

@@ResolveReviews I already ordered them but I wanted to test them with different ear pads and EQ settings, but I have seen a lot of the issues lying in the treble. I am new to headphones so I don’t entirely know what you’re referring to, but I would love to hear your recommendation in the 500-600 price range. I greatly appreciate your response

Did you get that figured out?

@@LastAphelion EQ the damn thing to Harman and added a bass shelf.