Agree. But a DAC definitely can change tonality. The difference between a bright chip like an ESS Sabre and a very warm chip like a Burr-Brown is distinct when A/B testing, even to my aging, tinnitus-ravaged ears.
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I used to run my Argon mk3 from an L30 and it was plenty loud enough, but the bass wasnāt great. I upgraded to an A30pro and the difference was noticeable. Itās far more textured and controlled.
Iām running my XS off the A30pro and love it, so I definitely recommend the A30pro.
I can definitely see that a lot of people that like to hear mids and bass first with a gentle touch of treble (which is my exact preference) will buy them and say that they are too bright and unbalanced, because they kind of are for those people. If you have the same preferences as me and are considering these cans, you should know that youāll have to pair them right amp and dac-wise, because they donāt like to be EQ-ed and if you have only a China-fi V-shaped dac and neutral or V-shaped amp, Iād say donāt buy them. Out of my 3 amps I prefer them the most on my Zen Dac, because it has substantially recessed highs and I still find the experience a bit bright without EQ
I donāt agree with your assertion that they donāt like to be EQād. I have them EQād in two separate setups with:
- 2.5 dB low shelf @100Hz
- 2.5 dB peak @ 1700Hz
- 4.0 dB cut @ 11800Hz
Sounds great to me with zero distortion as long as the appropriate preamp reduction is made.
My setups are:
- Auralic Aries > Holo Audio Spring 3 > Holo Audio Azure
- iMac > Audirvana > Topping E50 > Violectric V281
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Iāve tried your EQ and it is a lot better than I expected, lol. You didnāt provide any Q factor or picture for midrange elevation, but I believe itās reasonable and gently starts at 1khz. Iāve poked with multiple treble peaks before, low shelving for bass and high shelving for treble and was disappointed by the sound every single time. I didnāt even try to fix mids after that, but your fix works surprisingly well and I didnāt find any track that would show me that the sound is falling apart. Sense of space degraded a bit, but I would trade a bit of space for better mids any day of the week. Didnāt like that low shelf thou, but I believe itās fine to disagree
The distortion that I was talking about earlier went away. I have no idea what it was - brain burn in or headphone burn in, or something else, but it doesnāt bother me anymore
Cool 
Iāve only had these cans for a little over 48 hours, so still playing around and comparing to my Ananda & Sundara.
I use Toneboosters EQ plugin with Audirvana and it gives me the option of using flat top peak filters and the option is ideal for the one below at 1700Hz. I donāt have the same option on my other setup with the Aries but it sounds fine.
- 100Hz / low shelf / Q 0.7 / + 2.5 dB
- 1700Hz / flat top 48 / Q 1.4 / + 2.5 dB (Q 2.0 with normal peak filter)
- 11800Hz / Peak / Q 7.0 / - 4.0 dB
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Hey, Iām new here.
Choosing right now my first pair of plannars and āmid-fiā headphones (currently have blon b8, closed back, and have superlux hd668b)
From a lot of research and reviews, I narrowed down to Sundara/Ananda. But since most reviews say that the Ananada has better imaging and are more neutral and a little better in sound quality as a whole, I was ready to pull the trigger, but then Edition XS appeared on my radar and the comments so far are very positive.
So since you have the 3, of could please share your thoughts on comparing them, especially the XS and Ananda, Iād appreciate.
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Hi.
Thereās a lot to consider before choosing including the genre/s you listen to most and even your age as it dictates at what frequency your hearing starts dropping away. For example Iāve discovered after a lot of experimentation last night and today that the large 12kHz peak on the Ananda & XS actually doesnāt bother me (coz Iām an old fart) and that the 3kHz & 5kHz peaks in the presence range do.
Personally I donāt agree that the Ananda is more neutral than the Sundara (2020 revision), to me the Ananda can sound thin in comparison. I find the Sundara to be the most tonally neutral but it falls behind the other two in other areas.
The bass on the Ananda is lacking and EQ doesnāt help as much as it should do, soundstage is great and they work really well for acoustic type material, somewhat OK for rock/pop and suck with EDM/electronic. I donāt listen to classical.
The Sundara doesnāt do anything especially well apart from itās more balanced tonality. It falls behind the other two in imaging, soundstage and spaciousness but doesnāt have any annoying peaks. Putting it into context, the soundstage is no worse than the Focal Clear and is probably even better. The bass is slightly lacking but better than the Ananda & EQs OK. To me the Sundara is for someone that doesnāt EQ, listens to rock & pop and just wants to listen to music without looking for the last word in resolution.
The XS wins the bass battle easily, much more extended and textured than the other two and works with electronic & soundtrack type material where there is sub bass evident. Similar to the Ananda in higher frequencies with the typical Hifiman recessed lower mids and peaky high mids/treble (3k, 5k, 8k, 12k) which can be problematic, depending on whether you are particularly sensitive to certain frequencies? Probably sounds a little fuller in the mids compared to the Ananda but itās early days with comparing.
So, clear as mud? 
If I ranked them (sound wise) to my taste and for the genres I listen to most it would be:
- Edition XS
- Sundara
- Ananda
Then there is the comfort issue but Iāll leave that alone for now.
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Thanks for the reply!
70% of the time iād say is classic rock (60/70s). Besides that its varied, everything but Hip-hop/rap/EDM. And I intend to use for movies/gaming ocasionaly, so thats one of the reasons I was looking for the Ananda vs the Sundara, because it has a better soundstage/imaging.
I was leaning towards the XS, and I think is the better choice for me.
I usually dont have problems with higher frequencies spikes. Oh, and yeah, EQ is no problem for me, will be using it as needed.
Cool - then I think the XS is definitely the choice
With EQ you have the option of cutting some of those frequencies I mentioned if they bother you and inserting a bass shelf if so inclined. Iāve settled on a +2dB low shelf @ 85Hz in conjunction with 2.5dB cuts @ 3.1kHz & 4.9kHz. Sounds great to me!
Oh and just keep in mind that the XS clamp force is really light - a bit disconcerting at first if you are used to tighter fitting cans but youāll get used to it. Just donāt make sudden head movements 
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I donāt get distortion on this either. Really brings out the sub-bass extension the Edition XS has, thanks for that. Itās very noticeably more extended on this track than other Hifimans I have (Ananda, HE400SE).
+1 on this, this style headband with the egg cups arguably wasnāt the best idea, it does feel like itās going to go flying if I shake my head. This style headband is fine with the round cups on the HE400SE, and the suspension band with the Ananda holds far more securely. Itās certainly not a dealbreaker but it does feel noticeably loose on the head, and the looseness contributes to quite a bit of creakiness with head movements.
I was worried about buying these as Iāve had a lot of headphones feel way too tight etc, but these are just right. So they might be designed for a slightly larger head.
The THX AAA 789 is on sale at Drop for $200 US, should I grab it to pair up with the Edition XS?
Hard no. Save that money for something like a used singxer sa-1. Iāve seen them between $350-400 quite a few times. The 789 has pretty poor resolving capabilities.
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Thanks for the recommendation,as of now a second hand Singxer sa-1 is pretty much non existent in Australia and getting a second hand one from overseas is not as much cheaper as well, but Iāll definitely keep an eye out for this model, I really appreciate your input.
Hi Iām new here and new to this hobby for just about 2 months now. I got my Edition XS last week dec 23 and had been listening to it mostly and leaving it with pink noise at night to burn in, I really like it and the best Iāve heard so far but Iāve only had the HD560s, HD650 and HE400se to compare. The resolution, soundstage, imaging and separation is really great and the sound is just bigger and more grand especially compared to the Senns.
My setup is Apple Music in Mac Mini > Qudelix 5K > Liquid Spark. and I did set the Liquid spark to high gain and max volume and control my volume from the mac (I kept Qudelix at 1 vrms)
What bothers me is just that there are some tracks that has too much spiciness on the cymbals and āSā and I need to EQ or just lower the volume a bit, but 95% of what I listen to I donāt need the EQ and prefer it that way.
I also found it to be the most comfortable, I have a big head and have to pull up to 6 slots on the He400se but with the EDXS I only need to pull out 1or 2 slots. the clamp force is on the light side but the the yokes are easily bendable and I managed to make it tighter. I have no problem with the headband as well, I can wear it for several hours without discomfort.
What I also noticed is that since the cups are bigger and taller, it can be positioned different ways, I found that I liked it best when the back of my ears are almost touching the padding which mean most of the driver is in front.
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Hi @seabiscuit23, welcome to HIGF !!
Sounds like you have found a headphone that you are really enjoying. Not surprised, Hifiman makes some very nice headphones that suit a lot of different tastes. I hope that you continue to enjoy your headphones for a long time to come.
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Today my XS arrived. Ordered on November 30th on aliexpress. They took a strange shipping route. China - Belgium-Netherlands-Germany. Thought this is for avoiding customs but still had to pay VAT. Seller was so nice to declare the value at 60ā¬ instead of the real 360 ā¬, so VAT went down from 80ā¬ to 11ā¬.
Donāt really have time today for a big listening and comparison so I just burn them in a little with pink noise until tomorrow.
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Looking very nice. I ordered mine on 25th Dec in the Linsoul sale and itās on itās way although hasnāt left China yet.
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