I know they are made out of different materials but in terms of sound quality would the expensive one make a big improvement over the cheaper combo? Is it worth to go for that 80 dollar one?
Just make sure you arenât trying to convert a balanced connecter (4 pin XLR/4.4mm pentaconn) to a SE plug (1/4" or 3.5mm SE)⊠this will cause major issues and can damage your gear.
Basic rule is that you can convert a balanced connector to another balanced connector (IE 4.4 Pentaconn to 4 Pin XLR) OR you can convert a SE connector to another SE type (1/4" to 3.5mm)⊠but never cross between SE to Balanced or Balanced to SE.
These types of converters shouldnât even exist but I have seen a few dumb ass hole in the wall companies make them for who knows why. Just use a cable like the OpenHeart 3.5mm until you upgrade your source gear to support balanced.
Hi guys. I am relatively new to the hobby but this topic made me jump here : )
I was about to buy Sundara a few days ago and I am glad that I had some doubts about it as my first planar. Initially I wanted my first mid-fy headphone to be DC Aeon Closed X but I live in Europe so I was waiting for a kind of discount so it will be in a more reasonable price after all the import fees.
I wasnât reading this topic because I thought this headphone will be way out of my budget (just seeing the name I was assuming a price higher than $1000) but after reading most of the comments and checking the actual price, I am about to pull the trigger.
I really love the bass and sub bass in my music so thatâs why I had doubts with Sundara. I have the ifi zen dac and ifi zen can, so as many said the magic bass button can probably make them better.
I have DT 770 80ohm and m50x for years and honestly I canât enjoy the music as much as I want. I tried EQ-ing them but still something is missing. I have never tried but I really think I will enjoy open back or just planars more. Why not both : ) Or maybe just a better headphone.
Do you guys know if Edition XS will be available in Europe or I can just order it from AliExpress? Btw it will be the same price for me as DC Aeon Closed X but all the hype around this headphone makes me think it will be a better choice. And eventually I can buy the Aeon on the next black friday if I still have the need (and budget) to have a good closed back.
I ordered from Hifigo to Sweden and it is arriving in a couple days (a total of under 2 weeks). No extra taxes or anything.
I also have the Aeon RT Closed that I use at my office. They are the most comfortable headphones I have ever used and the sound is very clean and has a somewhat âfunâ tuning. I can probably post a short comparison with the XS next week.
Thanks for the feedback. I just checked the shipping for Hifigo and I will go with it probably. I can wait for your comparison and I am actually looking forward it : )
I already read that XS leaks like crazy so probably I wonât be able to use it most of time. On the other hand I really want to have a good pair of open backs as well. And many reviewers also said that the Aeon Closed sound a little bit like an open can.
Yes, I have the HE400SE as well, and the Edition XS is much looser. Actually for me, to the point itâs a problem and it does fall off my head if I look down. I have bent the arms which has helped a lot.
You can also plug a balanced cable into a single ended output with an adapter, this is fine. It just combines the L+R grounds in the adapter, which is the same as what a regular SE jack does, so it all works like regular single ended.
You get no benefit of balanced with this setup, the balanced cable will works just like a single ended one, with a common ground. But it can be convenient if you donât want to keep swapping cables.
This is the setup I have, with 2.5mm terminated balanced cables, as I like to be able to swap to balanced for portable use (Qudelix 5K / Fiio BTR5) but my desktop amp (Fiio K5 Pro) only has 6.35mm SE out.
What you canât do is try to plug a single ended cable into a balanced output on the amp. Thatâs the no no which can cause damage to the amplifier. The other way around is fine.
Recieved the cable today - and i have no words, sound changed stuningly, the thin midrange become thick, general frequency balance become flat and accurate, donât get me wrong - i have no words, i just cant belive that switching from SE to Balanced on Single end amplifier with better wire conductor make so big difference, im even donât want new amplifier anymore! Cable feelds solid. Midrange much fuller now.
Iâm glad that cable fixed your issues! Iâm still not sure whatâs wrong with the stock one but it makes me wonder if people that arenât liking the XS are using the stock cable and getting poor results. I saw someone say they were grainy and I just cannot see that at all in any part of the frequency range.
I canât compare to the Ananda, but the XS headband is considerably looser than that on the HE-400se. I have a big head, and itâs still a bit loose. Nothing crazy like a SHP 9500, which basically fell off my head every time I tilted it, but I doubt anyone will have any problems with clamp force with the XS.
I own the HD 6XX and the Edition XS. They are polar opposites on clamping force on my head. The HD 6XX have strong clamp force; the XS are pretty loose.
100% agree. Itâs loose but not SHP9500 loose - comfortable, but I may have to add some Dekoni Nuggets.
First âway too earlyâ impressions after listening for about an hour:
Build quality is HiFiMan - if youâre super into build quality thatâs not why you buy a HiFiMan lol, but generally itâs fine, no big complaints or anything. I had a 2020 Sundara and the build quality on these feels pretty comparable, same metal yoke and pads, but I prefer the shape of these pads over the Sundara.
The bend in the headband actually suits my head shape quite well, but they do fit a little too loose for my comfort. Added the Dekoni Nuggets and also carefully but slightly bent the yokes in for more clamping pressure - fits very nicely now.
Iâm running a Bifrost 2 â Jot 2 â Hart Balanced Cable â Edition XS. These sound really, really good. I had a Sundara before but felt the bass was lacking. As @Pokrog mentioned, the bass is much better and more prominent on these. Just a very all-around nice sound, great detail. Punching way above its price point.
I donât hear what everyone is complaining about regarding the mids - yes they feel a little âdryâ but acoustic guitar sounds FANTASTIC and crisp. A few suggestions:
My gold standard headphone that I compare everything to is the Focal Clear Mg - I think it is the best sounding headphone I have ever listened to. The only thing it does better than the Edition XS is dynamics and the âpunchâ in the bass. 2 songs that I listen to to check dynamics:
Iâm going to continue listening to these but so far theyâre giving a very nice impression and also theyâre very comfortable. The fact that I am comparing them to a $1500 Focal flagship really says a lot.
I know theyâre open back, but these donât isolate at all lol. I set them down to run upstairs and it sounded like I left the TV on downstairs or something. VERY loud - you wonât be able to take these anywhere in public.
Iâm starting to get fatigue, going to have to take a break - been listening to these probably a little too loudly and as always itâs âweirdâ adjusting to a new headphone.
Addendum: the guitars - particularly acoustic guitars - in the intro here sound absolutely godlike (some of that is Jeff Loomis but I digress): Nevermore Believe in Nothing - YouTube â YouTube link but use a higher-fidelity source.
