šŸ”¶ Hifiman Edition XS

Some of the 4 Pin XLR to Dual 3.5 Cables I found.

([M] 4-Pin XLR option)

Just confirming, all of these should be fine to use with the SP200 & XS?

TIA

Great to hear buddy, bargain for that cable.

What amp are you using?

You in Aus aren’t you? Shipping from Hart Audio is going to be over 40$ for that cable… :wink: unless you’ve found it somewhere cheaper

Yeah, Australia. Might try the second or third link or hunt for some other version.

Just wanted to make sure that type of cable would work with my setup.

Okay, so I’ve gone back and A/B tested a lot of songs listening to the Edition XS vs. the Clear Mg - again, not a fair fight but it’s what I have available.

There’s definitely a recession in the mids compared to the Clears. It doesn’t sound bad though, just different, like how a DT 770 would complement a Sennheiser 6X0 headphone. Speaking of, I basically am going to have to sell my 660s now, lol.

The biggest issue I’m having is that while I prefer the Clear Mg, I am completely blown away by the comfort of this large truly over-ear pad from the XS and I guess some of the other high-end HiFiMan products which I haven’t felt before. I got completely lost in how comfortable they are and went back to the Mg and while I love the sound, I can’t get my ears to fit right in them; they feel like they’re practically on-ear now lol - it’s so annoying!

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Welp it’s on its way! God I love credit card cash back! Really great for new toys.

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how would you compare the soundstage of xs to the clear mg?

I kind of feel the same with my XS and Elex. That’s why I have both complimenting each other. I think we’re in great hands!

@tunc_akinguc I’ll just say it here for you, as good as imaging is on the Focals (and maybe better on occasions, I think, a bit intimate sounding, but a tad bit more detailed) the soundstage on Hifimans is usually bigger and more expansive. It’s definitely much bigger and wider than on my Elex, so expect the same from @alphamarshan on his Clears. Overall the XS will sound bigger, and they simply are that, physically, the cups and the drivers anyhow so…

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thank you very much for the quick response on this, as an owner of the og Clear, I’ll probably get the xs as it sounds like a good compliment. cheers.

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One of the things that interested me about the XS is the ā€œshapeā€ of the stage. My understanding is that it presents the stage out in front of you, rather than being more surrounding/wrapping around you.

I wasn’t sure what type of presentation I preferred until I tried a few headphones out but it was the GL2000 that made me realise I preferred that kind of staging for the music I listen to.

Mids recession was fully fixed for me with balanced connection, midrange was not so good with SE. Frequency balanced was changed with balanced - currently midrange became fuller, low frequencies much less prominent(what i dislike) and highs much more torelable.

Any HifiMan Egg Open back can literally be used as desktop speakers sitting on your desk. They are built where when you wear them, it literally sounds like nothing is covering your ears. One of the most open back, open back headphones on the market. Sound leakage with any open back is expected, usually to a high degree - but with the Eggs, it’s extremely evident. (Note this is not a bad thing, just need to have the right environment for it, I love this about them).

On a side note, the Monoprice Monolith M1570C closed back planars are a set that do sound pretty open for a closed back. Not claustrophobic at all, I really enjoy them. I would say they sound more open than the Dan Clark but I would need to test to verify… too tired right now. M1570s are a great set of cans, especially for the sale price they were all holiday season ($200 off MSRP).

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Going from HD 560s sound leakage to Ananda was a whole different planet. If the 560s leaks sound then the Ananda/XS are straight up small speakers lmao

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TouchƩ - and that indeed is the beauty of the eggheads.

The XS are (my) second cans that seem like speakers are playing. Focals were the first for me. Took me years to find open backs that could do that as I was a hardcore closed-back basshead. Saying that goes a long way as I’m still an EDM listener by a profound margin.

I’ve not tried the HD8X0 series (and now I don’t plan to, as I’ve hit my hifi-wall), but it’s quite a feat how these handful few open backs (at least these Hifimans, and those Focals) can be so open and yet hit almost as hard in comparison to closed-backs which, by design, are made to hit hard.

Egghead Hifimans yeah I mean TBH any variant of this lot is really something. I got the XS cuz it’s the first time such a design has been upgraded at such a low price. I always only ā€˜envisioned’ myself owning an egghead. And with the XS, I now finally do.

I don’t think one can fault any egghead really - Ananda Arya or Edition X. You could be set with either one, cuz the biggest contributor to the presentation is simply the physical design of it - those huge asses - bigger is better lol.

Hifiman aced it with the design - and now they’ve just check-mated the competition, with the price.

PS: This thread is finally going bonkers and making waves as more people are getting on board the idea - and it is quite the idea, really. Value for the dollar is crazy here!

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My favorite thing about the Hifiman egg shape is how huge it is. I know that’s an issue for some people with the cups resting on their jaw but mine is able to sit snuggly underneath my ears. Depth wise it’s so big, your ears don’t touch anything and I feel it’s a big reason you get that large hifiman Soundstage.

If the XS clamp that much less than the Ananda then this is a homerun for me. Ananda clamp force was way too much for me

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I HATE those headbands (Sundara and Ananda) TBH; that was always was a bummer for me… good thing I never got the Sundara. I’m happy I was patient - the (hidden & unknowing) wait was well worth it!

It’s weird, I hate the headband on the XS but only on the circle cups. Something about the added grip on my noggin from the extra surface area on the egg cups doesn’t bother me on the XS. Still prefer the fit of the HE1000se but the XS comfort is just fine for my head size I guess.

Those older suspension strap headbands are not too bad - though the He1000 series, with them using much better materials - and then those large holes in the strap, I think that is the headband done right.

I’m going to get some real leather and even have holes on my straps and check em out (for my he400i, and another one I grabbed from ALIExpress here: . This looks at least sexier to me than stock Hifiman bands of that type), but strap will have to be swapped:

Hey guys I just ordered that thing from HiFiGo as my first nice headphone (also my first planar and first open back). It will be an upgrade to my daily driver DT 770 80ohm. So one more pair of these already sold (kind of supporting the hype) : ) Should arrive in 3 weeks. I really appreciate all the detailed comments and feedback I found here from much more experienced enthusiasts. And I am happy that I skipped the Sundara and directly ordered XS.

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drink-drunk

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