You could also just get the Zen Can and run a Apple Dongle with a 3.5mm to RCA cable. More power and better features. Itās how I started out, and no regrets when it came to that. Just as compact as the Zen DAC except you will need to plug in the switching power supply.
Another option would be to consider the FiiO K5 Pro ESS.
Running a Zen Can balanced on my EDXS and totally loving it, especially with XBass enabled (donāt judge me 
).
Man, I keep looking at these and reading. I have the money to pull the trigger right now, but I donāt know if I should. I feel like the collection is at a place where the EXS wouldnāt be that much of a step up for me.
I feel like I should maybe hold out and save more for the next tier, something like the LCD-X, Kennerton Vali, LSA HP-2 or Beyer T1. ZMF Eikon is also something I am looking at. Of this short list, LCD-X and HP-2 seem to be leading.
any news on when Headphones.com is supposed to get them? I asked a couple weeks ago and they only told me āsoonā
I just couldnāt resist the hype about xduoo mt-604, so I grabbed one recently. For me personally this little amp with 6j1p ev voskhod tubes is just a phenomenal pairing with EDXS. Soundstage is huge and holographic, brightness was fixed and turned into air. Iāve purchased this amp to use it mainly as a preamp and it is also very good at that, just donāt fry your equipment, itās max output voltage is 10V. Itās probably not safe to go above 5.5V, although Iām not sure
Cons: bass of this amp is average, speed is average, so it wonāt work great with all types of music. Channels are reversed on purpose, and reversing them back made the sound linear and bright, you also canāt game on it because of that. Itās only balanced. Stock tubes are garbage and GE tubes are mediocre. Getting soviet rocket tubes is a must for this amp
Has anyone tried the Dac Smsl DO200 with XS? Itās very similar to Gustard x16 as well as price.
Edit: I might just still grab the Gustard when Chinese New Year Sale comes due to shitty Smsl QC even if it sounds better than Gustard lol.
For those who are looking for a way to upgrade the headband. Here how it looks if you stick a hd650 headband to a wool sleeve with double side adhesive tape.
Rocking my new HiFiMan XS and really enjoying it I will add, works just divine on my Tube hybrid pushing large watts, but still works and plays quite well on just my little Zen DAC v2 lol.
Using single ended with OEM cable, volume dial @ 12 Oāclock and Iām getting roughly 85dB playback in-headphone (92dB+ with True Bass)
edit: Update using balanced on the lil iFi Zen dac throwing them back on using BALā¦ Only 9 Oāclock (quarter volume lol) reads 82dBā¦True bass on 88dB +
2nd edit: Put them on bigger amps feeding them better and they lap it up, more juice please and boogie on down.
Theyāve got the Ananda over Arya? Thatās interesting because Iāve always heard the Arya has a bigger stage due to increased height. I do miss the Soundstage of the Ananda but that headband didnāt work for me. I wouldnāt mind taking the Ananda drivers and housing them into the XS headband
How are they on the zen can?
Yeah I figured they could use more power.
Watch out though bro you got the national grid on these right now lol!
Soon as Iām back home I will post some impressionsā¦ on my Emotiva basX A-100 lol - at least the noise-floor will be much less audible - usually is with hungrier cans on that thing.
As I and others have suggested these cans are a bit like Oliver, theyāll eat up what you feed them and still say, āplease sir I want some moreā.
Moving to the Zen CAN itās better obviously but also now you start to notice how these love/need more real power to get better out of them. SE runs out of steam and headroom so Iād use a high gain or even better go balanced and Iād still boost the gain till your happy.
I love my little Zen stack and I like the sound myself (Iām addicted to XBass lol) YMMV, I use it a lot but the XS will still take more/better if you have it to offer.
Awesome. was running my Sundara balanced on my stack and managed to sell them today and will be replacing them with the XS ASAP! balanced and high gain it is! Thanks!
Well, I was pretty excited when all these goodies turned up today. And when I finally found five minutes to sit down and hear what all the fuss was about? Right driver dead. Brand new. Swapped cables and amps, nothing. Upset!
Ahh thatās scuffed dudeā¦ I was really hoping not to see these posts anymore on theyāre newer releasesā¦ Still trying to get theyāre shit together I suppose.
Supposed to get mine Saturday. Hopefully im as lucky as I was with the sundaras. Had my sundaras for about a year now and no issues.
Itās funny, Iām in search of a headphone to beat my HE-500; thatās still going strong all these years later!
