Topping L30/E30
Edit:L30 is recommended. For the E30, I recommend this for better aesthetics. Your existing DAC may be fine, but if you have the budget the matching Topping stack would be what I would go for. I have this stack and am eying the XS.
Honestly, I wouldnāt take that bold advise regarding E30/L30 stack for granted and wait for Pokrog or others to chip in, even though Iāve ordered the same exact stack for my EDXS. My understanding is that 2i2 should do just fine as a DAC, at least, comparing to E30.
Btw, Iāve also ordered a douk u2 pro (+coax cable + power supply) to try coax over usb connection as Pokrog suggested, and will share my thoughts on the whole setup with EDXS once it all arrives (prob in 10 days).
Meanwhile, my XS doesnāt get a single day of rest and now Iām searching for some decent case to store it. So far the best option I was able to find is V-Mota case from Aliexpress (or alternatively Geekria from Amazon).
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Okay, I promised to post this weekend, and Iām done migrating file servers for work, so here we go!
Iām relatively new to this hobby so please tint your glasses as such. My extravagant headphone collection (and the extents of my experiences) consist of a Philips Fidelio X2HR, Koss KPH30i, Focal Elegia, Sivga SV021, and my daily driver Hifiman Sundara, until nowā¦
I picked up my Edition XS from my mail room last Saturday (they were ordered via AliExpress on November 12th), and was both anxious and excited about checking them out. Being extremely comfortable with my Sundara and having a noggin the size of a small planet I wasnāt sure how the HE series headband was going to feel vs the suspension rig. When I pulled the headphone from the box I was really worried it was going to be small and uncomfortable. Fortunately that wasnāt the case. I was actually shocked when, after fully extending the earcups as I need to on all my other headphones, I actually had to bring the EDXS back to only a click or two down from fully retracted.
Thatās when I got hit with my next two observations. Wow do these things feel light in comparison to the Sundara on my head, and cup shape is fantastic and extremely comfortable for my big ears. These two first impressions have not staled after a week of use, either. I took a look at the rest of the boxās contents: manual and warranty card as well as the cable, which is definitely nicer than the one that came with my Sundara, but thatās not exactly saying much. Iāve got a few pairs of Hart Audio Cables in dual 3.5mm so the stock cable went right back in the box.
This brings us to the most important subject, how do they sound? First of all, the setup details. My music source is Amazon HD on my desktop PC connected via USB to my Topping D90 and A90.
Iām only making comparisons to my Sundara for what I believe are fairly obvious reasons. Iām still working on giving the EDXS some burn in time, so if anything changes Iāll check back in.
I started out with both the Sundara and EDXS hooked up to my A90 via the XLR and 4.4mm balanced ports, respectively, with the volume knob around 10-11 oāclock on medium gain, my regular spot for the Sundara. After listening to a few tracks on the Sundara to give myself a baseline I switched over to the EDXS. I was shocked. My expectations were that thereād likely be some enhancements here or there, but that was not what I was hit with. Everything on the EDXS felt more vibrant, bass, sub-bass, midsā¦ I feel like Iām getting more of everything. At first I couldnāt believe how different they sounded that I swapped ports and cabling between the two headsetsā¦ nope, same result.
Soundstage might be the only thing that was slightly better than the Sundara, which is in and of itself a heck of an accomplishment.
Resolution on the EDXS is markedly better than my Sundara. A lot of the subtle details in the OSTs I listen to are much better defined.
Imaging is great on the EDXS as well, I havenāt had a decent chance to compare this between the two.
One other thing of note Iāve discovered during my time with the EDXS so far. Switching to high gain with the volume knob around 8-9 oāclock has a distinct effect on the EDXS thatās not there on the Sundara. Itās become my āIām not doing anything but listening to musicā setting.
Iāve also been using the EDXS for gaming during this time, mostly Forza Horizon 5 and Farcry 6 at the moment. Itās outperformed the Sundara in this realm as well.
If itās not already obvious Iām extremely happy with this headphone (credit due to @Pokrog for making the suggestion). Iād definitely tell anyone thinking about buying Sundara to give these a look if they can handle the price difference, or can hold out to save up just a little more to cover it.
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Soā¦ I was thinking about getting the Sundara for $299, and then there was the Ananda for $499. Should I forget about both of them now?
Canāt buy from China, as the VAT and customs applied on the EUSSR border would inflate the price tag to totally unpalatable levels.
Iād just wait until there are more reviews for the XS. The more opinoins the better. Otherwise, Sundara > Ananda no matter the price tag. Iām just not a big fan of it
Could you ask the sellers to write a minimal price on the package?
I always ask them to and get away with it - they bring the value on the package down enough for me to always skip the ādutiesā part.
Try that. Personally - so far what I have heard and learned of the Sundara - and even after the video in this link: š¶ Hifiman Edition XS - #158 by ATK
Truth be told, with the video impressions tkddans has put in, and I was hearing them just like he was (I believe), I would be titled towards an HE-X4 or the HE-4XX over the Sundaras.
Iāve heard some meh feedback regarding thin sounding or bass lacking, from another person in an audiophile chat group we have elsewhere.
The Sundara would have been a great choice maybe - had the XS not existed.
I think I would suggest to somehow grab an XS. And just look at tkddansās opinions right above here.
Me, personally, have found the XS better than 400i/4XX/Monoprice M1060Cs too.
Best to get the better headphones to begin with.
I might buy one from Taobao just so I can hear it for myself and compare against my Arya (pre-stealth magnet). I just gotta throw these out hereā¦ the translated reviews on Taobao are a f**king riot to read:
āThe sound is okay. If you want, hurry up. The flag is here. Although the diving speed of his products is traditional, compared with Double 11, the price will not be reduced in half a year. I hope that you will not slap your face. . . . . In addition, the service is really average. This is not recommended unless the headset you want is really cheaper than his. I asked for a receipt three times and I havenāt gotten it. If you donāt go as a gift, you must not give it, and the cake has not been received. I donāt eat it either. I bought a few earphones as a gift and only gave one away.ā
And this one, almost as funny, but has more decipherable information
āThere is something about this headset. The overall feature is hearing resistance, smoothness, and transparency. The three-band energy distribution is relatively balanced, and the sound field is excellent in the vertical direction and huge in the horizontal direction. The high-frequency lines are soft, hierarchical and three-dimensional, with excellent permeability, sufficient overtones, extended in place, and quickly rolled off when in place, bright and not irritating. The mid-frequency density is high, the female voice is very toxic, has less graininess, and is resistant to hearing without aggression and oppression. The low-frequency volume is just right, the drum head is full, the dive is deep, and the transient is good. The tooth tone is light, the human voice and the small string music perform well, and the natural freshness carries a trace of simplicity, just like a first kiss, like a spring of light, high frequencies are bright without thorns, the sense of space is excellent, the sound stretches and stretches well, and the reverberation is very good It sounds good. Just when I put it on, I felt a sense of energy that I could control when I opened the sound. It was like an overwhelming, immersed person in the ocean of music, unable to extricate myself from it! ! Pina is astonishing, graceful like a dragon, moving like a rabbit, and quiet like a virgin! Solemn, yet flexible, majestic, yet contains euphemistic tri-band interleaving, not messy upscaling, which can be said to be a well-deserved hero in headphones!ā
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God bless user reviews. Every now and then you get some real gems.
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Heh, yea guess Iāll have to see if I can still snag a discount on AliExpress from that shop if Iām going to try it outā¦ turns out the shops that I somewhat trust on Taobao canāt ship outside of China. Man I forgot how scary/confusing it is placing an order on that site since I bought the GL2000 on there earlier this year. At least they cancelled/refunded the order almost instantly.
So basically this is the virgin rabbit dragon of headphones 
Sold!!
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Sometimes translations are simply a joke, especially when the reviews contains some Chinese slangs or idioms which are crudely translated.
Yea according to some of the sellers Iāve contacted on taobao, most orders are eventually forwarded to hifiman, so itāll be directly shipped out from Hifiman warehouse. Since hifiman is restricting these to the China market only, they will only ship to local address. Iām using freight forwarded to get them to me. You can try checking out on taobao to see if this is an option for you.
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Thank you for the response on Taobaoā¦ I would take more of a risk and see what I could figure out in terms of shipping forwarding but itās not really worth it since the price on AliExpress (after endless coupon stacking) comes near to the same as on Taobaoā¦ and shipping is provided up front.
If I could understand Chinese I would probably delve deeper into Taobao and what it has to offer, but as you mentioned, direct translations donāt always come across rightā¦ exampleā¦ after my order was refunded the seller sent me something in Chinese without translating and I plugged it into Google and all it said was āUnkind!āā¦ I really hope they werenāt saying that Iām mean 
After that they sent me a handshake emoji so I think weāre good.
I understand Chinese, if youāre really curious about their replies, pm me. Generally I prefer to get from Hifiman directly in case of defects and having to make a warranty claims down the road. But yes I understand the frustration of dealing on taobao when you donāt understand Chinese.
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Thanks! I should be ok, the convo was pretty short and they already processed the refund for me, was actually pretty easy working with the merchant. Iāll take the handshake emoji as a positive ending 
I guess Iāve been lucky so far as I havenāt had to submit any warranty claims for my gear, but I am sure the first time it happens Iāll wish I had gone direct. Iāll take this opportunity to use my Orcas wrist rest to knock on wood that it doesnāt happen anytime soon. Gorgeous keyboard wrist rest AND a functional nearby good luck charm, winning. 
So initial impressions on the custom pads (fenestrated micro suede inside, micro suede contact patch and sheepskin outer, non angled memory foam) from @NtraXMod are entirely positive. These went from meh comfort that got a little annoying after a while to close to the most comfortable headphones Iāve ever worn. Full stop.
Bass feel is significantly improved, mids seem a touch more balanced and highs are intact and every bit as detailed. Soundstage seems a bit wider and maybe a bit deeper as well. Height seems improved a bit but might be from the added depth making it seem taller, not 100% sure yet. I initially thought I wasnāt going to even bother with these on my HEKse right away but Iām super tempted. Theyāre amazing. More impressions later, now is for enjoyment.
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I know some are yet to receive their EDXS, but thought Iād share a good matching case I happened to order.
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Thanks for everybodyās contribution about their experience with Aliexpress. I will post news as soon as the status of my order changes.
Now I have a paring question: would the iFi audio Zen DAC V2 be a good match?
When people say these need a good amp for these- what exactly do they mean by good? For reference, Iām in the āDT770 80Ohm needs an amp to get full potentialā camp. I say this to preface that if Iām looking at cans, I donāt want 90% of them, I want 100% of them. My 770s sound good off my LG V30, if a little quiet on most tracks, but theyāre still good enough off that phone that people who donāt know good headphones would be really impressed. Hook them up to an iFi Zen, and to me, thereās a noticeable improvement. From reading this thread, it seems to be another one of those cans where some people say it will sound good off a phone, and others saying they really do need an amp. So for my primary question, if youāre a āYeah you can get a lot out of these with a phoneā we probably arenāt of a similar mindset. And thatās okay. My 770s arenāt my go to cans I own, but Iāve never seen a pair of headphones so hotly contested on the need for an amp.
Reading that back it sounds a little douchey, but spending $525 CAD on headphones from sites like Hifigo or Ali, I want to make sure any advice is tailored with that in mind. I have faith theyāll come, but to say itās no different than buying a pair of headphones from a NA dealer distributed in NA would be a lie. The amp I have is a LakePeople G111. While I know this is a quality amp, and I love it, itās designed for people with high impedance cans: 600 mW (600 Ohm) _ 900 mW (300 Ohm) _ 1750 mW (100 Ohm) _ 1200 mW (32 Ohm). So amps far far cheaper will put 3-5x power into lower Ohm headphones. It doesnāt offer that linear like progression you see with other headphones, so I couldnāt begin to speculate what power it puts out for 18-20ish Ohm headphones, but it seems safe to assume it would be less than 1.5W. I used to have Sundaras and an SP200, and the Sundaras sounded better out of the SP200 to me than the G111. Whether thatās because it was the pairing, the power, or both, Iāll never know, but to me, the Sundaras almost soundedā¦weird out of the G111. More recessed perhaps. Maybe thatās how they should have always sounded, but itās not because I dislike soundstage. My Hemps with the big olā pads are the fucking tits.
So, when people say a good amp and they scale well, do they mean these need 3+W a channel to sound their best, or do they mean that the better the amp, as long as itās adequately powered, the more you get from these? Iāll probably pull the trigger this Friday anyway- I went from 3 planar cans to none, so it would be nice to have a pair again. Or do I just save my money and buy Focal Clear MGs, because at the end of the day, Iām a slut for imaging
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The XS has fantastic imaging and much better stage than clears and the XS is definitely more detailed and resolving. As for the power thing, they do need power to sound right, I canāt just plug them into my computer directly or they sound straight up defective while playing sub bass. They love current and class a and I would imagine the G111 would power them okay but I do think they benefit from a touch of warmth if you can get it somewhere in your system.
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Does an iFi Zen DAC count as a touch of warmth? lol As a DAC, obviously, feeding the G111