Subjectively, to me, the Ananda soundstage does sound a bit bigger than the Edition XS. Edition XS is still very good for this.
just pulled the trigger and ordered a pair from electricxiaomi Store, lets see how it goes (if it goes at all lol)
Mine XS just arrived a couple of hours ago. I will share my first impressions. Note that I donāt have much experience with headphones, maybe I donāt have good ears for that as well : ) I just enjoy listening to music and I thought I could appreciate quality sound.
My current setup is Zen Dac + Zen Can combo. I am using the stock headphone cable (balanced on the way).
So first impressions after opening the box and taking the headphones out:
- Very poor build. Not because of high expectations but really poor : ) Feels like very very cheap headphone whose parts wobble not in intended way (just my impression).
- Clamp force seems to be too week for me. I think my head is average size, not small or narrow for sure. Putting them on my head without even extending the bar feels week. As other already mentioned if you turn your head or look down it really feels like they will drop. However the pads kind of grip in that moment and the headphones stays on your head. I think I am already getting used to that.
- Soundā¦ Not sure if it is the cable, or some burn in is required but I am not impressed at all. I am using the highest gain on my Zen Can but canāt really find difference in the other gains atm. My daily drivers are 770 pro 80 ohms and M50x. And comparing to themā¦ yea it is different but I am not impressed at all : ) I donāt perceive a wider soundstage at all (although these are open backs). I think I can hear slightly more details however (maybe better separation).
For sure I will add some more impressions in the following days. I think my brain has to adjust to the sound and leave the exaggerated expectations aside. I will later try again my old cans, maybe then I will see the difference and so on.
Just to mention that on my headphones I use stock EQ. Iāve tried different profiles in the past but I prefer to stick to the default one. This way they kind of have own signature and when I swap them I enjoy them in a different way. So I donāt plan EQ-ing my XS anytime soon. However I bet I will try once I get very familiar with their sound.
1 Like
Thanks for posting your impressions.
One thing to note is that the music youāre listening to may not be able to show off the better stage, etc. of the XS. Source quality matters too so thatās something else worth experimenting with; if you have a CD for instance.
I am using Tidal on HiFi (lossless CD quality). I think it should be enough.
1 Like
Quality reservations make sense. Yes the yokes are really the most solid part of these - all other parts can leave one desiring.
Extension mechanism, yes, bit silly, they should have had a smaller headband as these can extend for Trolls heads even, so thatās going to be overkill for anyone - canāt imagine anyone in the world using all the way extension. Abnormal and just wasteful extension length at this point.
If bass doesnāt impress you, thatās also possible in comparison to your other cans.
Soundstage should be way better I believe.
Try maybe burning them in for a while. Could be possible that the diaphragm is just too tight and stubborn at this point to sound as expected. See if giving it time improves anything.
Getting used to the sound is fair - it did take me maybe half an hour to adjust - but I hope it doesnāt take too long. If it IS taking longer, then, well the reality could be that these may not be for you.
I think we shouldnāt be surprised if these fail to impress some folks. We all hear differently, and that would be a fair feeling, should anyone feel that way. No headphones are perfect and one size fits all, and these are no exception.
1 Like
Yes, good point. I really want to let them burn in, not sure yet if they will really improve or not. I also have some hopes about the balanced cable 
About the soundstage I know it should definitely be that way. I donāt see how low end closed back could compare with mid range open back. Maybe I havenāt adjusted my hearing yet. Usually you donāt always feel it that much when you upgrade to something but can immediately notice when you downgrade. So thatās why I am giving them much more time to really adjust my hearing before trying back my closed backs.
And you are totally right about the bass, it doesnāt impress me at all. But this can also be expected when compared with the others. I can also always activate one of the bass buttons whether on the Can or the Dac, but I prefer to stick to the natural sound for a while.
I want to spend a couple of days listening to see how I feel about them. I really wish I could love them but will seeā¦ : )
Based off my experience youāre underpowering the XS. Flat Soundstage, weak bass, weaker imaging, speed and decay were pretty tell tale signs before I upgraded. Essentially technical performance from my experience is dictated by how much you put into planars.
Though the XS wont always wow. The Ananda are more of a wow factor headphone
2 Likes
Did you remove the pad and had a look at the driver? Maybe you can see if the Diaphragm / traces are damaged or ājustā a solder point on the 3.5mm jack.
Of course I wish you that the seller solves the problem butā¦
I am very interested in what you wrote regarding the XS being underpowered. I really want to by my 1st real good headphones and XS is on my radar, but I donāt have any dac/amp and my budget is thin - my original plan 2 months ago was Sundara + ifi Zen dac v2, it shiffted towards XS + zen dac and this already is stretching the budget and I am worried that in the end I will miss this wow factor, because they will be so underpowered and even if I add later zen can this will still be not enough to get the real performance. Have you tested them with differemnt dacs/amps?
Sit tight. Iām going to test my Hel 2 Single end vs Jotunheim 2 in Single End vs Balanced and give you some feedback
2 Likes
Alright, it didnāt take long as my perception of how things would play out were spot on. I tested using a Hel 2e DAC/Amp combo vs Jotunheim 2 amp single end with Hel 2e as DAC vs Jotunheim 2 Balanced with Hel 2e as DAC
The Hel 2e puts out 1.35w at 16 Ohms while the Jotunheim puts out 2.4w SE and 7.5w Balanced at 16 Ohms. Itās immediately apparent with the Hel that everything feels flat. The dynamics in sound arent there, everything is mixed together at around the same volume. The Soundstage feels smaller, flatter. Itās like the music has very little separation, imaging is soft and really most of it blends together. The timbre isnāt there either, it sounds fake with very little realism.
The Jotunheim 2 in SE is so pleasing. Immediately youāre hit with a more full sound. Iām now surrounded by the sound and am hearing separation in the instruments, and more clarity. Dynamics are introduced and it creates this space where the music starts to pull your attention in different directions. You start to hear the music almost like youāre there instead of knowing itās a recording.
And finally in balanced the Jotunheim 2 is interesting. Single End is good enough but with the extra power youāre now forcing a more analytical sound. Speed and decay are better, notes have a tough edge around them instead of softness. The bass kinda filled the entire Soundstage while everything else around it was played with crisp detail, dynamics were even better. The stage opened up just a tad bit more and with it the imaging distanced itself a bit farther apart making it more noticeable when things panned across. It can be kind of fatiguing compared to the Single end which is in turn more relaxed and smooth. However, I have a bifrost 2 coming and the idea is that it will introduce some warmth and relaxation to the detailed and analytical balanced output of the Jotunheim
Overall Iād say this. I have zero desire to listen to the Hel 2 when I have the Jotunheim 2. Itās quite apparent that the difference between the two is that one sounds good, but the other one makes me want to not stop listening. I can see how the XS could be quite dissapointing if youāre using something like the Hel 2 or even weaker. I keep telling people that loudness is not a measure of sound quality and when it comes to planars I have experienced that more power = More sound quality.
With that being said Iād say go with a Magni+Modi Schiit stack over the Zen stack if youāre going with the XS. Itāll cost you half the price ($200) and have much more power to help the XS sound fantastic
7 Likes
Hrmm, I bought a used JDS Labs Atom+ stack to try and pair with the XS. Based on this do you think thatās going to be inadequate to pair with the XS?
Its running 1w at 32 Ohms which is lower than the Hel 2. The cheapest set up Iād recommend is a Schiit stack Magni and Modi. Or anything thatās at least giving you 2 to 2.5w at 16 Ohms
New review for the XS, not overly technical but Iām glad more are dropping.
1 Like
Get an emotiva a-100 basx, a 100-ish dac (modi, topping e30, etc.,) and some he-400se. You will be happy for months ahead. Then upgrade your dac and buy XS used
ā¦
Profit
Ahh, thanks. I guess I should sell the Atom stack. I guess I was misled that it would be ok with the XS
The problem I have with it is all the ridiculous marketing lingo and quotes about how itās this all powerful amp thatāll work with everything out there and quite frankly itās deceitful marketing.
But, you wouldnāt be the first person to spend money on audio equipment without knowing what to look for. Including myself
The hypetrain for this has hit maximum overdrive. Weāre into DT880-600 turf here in the power arguments. 
4 Likes
Speaker amp anyone? 
4 Likes