🔶 Hifiman Edition XS

Yeah the ifi still stand on firm ground on their own, no doubt.
I have the Tone2Pro going into the SMSL SH-9 for balanced, but my Ifi microDSD is still solid for SE - and still so powerful…

One thing that seems to be always true with hifiman Planars is that they are on the power hungry side, nothing insane but still much higher than most of my headphones

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Question has anyone modded the Xs to have a suspension strap like the ANANDA?
I see that replacement headstraps are increably cheap but i have no clue how to open the screws on the Xs (without being a dumbass)
I personally like suspension due to the even distribution of weight on the head

You could do the simple mod like @antdroid did on the HE400se

photo taken from this thread: Hifiman HE400SE mods - #4 by antdroid - Do It Yourself (DIY & Mods) - The HEADPHONE Community

Ya i would assume it would work fine i just wondered if anyone did it first :smiley:
Finding the headband is easy i just need to figure out how to open the screws on the cups (i assume with it would just to turn them with a pair of pliers). That also the reason that i looked for an Ananda headband since the cup size should be very similar if not idetical

I tried one of those headbands you linked on my 400se didn’t try it when I had the XS
at least with the 400 se you can mount it although sketchily without removing the mounts (the hole isn’t flush with the stock mounts because they are different shapes but you can still just screw it in) but if you feel like opening the cups and taking out the driver they do include replacement mounts

really hopping to avoid opening up the cups themselves, ill do some gentle probing see if i can take it apart easily

Is the Xs best overall headphone under 600?

It depends a lot on what you are looking for, that being said its a great set
I only have it stock right now and i love it, though i have a couple of pads on the way

On a technical level, most likely. Comfort and tuning are the wild cards.

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If you like the presentation of egg-shaped hifimans and leaner sound, sure. Personally I prefer punchier planars like Verum and HE-500 and for leaner sound and bigger presentation I grab my HD800.

Thanks. Edition Xs will be the next “upgrade”. Now I have dt1990.

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You could also wait for the Ananda Stealth. 799 incl taxes though.

I think there is a big problem when talking about those kind of price diffeences, if its 100$ you could make the argument but 300$ is more than 50%, which throws out one of the Xs better features the price to performance

The sizing/fit on these cans is wild. I heard plenty of talk about it, but actually trying it leads me to suggest that people really try them on before buying. Sounds good, of course.

Has anyone noticed any change with the burn in?

Another thing. The Edition Xs came to me in a different box. I feel the pads stiffer and the headband too.


#NMDCustomPads #NMDCustomGrilles #NtraxModDesign #Hifiman #NMDCustomKimberKable #AmphenolPlug #DoubleHelix #EidolicConnector #LykusCase

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Hmmm well the pads have been stiffer on the XS anyhow. Headband = same. Unless - this is not the first pair you have tried.

I don’t think there’s been any change to the product, just the packaging. I’m like 95% certain of this - just a wild guess lol.



After a year, I still think Arya is a must have for any Hifiman lover. At least is easier to obtain compare to HE1K and Susvara.

Man, my pads should arrive on 1st of july. Ordered them from aliexpress (store: sun-bow) on 06/06. I got a message today that my order was cancelled, because the tracking number wasn’t original. Hope i get my money back soon.