8 Likes
Wow from 4xx to that! Should be interesting lol. For sure share a comparison after you get them and have time with em!
Definitely will do. Should I post it in this thread or another one?
I was debating whether to get the sundara, or spend more and get the ananda, elex or edition xx as my upgrade and decided on the edition xx because I found a good deal. Also, the 4XX is really nice for my preference to the point that if I didn’t know there were upgrades to it, it would probably be all I would need. As such, the FR of the edition xx seemed like a safer choice.
1 Like
gotcha, i haven’t heard the edditon xx so i can’t comment but it seems to get raving reviews! and the sound sig seems to be different(?) from the sundara so i’m curious as to how it will compare to the 4xx. (i also owned a 4xx, but moved to a sundara recently as i also got a good deal).
and honestly, you could make a dedicated thread or the thing that most people do around here is just compare it in the thread of that headphone (edition xx should have it’s own oficial thread where you can post your first impressions, review or comparisons) people don’t mind if you do it here either tho. for sure @me when you do so since i don’t wanna miss it!
2 Likes
There’s an Edition XX thread that would be a good home for detailed impressions, but since you started the convo here would be nice to see a link to over there whenever you post your thoughts.
Just to expand on earlier comments about “endgame,” this hobby presents nearly endless ways to explore audio as deeply and in as many different ways as your wallet and curiosity will take you. Like different transducer types, SS vs tube amps, IEMs and portable gear, different tunings (clinical or “fun”), etc. There is no one common, objective definition for “perfect,” and there are many different branches leading to their own subjectively sublime limits.
Variety is the spice of life. I think of headphones kinda like a high-end knife block–you could get a fine chef’s knife and use it for everything, and you wouldn’t be wrong or lacking in capability. Or you could expand to bread knives, vegetable knives, utility knives, pocket knives, razor blades, swords, and hatchets and have the absolute perfect tool to cut anything, lol.
Whatever you do, don’t feel obligated or afraid to blow money on this hobby as long as it brings you joy and you keep it in balance with your other obligations and priorities in life. Welcome to the rabbit hole. 
[EDIT: took too long on my silly metaphor and beat to the punch on the pertinent info, lol]
5 Likes
I will probably post my reply here and then quote it in the official thread. I did a lot of look at reviews of the edition xx yesterday and they were quite varied. Metal didn’t like the unit he tried although there is an open question if his unit (serial #0000) was atypical. DMS and Joshua Valor thought they had a niche in the price range. Z thought they were so good that they make the Arya unnecessary (paraphrasing). Some people say they are basically the HEX v2 in sound such as The Next Best Thing Studio, but others have pointed out that the driver is cheaper and it just isn’t the same headphone. I think Mon said the technicalities of the XX are definitely a step down. DBS Tech Talk loved the headphone. Oluv did not like them much at all and iirc even said he prefered the 4XX (which was scary to hear). Lastly, the head-fi thread was all over the place.
2 Likes
yeah honestly spending money is the shitty part of this hobby, but i think it’s really nice just to hear something new. I know alot of people keep many headphones for different sound sigs and it makes sense but i must say myself that i haven’t felt the need or want to pick up my other headphones since getting the sundara. Maybe i will in the future if i get tired of them or want to spice things up. but i think i’m liking for now keeping one headphone that plays everything well (really digging a neutral well rounded sound atm, might end up surprising me as my favorite sound sig) and eventually getting other stuff just to listen or just go to a canjam to see whats out there. not sure i will be the type of person to have more than one headphone anymore (used to have 2 opposite headphones for dif sound sigs. he might end up the same with just 1 headphone and explore other stuff here and there
Regarding the money, this hobby can be expensive but at the very least buying used, taking care of your gear and reselling to fund future purchases can make it relatively affordable.
Regarding a variety of headphones, I bought the 6XX for variety due to all the hype around it. Once I got it, I listened to only that for a few days and thought “ok this is pretty good” but wasn’t wow’d. Then I put on the HE4XX again and was like “oh right I forgot how good these are. These are much better.” FWIW I listen to EDM primarily.
I went to canjam and was most impressed by the Utopia (and the Abyss 1266 Phi TC), so I might look at the Elex for variety. Quite a few of the other things I tried didn’t impress me much for whatever reason.
2 Likes
honestly he’s kind of a weird dude anyways lol i wouldn’t really trust his ears much
true, but having to list your gear is such a pain in the ass. ive never sold my gear, just given them to people near me lol
I am also very interested in the Soekris Dac’s, so please share your thoughts after some time.
3 Likes
true, but a pain in the ass can be worth getting new gear. You can try Fb Marketplace for some lower end stuff if you don’t like the hassle of shipping.
1 Like
@SpeleoFool Very good summation of a wonderful hobby. Or maybe pursuit is a better term, as the hunt is a big part of the fun. Just gotta keep it in perspective, lol.
2 Likes
If EDM is your mainstay, take a look at Beyerdynamic DT1990s (or T1s). I just recently got the 1990s and have been all over old Industrial favorites and EDM. Listening to deadmau5 mix on Tidal right now, matter of fact. I am seriously in love with these headphones, particularly for this type of high-energy music. They’re kinda the opposite of 6xx, which are good for dimming the lights and making a quiet evening of sinking into chill tracks; these are crank-it-to-11 detail monsters with great bass.
FWIW, Focals are my favorite family of headphones; Elex is another great all-rounder that plays well with EDM. If you liked Utopia, Stellia is even better for EDM, IMO. It’s got a tasteful bass boost that brings the bottom end up to a good level while still retaining that beryllium detail.
Anyway, a couple more ideas for the audition list, if you haven’t heard those.
1 Like
Thanks for the recommendations. I have auditioned the Stellias as well. (Infact they were the first headphone better than the TH-X00 I have heard). I thought they were pretty good, but I think I liked the Utopia more. As for the DT 1990s, I either heard those or the T1 Gen 2 (can’t remember which) expecting them to be harsh in the treble but thought they sounded pretty good. I also listened to the Fostex line and some of the Audeze expecting them to be best headphones for me and was not impressed by either. Of course this was all a quick audition in a less than ideal environment, so there are many reasons why this could have been the case.
EDIT: Keep in mind I am still quite new to this hobby and do not come from a musical background, so. a lot of nuances of what a headphone is doing may be lost to me especially at first listen. It is entirely possible that after a few days with some of those headphones, my opinion would change drastically. I just do not know.
2 Likes
For me I kind of think of it as buying assets. That money doesn’t just disappear. It becomes part of your worth in assets, but most assets will slowly decrease their value in time unless you get something like a collectible that can increase with time. If you can find a really good price for something, I’ll go out on a limb as I don’t have experience in this myself and say that you can likely get rid of it when the time comes if you take good care of it for a similar price you bought it for.
1 Like
I’ll ask this here since this thread took a turn toward resale… I’m looking to sell my SP200 and P20. I’ve never sold gear before. What do you all think is the best way to go about this?
If you buy wise, you can sell your gear for just as much as you got it for if you take care of it (this is the case in the higher end)
r/AVExchange and head-fi.org is what I have been lurking on a ton before buying my edition xx. Ebay and forums.headphones.com are also options. All of my secondhand gear (which isn’t that much) I have gotten through these platforms and FB marketplace.
1 Like