Hifiman Edition XS - A door into Hi-Fi
Hello there, DSA Reviews here, Today, I present to you, the Hifiman Edition XS. This is a full-sized open back planar headphones and in my opinion, the best value for money headphones one can buy.
Disclaimer, this is my personal unit, and I have owned this for several months and absolutely love it, but, will ensure to give a neutral review.
The Edition XS is the successor of the Edition X, which was launched on 2015. The XS brought the egg-shaped Hifiman down to $500, making it the cheapest of it in this shape and now with significant price cuts, which, brought it down to less than $250! I’d say it made the same waves as the Sennheiser HD 6XX did. The XS features a new headband, similar to the one mounted on the HE-400 series, and unlike the Ananda, this one has a little swivel that ensures the cups sit flush against your head. Looking at it design wise, I was not a big fan of it, it reminded me a large grill, but, I did get used to it, and now I like it, the black plastic with the silver coloured window shades make it look rather industrial.
Power usage: This might ruffle a few feathers, but, in my opinion, the XS is efficient enough to run off from a portable dac/amp like the Fiio Retro Nano after volume matching with the iFi Zen Air Can, I will admit, the Retro Nano was at a high level while the Zen Air Can had plenty of headroom to go further. However, I will concede to the power gods who advocated for dedicated amps as these headphones do require more power than simple dongle dacs and motherboard audio, I would advise in spending some extra money towards a good dac/amp that can at the least have an output of 200mW+ @ 32 ohms.
Comfort: 39/50; Now, my personal unit has a capra strap attached to it and that has massively improved the headband comfort, without it, a hotspot builds up within an hour of use, as for ear cup ventilation, despite being an open back, it has rather poor ventilation that makes my ears hot within 2 hours of use, granted I live in a place that has upwards of 70% humidity and average summer temperatures of 30+ Celsius, but this was something I did not come across my pervious cans, the Sennheiser HD 599 SE and the Focal Elegia.
I am using these cans with the stock pads and a capra strap, the source is the venerable iFi Zen Air Can plugged-in to my pc’s motherboard with xbass and xspace turned off.
Now into sound: The XS is not your typical hifiman house sound, the treble here is tamer when compared to the likes of ananda and arya series, though I have heard (not tested) that it’s next iteration, the Edition XV is warmer. The XS has a balanced tuning, I wouldn’t call it a jack of all trades like the Ziigaat lush but, it is not far from there, the tuning here is more in line to the Hifiman HE-1000 SE, which people tout as it’s elder sibling and I agree with it, if you like the XS, you will love the HE-1000 SE.
Sound: 45/50
Bass: The Edition XS favours the mid-bass slightly over the sub-bass, rest assured, it’s not like the davinci, where it bleeds into the mids and treble, it’s more, subtle, it will hit good when it comes, however, since I am a chocolate mid-bass connoisseur, my hands have reached for that delicious xbass button on my iFi. Overall, better ‘quality’ bass than the Senny HD 599 SE and the Focal Elegia but, the ‘quantity’ is not adequate for my taste. It’s like choco-chip cookie but someone else has consumed all the choco-chips in it.
Mids: Everything is crystal clear, nothing here sounded muted, female vocals shine without sounding piercing, the instruments have good separation, and might I add, soundstage (unlike iems), not just in width but also in height and depth (albeit it’s small).
Treble: Treble here to me, was in the goldilocks spot, it’s not as dull as the likes of the Sennheiser HD 599 SE and the Focal Elegia, and not as bright as the Raptgo Bridge iem. Hi-hats, cymbals are all crispy at the right texture, like a perfectly fried, crispy patty of a burger. Though, I must point out that the treble here is brighter than the likes of the Sennheiser HD 650 (it’s why the XS is perceived as ‘detailed’).
Tracks Tested:
Cut the Bridge – Linkin Park;
Ooo boy, the immersion I got with the Edition XS over the iems for this song is next level, I felt like I was there on the stage with them, the drums have excellent spacing that I personally, did not notice on iems, they hit with decent thump though I still reach for that xbass button for some more oomph. Emily Armstrong and Mike Shinoda hit those transition lines damn smoothly and the XS showcases it to you in the face, I was easily able to follow along the lines they sang separately, and the lines they sang together, no muddiness at all. The cymbals and hi-hats are clear, and I can also hear the bass guitar that strung this whole track together. All in all, the XS is definitely balanced and is great for alternative and pop tracks.
Hard Pill to Swallow – Blacklite District;
Minecraft fans, if you know this song through the YouTuber ‘Rainanimator’, well, I salute you. I came across this band through that channel and have been following it since (both the band and the channel). The opening piano and the riff of the synth complement each other, the bass drums have quite an oomph, though I still reach for that xbass since I am a dirty mid-bass connoisseur. Kyle Pfeiffer’s voices tears through the background and immediately takes the centre stage as it gets surrounded by all the remaining instruments and the drums. It’s kinda of like the spotlight is first shone of the synth and piano player, and then comes the rest of the band with the singer taking front and centre and the XS renditions it perfectly, it feels like I am at a studio room listening to them perform.
Tamasat – Project Mishram;
This one was recommended to me by a friend, and, I must say, it is the most beautiful fusion of Indian classical and metal genres I had the pleasure to listening too, the edition XS definitely felt pushed here to me, the melodic tune of Indian classical instruments mixed with fast-paced metal riffs was something that the Dunu davinci and Activo Q1 really struggled to form a proper cohesion with. The Edition XS on the other hand, while pushed to the limits, did not struggle, whether is this due to planar’s nature for being fast or is it due to Hifiman’s tech or the sound signature, I could not pin it down. All in all, all the instruments were cohesive with each other, even with vastly different pace, the timbre is accurate and the imaging and sound stage are top-notch. The Edition XS is capable to handle busy tracks like this one.
Conclusion: The Edition XS in my opinion, is the door into Hi-Fi, it has excellent imaging and sound stage, while, also having good sound signature out-of-the-box. It is jack-of-all-trades while also being a master at fast-paced music like metal due to it being a planar magnetic. In terms of food, I would say that the edition XS is a good quality red-wine, the kind that makes you go, ‘oh wow! Is there more to wines?’ but also ends up as a benchmark to compare against other wines, kind of similar to the venerable Sennheiser HD 600.
Who would I recommend it for?
Those who want a jack-of-all-trades, metalheads and people who have either big heads or big ears, this one is just for you. I would also recommend it those who just want to try full-sized planar headphones without breaking the bank.
Who should avoid?
Bass heads, if you are fine with EQ, these cans can satisfy your desire, if not, I would suggest going with either the Sony MDR M1 or iems such as the Dunu Davinci, the Punch Audio Martillo or the FatFreq Deuce. People with small heads, do not go for this, even with the after-market comfort strap, these cans will sit on your jaws, I would instead suggest you to go with the Fiio FT1 Pro instead. Another group who should avoid this are people who are very sensitive to treble, while the XS is tamed compared to the others in Hifiman’s line-up, they are still a little on the bright side in comparison to the HD 600.