Today we are checking out HIFIMAN Edition XS full-size open-back planar magnetic headphones.
HIFIMAN provided this review unit for my honest feedback. Thank you! I’m not paid to say anything in particular about this product. All thoughts and opinions in today’s episode are my own.
HIFIMAN Edition XS is an open back headphone with a planar magnetic drivers. It features HIFIMAN’s Stealth magnets technology and a NEO Supernano diaphragm. The headphones offer an impressive frequency response range, fantastic detail retrieval, realism and a balanced sound signature for it’s price
The headphones come in a new style of Hifiman’s minimalistic box. On the front of the box we have a small illustration of the headphones. On the side of the box we have a list of technical specifications.
In the box:
- Headphones
- De-detachable cable
- 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter
- Manual
- And warranty card
The inner part of the box foam is also removable. It has a plastic base and acts as a basic headphones stand. The impedance of Edition XS is 18 Ohm, sensitivity is 92 dB. Compared to some other planar magnetic headphones, HIFIMAN Edition XS has relatively low impedance. But it also has a low sensitivity, so don’t expect it to run smoothly from your smartphone.
Design & build
HIFIMAN Edition XS has a solid built, and the headphones weight 405 gr without cable. The style of headband looks familiar. It’s already used on many of HIFIMAN’s current models, such as the HE400SE and Deva Pro. This headband in my option lacks a bit in ergonomics, but it’s distributing the weight of the headphones quite well
The handband has quite a bit of padding and it does it’s job well. But I personally prefer the headband that is used on Sundara and Ananda. On the side of the headband we have plastic inserts. One saying the HIFIMAN and the other one saying HIFIMAN Edition XS. The yokes that attach the headband to the cups are metal. They are made from a single piece of metal, which makes it very durable.
To adjust the headband, you simply move each ear cup up or down. The headband size adjusting mechanism works really well. The clamping force of the headband is quite light. And this is a weak point of this build, especially considering the size of the ear cups
Ear cups
And talking about ear cups, man, they are massive. The ear cups are egg shaped, 130 mm in height and 95 mm across (in the widest part). They are made out of plastic and have metal grills to protect the drivers. There is a little horizontal rotation of the ear cups, but surprisingly, the ear cups rotate 360 degrees vertically. Each ear cup has a 3.5 mm connector socket which is located slightly towards the front of the ear cups.
Ear cups host a planar magnetic drivers that use Stealth magnets. For those not familiar with the this technology, the Stealth magnets are acoustically transparent magnets that dramatically reduce wave diffraction turbulence that typically degrades the integrity of the sound waves. In addition the drivers use NEO Super Nano technology, which HIFIMAN devoted extensive time and resources to create. A nano-scale thickness diaphragm allows lightning fast response which not only produces stunning levels of details but also has a ultra-low distortion too.
The ear pads are a hybrid type – the outer ring is made out of pleather, the inner part is made from a perforated pleather, and the side touching your ears is made out of velour. The ear pads are very comfortable and they are significantly thicker on the back side compared to the part which is closest to the cheek.
Fit & comfort
The HIFIMAN Edition XS weights 405 grams, they are quite comfortable if you find a good position on your head. But the main issue here is the headband design and the clamping force.
I have an average size head, I wear motorcycle helmet size L, the headphones fit me well, but they sit on my head very loose. In addition the massive ear cups reach my chin bones. If you have a really big head, I think it will be easier for you to find a good fit
In any case, it took me some time to get used to this fit, but I still think, that headband that is used on Sundara and Ananda would suit this pair much better . The ear pads having hybrid design are comfortable too, I have large ears and they completely fit inside the ear cups and I didn’t experience any discomfort even during long listening sessions
Cable
The headphones come with one detachable cable which is 1.5 meters long. The cable is made from crystalline copper wire and it has an angled 3.5 mm TRS connector on one end and two 3.5 mm TRS connectors on the other ends. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the same cable that is shipped with the latest HE400SE and DevaPro and it honestly doesn’t pair well with the HIFIMAN Edition XS price tag, but I understand that HIFIMAN needed to cut some corners here and there.
The connectors have an L and R marking, so you can easily distinguish the side of the headphones by just looking at them. By the way both ear cup connectors are located slightly forward to the front of the ear cups, so when the cable is connected, is draps across the user’s chest for better comfort. The cable has minimal microphonics which is good. In addition if you are not happy with the stock cable, you can purchase a replacement, which is really easy to find.
Hifiman Edition XS sound overview
Please note that all the sound impressions I’m sharing on this channel are completely subjective, so please take them with a grain of salt.
The impedance of HIFIMAN Edition XS is 18 Ohm, but they are still a bit inefficient rated at 92db of sensitivity which basically means that they definitely need some amplification. I tried to use it with my smartphone, my DAP and a desktop stack.
The desktop stack powers them really well, so there is not need to go into further details. With my FIIO X7 MK2 DAP which outputs 150 mW @ 32 Ohms single ended, I had no problems powering this pair in hi-gain mode. And I kept the DAP’s volume around 85% most of the time. Still I think that this pair truly scales and opens up when it’s connected to a desktop stack. My Samsung Galaxy S10 on the other hand definitely didn’t have enough power to bring this pair to my preferred volume levels.
HIFIMAN Edition XS sounds very open, transparent, clear and detailed with just a pinch of additional brightness. The resolution, imaging, texture and detail retrieval is absolutely fantastic. The headphones excel at handling many of the genres that I like and it works really well for classical, jazz, soul, rock and metal music. And this pair sounds really good with well recorded and mastered material. On the other hand, poor sounding recordings are a complete disaster as this pair is unforgiving and it immediately reveals all the flaws of the recording.
Bass
The bass on Edtion XS is quite neutral, tight, and well extended. And it’s got a nice amount of impact and quantity-wise there is enough bass for many genres and scenarios. The subbass region is very clear, transparent, it has a good texture and details. The mid bass also offers quite a good control and nice punch. It also adds just a little bit of a nice body and warmth to overall headphone presentation. The amount of sub-bass and mid-bass is almost equal and the bass is quite textured, so you can distinguish individual bass notes. Overall the bass quality on Edition XS is exceptional and transience is fast as one should expect from a planar magnetic driver
Midrange
The midrange on Edition XS is mostly neutral and it offers a great level of details . The mid-range sounds very crisp and clear and the mids are quite linear up to 2 Khz. The lower midrange is quite detailed, but upper midrange shows better amount of depth and intensity. In addition the upper midrange is more transparent and also has a better level of extension and detail retrieval. This brings a lot of musicality into the overall presentation and both instruments and vocals sound very natural. In addition the headphones offer an exceptional performance in terms of instrument placement and separation
Treble
The frequency response of the treble is relatively smooth and it shows slightly energetic and bright tonality. Treble offers a good level of extension and details, without being sibilant or sharp. The treble is able to produce a good amount of clarity, and at the same time it’s well articulated and transparent. The upper treble has a lot of air and sparkle, and is quite crisp and detailed. At the same time the upper treble doesn’t sound harsh and unnatural which is a plus. Extra air gives this pair of headphones a good sense of transparency and details. Details retrieval is outstanding for this price range and micro details retrieval is impressive as well.
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HIFIMAN Edition XS has a natural soundstage, with precise imaging and good instrument separation. The soundstage is quite wide, and in addition it’s also quite deep. The music on Edition XS sounds out of your head and those used to narrow soundstage would be amazed with this pair. Most sounds are very natural and hold their particular positions in space, even during busy passages
Imaging on Edition XS is exceptional, aided by good driver matching and no channel imbalanc. The separation of instruments is also fantastic, far better than anything else in this price range. As for detail and micro-detail retrieval, I think the Edition XS set a new mark at $500 and I really struggle to think of any headphone in this price range that can outperform the Edition XS in this regard.
Conclusions
If I had to describe HIFIMAN Edition XS in two words that would probably be transparent and detailed and I’m honestly impressed by how good the Edition XS sounds. This pair maintains the Hifiman in-house sound, with a well-extended but not overpowering bass, relaxed, mids and enhanced and detailed treble
Pros:
- An amazing price to performance ratio
- The headphones are well tuned and have natural timbre
- Excellent soundstage and imaging
- Excellent clarity, detail retrieval, speed & control
- Excellent separation of instruments and layering
- Solid technical performance
Cons:
- Headband comfort may vary, definitely it could benefit from a Sundara/Ananda type of headband
- Clamping force is way too relaxed
- Bass slam could have been a bit better
- Rare upper treble glare might be harsh for some people
- Cable quality doesn’t match the headphones price tag
- And I’d also like to see a storage case
All in all HIFIMAN Edition XS is an amazing pair of headphones that almost brings you the Ananda’s performance for $500, but at the same time it adds some of it’s character to the overall presentation. And while I think you can find other headphones in this price range that are more comfortable than Edition XS, finding the one that unquestionably provides a better performance per dollar will be a very difficult task.
I hope this review has been helpful and if you’d like to see more content like this, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for future updates. Thank you for joining me, and until next time, goodbye!
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