Thank you for the review/comparison. I was really thinking about buing Sundara 2020 together with Zen Dac V2 and start my journey from here. Now I am thinking about XS but I have read than zen dac will not get them anywhere near their potential and that is a big concern because I have 700EUR max to spend on everything - in fact in my country the combo Sundara + zen dac + some decent balanced cable is cheaper than XS themselves (XS is 60% more expensive than Sundara 2020) Could you please elaborate on their performance with different equipment, preferably on the cheaper side and also if you would pay this 60% more to get XS over Sundara?
@resolve How does the soundstage compare between the two headphones?
Currently Iāve heard mixed accounts as to which headphone has better soundstaging and imaging, and Iām curious to hear your opinion.
Ananda and Edition XS? Itās about the same. They have a similar design, and similar FR. Both are decently wide.
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Ah, no substantial differences?
I might just go for the XS when they show up more on the used market since the warmer tuning seems more preferential on my end, although the Ananda is cheaper on the used market currently.
Itās interesting.
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Iāve not had any issues with my Anandas, re pressure on jaw. I LOVE the larger ear cups, I have no problems with the inside touching any part of my ears (something that always bothers me with most other headphones).
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Good to know. So far comfort wise, my best cans are my Fidelio X2 (round earcups, but oval ear opening) and the A2C. There is some contact with my ears, but nothing like the 400i or 58x which I find are quite cramped.
I guess the big question now would be how much of an upgrade from my 400i (pretty considerable from what Iāve read), and when can I buy a pair in Canada?
I would agree that the Ananda would be a substantial upgrade in sound quality over the 400i. I only had a about 15 min. to listen to the 400i at a friendās house, but overall, I was not impressed. The sounded āthinā to me, if that makes sense.
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How would they sound compared to an he560 for example? iāve been thinking of upgrading mine, but im not quite sure theses would be considered an upgrade for them
Hi, I had the 560S and have the Ananda. If you are looking to blown away by the āupgrade,ā itās unlikely. They are very different sounding. Maybe wait a bit and get the Focal Clear OG instead? That would scream UPGRADED!
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Been thinking about getting a focal, or an aeon 2
Thanks for the super review @resolve. I am looking to upgrade my Sundara, but from your comments it seems like this or the Ananda might only be sidegrades. Looks like Elex/ Clear - or LCD XC for a closed back- might be a more meaningful upgrade.
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Tnx for great review @Resolve 
.
Is there any chance to listen hifiman edition xs with Sony wm1a with 3.5 jack (I hope get 4.4 balance cable in future) and drive it well ?
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Just got a pair of XS in today, some thoughtsā¦
The rumours are true. The headband isnāt exactly a great fit for those of us that arenāt well endowed on the skull front (hmm, now I got that Misfits song stuck in my head). With the arms fully retracted they are way too loose and tend to fall of my head if I look up or down. A quick kludge I did was to use a strip of 2cm memory foam as extra padding on the headband. That allowed me to extend the arms a couple notches and improve the clamp overall. Much better, but I still donāt feel like theyād be secure enough when moving around lots with a portable setup.
Speaking of portableā¦ Iād say with a proper DAP or amp theyād do OK. I havenāt tried it myself yet, but it seems to me that they need a similar amount of power as my 400i or A2C. Both of those I can drive decently with a Fiio E12a
Build quality is good enough for me. Actually, considering the original MSRP of the 400i, Iād say the XS is a huge step up. Good heft, fit and finish much better than my 400i (which I bought when HFM had them deeply discounted before the Sundara release). The earpads are uniform looking and look well constructed, not like the focus pads which seemed like they were slapped together in a child labour camp. Heck, I even like the cable. The headband being the big downside, but Iām going to guess that this is where HFM decided to cut corners to bring the price down.
Soundā¦ Iām hardly a reviewer or much of a critical listener - Iāll leave this for the pros, but so far, me like. They are doing the big near out of head sound I liked with the 400i (and this is using a tube that isnāt even particually good for stage in my Vali2). Bass is definitely more extended, and the highs are much cleaner. Since my listening time has only been a couple hours so far, Iāll leave it at that
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The Edition XS have been kindly loaned to me by Hifiman in order to evaluate them and create this review. Hifiman has not made any requests, they never have, so the following will be my personal opinions in the usual fashion of being as unbiased and sincere as possible. However, it is always good to consider the fact that it has not cost me anything to try out these headphones.
You can find the official Hifiman Edition XS page here: Headphones & portable audio - HIFIMAN.com
Introā¦
Itās been a while since I last reviewed a set of over-ear headphones. In fact, I think that the last ones I reviewed were the Hifiman Arya Stealth, back in October last year (which, by the way, are a set of headphones that I like more each time I listen to them).
I will also mention the fact that I am a Hifiman fan and also a big fan of the Ananda. The reason that I mention this is that comparisons with the Ananda will be unavoidable in this review, and although I aim to be as unbiased as possible, my love of the Ananda could create a little bias, although whether that bias could be both positive and negative. I mean, when someone brings out a new model of something that you really like, the usual human reaction is to dislike the new product that may replace it, whether this stance is logical or not.
In this case, I will start out by saying that the Edition XS are a set of headphones that are very similar to the Ananda in my opinion, and have fixed some of the things that people disliked about the Ananda, but are they a better set of headphones for less money?
Presentationā¦
Apart from the Ananda and the HE1000se, I think that every other set of Hifiman headphones I have received have always been packaged in the same way (except maybe of the plastic insert instead of silk on the HE4000se, but they were still more similar than not).
The usual Hifiman box showing the Edition XS on the front and specifications on the back, opens to reveal the usual warranty card and other documentation laying on top of a foam divider. Underneath the divider, the Edition XS sit in the usual silk covered cut out, with the cable in the allocated center space.
There isnāt really much more to say about it. I have no complaints with the presentation as it is the same as many others by the brand.
Build and aestheticsā¦
This may actually be the part where the Edition XS differs from the Ananda the most. While the Ananda has the steel headband with the suspension strap underneath, the Edition XS use the headband that Hifiman are using on many of their latest models. The headband is a simple foam and leather covered headband but has one thing that everyone missed on the Ananda, cup swivel.
Well, I say everyone but that is not really true. Personally I have no issue with the fit of the Ananda, it just fits me correctly without hassle, but I do understand that many peoples largest complaint with them was that lack of adjustment to get a good seal. This is something that the Edition XS has fixed and should make a lot of people happy.
Butā¦ and there is always a butā¦ I much prefer the suspension strap style headband. In my personal case, the newer headbands create a hotspot on the top of my head and while it is not unbearable, it does cause me to never really stop noticing the headphones on my head. I am obviously a minority in this case but all I can do is share my personal opinion.
The build quality is also very similar to the Ananda, although I do find that the part of the headband that swivels, and its plastic covers, do feel a little flimsy. I canāt say if this particular headband will cause issues over time but seeing that they have used it on many other models and I havenāt seen too many complaints, I can only guess that it should stand up to daily use without issue.
The aesthetics are also very similar to the Ananda, in fact, the only real difference as far as looks is again, the headband. Aesthetics are obviously a very personal thing and everyone has their own opinion, my personal opinion is that I prefer the look of the classic suspension strap headband.
The last thing to mention in this part of the review is the cable. Here I have to say that the cable that is included with the Edition XS is probably the most simple cable I have received with a set of Hifiman headphones, and it is also the best. It is a simple no frills cable that does not tangle, is of a decent length, avoids microphonics and just does its job.
Soundā¦
When I first listened to the Edition XS, my mind automatically said āAnandaā. Let me just point out that there are a few differences between the sound of the XS and the Ananda, which I will comment on, but the differences I feel are minor and if it wasnāt for listening to them side by side, I am not sure I would be able to spot them easily.
Before getting into the specifics, let me just mention power. Although I have listened to the Edition XS on multiple systems over the past week or so, a lot of that listening time has been in the office using a JDS Labs Atom. In my opinion it powers the XS just fine and to reach my normal listening levels (which are quite low), I have been keeping it around noon or less on low gain.
So, starting off in the subbass frequencies as always, here I feel that there is no difference between the two. The extension down into the subbass realms is neutral and any roll off is more due to our natural hearing roll-off than any drop from the Edition XS. Subass is tight and well controlled, keeping up with literally anything you would like to throw at it.
Putting it through the usual āChameleonā stress test, and giving it plenty of power to see how it did, subbass is just where I like it. It is not as boosted as some other sets, nor are planar usually my favourite choice for the lows, but gives enough to not feel that anything is missing and does it in a very controlled manner.
Moving into the midbass, it is a continuation of the subbass. It is neutral, balanced and very clean. From hip hop to pop, rock to reggae, I find that the bass is just a great representation of clean and neutral. With the lower end of acoustic instruments, such as the guitar on āCrazyā could maybe benefit with a slightest bit of warmth but that is something that I find with (almost) all planars I have tried. Donāt get me wrong, it sounds great, but is just a little more sterile than on some of the dynamic offerings (or higher end Hifiman models such as the HE1000se or the Arya).
There is absolutely nothing to complain about in the transition from bass to lower mids and the neutral balance continues up until we start reaching the higher mids. @Resolve shared a graph of the Ananda vs Edition XS in this thread (here) and his graph shows the Ananda having more presence in the 3 to 4 kHz region.
Now, I am obviously not arguing with a measurement but there is something about this region that strikes me as different and not necessarily smoother on the Edition XS. Let me see if I can explain this in a way that is understandable and not seem like a total fool at the same time 
The Ananda does give me the impression of being more āactiveā in these higher mids. As I have said before, plenty of times, I feel that the Ananda is an exciting headphone that sort of shouts ālook what I can doā, where I feel that the Edition XS, while having a very similar (almost identical) FR, does not portray itself the same way. I feel that the Edition XS is slightly smoother in that high mid forward space, butā¦ there is a frequency that can come across as very harsh with certain female vocals.
I have a few theories (looking at the graph) as to why this may be and I am inclined towards the fact that the 3kHZ boost does not irritate me at all (when done correctly). However, as the 3kHz mark is slightly reduced on the XS, it leaves the 5kHz mark as the highest peak and I feel this is something that my ears donāt really like that much.
Now, before anyone gets the impression that this makes the XS unlistenable to me, far from it. The difference between the two is very slight and I am focusing on something that is really only a couple of dB difference on very specific songs by specific artists. As I said at the start, if I wasnāt listening to them side by side I am not sure, in fact I very much doubt, I would notice.
Moving up to the higher ranges, here I sort of feel that the Ananda is slightly smoother while the XS gives a slight increase in perception of space. Again, these are differences so minor that I could not choose between the two and would be more than happy with either of them.
As far as details, layering, dynamics and all those fancy words, I really feel that both are on a very similar level. I get the feeling with some songs that I prefer one, on others I prefer the other and in general, they are both great.
Conclusionā¦
This review has really turned into a comparison rather than a review of only the Edition XS. I suggest you take a look at my complete review of the Ananda (here) in order to get a more detailed grasp on my opinion of them, that will put this review into context a little better.
I feel that the most important factor for deciding between them will be the headband, in other words, comfort. If you are someone who prefers the swivel and the new headband, then you should have no doubts that you are not giving anything up by choosing the (cheaper) Edition XS over the Ananda.
If you donāt care which headband you use and find them both comfortable, then I would again just choose the Edition XS. It is cheaper than the Ananda, it has a better cable and the sound is just as good. There really isnāt any reason to choose the Ananda over the Edition XS unless you really want that comfort strap (which I really like by the way!).
If you own an Ananda, I really donāt think that there is any reason to move to the Edition XS, again, unless you want the headband/swivel. Both are excellent headphones at their price.
All I can say is that Hifiman has introduced another headphone that I feel sets a level of quality for the price bracket. Where the HE400se is my go to recommendation in the lower budgets, I think that the Edition XS is now a reference at the 500ā¬ mark.
As always, this review is also available in Spanish on my blog (here) and on YouTube (here).
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Hey @Resolve,
Since a lot of people are planning to get Edition XS can you please suggest DAC/AMP that pairs the best with Edition XS?
Sorry I am new to forum :3
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Thereās lots of options there, probably all depends on your budget. Iād recommend something from iFi with the Xbass function if you want that, and they often have lots of power (like the Micro Black Label for example). Otherwise, thereās a lot of great stuff thatās more budget oriented from them as well like the ZenCAN and ZenDAC. Or you could go with the more numbers oriented SMSL SU9 and whatever the matching amp is there - I canāt remember the name. Of course, thereās also the Schiit stacks, like a Modius Magnius situation that would do just fine.
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There are 2 PS Audio Gain Cell DACās w/headphone amp for sale on head-fi. I have one of these and the DAC portion is perhaps the best implementation of ESS Sabre chip set Iāve heard. The Headphone amp is terrific. Also has remote volume and source selection is nice to have. Nice one box set-up with RCA & balanced XLR out for separate headphone amp as desired.
Used these run about $850. Heck of a deal.
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Any recommendations for DAC+Amps under $200?
Another question is whether the said budget satisfies the XS?
Right now Iām jet set on Zen Dac V2, which is a good choice.Donāt talk about schiit though, itās impossible to find on the market at the moment.
The source is a desktop PC.
Also, why does Audirvana sound so goddamn good? Does anyone know?
Thanks
Topping L30 / E30 combo? Iāve seen a few go on the used market for around $250.
You should have enough performance and power for basically any headphone minus HE-6, Susvara etc.
Wow! Thank to Resolve and every elseās reviews and measurements. Iām an inch away from pulling this trigger on this thing, and I just need one more thing: is there a distortion graph of the xs? Iāll probably boost the sub-bass a good 10dB, and Iām wondering if the headphone can handle it without massive distortion setting in. Thanks!