Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones with Stealth Magnets Design, Adjustable Headband, Detachable Cable for Audiophiles, Home, Studio-Black
CamelCamelCamel.
They look huge!
Yep. They are very comfortable for me though. Clamping force is practically nonexistent but they are very stable on the head.
Idk why the downvotes, but yeah they are chunky bois - but that's pretty normal for over-ear planars I believe :)
It's impossible to get rational debate on OZB. A difference of opinion may as well be a death threat.
@PlagueistheCheap: It's probably related to their other comment comparing them to QC35s.
It's quite common for comments from the same user to be downvoted following a unpopular or unrelated comment.
The fact they are comparing open backed wired headphones to Bluetooth NC headphones shows they have no idea what they're talking about.
@ihfree: Agreed.
But that should mean for the members in the community who understand these things to educate and share their knowledge. This would allow the person to better understand and who knows, maybe even get into this wonderful rabbit hole and listen to songs that they know and love like they've never heard it before!
:)
Yep, my head looks like a freaking tennis ball in this
I’m on my phone, but I’d like an MSpaint of this!
@WhyAmICommenting: https://ibb.co/mSRbLWF
here's my attempt in MSpaint. hands behind my back. blindfolded. 365 no scope.
Looks like a great price for Amazon
Really thanks for sharing
18 ohms, no amps needed. Noice.
Audio novice here,
I was planning to get a hifiman Sundara. This or Sundara ?
You will want to use an amp with these. Sensitivity is quite low at 92 dB. Look for an amp with a low output impedance.
I haven't personally heard the Sundara, but I have read that this is basically an upgrade over the Sundara.
Some reviewers prefer it over the Ananda even.
This over the Sundara.
Please get an amp and try the difference. This headphone whilst more than capable to be driven without a amp, loses musical capability.
I mean if you're plugging it into a phone and some budget dongles, the mid range and upper bass would actually crackle a bit because the driver wouldn't be getting enough current fed in.
Absolutely should not be using this without an amp. Low impedance doesn't mean easy to drive. Have to look at sensitivity numbers which are quite low.
If anyone new to audio is considering jumping in to it, please take recommendations from others with a large grain of salt.
There is a common tendency in the audio world to recommend needlessly expensive or over-the-top setups.
The Edition XS are wonderful headphones that will sound great when plugged into anything decent made in the last couple of years.
With those sources, you'll get at least ~80-90% of the sound quality on offer from these headphones.
There are several valid reasons to want an amp (EQ headroom, desirable distortion effects, features like balanced input/output etc.), but you don't need to rush out and buy an amp for sound quality unless you're on a crappy motherboard from 2012.
Even if you do need an amp, you don't need to spend big on it. There are $100 amps out there that will fool most people in a blind listening test with the XS against other amps several times as expensive.
Would you mind sharing some hidden gems in DAC/AMP out there that punch above their weight?
I don’t own many but I can name two and I’ve had and liked.
The FX Audio DAC X6 MKII is a neat little combo DAC/amp you can probably get for around $100 off AliExp. It has a surprisingly large power output for its price that works for a lot of headphones up to the high end stuff (past the XS at least). My favourite feature is the connectivity - you get Toslink, USB and bluetooth in, and you can run RCA out to an amp if you want to upgrade later. It has its flaws though - the amp has a relatively large output impedance so I wouldn’t use it with < 80 ohm headphones (although I believe planars are exempt from these kinds of issues).
I havent really needed to upgrade from that, but I did pick up an SMSL HO100 amp recently for $200. It has a nice amount of output power but I primarily picked it because I was interested in trying its balanced output (rare for this price point) to get more power.
But it’s not too cumbersome to look around yourself - hop on amazon/ebay/aliexpress for something that looks good (suits your price range and input/output connections), then try and verify its performance - ideally with a more objective review from somewhere like ASR.
I can also recommend the guys at Minidisc in Chatswood - they’ve given me helpful advice on several occasions and they know their stuff. (Recently went to A2A and had a bad experience so I wouldn’t recommend them.)
@johnwinkle: If you hear any hissing or static in your headphones even when no sound is playing, you will benefit from a DAC.
Also consider a dongle DAC. They're tiny, relatively cheap and sound just as good as my full sized DAC/Amps! :)
I'm with PKBeam, don't buy a DAC/Amp until you've bought the headphones, plugged it in and listened to them first - the only caveat I'd add is that the overwhelming majority of Android phones have terrible DAC/Amps built in, so if you buy a headphone or an IEM for portable listening or via an Android tablet/phone, then I'd absolutely recommend investing in a $20-30 dongle DAC. My personal favourite is the Meizu Hifi, but have heard really good things about the Avani and the Abigail too.
How’s this compared to Sundara?
I think the XS is in a different class entirely, and is mostly compared with the Ananda, not the Sundara.
It has the egg-shaped cup design like the Ananda and Aryas which gives the sound a really large scale, in contrast with the round cups in the Sundara.
The Sundara is very well-regarded though and almost universally liked.
XS Slays them
Better bass and soundstage. Much less clamp force which was a negative for me.
yeah the XS seems better suited out out of the box to those with a larger head.
Is this just me or does it really look like something came out of Senniheiser factory or trying to pretend to be?
It's just you. The design language is very much Hifiman.
okay then - duly noted
How would you compare this with the 6XX, OZBargain favourite, which has gone as low as VN$220? I.e. do they have similar sound signature, is the upgrade significant and easy to notice?
I don't have the HD6XX, but I do have the HD600. I feel the XS leans more towards balanced and neutral with exceptional soundstage and imaging.
The XS is the more technically competent headphone in every respect, except maybe vocal and midrange intimacy which is the upside of the 6-line's narrow soundstage.
The sound quality upgrade is very noticeable, even for non-audiophiles. Much comfortable too.
Night and day.
I have the 6xx, brilliant for vocals and mids an exceptional pair of headphones for the price, however is a one trick pony. You need to listen to specific type music for it to shine. Or in other words; lacking bass, sub-bass, and clean treble.
The XS is more than double the price, imho you get so much more for the price jump. XS headphones IMHO punches above its weight closer to the sub 1k headphones.
Overall, the XS will be more enjoyable for generic listening due to the neutrality and technical capability.
I have the Focal Clears. If you don't mind me asking, how does this compare? Do you know if the XS has sufficient bass? Most reviews suggest it is quite lean (less quantity and not as punchy).
From my experience, XS have a better bass extension but Clears have better bass punch and slam. I liked the Clears more and sold the XS.
XS is wider, imaging is more exaggerated but not significantly better. XS excels with songs that have strings, brass wind etc due to the better bass texture.
However the clears are much better for EDM and electronic due to the better bass dynamics
The 6XX - when properly driven - are very versatile. They also don't lack bass - and bass extension doesn't start to taper audibly until 40Hz - it's just more organic than the cleaner, dynamic bass of the XS, which is maybe a decibel or two higher when volume matched for the mid range of both headphones.
The Edition XS is an overall upgrade, but it also compliments the 6XX pretty well, and can serve as a daily driver much more successfully due to less spikes in treble.
Thanks guys. You have convicted me to part ways with my $600.
I have these and the 6XX and these sound much better in my opinion. That said, the headphone jack is on the bottom of the ear cups and those ear cups are huge. I have a short NRL style neck so the cable jacks hit shoulders if I move my head around.
These are large and heavy and I wouldn’t mind some padding on the head band to lift the ear ups up 10mm or so.
If anyone can recommend some cost effective headphone padding (not too concerned on looks) or a suitable cable with low profile jacks that would be sweet.
Would highly recommend either a headband cover or dekoni nuggets
PS - Im running Topping E30 dac with L50 amp
https://www.amazon.com.au/Headphone-Headband-Cushion-Replace…
Try this plus double-sided tape. Would say these headphones are very much suited for people with larger heads,but found this was enough to give a bit more distance and have headphones sit higher on the head.
Thanks, exactly what I was looking for
Thanks for sharing ! just bought 1 !
I am new to the rabbit hole , may i get some suggestion for DAC and AMP to pair with this lttle baby ?
Much appreciated !
I use mine with a Topping DX3 Pro+ and I have no complaints. I think most modern headphone amps, THX, etc should be great with planars like these. Tube amps not so much.
Ifi Zen Dac is a good all in one solution, otherwise either Schiit Magni Modi stack or JDS Labs Atom stack do work exceptionally well too..
i have heard that the smsl HO/DO 100 is also good
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/s…
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/s…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5CrpIQ8x7Y
Look for the rod rain RNHP copy on aliexpress. Really hard to beat and runs this perfectly.
is there anything else essential i need to get with this to optimally use on my pc as a complete audio noob
Yes, a good DAC and Amp. Some units that come to mind: DX3 Pro+, FiiO X5 Pro, iFi Zen DAC V2.
thanks for the dx3 pro is it just plug into a usb port and im good? i remember hearing people talk about sound cards or things they had to hook up to their motherboard
Yup. Just need to consider that it comes with a USB type-A cable so you may need an adapter depending on your computer.
I wouldnt recommend anything less than a ifi Zen Can amp
These or the focal elear b stock which has been $499 in past
What genre of music do you listen to?
Focal elear B stock is still available?
I have the elear and 6xx and now these I can't resist lowest price deals just trying to figure out if these sound better than any of my other ones btw I can't check still all in boxes doing nothing
Elear B stock hasn't appeared for years now. It's also apparently discontinued. Edition XS are largely better, though Focal bass has its own revered punchiness. XS has it covered for everything else.
These. The Elear have a bad dip in the mids which bothers a lot of people and makes some music seem like there’s a hole in it.
The clear and these would trade blows.
These most certainly do not trade blows with the Clears
Not going to argue or disagree, sound is subjective. I’ve got susvaras now and tried every open focal and most Hifimans and that was my conclusion. But one man’s opinion, ear canals and sound perception.
Fair enough, it always is subjective. I've found most Hifiman's severely lacking in dynamics that makes a lot of genres sound more dead than they should. Depends on what you listen too
@cille745: Agreed, if it’s macro dynamics you’re after and impact/ slam, you’re better off with a focal open back than any planar.
Cheers, pulled the trigger. Been looking to upgrade from my AKG k702s
Must resist buying another pair of headphones…. told myself that the 6XX and Focal Elears will be enough unless i won the lottery in which case i'd get an audeze
Sell the 6XX, thats what I did sfter buying the Elears and have no regrets. This should make justifying these easier.
Btw, I did buy a pair of used B&O H6, after selling thr 6XX, and their use case and signature compliments the Elears nicely, rather than competing with them.
Sell the Elears and look into the RAAL CA-1a for your lottery winnings.
Definitely tempted to get something as upgrade to 6xx. Thought about open box he6se v2 as well, how would these 2 compare?
How do they compare to Focal Elears? I got them for the exactly same price (with a case) a couple of years ago.
Those asking about how does it compare with Elear, elex, clear, 6XX bla bla bla.
Why not buy, try, and if you're not satisfied, return? Buying from Amazon provides you with exactly that fringe benefit.
Mainly because people are morons and need validation on their purchase. Most don't even know what good music sounds like due to 20 years or 2 generations of people growing up listening to music that have their dynamic range crushed by compression and file sizes for streaming, downloading.
Would you say that the kids aren't alright?
As a local STAX representative I must remind you all to reject planar and accept electrostats into your hearts.
Why?
Electrostats will set you back 10 times this price
There was a full Koss kit on Drop for under $600 for a long time, so no really. There are some STAX options that start below that too, but they're sans energizer.
Would look into ribbon driver tech to outpoint electrostat anyway.
The ol one trick electrostat pony
I say we take it a step further and get Neuralinks instead. But perfect music straight to the brain, now everyone has golden ears.
Ozbargain special?
Convert here. Totally agree.
Another one bites the dust…..
Also remember, if you have a smallish head and short neck, stay away from this headphone, any increase in music fidelity is compromised by a very poor fit.
hmm what does neck length have to do with music infidelity?
Disance from top of head and ears maybe? Bit of extra padding on strap can fix that. Not enough headphone clamping force? Few big macs can fix that.
What's the quality control on the XS like? I've read too many bad reviews around durability and build quality of the Sundara that I'm somewhat wary of HIFIMAN.
Still questionable but going with Amazon is your safest bet. I would only ever buy them from local or Amazon for warranty purposes
Lowest price ever as per C3. I have these headphones and they often are regarded as matchless in their price category.