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.
Ouchie. hopefully paid with PayPal to claim $45 return shipping
Didn’t know PayPal had that feature. I used Westpac Mastercard Debitcard.
I mean this would be $573 or so after cashbacks, and you've got the option of discounted gift cards. If this price holds until further discounts appear - or Prime Day - someone might get this even cheaper.
I remember chatting to you about the return, but why didn't you use AliExpress free return service and then order a replacement? Was the seller unwilling to re-offer the price?
Past the 15 day free return Aliexpress warranty. I was overseas so by the time I came back home, opened the box and used it for a few weeks it died but by then it was 5 weeks from delivery. The seller himself was great to deal with and no issues with warranty. Having to pay for postage and with Chinese addresses being so convoluted, you get nervous if it even gets delivered to the right person.
Good enough to risk getting them, but their reputation is bad enough that I'd get them from a trustworthy source. They certainly aren't my most well built headphone, but they feel fine.
I had an issue with my He560 headband a long time ago, and Hifiman were great to deal with. Sent out a replacement headband quickly and their communication was efficient. Can't really complain.
Very instructive comments section, nice work op!
Can anyone compare these against the B&W P9 Signature?
Looking for advice!
Long time user of everything Bose - Soundbar 2.1 setup, QC25 & 35s, SoundLink etc.. was looking recently at upgrading my headphones for personal use (music, calls, console and PC video games, movies) and stumbled across Shure's Aoinc 50s. They read up better than anything Bose had to offer, so was contemplating them..now I've seen this thread and am questioning if I dive into true audiophile territory.
As I read above, obviously these are two very different products. I will admit that a lot of what I've read makes no sense to me. Will I be able to use these HIFIMANs for the things I want described above? I'm willing to learn more, I like my audio. TIA
Well I'd say going back to the old fashioned route of wired audio is much more reliable. I had a Bose soundbar just last month that stopped working and bricked itself basically, and there was no way for me to fix it wirelessly with their crappy app.
You may as well if you think you'll enjoy the hobby, you don't need lots of equipment.
I was able to use my 600ohm beyers from my phone and it sounded passable but soft so there's no need to splurge on really expensive equipment. The bigger thing thay will affect sound is you need higher quality sound files.
These headphones are unique in that they use a different technology to produce sound to most headphones.
Check out YouTube channel Crinacle+ for good explanations of different things.
Don't get headphones that everyone say is good, get the ones that sound good to you.
Legend Muten thanks! I'll check it out.
I've had my Bose Soundbar for years and it's worked flawlessly. Only issue I've ever had is putting a gaming console through the amp, which resulted in heavy visual lag.
I changed the settings in my Spotify app to download in the highest quality format, not entirely sure if that is still garbage or not?
I assume these are not ANC either?
Thanks again
Yeah I don't know what happened with them. I had gotten a new tv and was moving the connections over to the new one. I can only assume that it was silently updating its software when I unplugged it, because it disappeared from the Bose app and no matter what I tried, neither the remote nor the app could re-pair the bluetooth connection. I tried connecting it to a computer, directly to the router to try and factory reset yadda yadda but it kept hanging.
Bose at least paid for a courier to pick it up and repair it, but you shouldn't need to do that in the first place for a speaker in my opinion.
Yes so there are 2 types of over ear headphones - open backed and closed backed. The open backed ones allow for sound to leak out from the outside of the frame, and that gives you a more 'open' sound like you are sitting in a large room or outdoors. This is called 'soundstage'.
Closed back muffles it a lot more, and this allows for more punchier bass and drum sounds but can make it sound a bit more muffled or have a small soundstage depending on the headphones.
Nah Spotify at highest quality is not "technically" audiophile quality but frankly - who cares it is convenient when you are out and about.
You would need an app that can play file formats such as .flac or .alac that are not compressed at all. You would typically rip them directly from CDs to get that quality. Poweramp is a good app for android.
Crinacle's website also lists all the headphone's he has measured and tested, it's a pretty good reference for things to try out and demo in shops.
Dank Pods is an aussie channel that introduces headphones too, but he is presenting from a drummer's perspective so he might be looking for different sound qualities compared to what you might find nice.
This is pretty interesting too.
https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/…
Spotify would be roughly the 300 kbps rate, so you could compare how each sounds.
That's correct - higher end audio gear will not have ANC typically because that involves microphones detecting external noise and playing the opposite to cancel out the sound.
Would this be an upgrade from the Sen HD700?
Absolutely.
This is a bargain website for the rich.
Thanks OP! Been waiting on either these or the Sundaras to go on sale. Bought the Focal Elears when they were $499 B stock but returned them when both drivers failed within 4 months. Hopefully the QC is a little better on these
Wish these were wireless
Check out the Hifiman Deva (around the same price) or Ananda BT (more expensive).
Else, you could try this with a Bluetooth dac/AMP like a FiiO BTR5 or Qudelix 5K, but your mileage may vary.
Deva Pro with the R2R DAC is an astonishing piece of kit.
Anyone tried these with the 2021 MacBook pros that claim can handle high impedance headphones?
This isn't a high impedance headphone per se - it's 18 ohms.
That said, the sensitivity of the XS is low at 92 dB so it still needs an amp.
I've tried the XS with the 2021 M1 Pro MBP, and it sounded just ok. I still prefer it with the standalone amp (in my case the Topping DX3 Pro+).
Not entirely sure but it might have to do with the MBP's impedance detection system (https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT212856) where it only switches to higher voltages for headphones with 150 ohms and above, and as mentioned the XS is 18 ohms.
I have noticed the M1 Pro MBP works better with my HD600 which is 300 ohms, but again I also prefer it with a standalone amp.
Thanks, awesome explanation. Be interesting to see if there was some way of tricking it.
For anyone who owns the XS and gets a sore spot on the middle of the head, I ordered these:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000406439744.html
Has completely resolved the issue entirely, have been using them for about 2 months now.
I have a super small head, wonder this may help, may order 1.
Thanks!
Also good to buy if you have a short neck as the headphone cable plugs hits your shoulders because the ear cups are huge. Might get these to solve that issue.
Ok I've only been an audiophile nerd just under a year. I picked up a pair of Sundara's last November with a Schiit Dac and Amp and let me tell you, my mind has been opened. I'd never heard such clarity and spaciousness. Songs I'd listened to 100's of times sounded different in a better way. I was in a world of bliss, then a month later these darn headphones dropped…. I'll be jealous, but if you can afford them with a decent DAC and Amp + the likely Tidal subscription, definitely pick them up. If you can't, wait for the Sundara's to go on sale. You won't be sorry.
I tried this in store yesterday and
it's huge (like really really big on my mid-size head)
the quality of the materials used seems below the Fostex T60 that I also demoed. The T60 has better plastics and the pads are much more comfortable (like very supple pillows on my ears). This comment applies to the 3 Hifimans i demoed (Sundara, XS and RE9))
Do they come with storage case?
I don’t think so.
Any advice on EVA case?
Do you think I can wear this for 8 hrs a day? Did you get any mods to make it more comfortable
They have low clamp, so no pain in jaw area. Very little comfort complaints compared to ananda
thanks, bought one, super excited, I've been listening to music on $5 earphones and qc35 my whole life, can't wait to have my ears blown
I hope you have an amplifier to go with it! They really need an amp to shine
For anyone that's looking for a DAC/amp to go with these and wants to splurge a little, there's a discount on the HIFIMAN EF400: https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/ef400-736.html
There's a $100 USD discount at the moment for anyone who's bought certain of their headphones (including the XS).
I had to email for the coupon (attached the amazon invoice showing the headphone purchase), and just put it through now. Came to $533 USD with shipping ($777 AUD). Apparently the promotion is ending soon though - the customer service guy that sent me the coupon said it might have already finished but to try it anyway. It did work, and it's still advertised on the site.
(like people have said though, it's way more than these headphones should really need)
Has anyone received their orders yet?
I had to return mine I bought on Aliexpress, left cup stopped working and there was also that famous Hifiman crackling sounds like 2 pieces of wrapping paper rubbing together that would occur randomly. Postage back cost me $55 to Aliexpress seller, was sweating as Chinese delivery addresses are weird as hell and you also are nervous if it even reaches the seller, etc. Got a replacement back, took around 2 months for the whole debacle. Doing it all over again, I would have paid extra to buy from Amazon like this deal.