[cycloverid]

I just can't see an increase in volume as the same as impact - because it's not.

I have the HE-6SE v1, HEX v2, and the HE-500. The first two un-'SQ'd probably go deeper than the XS, and the 3rd is close. I do run the HEX with two shelfs and I've tried all sorts of things to mimic the HE-6 OG and it can't be done. I have a killer amp too.

For the type of bass i'm talking about see roto tom heavy art rock, dynamic classical after 1875, and quite a bit of jazz/fusion.

Well, by impact I mean my ears and head are rattling. Without EQ, there's just a small hint of that. And yeah, for those genres I imagine the punch/slam qualities will be subdued in comparison.

 

[bagwell359]

Well, by impact I mean my ears and head are rattling. Without EQ, there's just a small hint of that. And yeah, for those genres I imagine the punch/slam qualities will be subdued in comparison.

ok. Any of these settings make your eyes close involuntarily? Never once with mine, maybe 150 times w the OG 6 in 50-60 hours on my set-up.

 

[cycloverid]

ok. Any of these settings make your eyes close involuntarily? Never once with mine, maybe 150 times w the OG 6 in 50-60 hours on my set-up.

I'm just saying that, with my setup, the Edition XS is easily the best (open back) low/sub bass planar performer I've owned. And this makes sense, a larger driver/subwoofer has a lot more potential in this category than a smaller one. If you don't listen to genres like hip hop, you might think the under 100hz idea is 'rubbish' - but this opinion isn't of any concern to me.

 

[Mhog55]

A few questions - Are we liking this headphone with rock and metal? How does it excel, and where does it fall short with these genres?
Is anyone using it with a dap or dongle, or does it require more power to really shine and flaunt it's true potential?
How does it compare / contrast against the Quad Era-1? The only Hifiman I've owned in the past was the 400S. I've kinda steered clear based on the quality control issues often mentioned.

 

[cycloverid]

A few questions - Are we liking this headphone with rock and metal? How does it excel, and where does it fall short with these genres?
Is anyone using it with a dap or dongle, or does it require more power to really shine and flaunt it's true potential?
How does it compare / contrast against the Quad Era-1? The only Hifiman I've owned in the past was the 400S. I've kinda steered clear based on the quality control issues often mentioned.

My opinion on rock/metal is that this headphone is a bit* too bright for some of the recording styles of this music. The hi-hats in particular can be somewhat zingy and sharp. If you aren't planning on EQ'ing and just like this kind of sound, then maybe this will work for you. My Sundara has a better tuning for these genres for my preference, so I reduce the treble down on the XS to suit all the genres I like (2-3db in a couple places works).

I want to say the QC on Hifiman has gotten better, but this really is just more of a feeling. I don't trust the drivers of any planar will consistently last more than 3-4 years, but if you're lucky then maybe a while longer than that.

 

[Mhog55]

My opinion on rock/metal is that this headphone is too bright for some of the recording styles of this music. The hi-hats in particular can be very zingy and sharp. If you aren't planning on EQ'ing and just like this kind of sound, then maybe this will work for you. My Sundara has a better tuning for these genres for my preference, so I reduce the treble down on the XS to suit all the genres I like (2-3db in a couple places works).

I want to say the QC on Hifiman has gotten better, but this really is just more of a feeling. I don't trust the drivers of any planar will consistently last more than 3-4 years, but if you're lucky then maybe a while longer than that.

Yeah, I can't do peaky, bright, and fatiguing high frequencies, especially in the upper mids. I thought perhaps this headphone was a little warmer and darker than the typical Hifiman. Maybe a little less revealing of poor recordings as well.

 

[cycloverid]

Yeah, I can't do peaky, bright, and fatiguing high frequencies, especially in the upper mids. I thought perhaps this headphone was a little warmer and darker than the typical Hifiman. Maybe a little less revealing of poor recordings as well.

It's pretty much in line with the Ananda and Arya, and based on the reports in here and in graphs a bit under the Ananda in the 3-4khz area. But yeah, this headphone is more in the fatiguing category than dark certainly. The old Edition XV2 was a bit darker, so maybe the stealth magnets are what affected this?

 

[bagwell359]

I'm just saying that, with my setup, the Edition XS is easily the best (open back) low/sub bass planar performer I've owned. And this makes sense, a larger driver/subwoofer has a lot more potential in this category than a smaller one. If you don't listen to genres like hip hop, you might think the under 100hz idea is 'rubbish' - but this opinion isn't of any concern to me.

I'm a purist. Current taste clearly leans heavy on the bass, even bassheadss say so. Then the idea they would set the EQ to fit some average rooms sonics to make people comfortable as opposed to shooting for purity/ accuracy is bogus. They could easily supply both curves. Notice manufacturers are not following suit (skull candy type crap not included). You can prefer what you want.

As for HFM cans every HFM head I know ( me included) will tell you the long cup cans (HEX 1&2, HEK 1, 2, SE, Ananda, Arya 1 & 2, MD XX) all lack bass impact compared to the HE-6, and many agree the HE-6SE v1 & v2, and HE-500 have more impact and certainly better timbre than those long cups. Your better bass by larger drivers works pretty well with dynamic drivers as long as the magnet is strong enough, the throw is long enough, and the material doesn't deform with low bass signals. There is something lacking in the long cups - it's not stage size, it's bass impact not bass going down down to 20 Hz or below. They are well built so they can take +10 at 25 hz, but db is not impact. There are likely over 500 posts on Head-Fi discussing that.

Haven't heard the XS but based on what I read it does not appear to exceed the bass impact of those long cups I listed - except perhaps the Ananda/XX, and HEX v2. I'm glad you like it that is all that matters in terms of enjoyment. My search is a bit different. Ciao

 

[cycloverid]

I'm a purist. Current taste clearly leans heavy on the bass, even bassheadss say so. Then the idea they would set the EQ to fit some average rooms sonics to make people comfortable as opposed to shooting for purity/ accuracy is bogus. They could easily supply both curves. Notice manufacturers are not following suit (skull candy type crap not included). You can prefer what you want.

As for HFM cans every HFM head I know ( me included) will tell you the long cup cans (HEX 1&2, HEK 1, 2, SE, Ananda, Arya 1 & 2, MD XX) all lack bass impact compared to the HE-6, and many agree the HE-6SE v1 & v2, and HE-500 have more impact and certainly better timbre than those long cups. Your better bass by larger drivers works pretty well with dynamic drivers as long as the magnet is strong enough, the throw is long enough, and the material doesn't deform with low bass signals. There is something lacking in the long cups - it's not stage size, it's bass impact not bass going down down to 20 Hz or below. They are well built so they can take +10 at 25 hz, but db is not impact. There are likely over 500 posts on Head-Fi discussing that.

Haven't heard the XS but based on what I read it does not appear to exceed the bass impact of those long cups I listed - except perhaps the Ananda/XX, and HEX v2. I'm glad you like it that is all that matters in terms of enjoyment. My search is a bit different. Ciao

For me, the issue always with the dynamic closed headphones is that they generally have a mid-bass hump and pretty audible distortion in the low bass. The mid-bass bloat really makes certain genres not enjoyable for me, and sub bass is just better on planars. Like you said, far lower distortion and more extension (allowing for far more EQ potential). What makes skull candy or beats trash is the cost/performance/tuning, not the idea of bass boost in my eyes - I think these concepts have gotten too intertwined for some people and I see this shifting in the industry.

I've held off on getting into the long/egg HFM headphones for the very reason that the reviewers almost always mentioned the lack of bass impact. Many people mentioned this with the Sundara too, but I closed that case by simply trying them for myself and EQ'ing the %*&$ of them. Open back planars always have a flat or rolled bass, it's not possible to do the shelving as I understand in stock tuning. I think this creates a lot of confusion and noise in the reviews - are we talking about stock tuning, or the potential of the driver? Many reviewers are simply talking about the default tuning so they don't confuse anyone less knowledgeable. To make matters more confusing, many headphones they compare them to have boosted/shelved areas of the FR. The XS might be a little bit light in the upper bass area, but certainly not the low bass, when talking about potential.

The reality is that the Edition XS will beat most closed back headphones in sub bass performance/impact with EQ, period. With the genres you listen to, it's not surprising that this might go unnoticed. A song with a lot of sub 100hz will not be impact-light on the XS, so I have to think this just isn't that present in the music you listen to. The only way I'd get a lot more/better bass is to buy a specific basshead closed back headphone or a closed back planar of the same size (*it's possible Audeze could edge these out as I've only tried the LCD-GX). I think this headphone works incredibly well for a very genre heavy all-rounder, doing a lot of things very well - which is perfect for someone who listens to a wide range of genres in a single sitting like myself.

*Oh you said you haven't tried the XS... well you are, respectfully, very mistaken.

 

[millzy]

Another new review

 

[yeboyi]

My opinion on rock/metal is that this headphone is a bit* too bright for some of the recording styles of this music. The hi-hats in particular can be somewhat zingy and sharp. If you aren't planning on EQ'ing and just like this kind of sound, then maybe this will work for you. My Sundara has a better tuning for these genres for my preference, so I reduce the treble down on the XS to suit all the genres I like (2-3db in a couple places works).

I want to say the QC on Hifiman has gotten better, but this really is just more of a feeling. I don't trust the drivers of any planar will consistently last more than 3-4 years, but if you're lucky then maybe a while longer than that.

Good luck. My Ananda died suddenly couple of days ago.

I'm a purist. Current taste clearly leans heavy on the bass, even bassheadss say so. Then the idea they would set the EQ to fit some average rooms sonics to make people comfortable as opposed to shooting for purity/ accuracy is bogus. They could easily supply both curves. Notice manufacturers are not following suit (skull candy type crap not included). You can prefer what you want.

As for HFM cans every HFM head I know ( me included) will tell you the long cup cans (HEX 1&2, HEK 1, 2, SE, Ananda, Arya 1 & 2, MD XX) all lack bass impact compared to the HE-6, and many agree the HE-6SE v1 & v2, and HE-500 have more impact and certainly better timbre than those long cups. Your better bass by larger drivers works pretty well with dynamic drivers as long as the magnet is strong enough, the throw is long enough, and the material doesn't deform with low bass signals. There is something lacking in the long cups - it's not stage size, it's bass impact not bass going down down to 20 Hz or below. They are well built so they can take +10 at 25 hz, but db is not impact. There are likely over 500 posts on Head-Fi discussing that.

Haven't heard the XS but based on what I read it does not appear to exceed the bass impact of those long cups I listed - except perhaps the Ananda/XX, and HEX v2. I'm glad you like it that is all that matters in terms of enjoyment. My search is a bit different. Ciao

I agree that the bass impact is really weak. Not just bass impact, these headphones doesn't have much dynamics. Even the subtle details have high volume so the sound have this compressed/flat feeling. However i think sub bass is actually good with these headphones especially if you EQ them. Huge drivers yields a different kind of experience with the sub bass and it's also articulate there. You need EQ and a song with actual sub bass frequencies (which is rare) though. At stock it still has sub bass if you can get a good seal.

 

[bagwell359]

Good luck. My Ananda died suddenly couple of days ago.

I agree that the bass impact is really weak. Not just bass impact, these headphones doesn't have much dynamics. Even the subtle details have high volume so the sound have this compressed/flat feeling. However i think sub bass is actually good with these headphones especially if you EQ them. Huge drivers yields a different kind of experience with the sub bass and it's also articulate there. You need EQ and a song with actual sub bass frequencies (which is rare) though. At stock it still has sub bass if you can get a good seal.

Yes the big cup HFM all have sub bass which is better than many. To me low bass is under 30, and most go strong to 15 Hz. Nothing wrong with that but the impact isn't any better down there than at 80 or 160. I've got music down there not to mention test tones. If my HEX v2 had the bass timbre and impact of a top can (LCD-4 or HE-6) and a bit more top end detail and dynamics they would be my only can.

 

[cycloverid]

Good luck. My Ananda died suddenly couple of days ago.

I agree that the bass impact is really weak. Not just bass impact, these headphones doesn't have much dynamics. Even the subtle details have high volume so the sound have this compressed/flat feeling. However i think sub bass is actually good with these headphones especially if you EQ them. Huge drivers yields a different kind of experience with the sub bass and it's also articulate there. You need EQ and a song with actual sub bass frequencies (which is rare) though. At stock it still has sub bass if you can get a good seal.

The impact qualities are overall better than my Sundara I'd say(both EQ'd), which many find very good. It's probably all frequencies below 100hz have good slam to my preference, not just sub bass (20-50hz). The Sundara I think edges it out above the 100hz range, but not by a lot (again, I think this solely has to do with the fact that your ear is a bit closer to the driver with the Sundara). The Sundara starts to roll off at around 50hz, so this is where it's a no contest.

I had my brother try them for a song, and the first words that came out of his mouth were 'that's a basshead headphone'. So we MUST be talking about different things when we say 'slam/impact'. I'm actually really curious how you guys define it. What are your EQ settings and what songs/tracks are you using to test this?

Let's exclude very expensive headphones like the LCD-4, as I haven't tried it and many people in the market for the Edition XS won't be also considering a 4k headphone.


Edit:
Here's a very recent review that agrees with my take:

https://www.mmorpg.com/hardware-reviews/hifiman-edition-xs-review-2000124181

"These aren't a bass-head headphone but they can absolutely be EQ'd to be. "

So, in what way are some like myself experiencing something very different than others in here? Let's get to the bottom of it.

 

[pk4425]

I’d love to get recommendations on a DAC/AMP to pair with the XS.

I had bought a used JDS Labs Atom+ Stack for $140 because I saw a few comments indicating it worked ok with the XS.

I’m fairly new to all of this so I wasn’t really able to perceive that the Atom+ Stack was underpowered for what the XS needs.

However I’ve recently learned in another thread that it isn’t providing enough power and that I should be looking for something more powerful to get the full benefits of the XS.

I’d like to keep things reasonable since it’s already a $500 investment in the headphones themselves but I also want to be able to enjoy the full capabilities of the XS.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

I have the exact same setup. It works fine. AMPLE volume at 1 p.m. on low gain. Plenty of dynamics.

The Atom+ pumps out 1 watt at 32 ohm, It also has super-clean power, with very low distortion. It's a nice rig for the XS.

 

[pk4425]

In another forum I was told that the Atom Amp+ was running 1w at 32 Ohms and that I needed to look for something giving at least 2 to 2.5w at 16 Ohms

I got the impression the issue wasn’t so much volume (which is fine to me even at low gain) but that I wouldn’t be getting the full capacities re: soundstage, imaging, etc at the power the Atom is driving

I think you'll be fine. Sure, you may be missing X percent of ultimate fidelity with the Atom+ stack. But at what cost?

For a price-effective, clean stack with no coloration of the sound and sufficient power, the Atom+ is at or near the top of the price-value list. Enjoy the XS with the Atom+ stack for now and then consider an upgrade down the line.