HIFIMAN has
Edition XS Over-Ear Full-Size Planar Magnetic Wired Headphones w/ Stealth Magnets (Refurbished) on sale for
$279.
Shipping is free.
Thanks to staff member
SkillfulPickle7720 for finding this deal.
Note: Will ship from Feb. 5th.
About this item:
- A Major Upgrade of the Popular Edition X: The new Edition XS expands on its predecessor's achievements with several essential upgrades. Featuring Stealth Magnet Technology and the company's NEO supernano Diaphragm, the Edition XS produces a wide, natural soundstage that puts the listener in the best seat in the house. Edition XS from HIFIMAN brings the depth and range of well-recorded music to an affordably priced headphone.
- Acoustically Invisible Stealth Magnet: Unlike the sound waves created by a conventional magnet, the special shape of Stealth Magnets enables the waves to pass through the magnets without generating interference. HIFIMAN's advanced magnet design is acoustically transparent, dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence that degrades the integrity of the sound waves. The reduced distortion yields pure sonic output that is accurate and full-range.
- HIFIMAN's NEO "supernano" Diaphragm (NsD): The new NsD is 75% thinner than previous designs, resulting in fast response and detailed imaging with lush, full range sonics.
- The Headband: The light weight, ergonomically accurate offers maximum comfort for hours of listening pleasure. The exterior is refined matte black material, and the interior features high-grade memory foam for the most comfortable fit and elasticity. The headphone's structural design supports overall durability that retains its comfortable fit for years of enjoyment.
- The Cable: HIFIMAN's new 3.5mm sockets are similar to those found on most common audio devices. The supplied 3.5mm cable is user changeable and replaceable.
Top Comments
Rtings review: https://www.rtings.com/headphones...ed
A few basics to get out of the way first, since I know people wander onto these headphone deals not realizing these are audiophile cans for critical listening: these headphones are wired only (no bluetooth or wireless connections of any kind), have no form of active noise cancelling, have extremely poor sound isolation (you can hear whats going on around you, and everyone around you can hear what you're listening too), and are extremely heavy and bulky. They are designed to be used at home with a dedicated audio setup.
With a weight of 0.93 lbs (421.8 grams) they are somewhat heavier than average headphones, and may be uncomfortable for extended use depending on fit. They use the standard hifiman headband, which while not bad isn't anything amazing (at least in my experience), though this is obviously a matter of personal preference. The earcups are absolutely enormous, and the overall fit of this headphone is best for larger heads.
The edition xs has an impedance of 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 92db. The combination of quite low impedance along with fairly low sensitivity means these headphones are moderately difficult to drive, but as long as you're not planning on using eq (equalization) you can probably get away with not using an amp if you have a high quality integrated audio solution on your motherboard. To be clear, sound will likely be improved with a dedicated audio setup, but these headphones aren't hard enough to drive that an amp is entirely necessary to get good sound. These headphones are not designed for portable use, and most phones and cheap usb-c to 3.5mm dongles probably won't do a very good job of driving them. If you'd be eqing these headphones to any meaningful degree (negative preamp of more than 3db or so), you'd probably want an amp. As planar magnetic headphones with low distortion they take rather well to eq, so eq is highly recommended if you have an amp.
The largest issue with these headphones is hifiman's quality control, unfortunately hifiman is infamous for poor quality control and poor product longevity. Poor driver matching, driver failure after months (or less) of use, crackling or rattling sounds when moving your head, and more are all relatively common complaints with hifiman headphones including the edition xs. This is not by any means guaranteed, the majority of purchasers receive headphones without glaring issues or premature failures, but hifimans quality control and product longevity still stands out as being distinctly worse than that of other major brands. As these headphones are refurbished the chances of issues are likely even higher. According to hifiman: "The refurbished products have been thoroughly inspected and are all tested in good working condition but may have parts replaced by the factory (as needed) and cosmetic defects.
All refurbished products also come with accessories and are securely packaged. If the original packaging is missing, we will ensure they are packaged in a brand-new brown box."
The refurbished edition xs come with 30 day returns and a 1 year standard warranty, from what I've heard hifiman's customer service tends to be decent (at least in the US), but obviously ymmv.
Warranty policy can be found here: https://store.hifiman.c
Overall, if these headphones would fit your use cases and you're willing to take a chance on refurbished hifiman headphones, this is a good deal.
That said, the Edition XS is clearly in a different league sound quality wise, but will require a fairly beefy amp and dac to reach its full potential. Im running the edition XS out of a balanced dac/amp setup and its pretty amazing, but I would say Sundaras will probably take you about 80-85% of the way there sound quality wise.
50 Comments
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Good review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ0c1pZ
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank BeigeRoad455
Rtings review: https://www.rtings.com/headphones...ed
A few basics to get out of the way first, since I know people wander onto these headphone deals not realizing these are audiophile cans for critical listening: these headphones are wired only (no bluetooth or wireless connections of any kind), have no form of active noise cancelling, have extremely poor sound isolation (you can hear whats going on around you, and everyone around you can hear what you're listening too), and are extremely heavy and bulky. They are designed to be used at home with a dedicated audio setup.
With a weight of 0.93 lbs (421.8 grams) they are somewhat heavier than average headphones, and may be uncomfortable for extended use depending on fit. They use the standard hifiman headband, which while not bad isn't anything amazing (at least in my experience), though this is obviously a matter of personal preference. The earcups are absolutely enormous, and the overall fit of this headphone is best for larger heads.
The edition xs has an impedance of 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 92db. The combination of quite low impedance along with fairly low sensitivity means these headphones are moderately difficult to drive, but as long as you're not planning on using eq (equalization) you can probably get away with not using an amp if you have a high quality integrated audio solution on your motherboard. To be clear, sound will likely be improved with a dedicated audio setup, but these headphones aren't hard enough to drive that an amp is entirely necessary to get good sound. These headphones are not designed for portable use, and most phones and cheap usb-c to 3.5mm dongles probably won't do a very good job of driving them. If you'd be eqing these headphones to any meaningful degree (negative preamp of more than 3db or so), you'd probably want an amp. As planar magnetic headphones with low distortion they take rather well to eq, so eq is highly recommended if you have an amp.
The largest issue with these headphones is hifiman's quality control, unfortunately hifiman is infamous for poor quality control and poor product longevity. Poor driver matching, driver failure after months (or less) of use, crackling or rattling sounds when moving your head, and more are all relatively common complaints with hifiman headphones including the edition xs. This is not by any means guaranteed, the majority of purchasers receive headphones without glaring issues or premature failures, but hifimans quality control and product longevity still stands out as being distinctly worse than that of other major brands. As these headphones are refurbished the chances of issues are likely even higher. According to hifiman: "The refurbished products have been thoroughly inspected and are all tested in good working condition but may have parts replaced by the factory (as needed) and cosmetic defects.
All refurbished products also come with accessories and are securely packaged. If the original packaging is missing, we will ensure they are packaged in a brand-new brown box."
The refurbished edition xs come with 30 day returns and a 1 year standard warranty, from what I've heard hifiman's customer service tends to be decent (at least in the US), but obviously ymmv.
Warranty policy can be found here: https://store.hifiman.c
Overall, if these headphones would fit your use cases and you're willing to take a chance on refurbished hifiman headphones, this is a good deal.
That said, the Edition XS is clearly in a different league sound quality wise, but will require a fairly beefy amp and dac to reach its full potential. Im running the edition XS out of a balanced dac/amp setup and its pretty amazing, but I would say Sundaras will probably take you about 80-85% of the way there sound quality wise.
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This is an excellent price I would totally grab them if I didn't already own them. They are more demanding than the 560s so you'll have to figure out if your source is powerful enough. Dongle stuff won't typically be enough but a higher end portable or a budget combo should be fine
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