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frontpage Posted by t3t4 • Jul 19, 2024
frontpage Posted by t3t4 • Jul 19, 2024

HIFIMAN Edition XS Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones

+ Free Shipping

$269

$499

46% off
Amazon
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HIFIMAN via Amazon has HIFIMAN Edition XS Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones (Black) for $269. Shipping is free.
  • Note: Usually ships within 1 to 4 weeks
HIFIMAN has HIFIMAN Edition XS Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones (Black) for $269. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community member t3t4 for finding this deal.

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.

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • This offer matches the recent FP deal.
    • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
  • About this store:

Original Post

Written by t3t4
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
HIFIMAN via Amazon has HIFIMAN Edition XS Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones (Black) for $269. Shipping is free.
  • Note: Usually ships within 1 to 4 weeks
HIFIMAN has HIFIMAN Edition XS Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones (Black) for $269. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community member t3t4 for finding this deal.

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.

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • This offer matches the recent FP deal.
    • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.
  • About this store:

Original Post

Written by t3t4

Community Voting

Deal Score
+45
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Price Intelligence

Model: HIFIMAN Edition XS Full-Size Over-Ear Open-Back Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones with Stealth Magnets Design, Adjustable Headband, Detachable Cable for Audiophiles, Home, Studio-Black

Deal History 

Sort: Most Recent
Post Date Sold By Sale Price Activity
07/09/25Amazon$239 frontpage
17
07/16/24Amazon$269 popular
10
07/10/24Amazon$269 frontpage
16

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Top Comments

BeigeRoad455
616 Posts
1812 Reputation
The Hifiman Edition XS are widely considered in the audiophile community to be one of the best headphones available below $500, and are an extremely good deal at $269. They're normally $379 new, refurbished edition xs have recently dropped to $239 and are also an exceptional deal. Still, for only $30 more, I'd personally get a new pair rather than refurbished.

Rtings review: https://www.rtings.com/headphones...edition-xs

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 to), 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 large heads, if your head is on the smaller side these headphones may not fit well.

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 current hungry and 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. Don't expect something low end like the alc987 to work though. 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 100% necessary to get good sound, just recommended. 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), an amp is even more highly recommended. 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.

The edition xs come with 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.
Hifiman's warranty policy can be found here: https://store.hifiman.com/index.p...nty-policy

Overall, if these headphones would fit your use cases, this is an excellent deal.

34 Comments

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Jul 19, 2024
2,330 Posts
Joined May 2007
Jul 19, 2024
eeagle
Jul 19, 2024
2,330 Posts
or Refurbished [hifiman.com]direct for HiFiMan.com for $239 ; many report receiving a brand new unit.
3
Pro
Jul 19, 2024
616 Posts
Joined Nov 2021
Jul 19, 2024
BeigeRoad455
Pro
Jul 19, 2024
616 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank BeigeRoad455

The Hifiman Edition XS are widely considered in the audiophile community to be one of the best headphones available below $500, and are an extremely good deal at $269. They're normally $379 new, refurbished edition xs have recently dropped to $239 and are also an exceptional deal. Still, for only $30 more, I'd personally get a new pair rather than refurbished.

Rtings review: https://www.rtings.com/headphones...edition-xs

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 to), 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 large heads, if your head is on the smaller side these headphones may not fit well.

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 current hungry and 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. Don't expect something low end like the alc987 to work though. 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 100% necessary to get good sound, just recommended. 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), an amp is even more highly recommended. 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.

The edition xs come with 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.
Hifiman's warranty policy can be found here: https://store.hifiman.com/index.p...nty-policy

Overall, if these headphones would fit your use cases, this is an excellent deal.
5
1
Jul 19, 2024
332 Posts
Joined Oct 2012
Jul 19, 2024
develitate
Jul 19, 2024
332 Posts
Quote from eeagle :
or Refurbished [hifiman.com]direct for HiFiMan.com for $239 ; many report receiving a brand new unit.
I just received mine yesterday and they were brand new.
1
Jul 19, 2024
292 Posts
Joined Dec 2021
Jul 19, 2024
Anthonyy232
Jul 19, 2024
292 Posts
Worth from Sundara?
Jul 19, 2024
92 Posts
Joined Nov 2021
Jul 19, 2024
Clemming18
Jul 19, 2024
92 Posts
Bought these last week at this price on a lightning deal. I was afraid they would be uncomfortable or hard to drive based on reviews and I have never owned a planar magnetic, just dynamic. Well they are not as heavy as I was expecting, but they do have huge earcups and the headband would be better as a suspension, as the chunky one causes some discomfort after a while. Also i only need to turn the volume up about 10% higher than my dynamics, so I don't think they are really that bad to drive, but a phone or dongle probably wouldn't be enough. They do sound amazing though, I like the soundstage and imaging, and each individual instrument really stands out. Bass is not as punchy as some of the dynamics I have had, but it does sound cleaner. I really like them for the price. I am not really an audiophile and don't buy high end stuff, so I am comparing this to other dynamic sets in the $200 range like the fedelio x2, but I was impressed for the price. Many people report QC and durability issues. They seem solid and well made, but I am babying them because I have heard they don't survive drops well. Hopefully my pair will last a long time as people have said they have failures after a few months.
Jul 20, 2024
11 Posts
Joined May 2019
Jul 20, 2024
mbnine
Jul 20, 2024
11 Posts
These are worth the money, especially if these are new units (instead of refurbished). I bought these a few months ago and recently upgraded to the Arya Stealths, and the XS model is very good for the price. While the Arya's clearly outperform these, the XS gives you about 2/3 of the Arya's sound. The XS only has a smaller soundstage and less bass - the midrange is not as good as the Arya but it's better than most $500 headphones. These are a great buy.
Jul 20, 2024
32 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Jul 20, 2024
fatfluck
Jul 20, 2024
32 Posts
Worth every penny at this price. Bought these a year ago and I relish every opportunity to use them.

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Jul 20, 2024
87 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Jul 20, 2024
Cliffe4567
Jul 20, 2024
87 Posts
Not sure if its my big head or ears, but I usually have comfort issues with headphones. Ever since I go the XS, I use them over all my other headphones 90% of the time purely for the comfort. They do sound great too. Little bright, but that's easy to tweak or you can get used to it over time. Bass is a nice step up from the Sundara.
Jul 20, 2024
1,757 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
Jul 20, 2024
fanglekai
Jul 20, 2024
1,757 Posts
I paid this much for a refurb unit a while back. Great price on some amazing sounding headphones. I use a Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2 Uber.
1
Jul 20, 2024
194 Posts
Joined May 2017
Jul 20, 2024
titopaul
Jul 20, 2024
194 Posts
seems hifiman is pretty aggressive with price cycling and putting out new models (which is good!) but also likely this will continue to edge downwards over time, if not in a rush
Jul 20, 2024
249 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Jul 20, 2024
gotaudi
Jul 20, 2024
249 Posts
I have a number of lower end headphones such as the Beyerdynamic dt990 pro, 770 pro, Hifiman Sudara. The Hifiman edition xs are most definitely the best sounding headphones I have used. The experience is similar to listening to speakers and not headphones. Pretty remarkable sound that these produce.
Jul 20, 2024
46 Posts
Joined Nov 2013
Jul 20, 2024
DelMonaco
Jul 20, 2024
46 Posts
Just received my refurbished set. My set looks like its new and feels like it's brand new. Gonna test the music next.... (Smells like it's new ).
Jul 20, 2024
172 Posts
Joined Apr 2009
Jul 20, 2024
cloudedsky
Jul 20, 2024
172 Posts
Worth upgrading from HE-5XX?
Jul 20, 2024
385 Posts
Joined Apr 2009
Jul 20, 2024
boohoo
Jul 20, 2024
385 Posts
Quote from cloudedsky :
Worth upgrading from HE-5XX?
Same question but from hd650

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Jul 20, 2024
46 Posts
Joined Nov 2013
Jul 20, 2024
DelMonaco
Jul 20, 2024
46 Posts
Ok chat, 5 hours in, listening from and coming from Senheisers 6XX and HIFi 400se . Got the Schitt Stack running....Music sounds like if I'm inside a speaker. Sounds FN awesome! I have the Schitt EQ,I was able to increase the bass.Small head, they don't feel heavy for me.im a vinyl collector, Now these are my go to Headphones .
Last edited by DelMonaco July 20, 2024 at 06:34 AM.

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