Hifiman Edition XS; a Great Budget(ish) Objective Open-Back

 [ORIGINAL MSRP $499. Purchased for $269 + tax on Amazon in February 2025 (and $269 appears to be the new, semi-permanent MSRP).]

[Tl;dr: The Edition XS are baby Arya Stealths; they have a lot of similar characteristics, but with a lot more tradeoffs (which you’d expect for a headphone that sells for less than half the price). They’re great for loud, complex songs but struggle a little bit with quieter, more subtle tracks, where they give up some ground to the 6XX. They can be a tad bright, but my in my experience didn’t cross over into being harsh. Good, solid but impressive base, decent male vocals but maybe a bit of veiling for female vocals.

At $269 they’re a great deal for a very objective tuned headphone, and I may buy a hard case and carry these as my “working outside the house” pair when I don’t want to haul the 6XX.]

Scores:

Cost-agnostic: 8 out of 10 Denalis

Cost-sensitive: 8 out of 10 Denalis

Intro.  As I noted in my review of the Hifiman Arya Stealth, I haven’t always been a big fan of Hifiman headphones. I tend to find their lower-end stuff a little too shouty and harsh in the treble, and their higher end stuff usually felt like some combination of over-priced or under-built, even if the sound was good. But, a few months ago when Hifiman offered substantial discounts on basically all of their headphones (Impending trade war? Finally realizing how ridiculous the market was? Shaky economic outlook? Bad quarter?), and after seeing some really great reviews, I decided to take a flyer on the Arya Stealth. And DAMN. They’re great. And I’d kept hearing really great things about the Edition XS, now offered in a roughly similar price bracket to my beloved Sennheiser x Drop 6XX. Add that to Amazon’s reasonably nice return policy, and the fact that I’m not wild about carrying a $600 pair of headphones around with me … I decided to give the Edition XS a shot too.  

[Review note: I’ve mostly been listening to these balanced via a custom XLR cable from Hart Audio on a Modius/Jotunheim 2 Schiit stack. (I’m using the Hart Audio cable just because it’s pretty in the University of Oregon’s colors; I don’t notice any particular audible differences). BUT, keeping in line with my general philosophy of spending about half as much on an amp as the headphones and something like half to a third of that amount on a DAC, I’m reviewing using the Schiit Modi/Magni stack via the single-ended OEM Hifiman cable, except where otherwise noted.

My torture testing list: Apple, Tidal, Spotify.]

Sound. Sound on the Edition XS are really good for the current price. Well balanced, very few flaws, as long as what you want is a pretty objective tune. You don’t get the resolution of the Arya or the Meze 109 Pro, but for half the price you should expect some tradeoffs. These are at their best with louder, more vibrant and complex tracks like Brasstrack’s “Intro”, Lusine’s “Just a Cloud”, and Daft Punk’s “Face to Face”), and don’t shine quite as much with quiet, subtle songs; they lose a little nimbleness and resolution on tracks with a lot of space in them, like Andy Stott’s “Violence” or “Angel (Blur Remix)” by Massive Attack.

I’ve talked in a few reviews lately about various headphones’ ability to cleanly and crisply reproduce silence; that’s one of the few places where the XS are just a little disappointing. Some of the cello notes in Meshelle Ndegeocello’s “What Did I Do?” linger just a hint too long, not giving the kind of separation that I really want here. You can also always hear or feel just a tiny bit of pressure from the speakers, even when there aren’t any sounds being actively reproduced. It's not a deal breaker by any means; very few headphones in this general range do it any better (except maybe the 6XX), but it’s there.

The soundstage/stereo separation is fine but not exceptional. Maybe a hair less pronounced than the 109 Pro? Beyonce’s “Blackbird” is clearly separated with the click track on the left, the guitar on the right, and the vocalists mostly sitting in your head. For whatever reason, “So Much to Say” feels much more compressed side-to-side than on other headphones, with the main guitar riff in your left ear instead of out to the side. The panning on the organ intro on Robert Glasper’s “Calls” isn’t nearly as distracting as it can be with other sets. The rotating guitar riff on “Love Can Damage Your Health (Laid Mix)” sounds like it’s walking around you instead of just left to right, so the front-to-back soundstage is pretty good.

The dynamics are generally pretty good, with Glass Animal’s “It’s All So Incredible Loud” finishing almost punishingly loud if you set your volume at the beginning of the track. The micro dynamics are occasionally a little lacking, and I find myself wishing the bass were a little punchier or sharper at times. (As discussed below, the bass is generally really good, but on things like the bass line on DMB’s “Out of My Hands” around 2:49, I want a little more distinct attack and slap on the individual notes starting earlier in the pattern.) That said, the bell tones at the beginning of “Angel (Blur Remix)” are clear and distinct, if maybe a hair longer than they should be.

The bass is generally pretty stellar. Massive Attack’s “Superpredators” can overwhelm some headphones, but these only get a tiny bit splattery at high volumes and don’t seem to lose their nimbleness. They generally are able to reproduce the complex bass line on Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”, though when it’s really moving some of the notes get a little bit muddy and indistinct. The throbbing on Mr. Kitty’s “After Dark” could be stronger, but they do great with the ridiculous bass line on “Limit to Your Love.” I’m quite pleased with the overall bass.

Mid-range is solid, but not excellent. Female vocals are maybe just a hair recessed; Hope Sandoval’s voice isn’t as front-and-center on “Paradise Circus” as it on other headphones, and Erykah Badu gets a tiny bit lost in Robert Glasper’s “Afro Blue.” Male vocals do a bit better, very clear verses from Popcaan’s on Gorillaz’ “Saturn Barz” and Justin Hicks comes through beautifully on “What Did I Do?”

Treble is a real strength; clear, crisp, and strong, but still balanced. The top-end synths on Son Lux’s “Easy” are a tough line to walk, but they’re beautifully reproduced by the Edition XS without becoming harsh or shouty. The muted trumpet on Miles Davis’ “Will O’ the Wisp” can overwhelm treble-y headphones like the XS (and they do get sharp here!), but for me they don’t cross over into harshness either. The bells on Sylvan Esso’s “Coffee” are clear and crisp without being overpowering.

Gaming. I haven’t had a chance to do much gaming with these, but the soundstage for music is decent enough that I’d like to give them a try for FPS.

Amplifier compatibility. The Edition XS seem pretty amplifier/DAC agnostic. They do well with the relatively inexpensive Magni/Modi stack and sound very good even with the Apple USB-C dongle. They also sound great running balanced from a Jotunheim 2/Modius stack, which combined cost substantially more than the headphones even at their original MSRP.  The XS are relatively low impedance (18 ohms) but also relatively low sensitivity (92 dB/mW), so I end up listening to them on the Modi/Magni stack between 11 o’clock and noon, which is high for me. I also don’t hear any particular difference when running balanced or using a tube amp like a Schiit Vali 2. This is a headphone you can use with inexpensive amplification without worrying you’re leaving anything on the bone, as long as you can get to a comfortable volume (and, again, I can do so pretty easily with an iPhone or the Moondrop Dawn Pro dongle DAC).

Noise canceling. Definitely not. They’re about as open as they get; you will hear everything and anyone close to you will hear you.

Spatial audio. Nope!

Controls. None. These are passive open-backed headphones.

Connectivity.  The Edition XS ship with a 1.5 meter, 3.5 mm-tipped right-angle cable and a 6.5 mm adapter. The cable connects to the earcups via a pair of 3.5 mm jacks, and unlike some other headphones *cough* Meze *cough* the ports are on the outside of the cups, making them compatible with an array of inexpensive aftermarket options (though perhaps slightly more vulnerable to damage if dropped or carelessly placed in a case). The OEM cable is also … just really nice. No microphonics, drapes nicely, difficult to tangle. I’m a big fan of Hifiman’s basic cables, and the right-angle 3.5 mm termination is surprisingly nice when not using a dedicated headfi system.

There is a tiny bit of microphony from the headset itself if you’re moving around a lot. I’ve really only noticed it wearing them out for a walk with my dog, and that’s really not the use case for these (or most open-backed headphones, for that matter). I probably wouldn’t wear them in a car or on a train where your head is likely to be bouncing around a lot, but again … not the use case for most open-backs.

Comfort. I think the XS are comfortable for me; while they’re not a light headphone (405 grams), the band does a pretty good job of spreading the weight out and helping avoid any pressure spots. The clamping force is enough to make them reasonably stable, though on my head they will shift slightly if I turn my head very quickly. I’m am curious to see how they hold up over the coming months, just based on the price point.

Construction. These feel strangely better-built than their big brother, the Arya Stealth, despite being less than half the cost. Part of that is just the construction choices (the XS is built around an internal metal frame wrapped in padding, while the Arya has an exposed frame and an adjustable strap that actually rests on the head), and the ear cups on the XS rotate only 10-15 degrees vs. the Arya’s cups which fully rotate, but I’m generally pretty pleased by the construction here. The cups themselves are pretty comfortable, with the padding easily going around my relatively big ears without resting on them or creating any pressure.   

Appearance. These look a lot like the Arya, and here’s what I wrote there for appearance: “Honestly, they look a little too 80s for my personal taste. They’re not bad, but the square metal frame hovering above the head is a bit dorky. I do actually like the window shade effect on the ears, though?” These do remove the dorky metal frame hovering above your head, so that’s an improvement I guess? You either like the appearance of these or you don’t.

Value/Comparisons. The natural comparison here is the Arya Stealth, and I’m … just not going to waste either of our time. I deliberately wrote this review after not wearing the Arya Stealth for a couple of weeks to try to give it a truly fair shake, but when I put the Arya’s back on just now … yeah. Not even the same class. The Aryas are better, and it’s not close. Soundstage, dynamics, range, precision … the XS are, charitably, $300 headphones (ignoring the original MSRPs), and the Aryas are just not.

I think the more interesting comparison is the Sennheiser x Drop 6XX, which retail around $200 unless they’re on sale. I will say that the biggest problem I have with the XS (and it’s a very first world problem) is that they’re just not great at being quiet. They really thrive with full-sounding tracks, while the 6XX are REALLY, REALLY good at quiet. The XS is also a lot more flexible in terms of the amplification and DAC you’re using; they play nicely with everything I tried, while the 6XX do distinctly better with specific amp and DAC combinations.

Overall, the XS are more resolving, more objective, and have better separation between instruments. They also have better treble, particularly treble control, and sound, for lack of a better word, richer on a lot of tracks. The 6XX are better at micro and macro dynamics, silence, vocals, and bass punch, as well as sound staging (both width and depth). I also find the 6XX sit really well on my head, though they feel a little cheap and plastic-y compared to the XS.

For me, I think I like the 6XX a little more for a lot of the music I listen to. The 6XX have a wider, deeper sound stage, and a much warmer tone. The XS don’t sound clinical, exactly, but they’re definitely a very objective tune compared to the 6XX. Particularly with the way female vocals are slightly veiled with the XS, and the frequency with which I listen to quiet, subtler music, they just suit me slightly better. I think most people will like the XS’ tune better, especially with a little judicious EQ, and they’re definitely what I’ll grab if I’m listen to rock, rap, or metal.

[And the reality is that I won’t listen to either the 6XX or the XS all that much, with the 109 Pro and Arya Stealth sitting within arm’s reach. They’re just too good.]

The other similar price point headphone I've spent a lot of time with is the Meze x Drop 99 Noir at $199. It's not a particularly fair comparison (objective vs. warm tune, open-backed vs. closed-back, almost 50% difference in price), but I'll say this: as much as I like the 99 Noir, the sound on the XS is just better. Unless you need closed-backs or really don't want an objective headphone, the Edition XS is a better headphone.

Overall. These are a really good deal at their current price point. I don’t know that I would have recommended them at their original MSRP of $499, and I certainly wouldn’t have recommended them over a $200 pair of 6XX. I think it’s really interesting the way that Hifiman have reset their pricing, and it makes all of their headphones much, much more attractive.

These are the best budget-ish objective headphone I’ve ever listened to, and can wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for that particular kind of tune. They’re definitely not perfect, and I’m looking forward to spending some time with Roon, playing with EQ to see if I can mitigate the few flaws present.

#reviews #headphones #sennheiser #6XX #anc #spatialaudio #meh #2025 #99noir #meze #sunglasses #overear #cans #hifiman #arya #stealth #editionxs #budget #hahahaha