The Hifiman Edition XS used to appear in almost every discussion of a first planar headphone. Two weeks of daily listening made the appeal clear to me. Treble can be sharp and bass texture isn’t perfect, but I enjoy that lively balance more than a strict monitoring sound. The JT1 is an obvious comparison, yet with Edition XS prices around 200,000 KRW, the distinction is less clear. Having tried both, I preferred the Edition XS.
Unboxing and Accessories: Simplicity Itself
The box is a standard plain cardboard container. If you stand the interior styrofoam insert upright, it doubles as a headphone stand. The included cable is just a single-ended 1.5-meter 3.5mm wire along with a 6.35mm adapter. There is no carrying pouch or balanced cable. Since it does not come with a storage case, you are better off getting a separate headphone stand. Because the headphone terminals use dual 3.5mm jacks on each side, finding replacement aftermarket cables is very easy.
Design and Comfort: Oversized Oval Ear Cups
The large oval cups cover the ears with plenty of space, and their side-to-side movement helps them find a position against the head. Memory foam beneath the band reduces pressure at the crown, which is welcome over a long session. The finish is less convincing in other places: the band sides and the swivel covers have a distinctly plastic feel. Light clamping is another qualification. A smaller head may not hold the headphones securely enough, even if the lack of pressure sounds attractive in principle. Comfort varies with the shape of both head and ears, so I would put an actual fitting ahead of assuming that large cups and a soft band must work for everyone.
How Does the Hifiman Edition XS Sound?
My primary listening setup was paired with the SMSL DO400, and for portable use, I also tested them with the MUSEHIFI M3 Ultra. With a nominal impedance of 18Ω and 92dB sensitivity, the numbers suggest they are not terribly difficult to drive. Even so, the 3.5mm output from a standard dongle DAC lacked a bit of punch. Switching to a 4.4mm balanced cable made the sound noticeably better. Of course, the most satisfying performance came from the desktop amplifier setup. The ear pads remained stock, and all listening was done without EQ.
The Highs feature a distinct peak in the ultra-high frequency region. Cymbal edges and sibilance pop out with extra clarity. This is often cited as a drawback, but to my ears, this sharpness injected lively energy into the music. Hi-hats break down crisply, and string instrument overtones are rendered with pristine clarity. The sense of air is fully alive, completely eliminating any feeling of being enclosed. If you are transitioning from a dark-sounding headphone, switching to these feels like opening a window to fresh air. The breath sounds at the ends of vocal phrases also come through vividly. Pushing the volume too high will bring out fatigue first, so moderate listening levels work best. If you are sensitive to treble, applying a simple EQ dip in just one or two spots makes them much more comfortable.
The Mids keep vocals sitting right in line with the instruments rather than aggressively pushing forward. The tonal balance is neither overly sweet nor dry, making them sound natural across various genres. The signature bright energy inherent to Hifiman headphones is still present here, but it is notably smoother than the higher-end Ananda model. Piano and guitar timbres sound reasonably organic. There is a distinct sense of space between the vocals and the backing arrangement, preventing instruments from crowding out the singer. Male vocals avoid excessive body, keeping them sounding clean and lean, while female vocal upper registers occasionally display a touch of sharpness.
The Lows reach deep and exhibit fast transient response. Kick drums hit and stop immediately without dragging out. Because these are open-back headphones and do not feature a boosted mid-bass hump, you should not expect a massive, thunderous slam. The deepest textural details of the bass line feel slightly smoothed over. You hear the crisp outline of an electric bass guitar rather than its heavy tactile weight. In exchange, the bass is fast and clean, preventing muddy sounds even during rapid tempo tracks. The sub-bass foundation remains present right down to the bottom, providing a solid underpinning for the music.
Soundstage and Resolution represent the true superpower of these headphones. The soundstage expands wide outside your head, and instrument placement is pinpoint accurate. Both left-to-right width and front-to-back depth are clearly defined. Minor details like natural reverberation and subtle breaths are rendered clearly enough to make you forget the price tag. True to planar magnetic tech, notes start and stop with absolute cleanliness. Even in dense, instrument-heavy orchestral passages, individual sections never tangle together. In live recordings, the acoustic space feels expansive enough to accurately gauge the venue size. If you are upgrading from the Sundara, this massive leap in soundstage will be the most striking improvement.
Genre Versatility is broad rather than focused on one style. Most tracks sound at home here. The bright upper treble and large stage encourage me to enjoy the recording rather than inspect it clinically. That’s the use I think this tuning serves best.
Daily Real-World Experience
As open-back headphones, breathability is excellent, meaning your ears generate almost no trapped heat. Even during long sessions, fatigue from stuffiness is minimal. The 1.5-meter stock cable feels a bit short if your desktop amplifier sits far away. Pairing them with the M3 Ultra using a 4.4mm balanced cable made them usable even when stepping away from the desktop rig. However, having to source a separate balanced cable since the stock one is strictly 3.5mm is somewhat inconvenient. Passive noise isolation is practically nonexistent. Due to their large physical footprint, using them outdoors for commuting is practically out of the question.
Recommended For:
- Listeners looking to buy their first planar magnetic headphones on a budget of around 200,000 KRW.
- Those who want a wide soundstage and clear highs to thoroughly enjoy their music collection.
- Users who already own a desktop headphone amplifier or a 4.4mm balanced output dongle.
Not Recommended For:
- Anyone sensitive to high-frequency fatigue who wants a relaxed listen without messing with EQ.
- Users who need noise isolation or portable headphones for commuting.
- People sensitive to fit issues, particularly those prone to loose clamping.
The Hifiman Edition XS is…
The tuning isn’t polished into a completely smooth shape. That slight edge is also what repeatedly makes me pick the headphones up again. I don’t hear it only as a flaw to be removed before the music can be enjoyable. Alongside the spacious stage and the quick separation between notes, it gives the sound some of its life. There are sensible reasons to pass if treble sensitivity or a loose fit is a problem. For someone beginning to explore the pleasure of a planar headphone, however, this remains an unusually inviting starting point. The imperfections and the enjoyment coexist rather than canceling one another out.
