HiFiMan Edition XS Headphones Review

The HiFiMan Edition XS look a bit different from other headphones in the manufacturer's lineup. They have a typical headband rather than a ski-band headband design. That said, the headphones are large, and we have to put foam underneath our unit's headband so that it better fits our dummy head's ears. There have silver grilles with an elongated ear cup design that rests around your jaw. That said, they come in only one color: 'Black'.

These headphones have a comfortable fit. They're well-padded, and the headband material feels nice. However, the headband feels heavier than other headphones in this manufacturer's lineup, like the HiFiMan Edition X and HiFiMan Arya. The headphones are also quite large and can be too big if you have a small head.

These headphones have sub-par portability. They're big, bulky, and can't fold into a more compact form to help save space. While they can fit into a large bag, they don't come with a carrying case to protect them when you're on the go.

These headphones have a good build quality. They have a mostly metal design with silver grilles. There's faux leather padding on the ear cups and headband. However, the plastic hinges feel cheap and can be prone to damage over time.

The HiFiMan XS have mediocre stability. They're big, bulky, and not designed for sports use, so they can move around and fall off your head with moderate movement. They'll stay in place while you're listening to audio at your desk.

• HiFiMan Edition XS headphones
• 1/8" to 1/4" adapter
• Detachable audio cable
• Manual

The HiFiMan Edition XS have a fairly neutral sound profile, suitable for a variety of audio content. They lack low-bass, which is normal from open-back headphones, but they can still deliver more thump and rumble than the HiFiMan Ananda. Vocals and lead instruments also sound clear and present, making them a solid choice for genres like classical or folk.

Note: The headphones are quite large, even when compared to other HiFiMan products like the HiFiMan Arya. We had to put foam under our unit's headband in order for them to fit on our dummy head. That said, there isn't much of a difference in frequency response with or without the foam in place.

These headphones have outstanding frequency response consistency. Once you achieve a good fit, expect consistent bass and treble delivery. However, this may be tricky if you have a small head as the headphones are large.

The HiFiMan Edition XS' bass accuracy is excellent. Compared to dynamic headphones like the Sennheiser HD 660S2, they can reproduce more low-bass, and overall, they have adequate punch and warmth that shouldn't overwhelm or muddy the rest of your tracks. If you're a fan of thumpy, rumbly genres like EDM and hip-hop, you may find their sound a little lacking though.

These over-ears have amazing mid accuracy. The response is fairly flat, so vocals and lead instruments like Lionel Richie's voice in the chorus of Hello sound clear and present. A dip in the high-mid slightly weakens these sounds, though.

The HiFiMan Edition XS have excellent treble accuracy. Just over midway into the song Static by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, strings, and guitars are clear and detailed but not harsh. Sibilants like cymbals are also bright without being too piercing.

The HiFiMan XS' peaks and dips performance is great. There's a small peak in the high-bass, which adds a little extra warmth to audio, while a dip in the high-mids weakens vocals and lead instruments while a peak in the low-treble makes them a bit harsh. Another peak in the mid-treble turns sibilants like S and T sounds piercing.

The HiFiMan Edition XS have an amazing imaging performance. The group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in phase, amplitude, and frequency response, which results in the accurate placement and localization of objects like footsteps in the stereo image. That said, imaging can vary between units and can indicate a manufacturer's quality control and ergonomics.

The HiFiMan Edition XS' passive soundstage performance is outstanding. The soundstage seems fairly natural, wide, and as if sound is coming from speakers placed in the room around you rather than from inside your head. The soundstage also seems open and spacious.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. There's some distortion present in the high-mid, which is more present in the right driver at high volumes. However, this can be hard to hear with real-life content. Most frequencies are within good levels, resulting in fairly clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the HiFiMan Edition XS. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The HiFiMan XS have a bad noise isolation performance, which is normal from open-back headphones. They won't block out the low rumble of bus and plane engines nor ambient chatter.

These headphones leak audio by design. If you're listening to audio near others, they can hear it, even if it's at a moderate volume.

These headphones come with a detachable 1/8" TRS cable and a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter if you want to use them with an amp or other audio equipment.

The HiFiMan XS can only receive audio when connected to your PC via an analog connection.

These headphones can connect to PS4 and PS5 consoles by plugging their analog cable into your controller. However, you can only receive audio as they don't have a mic.

These headphones can only receive audio when connected to your Xbox console's controller via analog.