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Showing 1 of 47 reviews about:
Waynerey
100
May 25, 2019
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The sound of the Edition XX's is beyond the expectations I had for these phones when I entered the drop so long ago. It was a long wait for delivery but now I am so happy that I took the jump and waited patiently. In short, the HiFiMan Edition XXs are amazing, magnificent, a winning Grand Slam of a success for Massdrop. These will become legendary for the Drop. They are articulate, every sound well defined, clear, individual notes of music suspended in their own space. There is no smearing of the sound, just the clarity. These headphones are a bit lush sounding, rich, almost a bodily feel to the sound as if you could reach out and hug it. It spreads out in front of you in a huge space. The music just seems to emerge out of space, rising up and up into the ether and surrounds me. This is more of an experience than anything else. It sometimes seems that I am a participant in the musical creation rather than just an observer sitting in a hall or theater. This is uncanny. It is holographic, a virtual reality in which I am suspended. The sound just surrounds me. It goes behind my ears. it wraps around my head, sound almost seems to emerge behind my head. I am in the center and the sounds just swirl around me. I think it is this aspect that makes these phones so special. The bass on these phones is fast, tight, clear and bottomless. The treble is crystalline, sharp, shinning. It sparkles but it is not fatiguing, I listen for hours. The mid range is a bit recessed but not much, not much at all, just enough to give a sense of depth to the soundstage presented before you. It is very real sounding. That is another special plus of these phones, everything sounds so real, so alive, so palpable, to use that old audiophile chestnut of a word. I have not had this experience with headphones before. This is what makes these different, special from other phones. I am sure there are better phones out there, more expensive, more beautiful in appearance with more cache and pedigree, but I have not heard them and doubt I could even afford them. I will have to live happily ever after with these, an incredible bargain for $600. I love the HiFiMan Edition XXs.
Waynerey
100
May 26, 2019
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JUNNIORI just wrote a long well considered response to your question and as I was about to post I inadvertently lost it all. You have been saved from reading the history of my headphone journey. As to your question I have not heard either of the phones you mention so I can be of no help to you there. All I can say is I attempted to describe the sound of the Edition XXs as I experience it. My guideposts I would guess are similar to most of us here and many of the people here probably have had more experience in this matter than I do. I am just excited by the sound of these phones and have attempted to describe my reaction to them. Everyone hears differently and enjoys different parameters of sound reproduction but the Edition XXs are different from other phones that I have heard with their spacious almost 3 dimensional sound. I hope you have a chance to hear them.
JUNNIOR
6
May 26, 2019
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WaynereyI read your review again, and I think I'm going to like it very much for the practically physical sound it provides. But my question would be in relation to the presence of the bass, if you have authority and a good presence, because I am afraid of being an analytical sound equal to the HD 800s for example. The only planar I could test and got is the HE400i, and I like it very much, very good for the price. Despite this fear I intend to purchase the IFI Micro iDSD BL later, the Xbass + feature may even help.
Waynerey
100
May 26, 2019
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JUNNIORI will try to give you my impression of the bass of the Edition XXs. The bass is subterranean. It goes as low as any recording you throw at it. With Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 I distinctly hear the organ ( I am listening to the Munch Boston Symphony Orchestra recording) in movements of the symphony that before I could only detect a low end rumble. With the Edition XXs the notes of the instrument emerge, distinct, clear, individual. With Bach and Messiaen organ works I can only say that I feel like I am floating up to the mothership that has all engines firing away, consider that for a moment. On Esmeralda Spaldings new album, "Twelve Little Spells" (I streamed this in 24 bit 96kHz Hi-Res from Qobuz) her bass playing is presented with force and authority yet each note once again is evident. This is great bass. It sounds like real instruments as they would sound in a real live venue. The sound is not manipulated into a booming mass of incoherent smears. In comparison the bass of my Fostex/Massdrop TH-X00 Purplehearts seems more visceral, more pronounced. The Purplehearts knock you over with their bass. But this is only an impression. I would say that the bass of the Edition XXs goes even lower than the Purplehearts but without the club like slam. I love my Fostex phones and they will always make their way into my listening rotation but I have to give the nod to the HiFiMan Edition XXs for bass. There is no limit to the depth of these, they just dig deep and it is all so clear. More than anything this is a matter of which presentation you prefer. You say you like the HiFiMan HE-400i. I own the Massdrop 4XXs and I agree that they are great sounding, perhaps the best audio value out there for the price, along with the Massdrop/Sennheiser HD-6XX, but the Edition XXs are far beyond them. I cannot advise you but I can say I am happy beyond expectations with the Edition XXs.
JUNNIOR
6
May 26, 2019
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Waynerey
I am now listening to these songs that you quoted above, and imagining the performance of the Edition xx according to its description, from what I could understand it should have the basses more correct than your Fostex, more open and the sound quite spacious and immersive, and a headset lone of being analytical style the hd 800 I do not like that kind of personality. Briefly, the Edition xx should have a spectacular sound, just what I'm looking for, bass that works correctly at the right time, does not have that unnecessary punch for some styles of music, it seems like I'll love the Edition xx. Just to point out, I paid $ 100 at he400, a bargain, I do not think there is any better investment in this price range. Just one more prong, is it really easy to push? Have you tried using it directly to your cell phone?Waynerey
100
May 26, 2019
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JUNNIORI am using the Grace/Massdrop m9XX amp dac combination. This is no longer available on the Drop but a revised version is available on the Grace Designs website. I highly recommend it, it sounds like a marriage in heaven with the XXs. I haven't tried Edition XXs with anything else, I had no curiosity to do so. Maybe tonight.
Waynerey
100
May 26, 2019
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JUNNIORI think the Ifi will work nicely with these phones. Post a review after you get it.
Waynerey
100
May 27, 2019
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JUNNIORI would warn against using the word spectacular loosely. As I said in my very first review, written in real time as I first listened to these, I was not overwhelmed by the sound, it was refined, it was nice, it was pleasant. At the same time the sound is also analytical, you can pick out every note in a composition. On top of the abyss of the bass and airy highs, put this all together and you have spectacular, but it is refined, it has finesse. It does not assault your senses.
JUNNIOR
6
May 27, 2019
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Waynerey
was what I feel when I first heard a grade and the perceptions I'm also feeling in my he400i as the first magnetic planar, and I'm still looking for an ideal setup for it. If I lived in the USA it would be better to know equipment and more headphones, but since I do not live there I have to venture the most of the time by importing and seeing as many reviews as possible.
ShawnP.Watson
155
Jun 4, 2019
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JUNNIORWhen you do get yours, you may want to order the iFi iSilencer and/or iPurifier3 with it or soon after. These items really kick the iFi Mico iDSD BL up another couple of notches. May I suggest ordering from Music Direct.com because they have a 60 day, no questions asked return policy. You can't beat that with a stick.
JUNNIOR
6
Jun 4, 2019
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ShawnP.WatsonFrom what I'm seeing, these are devices for noise cancelling via USB or optical input. What I'm looking for at the moment would be a transportable or portable DAC/AMP, in case the BL.
ShawnP.Watson
155
Jun 4, 2019
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JUNNIORBoth the iSilencer and the iPurifier3 run off battery of the USB. The BL is not equipped with blue tooth. For that you would need the xDSD or the xCAN.
JUNNIOR
6
Jun 4, 2019
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ShawnP.WatsonI intend to use with my Fiio M6 or my phone every once in a while, or on the notebook, both using USB.
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