As a fellow owner of the Edition XS and the Violectric V550, I have often wondered about the Stealth Arya and whether or not it would be an upgrade, your video has helped me to stop worrying. I use a little EQ on the EXS in the sub bass & mids and upsample via HQ Player to my RME ADI-2 or Topping D70 DAC via PCM or DSD and I am extremely happy with the sound. I'm not looking for the last word in resolution, I just want to enjoy the music. Thanks for your thoughts - very helpful.
@@LeeDowney Would you say that after doing 'Resolves' EQ setting, that you are getting that meaty soulful impact in vocals and mids you were looking for? I believe you are chasing after the same headphones and sound as I am, so I will stay subscribed to follow your progression through headphones/IEM's etc.
The fatigue is well founded - the stealth magnet models have a massive peak/elevation in the treble above 10kHz, which is likely causing the fatigue and making them appear detailed.
According to resolve, it is a peak at 14khz on the Edition XS. Speaking from personal experience, I have felt no listening fatigue from the Edition XS and I have listened for long stretches at a time.
Exactly i felt the same harshness with Xs when connected to ifi zen dac v2. When i use dedicated Amp, they sound amazing.i came to know how much current hungry the xs are.
@@Najmibadminton which combo yor are asking? the edition Xs requires a serious amplifier. With ifi zen can amp, i am running with +18dB gain. If you can power these headphones well, these are amazing. And these are better than Ananda for the price and far better than Sundara without any doubt. I am coming from sundara previously.
@@Najmibadminton the DAC part of zen dac v2 is excellent.but, the amp part is not good. power from v2 is not at all enough for xs. Connect a dedicated amplifier with zen dac v2. So that v2 will take the DAC role and amp will take care of clean and high power. if you dont want to add dedicated amplifier and only use v2 with xs, you will get noticeable distortion in sound for xs. The v2 is great for normal headphone. But for plannar magnetic headphones, you need good amplifier to open up the sound. Zen dac v2 is excellent for the DAC part. No need to upgrade the v2. Just add an amp.
Hi sir...very nice review...actually I am listening to this review using stack of ifi Signature one Dac and ifi HFM Amp connected with the ifi balanced cable. I am using Hifiman Edition XS open back Headphone connected to the amp with Hifiman Balanced cable. This is the unit with which I stepped into the audiophile community. The whole set up of mine makes me feel good with the musics I listen to but I have no other idea of any dac or amp or headphone , hence listening to you just to know whether my purchase is good for an entry level. I am using Apple I pad and Apple Music as the source connected with the usb input. I have also purchased Fiio M11 plus ess edition, a portable music player and I listen my Hifiman Edition XS connected with this portable player with the balanced cable. Honestly let me tell ..I found no real difference in listening experience and actually felt comfortable ( May be it sounds a bit better too) for using the portable player for its ease of usage The ifi stack and Fiio made me to feel really good sounding with my Hifiman Edition XS. Now I am thinking about Aarya and Ananda with this stack. You look quite experienced in this field sir..hence your reviews also mean a lot to us. I am just an amateur trying to understand what this audiophile community is really about. Is it about enjoying music or all time thinking / comparing about another Headphone or Dac or Amp or cables... Actually I too want to be driven crazy as an audiophile. I don’t know whether I have those kinds of ears. Anyway lot of respect for you and your reviews sir. Can u pls let me know whether i am listening to the best XS can do with the gadgets i have ?!!!😊😊😊
i just picked up the jotunheim/bifrost2 stack. cant wait to have the arya stealths. currently only have the HD650 headphones, hopefully the arya are a decent updgrade. keep up the great content here man.
You described well what they are missing. They don't have that engaging forceful sound. Did you heard HD800S ? How are they ? They should have better punch with that dynamic driver despite having a huge soundstage.
As a fellow owner of the Edition XS and the Violectric V550, I have often wondered about the Stealth Arya and whether or not it would be an upgrade, your video has helped me to stop worrying. I use a little EQ on the EXS in the sub bass & mids and upsample via HQ Player to my RME ADI-2 or Topping D70 DAC via PCM or DSD and I am extremely happy with the sound. I'm not looking for the last word in resolution, I just want to enjoy the music.
Thanks for your thoughts - very helpful.
Yes I’m using ‘Resolves’ EQ setting and I’m very happy with them. Glad I could help!
@@LeeDowney Would you say that after doing 'Resolves' EQ setting, that you are getting that meaty soulful impact in vocals and mids you were looking for? I believe you are chasing after the same headphones and sound as I am, so I will stay subscribed to follow your progression through headphones/IEM's etc.
Edition XS with a little boost under 100hz is pure love
The fatigue is well founded - the stealth magnet models have a massive peak/elevation in the treble above 10kHz, which is likely causing the fatigue and making them appear detailed.
According to resolve, it is a peak at 14khz on the Edition XS. Speaking from personal experience, I have felt no listening fatigue from the Edition XS and I have listened for long stretches at a time.
@@Hari-kx2er
Correct.
The edition xs is "end game"
They are literally that great
"I'm sorry this video is getting long". Bro, I'm looking at over a thousand bucks for some headphones, make it as long as you want 😅
Exactly i felt the same harshness with Xs when connected to ifi zen dac v2.
When i use dedicated Amp, they sound amazing.i came to know how much current hungry the xs are.
I'm planning to buy those combo😭😭 is that too bad?
@@Najmibadminton which combo yor are asking?
the edition Xs requires a serious amplifier.
With ifi zen can amp, i am running with +18dB gain.
If you can power these headphones well, these are amazing. And these are better than Ananda for the price and far better than Sundara without any doubt. I am coming from sundara previously.
@@gamingandmusic9217 i mean, is zen dac v2 are bad for xs?
@@Najmibadminton the DAC part of zen dac v2 is excellent.but, the amp part is not good. power from v2 is not at all enough for xs. Connect a dedicated amplifier with zen dac v2. So that v2 will take the DAC role and amp will take care of clean and high power.
if you dont want to add dedicated amplifier and only use v2 with xs, you will get noticeable distortion in sound for xs. The v2 is great for normal headphone. But for plannar magnetic headphones, you need good amplifier to open up the sound. Zen dac v2 is excellent for the DAC part. No need to upgrade the v2. Just add an amp.
@@gamingandmusic9217 I heard that DX3 pro+ are better than zen dac v2, is that true?
Hi sir...very nice review...actually I am listening to this review using stack of ifi Signature one Dac and ifi HFM Amp connected with the ifi balanced cable. I am using Hifiman Edition XS open back Headphone connected to the amp with Hifiman Balanced cable. This is the unit with which I stepped into the audiophile community. The whole set up of mine makes me feel good with the musics I listen to but I have no other idea of any dac or amp or headphone , hence listening to you just to know whether my purchase is good for an entry level. I am using Apple I pad and Apple Music as the source connected with the usb input. I have also purchased Fiio M11 plus ess edition, a portable music player and I listen my Hifiman Edition XS connected with this portable player with the balanced cable. Honestly let me tell ..I found no real difference in listening experience and actually felt comfortable ( May be it sounds a bit better too) for using the portable player for its ease of usage The ifi stack and Fiio made me to feel really good sounding with my Hifiman Edition XS. Now I am thinking about Aarya and Ananda with this stack. You look quite experienced in this field sir..hence your reviews also mean a lot to us. I am just an amateur trying to understand what this audiophile community is really about. Is it about enjoying music or all time thinking / comparing about another Headphone or Dac or Amp or cables... Actually I too want to be driven crazy as an audiophile. I don’t know whether I have those kinds of ears. Anyway lot of respect for you and your reviews sir. Can u pls let me know whether i am listening to the best XS can do with the gadgets i have ?!!!😊😊😊
i just picked up the jotunheim/bifrost2 stack. cant wait to have the arya stealths. currently only have the HD650 headphones, hopefully the arya are a decent updgrade. keep up the great content here man.
Thanks for this amazing review. May I ask the cable is which serie from AC? Cannot find the same one from their website.
I think Verite close is best close back headphone out there. Under $500 range headphone vs iem vs speakers what you prefer most??
Man I need all 3, I plan on doing many more reviews, do you have any suggestions?
@@LeeDowney
The edition xs is "end game"
Hey ! I’ve discovered your channel today and you’re really good. Keep up the good work 👍
Thanks for the great review! Best one I found, answered all the questions.
You described well what they are missing. They don't have that engaging forceful sound. Did you heard HD800S ? How are they ? They should have better punch with that dynamic driver despite having a huge soundstage.
If u want dynamics and impact u have to get focal headphones.
No.
These edition xs are dynamic, detailed, and as enveloping as anything on the market today.
Great review man, have any plan to review hifiman r9??
Almost same price as xs.
I haven’t considered that one but I have recently uploaded a new review of the Audeze lcd2 closed
This man is telling us that the amp is changing signature of headphones?! Really??
dacs and amps can and do have a slight ability to change how headphones work. hence tube amps working better with other headphones like HD600/HD650.
Is the edition xs a good combination with the Schiit Jotunheim 2?
If you pair the edition xs with that amp, they are "end game"
ananda in the middle of them
Great review except for all the pronouns(considering vision impaired) and some of us may just want to listen