Hifiman Edition XS Review - $500 Golden Egg?

March ieMadness Info: Here’s a link to the form with more details and the bracket: https://forms.gle/V9bndic7rP3YqjM59 Straight link to make a copy of the bracket (Google Drawing): https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1t... PDF copy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Depv... Hifiman Edition XS - I know this headphone has been on a lot of people’s radar, and for good reason. It’s an entry into the Hifiman oval-cup headphones and it comes it in under $500. It’s good. My question was really how does it compete with the Focal Elex, which I’m really digging lately and is right in that price range. I also wanted to test it against the HE1000v2 which is the TOTL oval cup Hifiman. Timestamps: 00:00 - March ieMadness Plug 00:38 - Intro 01:28 - Packaging / Build / Accessories 03:30 - Comfort 04:10 - Sound Intro 07:10 - Comparisons 08:23 - Conclusions Links to stuff mentioned in the video (some affiliate): Hifiman XS (Apos): https://apos.audio/products/hifiman-e... Hifiman XS (Amazon): https://amzn.to/3KP5JmY Focal Elex: https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-focal... Dekoni Elex Pads: https://amzn.to/3N3eXOs He1000v2 (Apos): https://apos.audio/products/hifiman-h... He1000v2 (Amazon): https://amzn.to/3JlTONq A couple of other relevant reviews: Edition XX vs Ananda:    • Hifiman Comparison: He1000v2 vs Arya SE vs...   He1000v2 vs HE6 vs Arya:    • Edition XX vs Ananda - I was surprised!   Look down below for links to all that gear and some other recommendations. Of course, I always recommend you take a look at the used market, below are some sites that are great for that. Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/ HifiGuides: https://forum.hifiguides.com/ Reddit:   / avexchange   Hifi-shark: https://www.hifishark.com/ US AudioMart: https://www.usaudiomart.com/ Some of my favorite equipment for various niches (some links are affiliate): Super Budget Headphone: Koss kph40: https://koss.com/products/kph40-utility Need these pads for the kph40 though: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10050... Cheap Gaming Headphone: AD700X: https://amzn.to/3b4ACUS Super Cheap Closed-Back Gaming: Recon 500: https://amzn.to/3numqem Cheap All-Around Headphone: SHP9600: https://amzn.to/3b6aUiP Entry Level DAC: Modi 3+: https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-1 Entry Level Amp: IEMagni: https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-1 Entry Balanced DAC: SMSL SU8: (look used) Or Modius: https://www.schiit.com/products/modius My Main DAC: Soekris 2541: https://soekris.modhouseaudio.com/soe... My Main Amp: Burson Soloist 3xp: https://amzn.to/3oCPd0K Tube Amp: Bottlehead Crack: https://bottlehead.com/product/crack-... Headphone #1: Hifiman He1000v2: https://apos.audio/products/hifiman-h... Headphone #2: Focal Elex w/ Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin: https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-focal... Headphone #3: OG NIghthawks: (look used) Gaming Headphone: HE560v4: adorama.rfvk.net/6bnGoG Bluetooth Portable DAC/Amp: XCan: https://amzn.to/3vJG8WA Wired Portable DAC/Amp: Mojo: https://amzn.to/3CbYWQs TWS: Sony XM4: https://amzn.to/3Glr7Py Cables: Hart Audio Cables: https://hartaudiocables.com/ Worlds Best RCA Interconnects: https://amzn.to/3pB2Oa7 Worlds Best XLR Interconnects: https://amzn.to/3vEdwxO Recording Gear: Canon M50: https://amzn.to/3ba7KKJ Sigma 16mm 1.4: https://amzn.to/3vF6SaB Beyerdynamic Fox Mic: https://amzn.to/3hoQ01v Canon M100 (overhead): https://amzn.to/31lZAxT Canon 22mm 2.0 (overhead): https://amzn.to/3dowiAO #hifiman #editionxs #headphones