HiFiMAN Edition XV

TL;DR: it's HD650/HD6XX in planar form.

This one is quick and sweet because I honestly think it's pointless to go too deep into descriptions and such. Really, just... take HD650/6XX, make bass linear and then drop 2KHz just a tiny bit but give it planar "speed". Voila, that's Edition XV.

100dB scale. Driver matching is kinda "okay" for HFM but not amazing:



And 40dB scale for... "dB peeping":



Here's "dB peeping" against HD650. When I first head these, I could already guess it was going to be close but Holy...



And CSD because... of course there is "ortho wall":



Conclusion: those who are looking for the typical HiFiMAN "hifi" sound with plenty of treble? This is not it. Those who are looking for HD600 in planar form? Also not it. Those who are looking for an alternative to HD650 in the $399 price range though? What are you waiting for?

This gets my warm pooTM seal of approval easily. It's now my favorite <$399 headphone.

Couple more notes: comfort sucks, though. The headband construction clamps just as badly as a fresh pair of HD650. I've heard Capra Audio sells more comfortable straps. Will report back on those.

 

Agreed with almost everything except comfort. Hasn't been a problem for me, clamp is just right as compared to the far too loose and poorly padded XS. Between this and the LCD-GX I picked up recently, the Audeze is warmer yet, hits harder, images better, and is smoother up top. XV is grainier but more neutrally tuned overall. It's more technically proficient than the MM-100 but less than the LCD-2 or LCD-GX. My other sub-1KUSD planar references are all over the map: the XV is much less gritty and low-rez than the FT1 Pro, much less dull than the Aeon Closed X, much more evenly tuned than the Sendy Aiva 2. Drivability is not great. Be careful with dongles as that 12Ω impedance is a current hog.

 

The Capra comfort straps are great! I have them for several headphones since I'm prone to hot spots on the top of my head and they are the best solution I've found so far. Especially for the older Hifiman headbands (edition XS, etc.) they fix all my comfort issues.

 

2 days later, I think I have figured it out.

For context: it may fit most folks, but... my head is unfortunately not "most folks". I have to max out the Edition XV and you can guess already: the strap is stretched all the way and it's super hard.

I've had to bend the two L/R arms slightly to straighten them out. Now clamping force is about... "acceptable" to me.

Side note: I also got HE600 in and... honestly, I did slightly prefer its sound for some stuffs but my God... that clamping force was way too insane. I don't have any hopes of any strap replacement helping with it, so I returned it very promptly without even attempting to measure.

 

Might be a stupid question: does the Edition XV sound WAY different on different sources? I remember my Edition XS sounded bright-ish on my phone, OK - a bit dark on Magni Unity, too dark on Mj1. So I tend to believe power -> darkness for Edition XS, and it's hard to use it as a reference...

 

I have not found a massive difference between Qudelix T71, DSHA-3FN and Schiit Magni Piety. All of them sound about the same to me tonally. The only one that does sound markedly different is iBasso Nunchaku. "Too much of a good thing" applies here since both Edition XV and Nunchaku are warm and thick sounding.