Real owners lean toward the HiFiMan HE400se: 80% of 127 owners recommend it, vs 68% of 123 for the Edition XS.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
“You could have a faceoff with any headphone on Earth, regardless of cost and compare it to a $169 Edition XS, and while it would lose, it's MUCH closer than it should be...”— 1maxwedge426 on Reddit
“Decent headphones but......I'm on my third, 2 failed and were warranty replaced. Also the headband should be classed as a war crime. Other than that I highly recommend them.”— Emotional_Elk_980 on Reddit
“I hate my edition xs so much because they're amazing, just don't work, they keep losing all audio on the right side and I'm not the only one with that issue”— Kolorboi on Reddit
“The treble is still tamed, but the bass doesn't seem to roll off. Punchy and fun.”— @onepieceatatime on YouTube
“they are amazing, the replacement grills smooth out all the peaks and dips”— @ZdraveBass on YouTube
“Hifiman are known to last about two months. It's only a question of time before they fail and customer service is bad from what I saw.”— @westsenkovec on YouTube
Real owners lean toward the HiFiMan HE400se: 80% of 127 owners recommend it, vs 68% of 123 for the Edition XS.
Owners point the Edition XS at listeners moving up from a Sennheiser HD560S or HD600-series who want a wider soundstage, and buyers comfortable using EQ to tune the sound.
Owners point the HiFiMan HE400se at budget listeners getting into planar magnetic headphones, and users who EQ their headphones for best results.
The most-cited downside of the Edition XS is headband and weak clamp make the fit loose for many, and owners often add an aftermarket strap. For the HiFiMan HE400se, it's uncomfortable headband with a pressure hotspot.