Question What's your next HiFi purchase?

[Revolutions]

So Revs did you get a set if so love to hear more what brand and how you found the sound?

I went for Hifiman edition xs. Totally astonished, tbh. They’re massive & look ridiculous. All is forgiven as soon as the music starts- I remember reading someone say it’s like listening to speakers & it’s really true. So much space & room in the sound. Makes my HD580s sound flat & closed in when directly compared, and I really like how those sound.

Have you got planars?

 

[Shrek]

I havent yet but keep reading rave reviews and Jason of course .I dont care how they look if they sound that good i will get some will need to do some research .Do you have yours plugged into a headphone Amp if so what one ?.
I have a Zen can 3 Amp but was looking at getting the Fiio k13 when /if it goes down in price .

why did you choose the Hifiman ?

 

[Revolutions]

I went with the Hifiman as I didn’t want to spend loads- don’t listen on headphones at home much. At the cheaper end I read loads of reviews & it seems most people agreed that the edition xs offers a lot for the money. And I remember Jason talking fondly about his.

I’d originally planned to go to RS and do some headphone listening, but they didn’t have the edition xs in the sale, nor some of the similar priced competition I was considering. No regrets for my blind purchase. But now I have 4 pairs of headphones. Admittedly, 2 of them are mainly for music demos with & a friend.

Amp is a Schiit Magni unity. Nice and simple from the line out of my Linn. Annoyingly I have to turn my speakers off to use the headphones, but takes about 5 seconds to do 😁

 

[Shrek]

Thanks for the info Revs you never know what to make of reviews.I have 3 pairs now. None planner ,used to laugh at my brother because he had so many headphones now im going down that road as well.

I need to do some more research thanks so much for your help lots of positive food for thought .

 

[Jasonovich]

Thanks for the info Revs you never know what to make of reviews.I have 3 pairs now. None planner ,used to laugh at my brother because he had so many headphones now im going down that road as well.

I need to do some more research thanks so much for your help lots of positive food for thought .

My ears were buzzing, now I know why! 🤣

In my humble opinion, good designed dynamics can sound really good. I have two, the FiiO FT1, an excellent budget headphone, for commuting and my high 250ohms Beyer Amiron's for my tube amp, which is better suited.

I never heard of planars until I saw YT review of Hifiman Edition XS, essentially saying he's going to retire his Sennheiser's after listening to the planars.

I had in mind to purchase the Sennheiser's prior to seeing this video, got me really curious and I got myself a pair.......after a short listen....my immediate reaction was something like........F'k me....these are good, very good!

Rev is right, first thing you notice about planars is space, openness, lots of detail, controlled bass (not excessive) and clean treble. Dynamics by comparison sounds like it's compressed, lack of breath. I'm using a broad brush here, good designs like Focal can work around their limitations and provide many happy hours of listening.

I was most impressed with my EISA Awarded Focal Elegia's, even though it lacked the airiness of planars.

My Stealth's are my second planars and I can live with them for ever! They're so good. On a completely different level than Edition XS's but you have to cough out multiple times more!
I don't miss my speakers when I listen to my Stealth's!

There are some good budget planars as an alternative to the Edition XS, for a little more , there's the newer (latest planar magnet design) Edition XVs or the Hifiman Ananda nano. FiiO also offer some good planars if you're on a tight budget.
Another egg shaped Hifiman, also good the Arya. They also do better sounding unveiled versions with exposed drivers, don't place them next to anything metal, like small screwdrivers, keys etc ...hmmm a little more care with those.

If you don't like the egg shape, check out the He4, He6 and the new He600. Other planar brands stick to the traditional format, TBH I love the egg shaped headphones, takes me back to my childhood....do you remember the Cybermen in Doctor Who 🙂

Amazon.co.uk

 

[Jasonovich]

Further to my last comment, over in Chi-Fi, Planars are becoming a real buzz, So many unfamiliar brands like Efep, GoldPlanar, ZMF Caldera, Moondrop, Sendy you probably heard, there's Tangzu, there's many.

Even Fosi is getting on the act, interestingly, I was expecting them to sell the i5 for much less than ￡411.19 on AliExpress. I expect higher price on Amazon or other UK distributer.

Fosi i5 Planar-Magnetkopfhörer mit offener Rückseite und 97-mm-Membran, professionelles Hifi-Monitor-Headset mit Kabel für Studio - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Look at those Frying Pans!



Ok just to stay on the topic, I am thinking of replacing my commuting headphones with another planar, a closed back design

The Efep solid wood planars look gorgeous but the price is high for just random listening. If they knock it down by a hundred, I'll definitely consider.

 

[matthewpianist]

Further to my last comment, over in Chi-Fi, Planars are becoming a real buzz, So many unfamiliar brands like Efep, GoldPlanar, ZMF Caldera, Moondrop, Sendy you probably heard, there's Tangzu, there's many.

Even Fosi is getting on the act, interestingly, I was expecting them to sell the i5 for much less than ￡411.19 on AliExpress. I expect higher price on Amazon or other UK distributer.

Fosi i5 Planar-Magnetkopfhörer mit offener Rückseite und 97-mm-Membran, professionelles Hifi-Monitor-Headset mit Kabel für Studio - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Look at those Frying Pans!

View attachment 10831

Ok just to stay on the topic, I am thinking of replacing my commuting headphones with another planar, a closed back design

The Efep solid wood planars look gorgeous but the price is high for just random listening. If they knock it down by a hundred, I'll definitely consider.

View attachment 10832

How much are they?

 

[Jasonovich]

How much are they?

The cheapest I've seen on AliExpress were £471!
You know Matthew, this particular pair I'm not convinced these are planars headphones. The Chinese wording of these are confusing!
I need further clarity from the vendor.


Here's the link

EFEP Over-Ear-Kopfhörer in voller Größe, planar, magnetisch, audiophiler, dynamischer Kopfhörer mit Stealth-Magneten für Zuhause und Studio - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Below cheaper dynamic headphones from EFEP, £432, maybe they do both?

EFEP Full-Size-Over-Ear-Kopfhörer mit geschlossener Rückseite und offener Rückseite. Dynamische HiFi-Kopfhörer - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[mxer]

More LPs

 

[RTHerringbone]

Now that I'm done with the big buys, I'm looking at the peripheral parts of the system. That unfortunately leads me (you'll see what I did there) to the topic everyone loves:

CABLES!

I currently have a couple of 3m lengths of QED XT25s. I've nothing to compare them against. They're plugged in. It sounds fine. Is it actually, ACTUALLY, worth me looking to upgrade these? Looks like they're about £75 which seems modest given the speakers and amp they're connecting. Is there a tangible benefit to getting a different set of speaker cables or is it yet another of those snake-oil "audiophile" traps?

 

[Al ears]

Now that I'm done with the big buys, I'm looking at the peripheral parts of the system. That unfortunately leads me (you'll see what I did there) to the topic everyone loves:

CABLES!

I currently have a couple of 3m lengths of QED XT25s. I've nothing to compare them against. They're plugged in. It sounds fine. Is it actually, ACTUALLY, worth me looking to upgrade these? Looks like they're about £75 which seems modest given the speakers and amp they're connecting. Is there a tangible benefit to getting a different set of speaker cables or is it yet another of those snake-oil "audiophile" traps?

Not wanting to get involved in any cable debate I would simply say if they work for you keep them.
The only time I have replaced interconnects is when they become physically damaged or, more recently when I got an amplifier that accepted XLR connections.
I cannot say I have ever heard any discernable difference between any of the interconnects I have ever owned.
You, however, might have to see for yourself.....
😎

 

[RTHerringbone]

Not wanting to get involved in any cable debate I would simply say if they work for you keep them.
The only time I have replaced interconnects is when they become physically damaged or, more recently when I got an amplifier that accepted XLR connections.
I cannot say I have ever heard any discernable difference between any of the interconnects I have ever owned.
You, however, might have to see for yourself.....
😎

Great, that's all I needed to hear - thanks. No point swapping for the sake of swapping.

 

[Jasonovich]

Why people get upset about cables is beyond me, they either work for you or they don't.
I only have my ears to back me, not science.

I think most people will accept, DACs don't all sound the same and without wishing to sound controversial there's .......... No I won't say it, whatever pulls your string 🙂

Only for the purpose of sharing, courtesy of, and yes @jjbomber; AliExpress ha ha ha!

Here are my top cables, please don't rush out and buy, then curse me for wasting your money! Just sharing the L.O.V.E..............sorry that was corny!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009324174428.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.112.5d5018022XizoJ

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005049869665.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.147.5d5018022XizoJ

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006682478722.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.198.5d5018022XizoJ

ein Paar V2 HiFi-Lautsprecherkabel, Hupenkabel - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[Al ears]

Great, that's all I needed to hear - thanks. No point swapping for the sake of swapping.

Definitely not, I know some folk who have to get them all from same manufacturers and colour matched but thats not me.
Once installed you cannot see them anyway.... 🙂

 

[Shrek]

🤪

Our recommendation of the 4 best speaker cables to ensure your hi-fi system performs at its best

Upgrade your speaker cables to get the best performance overall

www.whathifi.com

 

[Shrek]

We recommend this trio of audio cables to get the best performance from your hi-fi system

Upgrade your basic audio interconnects for a sonic boost

www.whathifi.com

🤣

 

[Jasonovich]

🤪

Our recommendation of the 4 best speaker cables to ensure your hi-fi system performs at its best

Upgrade your speaker cables to get the best performance overall

www.whathifi.com

I have Rocket 11, I have Chord C both decent cables. 🙂

 

[Jasonovich]

We recommend this trio of audio cables to get the best performance from your hi-fi system

Upgrade your basic audio interconnects for a sonic boost

www.whathifi.com

🤣

Yep, I have those too. Oh my, look at the dust, I need to give them a nice wipe with a damp cloth!

The Clearways are great interconnect RCA cables, I might have a use for them. Though not sure, where to put them? They were lodged off their top spot by a certain Chinese/Japanese collaborated cable brand.
TBH The Furutech single crystal cables are better, cost less and never going to be recommended by WHF.

 

[Al ears]

We recommend this trio of audio cables to get the best performance from your hi-fi system

Upgrade your basic audio interconnects for a sonic boost

www.whathifi.com

🤣

Ah! WhatHifi a.k.a. Sponsored by Chord.... 🙂

 

[Al ears]

Yep, I have those too. Oh my, look at the dust, I need to give them a nice wipe with a damp cloth!

The Clearways are great interconnect RCA cables, I might have a use for them. Though not sure, where to put them? They were lodged off their top spot by a certain Chinese/Japanese collaborated cable brand.
TBH The Furutech single crystal cables are better, cost less and never going to be recommended by WHF.

View attachment 10855

Did the dog chew that one??? 🙂

 

[Jasonovich]

Did the dog chew that one??? 🙂

There you go, shiny and clean now! 🙂

 

[Rodolfo]

Speaking of CABLES, my planar magnetic choice, the Fiio FT1 Pro, comes with TWO: a 3.5mm-ended one and a 4.4mm one. The 3.5 is still unused to date, and I'll probably just use it to test it and compare with my other pleasing 3.5s.