HIFIMAN Edition XS: Planar Sound Without the Planar Price

The HIFIMAN Edition XS exists to answer one question: how cheap can a genuinely good planar magnetic headphone get? It’s the follow-up to the well-regarded Edition X, rebuilt around newer driver technology and priced low enough to be a real entry point into planar sound rather than a compromise version of it.

The core upgrade is HIFIMAN’s Stealth Magnet design, shaped to let sound waves pass through with less diffraction and turbulence than a conventional magnet array causes. Paired with the NEO Supernano Diaphragm, a driver under 2 micrometers thick and roughly 75% thinner than the original Edition X’s, the combination is built to track fast transients without the distortion thicker diaphragms introduce.

Frequency response runs 8Hz to 50,000Hz, well beyond audible range in both directions, with an 18-ohm impedance and 92dB sensitivity. That combination makes the Edition XS easy to drive from a phone dongle or a basic USB DAC, though owners report it scales noticeably once a proper desktop amp is behind it.

At 405g (14.28oz), the open-back design uses a lightweight, ergonomic headband built for long listening sessions rather than short auditions. The cable runs a standard 3.5mm connector, detachable and user-replaceable, with a 6.35mm adapter included for larger amp jacks and full-size equipment.

Plugged into a modest desktop DAC/amp combo, the open-back design throws a soundstage well beyond what closed-back headphones in the same price range manage. For late-night listening at a desk, the same open design means sound leaks both ways, so it’s built for a private room rather than a shared office.

The Edition XS is HIFIMAN’s case that planar magnetic sound doesn’t require a four-figure headphone to get right. Between the Stealth Magnet design, the thin diaphragm, and the easy-to-drive impedance, it covers what a first planar headphone actually needs to deliver.