Synergy
Efficiency
“Don’t use amps with more than 1W to drive them or else they will distort. I’ve seen people use EF6 to drive them which is silly…” (the EF has 5000mW @ 50ohm) ” Dr. Fang Bien
The fact that you do not need a quality desktop rig carefully matched to maximize the potential of Edition X is a big bonus. Even Fang himself is on record as saying plugging the Edition X into anything over 1W is silly and who am I to disagree?
However, reduced quantity does not negate the benefits of increased quality, and not all amps are equal so I will say that a good amp will bring a qualitative improvement in the Edition X tonal response.
Amp Performance
Certainly, in testing three to four dedicated amps of varying efficiency, I didn’t get a sense that the V2 would fall apart. The EDX V2 has excellent low noise levels with quality portable amps such as the Mojo, Bakoon HPA-01M, and the new DACAMP L1, and even efficient desktops like the Cypher Labs Sustain84 sounded delightfully noise-free in low gain.
These amps can produce excellent levels of current on-demand and power in general but are also noted for how they handle efficient drivers and planars. In the case of Bakoon’s current mode, it seems to just adore planar technology with its neutral, transparent, and pacey attack.
For the other “more standard” amps each can drive anything really from IEMs upwards and make suitable candidates for pairing with the EDX V2.
Pairings
Paw Gold
Volume Parameters: 55-65
Tonally the Paw Gold was a more neutral pairing with the EDX V2 than the AK380 offering a slightly more forward and cleaner signature with more bite in the midrange at the expense of that rich sound the AK380 can offer.
Treble on the Paw Gold was excellent with great articulation and not a hint of splashiness that the odd time the i5 got caught in. This pairing was perhaps my favorite pairing with the EDX V2 with a very entertaining balance between clarity and musicality.
AK380
Volume parameters: 100-110
The sound is neutral to slightly warm with a very nice natural tonality with the EDX v2. I particularly enjoyed the smooth clear treble tonality with no hint of splashiness or hard-edged percussion work. The vocal was a little more organic sounding than the single AK4490 i5 and the mids, in general, sounded a bit more detailed.
Cayin i5
Volume parameters: 40-45
Slightly splashy treble and harsher attack on the EDX V2 than the AK380 pairing but otherwise a very similar warm to a neutral presentation. Full-bodied low-end but not a soft mid-bass pairing as the K812 or as dark as the more linear K872 pairing. It still stays very neutral in quantity and linear in extension.
Shozy Alien Gold
Volume parameters: 5-8 steps above stock
The Alien is smooth, warm, and lush with fantastic staging capabilities and great vocal performances and that is pretty much how it plays out on the EDX V2.
It’s not hugely accurate, there is some coloration though it’s the kind of coloration I enjoy with that liquid midrange and thick textured vocal performance. The treble is smooth but more laid back and less detailed but that’s not surprising. The EDX V2 is already relaxed in that respect, pairing it with a relaxed DAP won’t change that.
It is not all mids though, the Alien can give the EDX V2 a very good low-end workout. Trance Dub acts such as the Pachanga Boys with their ambient soundstage and solid sub-bass work out sound very satisfying indeed on the EDX V2.
Hifiman SuperMini
Volume parameters: 18-25
One of Hifiman’s latest cute size but powerful DAPs. Our review of this will be out next month so it is relatively early days yet in terms of referencing. No issues driving the EDX V2, for such a small device the capability in this respect is very commendable.
Unbalanced Sadness
Tonally it lacks a little in the refinement stakes compared to the flagship DAPs such as the Paw Gold and AK380 and it is not as smooth or expansive as the Shozy Alien Gold edition. What you do get is a relatively neutral to warm sound with the EDX V2 offering a full-bodied low end all wrapped in a fairly musical presentation.
Bass is full sounding, and warm but a little soft and lacking in the same level of definition and extension I was able to achieve with higher-end DAPs. The rich midrange of the EDX V2 is a touch leaner sounding and more neutral than either of the AK4490 DAPs.
Vocals don’t quite convey the same body and texture as I would like but at the same time, they still sound relatively clear and sibilant-free. Treble is controlled, clean, and with very little in the way of splashy overtones creeping in but once again just lacks a little body to do the EDX V2 full justice.
Balanced For The Win!
Much superior in every department to unbalanced mode. Dynamics have increased and the musicality of the Supermini is now backed up with a better body and texture.
It’s still a little overly smoothed and lacking in detail but it doesn’t quite have that slightly brittle and lean quality to the mids and lower treble. Vocals also benefit from a more forward fuller quality yet still remaining sibilant-free.
The bass response is transformed on the supermini balanced output with the EDX V2 pairing. It’s snappy, full sounding with excellent PRaT and dynamics and completely kills the rather flat and dull sound of the normal output mode.
Amps
Chord Mojo
Paired with the AK380 in OTG mode volume sits merrily on a double yellow, you really do not need much from the Mojo to get the EDX V2 driven properly.
Tonally this tightened up the slightly soft signature of the AK380’s own amp, especially in the bass and midrange which received a little boost in clarity without loss of impact. Treble extension received a slight boost in sparkle and aggression. An excellent pairing for detail with the Mojo adding a little bite to the EDX V2 AK380 pairing.
RHA DACAMP L1
The DACAMP is an interesting pairing with the EDX V2. Not only does it yield a more neutral signature than the Mojo with excellent resolution but there are the additional bass and treble adjusters on the DACAMP L1 which the EDX V2 does respond to.
In stock mode, the EDX V2 sounds pacey and balanced though slightly holographic sounding as the Mojo. Its brighter tonality is an excellent match for shredding and solo guitar work.
With the bass adjuster down to -3 (full), you can suck the bass weight right out of the EDX V2 pretty quickly. Moving it in the opposite direction increases the fullness in the body of the low end of the EDX V2 and I would stop around +3 before it gets too dominating (it can go all the way up to +9). Even by +7, the EDX V2 bass response is very powerful and overwhelming (though a bit of fun).
By reducing the treble and upping the bass you can really shelve down the EDX V2 signature. Consequently, moving the treble beyond +3 or 4 will emphasize the lower treble sparkle too much giving it a very forward and peaky sound.
The best mix was around +3 bass, and +2 treble for impact and sparkle without overcooking it on the EDX V2. Otherwise, keep both dials to zero if you like the clean balanced stock signature of the DACAMP L1 with the EDX V2.
Bakoon HPA-01M
Current mode High gain preferred though source and line out capability will have a factor. Very low channel imbalance with the EDX V2 so whilst it is a very efficient planar it’s still well within the acceptable performance range of the HPA-01M which is a fairly powerful portable amp.
This is a special amp for planar matching and the EDX V2 pairing is no different. This is the current mode, not voltage-based so impedance as a factor is gone and as a result, the EDX V2 sounds wonderful.
It is not as meaty sounding as the Mojo on the low end, for that additional low-end weight you can switch to the Bakoon’s voltage output which will also give you a slightly warmer sound and a more musical flavor.
Current mode output tends to give a speedy clear neutral response with planars and such is the case also with the EDX V2. You also get wonderful resolution, above-average instrumental separation, and fantastic articulation. It sounds incredibly coherent, very balanced, and super smooth without loss of detail.
Pair this with a quality source with a decent line out and you will get one of the best portable amp pairings money can buy for the EDX V2.
Cypher Labs Sustain84
High gain is preferable around 11 am on the pot, with no noticeable noise unless at a very high volume.
I couldn’t resist a desktop setup and I am glad I gave into temptation and used the Sustain84 which is a very efficient tube amp. Despite its power potential, it’s incredibly adept at handling very efficient IEMs so the EDX V2 poses little or no problem in driving properly either.
Tonally I get the clarity and resolution levels of the Bakoon but I get also a slightly more relaxed sound. It’s not quite a classic tube sound since the Sustain84 stock tube arrangement never struck me as particularly tubey, but definitely smooth and clear and that’s how it plays out on the EDX V2.
You won’t get that slightly soft lilt of the AK380 or the aggression of the RHA/Bakoon combo but you do get the sweetest of midrange pairings with the EDX V2 and a stellar vocal performance that sounds incredibly natural. Bass weight is slightly softer than the Mojo but any pretense there could be a splashy treble in the EDX V2 is blown away with the Sustain84 pairing.
This is my go-to for desktop listening with the EDX V2 at home, particularly for soulful female vocals with that mid-range performance.
Select Comparisons
Audeze LCD-2 (Rev 2.1 pre-Fazor)
($999)
Christ, I forgot how heavy the LCD-2s are after a steady diet of “light” planars on my table over the last 12 months. No kidding, the Edition X V2 takes the prize there for comfort and then some.
To be fair to the LCD-2 the pads are sumptuous and very comfortable but then they needed to be. They are also less efficient than the EDX V2 though they do have excellent scaling qualities and suffer from less distortion on higher-powered amps. In truth, you could never really consider the LCD-2 as a portable headphone though we have all tried (admit it!).
Tonally the LCD-2 is a darker-sounding headphone with a more attenuated treble performance sounding a touch more shelved down by comparison. However, on the spin, the LCD-2 bass is meaty, visceral, and among the best in the business. The LCD-2 is powerful sounding with the right amp and works a treat with rock and metal.
By comparison, the EDX V2 is flatter more balanced sounding with a rich and sweet midrange but lacks the all-out physicality that the LCD-2 mids can deliver particularly with metal rhythm guitar work which is a force of nature on the LCD-2. Harking back to those tonal terms I had used before, if the EDX V2 is the “pleasing” one then the LCD-2 is certainly the “explosive” one.
AKG K812
($1499)
Form and Fit
The most similar feature of the K812, when compared to the EDX V2, is the pitch for efficiency at a premium level. This is a dynamic 36-ohm flagship open headphone that is equally at home on modestly powered amplification stages. It’s priced a little higher by $200 but built to exacting specifications that the EDX V2 would find hard to match in terms of build quality.
Comfort levels are similar but the feel is different from the K812 having a slightly smaller headband and the unique pads that go around your ear and thus clamp more to the side than the larger pad and cup size of the EDX V2 which is more neutral in clamping.
Tonality
Whilst both have a similar level of power requirements that require little in the way of volume adjustment on varying sources, tonally, they sound fairly different in some key areas. Technically the K812 has the edge in detail, but the EDX V2 has a better tonal balance overall.
The K812 FR is a bit uneven with a mid-bass fullness, a slightly recessed mid-range, and a splashy treble when pushed. It is musical sounding more than accurate but its resolution and detail retrieval is excellent.
In comparison, the EDX V2 is flatter, more balanced, and more natural sounding with a richer more forward midrange, more body in the note, and a more powerful vocal presence. There is lower treble energy but far less peaky and very easygoing in comparison.
The EDX V2 doesn’t extend as high as the K812, whose brilliance region is more forward and articulate but often I find that advantage overshadowed by the temperamental lower treble hardness when paired poorly. The EDX V2 pretty much pairs successfully with more efficient amps and sources and is far less fussy in the matchability stakes.
MrSpeakers Ether
($1499)
Form & Fit
This is the Ether non-Flow edition, we will be reviewing the Flow very shortly and MrSpeakers still sells the regular Ether at $200 above the asking price of the EDX V2. Build wise the Ether is on a higher level for me with superior comfort with those big thick leather pads.
Power
Surprisingly for a headphone that is not marketed as efficient, it does compete very well indeed with the EDX V2 in terms of little or no volume matching on amps such as the Mojo. I know the Ether can scale much better than the EDX V2 with bigger more powerful amps but I was expecting the EDX V2 to be the much easier headphone to drive. The gap was really not that big.
Tonality
Tonally both are on the neutral side of things with a hint of warmth and fairly flat sounding but there are a few differences chiefly in the bass and treble response that marks them out as being slightly different.
On the low end, the EDX V2 has a bit more sub-bass presence over the Ether C which rolls off a bit more around the 30-40hZ marker, bass on the EDX V2 has a better body and sounds more linear. I will give the nod to the Ether on detail retrieval though much like the K812 but the quantity is lacking.
The mids on the EDX V2 are richer and slightly thicker sounding than the leaner Ether. The midrange of the Ether sounded a bit more forward than the EDX V2 pulling in the staging a bit more and sounding less spacious.
Both have decent treble energy but the EDX V2 is more balanced sounding and smoother with more weight whereas the Ether extends that bit more with a touch more upper treble sparkle. The Ether though tended to sound a bit thinned out and peaky in comparison to the EDX V2.
Our Verdict
I really did not expect the level of performance and tonal balance that Edition X gave me coming from the HE1000 V2. It is my kind of tonal flavor and a type of headphone that I both personally and critically.
As I mentioned right at the start, to compare this with the HE10000 V2 and expect similar levels of resolution and performance, as well as tonal balance, would be flat-out wrong because it simply has a style of its own that works incredibly well with pretty much any portable source and amp I threw at it.
The price of $1299 now seems much more reasonable. I get the teeth-grinding objections of the V1 crowd who might be staring at obsolete gear at a fraction of their old resell price and the fact there is no upgrade program.
At the new price, I can’t see an upgrade program being worth it. Rather wait for the new pads if they ever come out and slip them on and hopefully, you get somewhere close to where the V2 is going for a fraction of the price.
Open On The Go?
Now being an open-back headphone at this price purely for portable use does present the interesting question of whether or not someone will really see this as an on-the-go headphone.
Those who are seriously into their gear performing at their best may ultimately see the EDX V2 as a second headphone; the kind of luxury statement that may be beyond the audience that has one shot at getting it just right.
Mind you, especially in Asia, the concept of the high-end portable setup is very popular. With cracking DAPs such as the AK380 and highly quality amps such as the Bakoon HPA-01M, there is a place for quality efficient high-performing headphones such as the Edition X V2.
We just need to get the word out a little more on how good this headphone is.
HIFIMAN Edition X V2 Technical Specifications
- Frequency Response 8 Hz to 50 kHz
- Sensitivity 103 dB
- Impedance 25 Ohms
- Weight 14.07 oz (399 g)
