HiFiMan Edition S Headphones

Description:

Key features

• Crystal clear midrange and treble
• Wide open soundstage in open-back mode
• Powerful, well-appointed bass
• Plush, comfy earpads

What is it?

The Edition S is a portable sized large on-ear foldable design headphone with a single entry cable setup. Materials are mostly matte finished solid plastics with some inner metal joints at the gimbal/foldaway areas and synthetic leather padding in the central part of the headband for comfort. Pressure points are to the top of the head and to the side around your ears and feels well balanced with good clamping pressure.

The cup design is more attuned to the contours of a typical ear shape, so instead of being round like a DT1350 or rectangular like the HP-50 from Nad it has a cut away towards the bottom of an otherwise rounded rectangular shape. This is intended to follow the contours of your outer ear for a better fit and for my money it does exactly that with my regular sized ears. So whilst they are technically classed as on ear they do in fact go over my ears making them a very well designed and snug circumaural.

Hifiman have also included an airline port adaptor with the Edition S as well as a rather nice portable semi-hard round zippered case. The Edition S fits perfectly into this case when folded. The case also has a metal clip on the top allowing you to tag it onto a backpack or case of some description to keep it secure if space is a premium inside your case. It is the first time I have seen Hifiman build a specific carry case for their headphones of this nature so thankfully no more 3rd Party cases good as they are.

How does it work?

Further to this unique pitch Hifiman have kept the Edition S incredibly efficient for portable use with an 18-ohm rating and 113dB sensitivity as well as building in a foldable design making it the most aggressive attempt yet by Hifiman to really go for the ‘pick up and play’ audiophiles who want something on the go that can play well with portable devices. Throw in an inline mic and playback control and you get the gist pretty quick about who the Edition S might appeal to.

The OFC cable is 1.2m in length and constructed of a fairly memory retentive free rubber coating and possessing excellent strain relief at both ends. This primarily portable cable is terminated with 3.5mm jacks at both ends with a straight gold plated 3.5mm jack for inserting into the Edition S and a right angled jack for use with your player of choice. Hifiman have also included a gold plated quarter jack convertor for desktop use. It also comes complete with a collar clip and an in-line remote control and mic for use with most smartphone platforms. Kudos to Hifiman for not sticking the Edition S with double entry or proprietary connectors. This leaves you free to try out any cable you want with a 3.5mm termination and there are quite a few out there.

What’s in the box?

• HiFiMAN Edition S Headphones
• Carrying case
• 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter
• 3.5mm earphone cable with remote control (fit for iPhone and Android system)