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With EQ I much prefer the HD280 Pro.

You just need to have better takes on Tidal, peoples headphone choices etc ;)

No worries, I didn't take it as such. Just realized that it is something worth mentioning. In general I don't mention comfort and build much since I have no idea what is the Harman target equivalent for comfort and very rarely do I have any issues worth mentioning anyway so I'm stuck in an extremely subjective point of view.

Well I'll go check when I get the chance. Headphones.com review compares the Stealth to V2 saying:

"Now, if the Arya Stealth pulls the short end of the stick here for any reason, it would be for its perception of ‘slam’ and ‘texture’ characteristics. Bass transients on the Arya Stealth are articulated somewhat...softly even with the aid of DSP from the iFi Micro Black Label’s XBass switch. Take for example the typically heavy, impactful drum machines of Apink's "My oh My" which are best described as sounding somewhat puffy and aloof on the Arya Stealth."

So I'm guessing my hunch is correct for my preferences at least.

Yeah, I could've mentioned that I'm a big guy with a head to match and the first notch is as far as I'd need to go. Someone with a giant head would likely be very happy about this, but people with smaller ones might have issues. I can't really use the Ananda since they don't swivel and the pads put pressure behind my ears and don't seal in front.

I'm not sure since one Arya I tested I assumed was the Stealth, but I didn't realize to make sure if it was the V2. Many say that the Stealth does bass much better, but the measurements show an sub-bass drop that wasn't present on the V2 so I find it very hard to believe that there's a meaningful difference. As I mentioned I'd much have the bass of the XS than Arya, but Anands is also better than Arya in the bass. Were I to look for an upgrade I'd check the Ananda first though from memory (which is always questionable) I don't recall them being that much better. HE1000v2 would be to me much more interesting than the Arya with it's new competitive pricing.

Yeah, it certainly is, but not Audeze good. It has a hint of that ease and lightness lacking physicality that the Arya V2 had really bad, but it's still overall very good.

These don't come with that one. I had it from the HE6se V2.

Mad people I tell ya!

I spotted an Edition XS on Amazon Warehouse for 340€/$ and the condition was the lowest (acceptable) so I thought to give them a try since I can always return them as well. Turns out the condition was mint without a single speck of dust on them, but they were missing the cable. So either someone returned a pair that has been lacking it or snatched the cable and returned what I believe to be a completely unused headphone. Yay, as they say.

I've been spending a few days with these and just did a more formal playlist testing and I have to say these are seriously good even without EQ. The tonality is not quite the best I've ever heard, but very very close. These sound great with almost any music as is. Just a little lack of bass and some not-so-bad sibilance (Melody Gardot) were the only issues I was able to spot in my test with 10 songs from Chris Jones to Opeth. I'm used to hating the sound without EQ almost on every headphone so it is a very pleasant surprise to be quite happy as is. All the technicals are 9/10 or above with a nice open soundstage that doesn't ruing intimacy or make music feel distant and allows for a great sense of space when it should (London Grammar, Plini). Separation that makes the messiest of metal passages very readable (Opeth). Macro dynamics (speed) that have nice energy and drive and tactility in the bass (Daft Punk, Dream Theater). Timbre and detail that is very natural and pleasant (Chris Jones, Adam Baldych). Everything is just great. I still can't believe these do Opeth well even without EQ.

Comfort is fine though a bit bulky and even if there isn’t particular clamp they put some pressure on the jaws that builds over time. For me at least. Comfort is more individual than sound preferences.vs

LCD-X (2021): I compared these to a few headphones and felt that the twice as expensive LCD-X is the closest competition. Arya (pre-stealth at least) had much worse bass even with EQ and timbral issues so I'd much prefer these. Ananda is really nice, but I can't think of a reason to pay much more for them and they also need EQ more. LCD-X and these go head-to-head in most ways when EQ'd, but without the Edition XS is an instant winner 100%. When EQ'd to Harman these have a bigger soundstage, but equally distant from my ideal staging so I'd call it a draw. Separation is a bit different with these since the larger soundstage places instruments etc further apart, but the LCD-X has better clarity within the stage in a way. Hard to compare. Timbre is a bit better on the LCD-X in the bass and mids with some strings and drums having more saturation and texture, less airiness, but the highs are cleaner on the XS. LCD-X has a bit more fuller sound and the bass is heavier and deeper so for EDM etc I’d take the Audeze for sure. Overall, I’d say that if you want bigger soundstage and spend half the money then XS is the obvious choice and you’re certainly not missing much, but if build quality and the mentioned benefits sound attractive then LCD-X is a solid choice though harder to EQ well due to higher unit variation. I’m not yet sure which I would take over the other, but I could still sell my LCD-X that’s in warranty and make about $500.

vs Bathys: I haven’t spent enough to time with the Bathys to be absolutely certain, but I’d likely take the Edition XS over them. Bathys are a fantastic Bluetooth headphone with a great tuning, but it is a closed back and didn’t seem to particularly excel in anything while being good for the price.

vs HE6se: Here we see that the XS is nowhere near the technical ability of the HE6se V2 except in soundstage which is rather small on the latter. The tuning is a bit better on the HE6 and everything from bass impact and detail to timbre is just a step (or three) above.

Conclusion: Hifiman has put out another top tier contender for a price that is extremely competitive when it comes to sound performance. What Sundara is at the $300 price range these are for the $500-600. Just excellent and certainly very difficult to move up from. I’d take an LCD-5, Susvara, HE6se V2, maybe HE1000se V2 and potentially LCD-X over the XS, but I struggle coming up with much else. Nothing Meze, Focal, Sennheiser (HE-1 not included) or Beyerdynamic. Haven’t heard DCA or ZMF’s so maybe there’s something. Really makes me think that Hifiman is in a league of its own in sound price-performance nowadays.

Edit:

Gaming: these don't do well in directional clarity just like every Hifiman I've ever tried. They're of course fine and better than most gaming headphones, but nowhere near K 240 etc.

The issue is mainly with bluetooth built-in to TWS and headphones. Qudelix is perfectly fine even with the lower bitrate.

I think they sound muddy and harsh so no surprise there. When EQ'd to Harman they're pretty nice. Using even an Apple dongle is a good idea imo compared to the average mobo.

Your brain gets used to whatever garbage it's been hearing so often something clearly better needs a bit of time to start working. Usually beginners in the hobby are used to very iffy headphones and when they get an HD600 or HD650 and are deeply unimpressed because they can't appreciate the subtle qualities like balance and timbre. It's like someone who's only eaten really salty and sweet food so actually good food feels bland at first.

The wind on a video clip can be clipping in the recording itself. Focals have this issue in general though and one shouldn't EQ the bass on them except maybe down. I got an Amiron (with EQ) instead of the Elex since I need good bass.

Depends. Selling volumes say a lot about how good parts they can use at a given price so more established brands should have the edge. With RnD as well.

Analog stuff doesn't usually take such leaps forward. A good camera lens or speaker from the 80's is often good now. What's your price point? There's been several really nice releases in the last five years for sure, but there will never be a time (until some perfected automated EQ personalization comes along) that HD650/600 won't be great. Maybe competition could make them overpriced, but even that's unlikely since inflation keeps eating at them.

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Sounds very strange. I wonder if there is unit variation or something or could the EQ values not be correct? Hard for me to imagine that when EQ'd they would be considered bright by many. You can also lower the overall treble with one of the bands, right?

Do you use a Harman preset with some other headphones and don't find them bright?

Exactly (unless the DAC is poorly designed and allows noise through). On the phone you can use Wavelet to get the same parametric EQ function. Also does the volume change when you turn Peace on and off since with Windows updates it can stop working?

That could and likely is through, but where as with headphones and IEMs my most common amp/dac recommendation is a Apple dongle or iBasso DC05 is we want to get fancy and I can barely hear any difference when comparing to a $500 stack or even the $2k Hugo2 etc. When I recommend speaker amps I go for Hegel H190 or Supernait 3 which sound absurdly good even compared to the step down models from the same brands. Those cost $4-5k and their benefits are very clear with a $1000 pair of speakers like Revel M16's to the point that I can't think of a better set for $5-6k. Would be nice to hear some non-seller expert talk about this.

Yeah, I only realized this myself in the last year since my assumption followed from speakers and and speaker amps that I have a longer history with. I still wonder why such a difference exists or could my experience just be skewed.

A Harman EQ'd K 702 shuould sound pretty smooth in the treble so I'd try to use an Apple dongle as the DAC to see if your PC is the issue. That's my guess. The amp would have to be faulty to be the cause. Could Harman just be too bright for your preference?

They're not extremely bright to the average listener. +3db between 2-3kHz and 5-6kHz with a similar similar bump from 100-500Hz is not extremely bright for individuals with treble sensitivity or an ear canal resonance matching the peaks. For most people they are perfectly fine and OP EQ'd those out already so that has nothing to do with the topic.