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blorg t1_ivi2yxj wrote

Reply to comment by No-Seaweed-4456 in Natural Soundstage on Hifiman? by No-Seaweed-4456

If you are using a low power dongle, get the Ananda. If the Edition XS, you want an amp.

The sensitivity is the volume it reaches at a given power (or sometimes voltage) level. So a headphone that has 103dB/mW sensitivity will get to 103dB with 1mW power. One with 92dB will only get to 92dB with the same amount of power. It takes 10x the power to increase volume by 10dB.

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No-Seaweed-4456 OP t1_ivithu2 wrote

Man the Ananda is $200 more :(

I’m torn because the Edition XS has better bass and is $200 cheaper, but the Ananda has better comfort, better detail and soundstage, better mids and highs, and is easier to drive.

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blorg t1_ivivhuf wrote

It's not $200 more if you are buying it at current sale prices from China, Ananda was $386 on Ali after discounts last I looked. Edition XS is very much on the same level as the Ananda, just different. But you will need an amp for it, so factor that in if you don't have one.

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No-Seaweed-4456 OP t1_ivkmqxz wrote

Isn’t it always a gamble to buy old Hifiman through Ali? Like a quality control disaster waiting to happen.

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blorg t1_ivkopa0 wrote

That's a new headphone. I have almost all of mine from China, aside from the HE6SEV2 which is an Adorama exclusive, I'm actually in Asia so that was a lot more of a hassle for me to get than the Chinese ones. I bought from Chinese sellers on Shopee which is a SE Asian marketplace, I did not buy from that seller on Ali, so I can't say for them. But you presumably aren't in SE Asia and can't buy from Shopee, so I linked Ali. I have spent more than that with other sellers on Ali, without issue, I have spent thousands of dollars on Ali. That seller seem to have a good amount of positive feedback, from selling Hifimans specifically, and their prices are low but not unrealistically so, they are in line with Asian prices.

I have HE400SE, Edition XS, Ananda and Arya Stealth, all from China. They are made in China, Hifiman is a Chinese company, it's ultimately coming from China whatever you do, it's just a matter of the markup.

There are valid warranty concerns and all the hassle with that. But it's literally a matter of you would pay double that price to get them in the US, probably about bang on double when you factor in sales tax. It's not like it's this tiny difference. Up to you.

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No-Seaweed-4456 OP t1_ivlvmko wrote

They offer a extended warranty? I accidentally sat on my Sundara once.

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blorg t1_ivmtbds wrote

Sitting on a headphone wouldn't be covered by warranty anyway, unless you had a policy that specifically covered accidental damage. If ordering from China it would have to go back to China for any warranty, if you could even get that.

But it's a matter of getting the headphone almost half price. Personally I'd take half price no warranty over paying double for a warranty I probably will never use.

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