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Edition XS
Lowest price for this product:
$269 at Headphones
IE600
Lowest price for this product:
$600 at Sennheiser

What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024· Prices updated 24 hours ago

If you prefer an immersive listening experience at home, especially for music and movies, the HifiMan Edition XS's open design and planar magnetic drivers deliver excellent sound quality and exceptional soundstage, though it lacks isolation from ambient noise, making it unsuitable for noisy environments or air travel. It's also worth noting that these headphones may benefit from a dedicated amplifier for optimal performance. Conversely, the Sennheiser IE600 earbuds provide great sound quality and a closed design for better noise isolation, making them versatile for various environments, including outdoor use and travel, but they may not match the soundstage of the HifiMan. The Sennheiser earbuds also are more portable and have a better build quality. Neither option is suitable for sports as they are not sweatproof. Both lack wireless functionality; if that's a requirement, you might want to look elsewhere. Choose the HifiMan Edition XS for at-home use and a larger soundstage or the Sennheiser IE600 for portability and noise isolation. Give Feedback

At the time of writing the HifiMan Edition XS cost $379 and the Sennheiser IE600 cost $500. The HifiMan Edition XS has dropped in price by $110.

Advantages of the HifiMan Edition XS
  • Good for gaming
  • Best in class for TV and video
  • Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sennheiser IE600
  • The Sennheiser IE600 has no clear advantages over the HifiMan Edition XS.

Key differences

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Music

8.8
Edition XS
IE600
8.3
The HifiMan Edition XS and Sennheiser IE600 are both very good for music, though the HifiMan Edition XS is somewhat better.

Gaming

7.4
Edition XS
IE600
6.7
The HifiMan Edition XS is good for gaming, while the Sennheiser IE600 is only fair.

Phone Calls

5.0
Edition XS
IE600
3.5
The HifiMan Edition XS and Sennheiser IE600 are both poor for phone calls, though the HifiMan Edition XS is somewhat better.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

7.9
Edition XS
IE600
5.4
The HifiMan Edition XS is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sennheiser IE600 is poor.

Noise Reduction

2.5
Edition XS
IE600
7.0
The Sennheiser IE600 is good for noise reduction, while the HifiMan Edition XS is poor.

Cost

$269
Edition XS
IE600
$600
Product image
Product image

$150

$200

$250

$300

$350

$400

The HifiMan Edition XS has a price of $269 and the Sennheiser IE600 costs $600.

Build Quality

8.5
Edition XS
IE600
9.0
The Sennheiser IE600 has excellent build quality, while the HifiMan Edition XS has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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TV and Video

9.5
Edition XS
IE600
9.3
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HifiMan Edition XS to be best in class for TV and video, while the Sennheiser IE600 is excellent.

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How the HifiMan Edition XS and the Sennheiser IE600 compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Sound Quality Score
Price
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Spec Comparison

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HifiMan Edition XSSennheiser IE600
HifiMan Edition XSSennheiser IE600

GENERAL

Price
$269
$600
Brand
HifiManSennheiser
Release Date
December 1, 2021June 1, 2022
Form Factor
HeadphonesEarbuds
Connectivity
WiredWired

SOUND

Music Score
8.9/108.3/10
Phone Calls Score
5.1/103.5/10
Gaming Score
7.5/106.8/10
TV and Video Score
9.5/109.3/10
Exercise Score
4.4/104.6/10

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
NoNo
Noise Reduction Score
2.5/107/10
Virtual Surround
NoNo
Mic Quality
N/A2.5/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
8.5/109/10
Comfort score
7.6/108.4/10
Size
N/ALarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
421 Grams6 Grams
Waterproof Rating
00

Shopping

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HifiMan Edition XS

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Pricing last updated 24 hours ago |

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Dig into reviews and images

Headphonesty

Eric D Hieger | January 2023
"The Edition XS easily compete with headphones in their price range with a very high price-to-performance ratio. The XS are an amazing value and offer performance not far off from headphones more than twice their cost. These will be a mind-blowing revelation for enthusiasts and music lovers who have only heard standard big-brand mainstream headphones."

Sennheiser IE600

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Pricing last updated 24 hours ago |

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Soundguys

Jasper Lastoria | August 2023
"If you've got the bucks, the Sennheiser IE 600 is a nice, upscale set of in-ear monitors made of a lightweight metal with an unusual texture. It comes with a suite of extras, and performs well at virtually every task."

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About HifiMan

HiFiMAN is a Chinese, high-end, audio product manufacturer, with 20 years of experience, that specializes in amplifiers, digital audio players and planar magnetic headphones, some of which have become a staple in the audiophile community such as the entry-level Sundara, the midrange Edition X, and the very well-regarded, high-end, Arya.

About Sennheiser

A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
169,700
Recommendations made
25,455
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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