I just referred to reviews and peoples overall opinion on these. Point is they are more recommended than other headphones on 500 dollar class. Rarely bad word about them and they are compared to 2-3 times expensive headphones. Maybe if you have thousands to spend Hifiman is not the best choice but at that price point they seem best you can buy.

They are clear upgrade from hd 600 series OP was wanting to upgrade from. K712 does not seem as good upgrade and K812 is crazy expensive, just like hd800. Hifiman XS seems good middle ground

Oh ok. My hifimans xs should arrive soon and maybe thats im too biased about them and i find ways why they are better than others. I did alot research and found they seemed best choice for under 500. However i missed the recess thing about them and now im second guessing. I have to try em myself, my old headphones are ath m50x so i do not know what to expect.

The k812 and HD800 were out my pricerange so i hope i got the next best thing. HD800 would be my dream headphones but they cost a fortune sadly

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-edition-xs-launched.960155/page-59

Heres a guy who compares Aryas and XS and talks briefly about the recessing thing and says its improved on XS.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/hifiman-edition-xs.27903/page-20

Also here people talk about the same issue, but it does not seems as bad as you make out to be. It kind of increases soundstage at the expense of little recess. Im no expert tho

Seems like really minor thing and if you are no hardcore audiophile you get more out of Hifimans than everything else there is under 500 dollars. But that is my opinion.

And theres also wiring problems in k702, there loads of people complain about it. I wouldnt risk. And about the soundstage you are right, they seem slightly better at that.

Hmm.. Well you seem to know more than me. But after reading peoples feedback and rtings tech review then all seems to be fine. You got any source where theres issue on that particular frequency thing?

But still soundstage what you advertised on AKGs is alot better on Hifimans, maybe theres that frequency thing but overall Hifimans should be superior headphones in almost every aspect.

And suggesting headphones for your personal ears not thinking about wider audience is not a good look.

Hifiman Edition XS destroys any AKG, Ath or most sennheisers. Its neck to neck with 3 times expensive hd800 on sound quality.

QUOTE FROM RTINGS. FYI Sundara is worse version of XS.

>The HiFiMan Sundara 2020 are better for neutral sound than the AKG K712 PRO. The HiFiMan have a more neutral, well-balanced sound profile, which some listeners may prefer. Their passive soundstage is also perceived as bigger and more open. On the other hand, the AKG come with a longer, 10-foot audio cable. They're also much more breathable.

HIFIMAN EDITION XS VS SENNHEISER HD 800 RTINGS.COM they are comparable to 3 times expensive headphones which is nobrainer choice

>The Sennheiser HD 800 S and the HiFiMan Edition XS are both excellent audiophile headphones with slight differences. The Sennheiser headphones have dynamic transducers, are more comfortable and well-built. They also have a slightly better mid accuracy, which ensures that vocals and lead instruments sound clear, accurate, and natural, while their passive soundstage creates a more out-of-head audio experience. In comparison, the HiFiMan are planar magnetic headphones. Thanks to their design, they're able to reproduce bass more accurately. They also deliver audio even more consistently than the Sennheiser.