Is the HiFiMAN Edition Xs worth the upgrade from the Earfun Wave Pro X?
Verdict
Downgrade
The HiFiMAN Edition Xs actually scores 9.5 points below the Earfun Wave Pro X, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. None of the shared sub-scores move by more than half a point, so the two behave very similarly on the things reviewers measure. On paper: driver size 40 mm to 80 mm. Worth checking: active noise cancelling goes Yes to No and weight goes 259 g to 405 g. One caution: this steps down a line tier (Wave Pro X to Edition Xs), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. And it costs $139 more for a lower score, which is hard to justify on the data alone. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound8.38.5
- Value9.69.3
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Wave Pro X | Edition Xs | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancelling | Yes | No | |
| Weight | 259 g | 405 g | |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 80 mm | |
| USB-C | Yes | No | |
| Controls | buttons | none | |
| Driver | 40 mm dynamic | 80 mm planar magnetic | |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz | 8 Hz - 50 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Wave Pro X to Edition Xs". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.
