Is that upgrade actually worth it?
Pick what you own and what you're tempted by. We'll show the score gap, which sub-scores move, the spec differences that actually matter, and what the jump costs per point - then say plainly whether it's worth doing.
What you have
The pair you're thinking of replacing
HiFiMAN Edition X V1HiFiMAN$1,80078What you're eyeing
Leave empty and we'll suggest some
Worth upgrading to from the HiFiMAN Edition X V1
Same category, at least 5 points better on the HearWiki score, and priced within three times what the HiFiMAN Edition X V1 costs.
Dan Clark Audio Stealth+10.0 score$2700 more88
Focal Utopia+10.0 score$3200 more88
Focal Utopia 2022+10.0 score$3200 more88
HiFiMAN HE 1000se+10.0 score$200 more88
HiFiMAN HE 1000 Unveiled+10.0 score$900 more88
Or see what else is close to the HiFiMAN Edition X V1
How the verdict is decided
The verdict comes from the gap between the two HearWiki scores: 10+ points is a clear upgrade, 5-9 meaningful, 2-4 marginal, within a point a sidegrade, and anything negative a downgrade. Sub-score bars and the spec table are computed from the catalog, and the written verdict is assembled from those same numbers by fixed rules - there's no model guessing at request time, so the same pair always reads the same way. Read the full method.