Headphones · Side-by-side
HIFIMAN Edition XS vs Meze 105 Silva
The HIFIMAN Edition XS and the Meze 105 Silva score the same - what's left to choose between is character, not capability.
Too close to call Level on score at 8.7 and level on price. Nothing in the rubric separates these two, so the choice is character and fit - which is what the rest of this page is for.
See the case for eachThe short version
The HIFIMAN Edition XS scores 8.7/10 (Highly Recommended) and the Meze 105 Silva scores 8.7/10 (Highly Recommended), both headphones tested on the same reference chain. They cost about the same ($499 against $499), so price is not the deciding factor. The Edition XS's headline strength, per its review: Unique, pretty earcup design. The 105 Silva's: Hand-polished walnut earcups with intricate radial grille. The scores are level, so the split is character, not capability.
Too close to call
HIFIMAN Edition XS
An exceptional open-back planar at $500 with a sound signature that's hard to find elsewhere - held back only by a controversial headband design choice.
Too close to call
Meze 105 Silva
A $499 open-back dynamic with hand-polished walnut cups, a custom 50mm carbon-fiber driver, and a warm, fun, easy-to-drive tuning that punches well above its price.
The overlap
Common ground & where they differ
What kind of thing each one is, before any question of which is better: driver, form factor, price bracket, origin, taken from each review's own tags.
Both share
Only the Edition XS
Only the 105 Silva
The verdict
Which one to buy
Short version: the rubric calls this one too close to split - but what's upstream, what you listen for, and what your budget allows can each flip it. Here's the case for each.
The case for the Edition XS
HIFIMAN Edition XS
- Unique, pretty earcup design
- Large, deep earcups fit any ear shape
- The Meze 105 Silva's main trade-off is one you'd rather not live with: Musical, warm tuning - not a flaw-revealing reference
The case for the 105 Silva
Meze 105 Silva
- Hand-polished walnut earcups with intricate radial grille
- Custom 50mm driver with carbon-fiber W-dome and titanium torus
- The HIFIMAN Edition XS's main trade-off is one you'd rather not live with: Solid headband (no suspension strap) creates a hotspot after a few hours
- Newer of the two reviews, scored against the current reference list
Sound character
Sound signature, overlaid
Positions come from the language of each review, scored by the same word-frequency model used on every piece in the catalogue.
| Axis | HIFIMAN Edition XS | Meze 105 Silva |
|---|---|---|
| Warm to Bright | sits near neutral | sits near neutral |
| Relaxed to Analytical | leans relaxed | sits near neutral |
| Polite to Aggressive | sits near neutral | leans aggressive |
| Lean to Bass-heavy | no clear signal in the review | leans bass-heavy |
| Intimate to Wide stage | leans wide stage | leans wide stage |
The numbers
Specs, side by side
The 2 specs both reviews record come first, so the rows you can actually compare are at the top. Manufacturer figures unless a measured value is noted; N/A means we haven't recorded that spec yet.
| Spec | HIFIMAN Edition XS | Meze 105 Silva |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Planar magnetic | 50 mm carbon-fiber dynamic |
| Weight | 400 g | 350 g |
| Impedance | N/A | 42 Ω |
| Sensitivity | N/A | 112 dB |
| Frequency response | N/A | 5 Hz - 30 kHz |
Trade-offs
Pros & cons, side by side
Edition XS
Pros
- Fantastic, wide soundstage with great image separation
- Easy to drive - works fine from a dongle or cheap amp
- Truly exceptional sound for the price
- Unique, pretty earcup design
- Large, deep earcups fit any ear shape
Cons
- Solid headband (no suspension strap) creates a hotspot after a few hours
- Insufficient clamp force - weight rests on the top of the head
- Headband doesn't adjust small enough for many heads
- Highs can sound plasticky and sibilant in some songs
- Vocals positioned behind the head - takes getting used to
105 Silva
Pros
- Hand-polished walnut earcups with intricate radial grille
- Custom 50mm driver with carbon-fiber W-dome and titanium torus
- Self-adjusting elastic suspension headband - zero hotspots
- Light 350g weight for a full-size wooden headphone
- Plush, breathable velour earpads - glasses-friendly
Cons
- Musical, warm tuning - not a flaw-revealing reference
- Mid-bass is slightly forward - flat-tuning purists won't love it
- Lower mids step back behind a small upper-mid lift
- Treble has noticeable extra sparkle - bright-sensitive ears beware
- Meze's optional $250 upgrade cable is hard to justify over the stock
- Open-back design leaks sound - not for shared spaces
Method
How they were tested head-to-head
Nothing changed between the HIFIMAN Edition XS and the Meze 105 Silva except the piece under test, driven from the same HIFIMAN Serenade amp/DAC (Himalaya Pro R2R), fed bit-perfect from the Hermes 12th digital transport over USB. Matched levels, one playlist, both pieces: acoustic, vocal-led, dense modern, and large-scale orchestral, in that order, every session. Neither score comes from a show floor or a memory of last year. Both were placed against the published headphones reference list at their own price tier, in the same room, in the same weeks.
What the identical scores actually mean
The score gap between the HIFIMAN Edition XS and the Meze 105 Silva is within rounding distance of zero. Same rubric, same reference list, same ears - so when the numbers land this close, the differences are signature, not skill. Read the pros and cons side by side: wherever one piece's strength is the other's compromise is exactly where you'll hear it in real listening.
What would flip the verdict
A tie means the decision moves off the spec sheet entirely. Ask which one your existing amplifier, room, or source flatters, then ask which one you would still want in two years. The HIFIMAN Edition XS and the Meze 105 Silva answer those differently, and the prose in each review is where that difference is actually argued.
Full methodology and disclosure live on the about page. The reference chain and the scoring rubric behind both scores are published on the homepage, and each review carries its own head-to-head list and publication date.
Common questions
Common questions about this comparison
What's the real-world difference between the HIFIMAN Edition XS and the Meze 105 Silva?
On paper it's a tie - 8.7 and 8.7, inside rounding distance. On voicing the Edition XS is the more relaxed of the two; the 105 Silva does not lean far on that axis. Each review flags something different - the Edition XS's "Bass extends to 20Hz, clean and free of distortion" against the 105 Silva's "Plush, breathable velour earpads - glasses-friendly". Choose on that, not the score column.
Which should you buy, the HIFIMAN Edition XS or the Meze 105 Silva?
It's a rubric tie at effectively the same price, so it comes down to character and system fit. Line each one's pros up against your chain and the music you play most - the HIFIMAN Edition XS for "Fantastic, wide soundstage with great image separation", the Meze 105 Silva for "Modular, fully serviceable - assembled with screws, not glue".
The bigger picture
Where they rank
This page is the head-to-head - the buying guides put both of these up against the whole field.