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Philips Fidelio X2?!
Jan 16, 2015 at 10:08 PM Post #2,416 of 15,268
X2s arrived from Amazon today.  I had pretty high hopes but they have been exceeded...by far.  I expected an upgrade from my SR80s - more bass and better quality, less edge and aggressiveness in the midrange through low treble....ha ha...all true, but I had no idea it was as much or more of a jump from SR80 to X2 as it was from low end "free" headphones packaged with phones/etc to the SR80s.
 
A huge plus for me is how details shine through, clear highs but without making all my lower quality recordings (sadly a bunch of rock I enjoy) unbearable.  Yep - I know the recording isn't great - it does reveal it - however the lack of edge in the mids and highs, soundstage and bass quality has them sounding better than ever.
 
Another thing that really strikes me is how i can continue to turn up the volume with no discomfort.  I usually tap out very early because I am so sensitive to distortion. Bass is incredible for open cans...really excellent actually for any set.  Not heavy or thick, just tight clean and with power.  Going from memory (highly unreliable) they are not quite at the level of the HE-400 (with Schiit stack) for bass...but considerably better in all other areas, especially in regards to sounding natural and without being edgy at all.
 
Exceptionally fun yet natural and open sounding headphones. 
 
I'll do a more in depth review/thoughts later.  My friend has a Schiit Stack and HE-400, ATH M50 and a few other cans.  I'll take my SR80s, sansa clip, X2s and RHA MA-750s over to his house and we'll do some A/B.
 
Jan 16, 2015 at 10:46 PM Post #2,417 of 15,268
ptaaty said:
  X2s arrived from Amazon today.  I had pretty high hopes but they have been exceeded...by far.  I expected an upgrade from my SR80s - more bass and better quality, less edge and aggressiveness in the midrange through low treble....ha ha...all true, but I had no idea it was as much or more of a jump from SR80 to X2 as it was from low end "free" headphones packaged with phones/etc to the SR80s.
 
A huge plus for me is how details shine through, clear highs but without making all my lower quality recordings (sadly a bunch of rock I enjoy) unbearable.  Yep - I know the recording isn't great - it does reveal it - however the lack of edge in the mids and highs, soundstage and bass quality has them sounding better than ever.
 
Another thing that really strikes me is how i can continue to turn up the volume with no discomfort.  I usually tap out very early because I am so sensitive to distortion. Bass is incredible for open cans...really excellent actually for any set.  Not heavy or thick, just tight clean and with power.  Going from memory (highly unreliable) they are not quite at the level of the HE-400 (with Schiit stack) for bass...but considerably better in all other areas, especially in regards to sounding natural and without being edgy at all.
 
Exceptionally fun yet natural and open sounding headphones. 
 
I'll do a more in depth review/thoughts later.  My friend has a Schiit Stack and HE-400, ATH M50 and a few other cans.  I'll take my SR80s, sansa clip, X2s and RHA MA-750s over to his house and we'll do some A/B.
Click to expand...

 
Mine are coming on Monday from Amazon and I'm pumped. I have a FiiO E07K for the time being that I'll be using with them, but I think I need to invest in a DAP again as I returned my AK100 II a few weeks back. Probably going to go the X5 route this time.
 
Jan 16, 2015 at 10:59 PM Post #2,418 of 15,268
got the shakes said:
   
Mine are coming on Monday from Amazon and I'm pumped. I have a FiiO E07K for the time being that I'll be using with them, but I think I need to invest in a DAP again as I returned my AK100 II a few weeks back. Probably going to go the X5 route this time.
Click to expand...

 
I am using a Sansa Clip+ (very low output impedence which is stable with freq) and it drives the X2 with ease, sounding shockingly good.  Of course - I haven't A/B'ed with the Schiit setup or my Denon reciever yet....I am not sure what could improve by any measureable amount, but we'll see.
 
I suppose I found one negative - they are quite large (duh - we know), wife asked if I was attempting to be her father from a decade ago.... :).  At least the material quality and general style are agreeable (no beats-esque block of plastic here).
 
Jan 16, 2015 at 11:47 PM Post #2,419 of 15,268
I've had my X2 for a couple of months now.  I listen in bed through a Fiio E12, and at my desk through a Lyr/Bifrost set up.  I find them great sounding in all aspects, especially for the money.  I have not compared them to my Alpha Dog and HE-500, mostly because I don't want to find out I overpaid for a lesser quality sound.  I'm not a true audiophile, and can really only afford mid-fi products, so I'm not prepared to compare them to Audeze, HiFiMan, or other high end manufacturers.  These phones just make me happy.
 
One small complaint I have is the ear pads.  No, they don't stain my ears, but I must say I do find them itchy.  I need to wear them about 10-15 minutes before the itching settles down.  I'm allergic to wool, and it reminds me of my wool suit pants when I was a kid.  I have no idea if this is common, but it would not be a reason to get rid of these excellent sounding phones.
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 12:05 AM Post #2,420 of 15,268
Mid fi is a great stopping point. I've owned stuff like the LCD2 and D7000, yet it doesn't stop the X2 from being one of my absolute fave headphones, and one I can happily live with if it was the only headphone.
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 4:27 AM Post #2,423 of 15,268
essfoza said:
  Hi, what dac and amp would you suggest i pair my X2 with? I'm looking for a dac and amp which is musical and rather neutral so it doesn't give a too warm and bassy sound. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

ODAC/Objective2 definitely. I'm really enjoying mine.
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 5:05 AM Post #2,424 of 15,268
I pair mine with a Schiit Fulla. Pretty decent SQ for such a budget dac/amp combo
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 5:30 AM Post #2,425 of 15,268
essfoza said:
  Hi, what dac and amp would you suggest i pair my X2 with? I'm looking for a dac and amp which is musical and rather neutral so it doesn't give a too warm and bassy sound. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...


Meridian Explorer2 I'm using is musical and neutral. It has Meridian's high-end gear tech inside and sounds more pleasing to me than more expensive and bigger dac/amps. I prefer it to the Chord Hugo I had, for low impedance headphones (Hugo had much more power for high impedance headphones). It might sound like a joke to some people but I prefer Explorer2's relaxed and smooth sound to Hugo's fatiguing, lean and bright sound.
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 5:48 AM Post #2,426 of 15,268
obsidyen said:
 
Meridian Explorer2 I'm using is musical and neutral. It has Meridian's high-end gear tech inside and sounds more pleasing to me than more expensive and bigger dac/amps. I prefer it to the Chord Hugo I had, for low impedance headphones (Hugo had much more power for high impedance headphones). It might sound like a joke to some people but I prefer Explorer2's relaxed and smooth sound to Hugo's fatiguing, lean and bright sound.
Click to expand...


Coincidence, I am looking at both the X2 and the E2. Have you compared the E2s performance driving the X2 with any other DACs? A little off topic, but what is the background of the E2 like with IEMs?
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 6:17 AM Post #2,427 of 15,268
vhsownsbeta said:
 
Coincidence, I am looking at both the X2 and the E2. Have you compared the E2s performance driving the X2 with any other DACs? A little off topic, but what is the background of the E2 like with IEMs?
Click to expand...

 
Well no dac, but I compared them to Samsung laptop and Macbook Pro. Explorer2 is clearly better than both.
 
I don't have a TOTL IEM (considering buying one but I wonder if Sennheiser will release a new iem) but I have Beyerdynamic MMX 102 IE which are good for the price (USD 110) with Comply TSX 400 tips. No hiss whatsoever. Completely black background. The sound is just great. The amp section of Explorer2 is great, just like the dac section.
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 6:33 AM Post #2,428 of 15,268
obsidyen said:
Well no dac, but I compared them to Samsung laptop and Macbook Pro. Explorer2 is clearly better than both.

I don't have a TOTL IEM (considering buying one but I wonder if Sennheiser will release a new iem) but I have Beyerdynamic MMX 102 IE which are good for the price (USD 110) with Comply TSX 400 tips. No hiss whatsoever. Completely black background. The sound is just great. The amp section of Explorer2 is great, just like the dac section.
Click to expand...


Thanks.
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 6:57 AM Post #2,429 of 15,268
I think any neutralish, good quality amp and source will sound good. These headphones sound very good even out of smartphones and such.
 
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