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Philips Fidelio X2 : A Review by Baycode

Jan 9, 2015 at 6:55 PM Post #631 of 1,061
I got the X2 today, and I must say I am blown away by how good the sound is.  Already hear more detail than my Alpha Prime.  Sound is very balanced, bass could be a little tighter, but I think after burn in that will happen.  I am using a cable with Hitachi HiFC high quality wire that I DIY!  Mids/vocals are forward, just details, details, details.  I like these better than the HE-560, HE-400i, and the LCD 2F.  I was going to hold out for the new Audeze EL-8, but I think the X2 may be a better option.  Clarity and balance throughout the sound spectrum.  I've had Sennheiser HD650, HD600, and HD700, as well as the Beyer DT880 and DT990 600ohm as well as the T1, and the X2 satisfies my sound tastes better than all of those.  I can't imagine how they will improve after burn in!  Using them off of my tube gear, and they are very lively and dynamic (Telefunken tubes).  What a deal, Amazon Prime $299, best phones I have heard under $600!
 
Jan 9, 2015 at 7:19 PM Post #632 of 1,061
cute said:
I got the X2 today, and I must say I am blown away by how good the sound is.  Already hear more detail than my Alpha Prime.  Sound is very balanced, bass could be a little tighter, but I think after burn in that will happen.  I am using a cable with Hitachi HiFC high quality wire that I DIY!  Mids/vocals are forward, just details, details, details.  I like these better than the HE-560, HE-400i, and the LCD 2F.  I was going to hold out for the new Audeze EL-8, but I think the X2 may be a better option.  Clarity and balance throughout the sound spectrum.  I've had Sennheiser HD650, HD600, and HD700, as well as the Beyer DT880 and DT990 600ohm as well as the T1, and the X2 satisfies my sound tastes better than all of those.  I can't imagine how they will improve after burn in!  Using them off of my tube gear, and they are very lively and dynamic (Telefunken tubes).  What a deal, Amazon Prime $299, best phones I have heard under $600!
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Better than the hifiman he 500, really?
 
Jan 9, 2015 at 7:27 PM Post #633 of 1,061
donnyboy98 said:
 
cute said:
I got the X2 today, and I must say I am blown away by how good the sound is.  Already hear more detail than my Alpha Prime.  Sound is very balanced, bass could be a little tighter, but I think after burn in that will happen.  I am using a cable with Hitachi HiFC high quality wire that I DIY!  Mids/vocals are forward, just details, details, details.  I like these better than the HE-560, HE-400i, and the LCD 2F.  I was going to hold out for the new Audeze EL-8, but I think the X2 may be a better option.  Clarity and balance throughout the sound spectrum.  I've had Sennheiser HD650, HD600, and HD700, as well as the Beyer DT880 and DT990 600ohm as well as the T1, and the X2 satisfies my sound tastes better than all of those.  I can't imagine how they will improve after burn in!  Using them off of my tube gear, and they are very lively and dynamic (Telefunken tubes).  What a deal, Amazon Prime $299, best phones I have heard under $600!
Click to expand...

Better than the hifiman he 500, really?
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 Where did I say better than the HE-500???  But I like them better than the other phones listed!
 
Jan 9, 2015 at 8:09 PM Post #636 of 1,061
Okay, cute...I'm in.
biggrin.gif

 
Jan 9, 2015 at 8:27 PM Post #637 of 1,061
matttcg said:
  Okay, cute...I'm in.
biggrin.gif
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Well, maybe not. According to Tyll my woo wa3 is not well suited for the x2.
 
"The only thing keeping it from knocking the HD 600 off the wall is its low 35 Ohm impedance that makes it a poor match for high output impedance tube amplifiers—something that the HD 600 does very well."
 
Any thoughts?
 
Jan 9, 2015 at 8:33 PM Post #638 of 1,061
matttcg said:
 
matttcg said:
  Okay, cute...I'm in.
biggrin.gif
Click to expand...

 
Well, maybe not. According to Tyll my woo wa3 is not well suited for the x2.
 
"The only thing keeping it from knocking the HD 600 off the wall is its low 35 Ohm impedance that makes it a poor match for high output impedance tube amplifiers—something that the HD 600 does very well."
 
Any thoughts?
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What is the output impedance of the woo wa3?
 
Jan 9, 2015 at 11:26 PM Post #639 of 1,061
now I really want to buy x2 :O

but how's the mids, the vocal ? better than hd650/600 ? cause I listen mostly to female vocal music.

and how about amping? easy to match amp ? what amp is good with it ?

I have the hd650 and was going to buy bottlehead crack in the future. will the x2 be able to beat that combo ?:p
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 5:22 AM Post #640 of 1,061
matttcg said:
  I have owned all the hifiman, almost. The 400/400i/500/560, but not the 5le or he6.
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X2 has great bass, similar to LCD2. You could say it's a budget LCD2. :) 400i is said to be bass shy, I have not auditioned it though.
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 5:27 AM Post #641 of 1,061
oopeteroo said:
how is this compare to hd650 ?
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Much better. I had HD650s. X2 has everything I'd wished HD650 had. Mainly punchy, strong bass and lively highs.
 
oopeteroo said:
now I really want to buy x2 :O

but how's the mids, the vocal ? better than hd650/600 ? cause I listen mostly to female vocal music.

and how about amping? easy to match amp ? what amp is good with it ?

I have the hd650 and was going to buy bottlehead crack in the future. will the x2 be able to beat that combo ?
tongue.gif
Click to expand...

 
Mids are as good as HD650 but X2 is not a mid-centric phone. It's much more balanced. I think X2 might be one of the few headphones out there which are neutral and fun. Neutral usually means boring.
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 6:41 AM Post #642 of 1,061
fluffy muffinz said:
  well this guy on ______ from Australia  has re-listed a pair of AKG 712's a few times and having no luck and he offered his pair for AU$260+ free shipping (I think). It's only 3 months old and his only selling it because open headphones aren't really for him, it's pretty much brand new. Plus it still has 20 months warranty left on it,  he bought it from Store DJ which is a genuine reseller. So it's not a grey import!
 
I REALLY WANT IT but I have a christmas casual job and the contract of employment will terminate at the end of this month unless I get offered a more stable job. I have more than enough money to afford it however I'm also saving up for a PC. If I buy the headphones now without knowing if I'll still have a job at the end of January I may not have enough money to buy the PC which is what my aim has been for all this time. 
 
So what are your takes on this? In our house the living room is a open layout design. So the Kitchen area, living room and dining table areas are all open. I haven't been allowed to purchase open headphones for this reason as everyone will hear what I'm listening too unless I can listen to them in my own room if I owned my own PC.
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Well I don't know.. what if they break or if you find defects after some months? Then you'll have wasted money, and money seem a constraint to you right now.. to be honest I'd probably just buy even cheaper than X2 headphones .. (= don't know, hard choice
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 7:25 AM Post #644 of 1,061
depleted said:
 
Well I don't know.. what if they break or if you find defects after some months? Then you'll have wasted money, and money seem a constraint to you right now.. to be honest I'd probably just buy even cheaper than X2 headphones .. (= don't know, hard choice
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I agree. 
 
That issue will always be present.
 
To point out the prices:
 
K712: $260 used 
X2: $400 
 
The X2's are more expensive even tho the K712's RRP are more expensive. However a gentleman pointed out on another thread that the K712's are a more powerful pair of headphones, my Fiio E07K would be passable but since I'm not wanting to spend more money on a better amp would I be correct to assume that I wouldn't be getting to it's full potential. 
 
Therefore I should probably lean towards the X2's even tho it's more expensive but a safer option?
 
Jan 10, 2015 at 7:55 AM Post #645 of 1,061
fluffy muffinz said:
  I agree. 
 
That issue will always be present.
 
To point out the prices:
 
K712: $260 used 
X2: $400 
 
The X2's are more expensive even tho the K712's RRP are more expensive. However a gentleman pointed out on another thread that the K712's are a more powerful pair of headphones, my Fiio E07K would be passable but since I'm not wanting to spend more money on a better amp would I be correct to assume that I wouldn't be getting to it's full potential. 
 
Therefore I should probably lean towards the X2's even tho it's more expensive but a safer option?
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Well, yeah, that family of AKG (K701/702/601/612/702ann/712 etc.) are notorious to need a fairly powerful amp to pump enough current to the bass to sound as intended. In these regard X2 are better, because they sound with nearly full potential even from a good phone. But.. 400$ are a great investment, if I were you, I'd just buy a cheaper pair. I returned my X2 because to me they lacked bass, and the highs were bothering. They were good, but in this hobby as you may know spending double doesn't mean to get double sound quality. If money are a concern, if you don't have amps or need them for something else.. just buy something cheaper IMHO, there are almost-as-good pair that cost less. And there are a-little-better pairs that cost double. This is a tricky hobby.
 
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