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Philips Fidelio X2 : A Review by Baycode
Dec 18, 2015 at 4:19 PM Post #946 of 1,061
a44100hz said:
I've recently been listening to these and they are supremely "fun" but I agree with your initial assssment that the mids are a bit reserved compared to my ideal. I'm curious whether I'll see the same improvement you did after prolonged use / burn-in.
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I felt the mids were a little recessed too when I first got them. I soon after paired them with a new Vali and the mids popped right out.  Vocals are now one of my favorite things to listen to on them.
 
Dec 18, 2015 at 4:51 PM Post #948 of 1,061
braaam said:
What an epic review, love all the details and links to comparisons on the bottom + updates. I read this after ordering these and have no doubt that I made the right decision now!
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Thanks and welcome to the club braaam :wink:
 
Dec 20, 2015 at 5:49 PM Post #950 of 1,061
A lot of people on /r/Headphones have been having major issues with QC on the Philips Fidelio X2.
 
The Philips audio division named Woox was sold to Gibson Innovations and Gibson has just paid to use the Philips brand name for 7 years.
 

 
http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/news/press/2014/20140428-philips-to-sell-woox-innovations-to-gibson-brands.wpd
 
Quote:
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today announced that it has signed an agreement regarding the sale of WOOX Innovations, its Audio, Video, Multimedia and Accessories business, to Gibson Brands, Inc., a global music and lifestyle company. Under the terms, Gibson Brands will pay $135 million and a brand license fee, relating to a license agreement for an initial period of 7 years.
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Here is an example of the stark difference between two X2 headphones.
 
I would guess they're entirely different headphones... They don't feel or look even remotely the same. One is a very soft velour, the other is a department store felt. It's horrible.
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Here is an article talking about horrible QC from Gibson Innovations.
 
So be very wary of poor QC. QC is more than aesthetics but also channel imbalance tolerances, frequency response tolerances and general driver quality tolerance. If there is bad QC then you have no ability to know if the headphone you bought is up to standard. Consistent and high standards of QC is a fundamental part of high end headphones.
 
Check the X2 box.
 

 
Someones has said:
 
Quote:
I got mine yesterday and on the bottom of the box it says "Imported by Gibson Innovations USA Inc." You could check to see if your box says the same thing.
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The two I have are manufactured by 'WOOX', not Gibson, as stated on the box.
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Someone elses had said:
 
It says "Imported by P&F USA, P&F Mexico". I think it's from before then.
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I think that might stand for Philips&Fidelio but I don't know.
 
If you have the X2 box then please state what it says on the bottom on who manufactured/imported it.
 
Dec 20, 2015 at 9:31 PM Post #954 of 1,061
Mine is the defective very gluey Amazon one that was on sale a week or so ago. To help move this along, mine is imported by Gibson Innovations, and it has Spanish right below it that seems to indicate some kind of Mexican importer too. Mine is also made in China if that helps.
 
Either way, I'm returning this back to Amazon tomorrow because of how crappy the quality of it is.
 
Dec 20, 2015 at 10:52 PM Post #956 of 1,061
So, I hold two pairs: one a couple of months ago from Philips and the other from Gibson. Both are X2/27s. Visual inspection, quality of the packaging, both seem the similar. The only difference appears in the label in the bottom of the box. At this time, I am not taking off any earpads. Also, I am not listening to the second pair as they are a present and want them listened to for the first time by the giftee. I will check the sound out on Christmas day and give them a closer check and comparison. For now, my take is the whole Woox audio division is still intact and owned by Gibson (the video will follow).They are still manufactured with the same parts (drivers, foam pads, shell, leather wrap, etc), same specs, same tolerances, similar processes (I suspect that Woox/Philips was getting some complaints about the earpads loosening so they added the glue), and same manufacturing company and location in China. Having been part of changes like these, including movement of manufacturing lines, there are sometimes minor changes-even cost reductions, improvements, or issues that can occur. I suspect this is the case here but I am pretty sure it is the same headphone spec with same parts. I don't think Gibson bought Woox to specifically devalue or cost reduce the Fidelio line, which happens to be the premium labeling of the brand. In fact, while Gibson designs and builds many lines of guitars, their Limited Edition line is coveted by top musicians. The Les Paul is a Gibson. I like to think that Fidelio will occupy the same space in the headphone line. Hopefully, these issues are process engineered changes and they will not be an issue or will be sorted out. I will know more on the second of the pair on the 25th... 
 
Dec 27, 2015 at 9:11 AM Post #957 of 1,061
Gibson QC is notorious for being poor. With that said, I picked up a pair of X2s from the recent Amazon sale, and they seem to fine from what I can tell. Drivers are balanced and no tears in ear pads and they're made from the darker material as shown in the photos from a few posts above. The only issue I have is simply adjusting to the different soundstage as these are my first real pair of open back headphones, coming from the ath m50. I was expecting less bass, but there actually seems to be more bass presence than the m50s, which simply has harder hitting bass at a narrower frequency range. The X2's bass is more musical, but it does get a little muddy and needs to be EQd with busier music. The X2 also reacts more to the recorded source than the m50s, which exhibit the same sound signature no matter what music you listen to. I think this does make the m50 a better "all around" headphone, but also a more boring one as everything just sounds the same(hard bass + grainy treble). The X2's soundstage seems to be so deep that it can make some recordings sound a bit too thick, thus pushing vocals back, despite the separation of instruments. Guitars sound great on the X2, and it's one of my favorite aspects along with vocals within simple productions - I can now actually hear nice, warm, expansive reverb.
 
All-in-all, a good upgrade from the m50, but not quite the all-arounder as I hoped(but I guess nothing really is). Also, I hope I can get used to the nature of open back headphones as far as letting ambient noise in. It feels like a slight strain to focus on an audio source at times, and especially if I play a game with the GPU fan cranked. I hope to get used to it but if not, I might have to go for something else as it makes these otherwise lively and fun headphones a bit of a nuisance. Humming noises just drive me a bit crazy.  
 
Dec 27, 2015 at 10:02 AM Post #959 of 1,061
wwmhf said:
  Mine was made in China but there is not "Gibson" word found on the box or the phones. I myself really want to know how my X2 is related with Gibson. I bought mine during Amazon's flash sale after Thanksgiving.
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Nowhere i've seen it was MADE by Gibson, but rather imported by Gibson Innovations or something.
 
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