My budget is 200€, out of those three what headphones do you like the most and recommend for me to listen to my fiio x3? Thank you

Headphones:

1. Philips Fidelio X1

2. Sennheiser HD 598

3. Audiotehnica M50X

I think I would go for the Philips Fidelio.

purpleangel said:

I think I would go for the Philips Fidelio.

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Why?

androx said:

Why?

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The ATH-M50X offer a lot of bass, but the Fidelio and HD598 should be better in all other areas.
The Fidelio should offer more "life" to audio, over the HD598.

Coincidentally I have all three of these headphones right now. My favorite by far is the 598, very comfortable and sound great.
Bass response goes like this M50>X1>598. So if the kind of music you like has a lot of bass I'd go for the X1s. If it's not as big of a deal to you I'd recommend the 598s. 
 
Also I thought I'd mention it since no one else has, M50s are closed back 598 and X1s are open back. So that's something else to consider.

gravit8 said:

Coincidentally I have all three of these headphones right now. My favorite by far is the 598, very comfortable and sound great.
Bass response goes like this M50>X1>598. So if the kind of music you like has a lot of bass I'd go for the X1s. If it's not as big of a deal to you I'd recommend the 598s. 

Also I thought I'd mention it since no one else has, M50s are closed back 598 and X1s are open back. So that's something else to consider.

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You're the guy I need! Lol thank you so much, if you don't mind me asking a couple more questions. I've been researching a lot and this is the list I narrowed it down to
Sennheiser are the ones I'd like to get the most so it's a relief that out of those three which I found are the best for the value, you like them the most

I listen to everything but I do have a lot of house tracks also. But I already have headphones called razer electra which have an enormous bass so i don't need it as much.

Since ath are closed it has a smaller soundstage than hd 598 and x1 right? I've personally never used open headphones but I heard it sounds very good. How much is the sound leaking? And how much of the surroundings do you hear while wearing them? I don't plan to use them on planes or in public places I'm just curious

Could you also tell me why hd 598 is your favorite?

I've grown much appreciation for the clarity of the sound and the soundstage

Sorry for bothering you but it's awesome that you have all three of the headphones I'm considering to buy

Closed headphones will be closed in, the M50s are especially. In your usage, open would be fine .
 
What examples of music besides house can you give? The HD598 and X1 are both quite versatile.

androx said:

You're the guy I need! Lol thank you so much, if you don't mind me asking a couple more questions. I've been researching a lot and this is the list I narrowed it down to
Sennheiser are the ones I'd like to get the most so it's a relief that out of those three which I found are the best for the value, you like them the most

I listen to everything but I do have a lot of house tracks also. But I already have headphones called razer electra which have an enormous bass so i don't need it as much.

Since ath are closed it has a smaller soundstage than hd 598 and x1 right? I've personally never used open headphones but I heard it sounds very good. How much is the sound leaking? And how much of the surroundings do you hear while wearing them? I don't plan to use them on planes or in public places I'm just curious

Could you also tell me why hd 598 is your favorite?

I've grown much appreciation for the clarity of the sound and the soundstage

Sorry for bothering you but it's awesome that you have all three of the headphones I'm considering to buy

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Yeah the m50s have a smaller sound stage than those two. The 598s have the better sound stage compared to the X1s in my opinion. They're also known for their mids (something I didn't know I loved so much until I got them). The sound leakage is pretty substantial. Imagine setting a pair of normal closed back headphones down and playing them loudly. That's about the amount of sound leakage that you get from open backs when playing them at a normal volume on your head. For instance if I'm on Vent/Skype with friends, they can hear what music I'm playing when I turn on my mic. You can hear about 95% of things going on around you, they're very open. I like this feature, but I know many don't.
 
I love the mids on the 598s. I listen to a lot of metal/rock and I think they really shine there. Their sound stage and instrument separation is so much better than the x1s in my opinion. It's hard to describe but you can separate the different parts of the song better in your head. They're also more detailed to my ears without sounding harsh. And something else I didn't know I valued so much was comfort, they're very light, they don't get hot and sticky, and the don't actually touch your ear, they sit around it. I'll forget I'm even wearing them at times.
 
However, they definitely are not a bass can. Some even complain that they are bass light, though I never found that to be the case, seemed closer to flat to me. Over about a week I stopped noticing it, and now when I hear a bass from the m50 or x1 it seems overpowering.
 
Just a heads up, last year near black friday Amazon had a deal on the 598s for $100. If you're not in a hurry it might be worth waiting to see if it happens again.
 
Nope not a bother at all, glad I have all three to help!

jodgey4 said:

Closed headphones will be closed in, the M50s are especially. In your usage, open would be fine .

What examples of music besides house can you give? The HD598 and X1 are both quite versatile.

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I love the kind of music jamiroquai makes, slow with beautiful and full melodies and it feels like he's guiding you to music. Besides house I listen to hip hop, little of classic rock, acoustic songs, lot of funk, some jazz, pop, rap, reggae salsa and soul I love too, I listen to a lot of genres I like music lol

gravit8 said:

Yeah the m50s have a smaller sound stage than those two. The 598s have the better sound stage compared to the X1s in my opinion. They're also known for their mids (something I didn't know I loved so much until I got them). The sound leakage is pretty substantial. Imagine setting a pair of normal closed back headphones down and playing them loudly. That's about the amount of sound leakage that you get from open backs when playing them at a normal volume on your head. For instance if I'm on Vent/Skype with friends, they can hear what music I'm playing when I turn on my mic. You can hear about 95% of things going on around you, they're very open. I like this feature, but I know many don't.

I love the mids on the 598s. I listen to a lot of metal/rock and I think they really shine there. Their sound stage and instrument separation is so much better than the x1s in my opinion. It's hard to describe but you can separate the different parts of the song better in your head. They're also more detailed to my ears without sounding harsh. And something else I didn't know I valued so much was comfort, they're very light, they don't get hot and sticky, and the don't actually touch your ear, they sit around it. I'll forget I'm even wearing them at times.

However, they definitely are not a bass can. Some even complain that they are bass light, though I never found that to be the case, seemed closer to flat to me. Over about a week I stopped noticing it, and now when I hear a bass from the m50 or x1 it seems overpowering.

Just a heads up, last year near black friday Amazon had a deal on the 598s for $100. If you're not in a hurry it might be worth waiting to see if it happens again.

Nope not a bother at all, glad I have all three to help!

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That black Friday thing is a really awesome idea. I need to get informed first is there a way I can buy it for that price since I live in Europe.

Thanks man, everything I heard from you was good news to me and what I wanted to hear, you helped me make my choice! Love the brand

Edit: I just checked and they will go down by 50%! Thanks again

i have the hd 558 modded that kinda sounds similar to the hd 598. i would say that the fidelio is all around better huge difference terms of sound quality 

I think it has to be based on the type of music you like and the sound you like.  I am a novice and have the 598.  Nice, but not hard hitting or bassy.  So, for some music and vocals they are great.  Rock or music that is faster or edgy, not so much.   It is like saying which car is best?  It depends what you are going to do with the car.  I am shopping for the X2 or HE-400i to provide a different sound but hard to find them to listen to in the cow town I live in (Vegas). 

androx said:

That black Friday thing is a really awesome idea. I need to get informed first is there a way I can buy it for that price since I live in Europe.

Thanks man, everything I heard from you was good news to me and what I wanted to hear, you helped me make my choice! Love the brand

Edit: I just checked and they will go down by 50%! Thanks again

Click to expand...

Sounds good! I don't think you'll be disappointed by them! The audio cable that comes with them is pretty long. Depending on your setup this can be good or bad. You can get these cables that come in all different sizes, I have the shortest one because my amp is about 2 feet from where I sit. I was concerned with quality, but they're actually really nice for their cost.

I'd go with the HD598s or the X1s. I like a wider sound-stage and more neutrality than the M50X can offer.

Have you looked at Fidelio L2. They seem pretty close to both semi closed back. I just don't know how good they sound compared to x1/x2. Can someone give the details on sound quality