[starfly]

  How would you describe the tonal balance as compared to your MDR 7520s? I understand that they are both very resolving and detailed headphones and I'd like to know the pros and cons of each

I posted this somewhere else as I got asked this question before:
 
I only had the L2 for 1 day, so I can't say too much about it. But if I recall correctly, the mids and highs were a bit more forward on the L2 and the bass was a bit more present. So overall a less neutral sound signature, a more warmish bass and somewhat more pushed mids and highs (not overdone though). The bass was still fairly tight though, but I don't think it's as tight as the 7520. It was actually quite an enjoyable headphone to listen to, just that the earcups were too small for my ears. In many ways they sound better than the P7, which is also a great headphone. And also I was really looking for a closed headphone, and the L2 is semi-open. But that openness certainly helped with creating a very expansive soundstage, if that's what you're looking for. Oh and in terms of design I think they're the coolest looking headphones of the whole bunch.
 
And to add to that, I remember the highs on the L2 being very crisp and having a bit more presence than on the 7520 (I guess some might call it a bit bright).

 

[maricius]

  I posted this somewhere else as I got asked this question before:
 
I only had the L2 for 1 day, so I can't say too much about it. But if I recall correctly, the mids and highs were a bit more forward on the L2 and the bass was a bit more present. So overall a less neutral sound signature, a more warmish bass and somewhat more pushed mids and highs (not overdone though). The bass was still fairly tight though, but I don't think it's as tight as the 7520. It was actually quite an enjoyable headphone to listen to, just that the earcups were too small for my ears. In many ways they sound better than the P7, which is also a great headphone. And also I was really looking for a closed headphone, and the L2 is semi-open. But that openness certainly helped with creating a very expansive soundstage, if that's what you're looking for. Oh and in terms of design I think they're the coolest looking headphones of the whole bunch.
 
And to add to that, I remember the highs on the L2 being very crisp and having a bit more presence than on the 7520 (I guess some might call it a bit bright).

 
Woah, that was a quick reply, starfly!! I actually think that I've read this before… I must have forgotten. Thanks anyway. Has your SRH1540 arrived yet?

 So basically, it's an MDR7520 which is slightly less neutral and has a much larger soundstage. Lovely.
 
One more thing though, without regards to the headphones being different in design (closed-back/semi-open) or without regards to size and comfort, which would you have kept or preferred?

 

[starfly]

   
Woah, that was a quick reply, starfly!! I actually think that I've read this before… I must have forgotten. Thanks anyway. Has your SRH1540 arrived yet?

 So basically, it's an MDR7520 which is slightly less neutral and has a much larger soundstage. Lovely.
 
One more thing though, without regards to the headphones being different in design (closed-back/semi-open) or without regards to size and comfort, which would you have kept or preferred?

I think still the 7520. IIRC the 7520 sounds clearer than the L2 (but keep in mind that I didn't do an A/B test with the L2 and 7520. I only compared the L2 with the 1R and P7). I quite like the balanced sound of the 7520 and since it's a bit less bright it's also not as fatiguing. And while I appreciate a nice wide soundstage, it's not as important as overall clarity and balance to me. But I can't definitively answer this question until I would do an A/B with the 7520 (which I won't).
 
And the 1540 hasn't arrived yet, maybe tomorrow or Saturday it arrives

 

[maricius]

  I think still the 7520. IIRC the 7520 sounds clearer than the L2 (but keep in mind that I didn't do an A/B test with the L2 and 7520. I only compared the L2 with the 1R and P7). I quite like the balanced sound of the 7520 and since it's a bit less bright it's also not as fatiguing. And while I appreciate a nice wide soundstage, it's not as important as overall clarity and balance to me. But I can't definitively answer this question until I would do an A/B with the 7520 (which I won't).
 
And the 1540 hasn't arrived yet, maybe tomorrow or Saturday it arrives

 
It's so hard to find the 7520. I think I'm going to settle on either the L2 or the Beyerdynamic T51p. I wonder which would fare better with more modern music

 

[grizzlybeast]

Its actually easier for me to find the 7520 than the p7 or l2

 

[Frenchy]

Up !
I've just ordered my philips l1 on amazon for 150 euros I hope I have not made a mistake. I saw that you could find the L2 amazon.it for only 170 euros so that everyone rushed over and is no longer available.

I prefer the design of L1 but i'm not sur for the confort and audio quality than L2 :confused_face:

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Up !
I've just ordered my philips l1 on amazon for 150 euros I hope I have not made a mistake. I saw that you could find the L2 amazon.it for only 170 euros so that everyone rushed over and is no longer available.

I prefer the design of L1 but i'm not sur for the confort and audio quality than L2

150 only for L1? which amazon? uk, es, it, fr or de?  
 
And yea L2 seems to be MIA on all the european amazon sites atm. :s

 

[Ultrainferno]

According to camelcamelcamel the l2 on amazon EUnever got below 279€.
I checked this morning and the l2 still was available.

I cant remember where I left my L2, it will turn up eventually

 

[Frenchy]

 150 only for L1? which amazon? uk, es, it, fr or de?    
And yea L2 seems to be MIA on all the european amazon sites atm. :s

 
Please stop speack with internet accronyms it's not practical to include.

 
 


The Philips L1 costs 149 euros excluding customs fees on Amazon.de
 
Since I live in France and not in Germany i should add to that a customs fee of about a dozen euros
 
However one can find the Philips L1 as new so just repackaged for only 117 euros excluding customs fees.

It is found even at 103 euros in good condition.

 
http://www.amazon.de/gp/offer-listing/B0066XYIJ4/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1384693055&sr=8-1&keywords=philips+l1&condition=used
 
I heard that L2 had serious best low end, better spatial, a better soundstage brief very best and I hope I have not made ​​the mistake of buying the L1.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

In Finland they sell L2 for about 200 EUR, don't think it's the headphone for me but I'm getting interested in trying a new headphone and the Philips Fidelio headphones look so gorgeous... xD Knowing my taste in heavy bass output it feels kind of waste but at the same time I feel so attracted towards the L2 anyway. haha

 

[Teja]

11/21/13: The price has changed!

http://www.amazon.it/Philips-L2BO-00-Auricolari-Microfono/dp/B00F4P7NG0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1384977551&sr=1-1&keywords=fidelio+l2

Like Frenchy said. I own the L1 and love the design and the build quality. The sound? Imho "HIFI" demands a neutral reproduction of the recorded sound. The L1 is farer away from that than Germany from winning World War 3. The Accudio App from Golden Ears is very helpful.

For me still not comprehensible why Tyll put the L1 on the WOF.

Just my 50...

Anyways for 150 it is a steal!

 

[starfly]

I get the impression that Tyll is not necessarily looking for the most HiFi sound, but more for the most enjoyable sound. And what's enjoyable is different for each ear

 

[Snoopy Ears]

It's just one man's opinion.

 

[Trunks159]

Yeah, Tyll is really into warmer headphones.

 

[Stealthy Ninja]

Didn't see this thread so I'll cut and paste my post from the other thread:
 
My third post on Head-Fi was to say I bought the L1.   ( http://www.head-fi.org/t/591929/review-philips-fidelio-l1-updated-5-14/60#post_8114638 )
 
This time I'm posting to say I just bought the L2. (I live in HK so we get it sooner)
 
Funny story.  Last week I noticed in a shop the Philips L2 and I thought to myself "I didn't even know they were making this". So I went back home and did some research and found out that some people say it's better than the L1.  So I said to myself, "When my L1s bite the dust I'll perhaps buy the L2s", YESTERDAY my L1s broke (the cable dangling from the left headphone cup broke, which makes it difficult to fix).  So I gave my L1s to my daughter (so she could play about with them or whatever) and today I went to try out some portable headphones.  
 
I tried the V-Moda M100, Sennheiser Momentum and Beyer DT 1350.
 
I liked the Beyer 1350 sound, but it got uncomfortable very quickly.
I liked the V-Moda M100 isolation and sound in general, but the bass was a little too much.
I liked the Momentum's comfort, but I generally didn't like the sound (personally at least).
I liked the Philips L2 sound and comfort (little bit bass heavy, but not like the M100), but it wasn't the best with isolation.
 
Since I already have had the L1 for so long and know what to expect isolation wise, I decided to buy the L2.
 
Somethings I've noticed right off the bat:
 
1. There's no cables running from the cups to the band anymore (this is good, one less thing to worry about/wear out/break).
2. The cable doesn't dangle down from the left cup anymore (this is GREAT because it'll be harder to break, and this part is what killed my L1s in the end).
3. The headband is a little thinner (and more uncomfortable) than the L1's.  This isn't too bad though.
4. The pads (as before) are NOT replaceable.  This isn't great because my L1s would come apart at the seam... not a huge problem for me because I'm trained in leatherwork (they're not leather, but same principle) and I can easily fix it... this might be trouble for some.
5. The screws holding the cups to the... cup holder (?) are seemingly orange plastic instead of metal.  Not sure if this will cause durability problems.
6. The grill on the back of the cups is bigger and the mesh holes are larger... this is GREAT for me because the L1 would frequently catch on my beard hairs (PAINFUL).
7. There isn't an edition number anymore (I had 00107 on the L1, which was pretty cool).
8. The in line mic/control is made of some sort of bright orange rubber.  My controller on the L1 broke so let's see how well this works.
9. Talking about the controller... there's no volume control (unless I'm missing something of course)
 
 
Sound wise it seems a little better than the L1.  I'd have to try both together to be sure. So I won't comment much about the sound other than to say it seems good to my ears anyway.
 

  They sound more like the fidelio x1 with a smaller soundstage and more isolation.  The l1 was one of the most uncomfortable cans I've owned because of both the small earcups and crazy clamping pressure.  It seems those issues have returned.   [snip]

 
 
I personally think the L1 is quite comfortable.  Everyone is different I suppose.
 
 
 
 
About isolation.  I did a little test. I am sitting in a quiet office typing on a mechanical keyboard (blue cherry switches... which are the clicky/noisy ones). I am listening to "No Aloha" by the Breeders right now.  I can hear myself typing fairly easily, though it's not too distracting.
 
Now I'll try some closed headphones I have here (Shure SRH-440... they kinda suck, but here we go):
 
Trying again.. Ok now I can actually hear the high pitched clicky clack MORE than with the L2s.
 
Seems the L2 lets in low frequencies and keeps out the higher frequency (maybe this has something to do with the sound signature but I'm not very good with telling).  This also reflects my experience with the L1s.  So, if you want to block out high pitched noises (fans?) then they'll be ok, not fantastic of course because they're semi-open.  If you want to block out deeper noises (like bus/plane engines etc.) then they'll be like the L1s.  Not so effective. When I travel on a bus or train in Hong Kong I usually put in IEM instead of using the L1 (and L2 now I suppose).
 
 
 
ACTUALLY now I just went back to using the L2s and I'll say they have BETTER isolation than the Shure SRH-440... maybe the Shures headphones have crap isolation?   
 
I know for a fact the isolation is worse than the Vmoda M100, if that helps anyone.