[OldDude04]

Saves the stockers in case I ever sell the X2. (Although that isn't likely, lol.)

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

I got mine in the prime sale too

I too am immensely impressed - I thought mine were slightly imbalanced - right was slightly louder - but the when I wore the headphones the other way round the left seemed louder so probably my ears ! Might be placebo after reading the forums threads about it - certainly nowhere near the magnitude of 3dB or anything though - if it is we're talking 0.25-0.5dB max.

my pads aren't glued either - and no WOOX

Gibson on box and on the band

I am waiting for my pair. Should be here on friday.

Só if it says woox on the box it is bad and if it says Gibson it is good?

It seems that these newer batches have no more problems.... At least when it comes to the build....Do you guys think that the newer batches may already come with newer pads like on the x2hr?

Many places have the HR version placed above 300 euros but amazon.it for example already sells the x2hr for 220 euros...

Do you guys think the HR version may show any improovement to the sound? People with problems on the x2 may get their pairs replaced for hr pairs under warranty?

The original x2 must be discontinued soon i guess...

Is it true that the x2s improve a lot with burn in? Is the peak on the treble that bad and thr sound muddy or muffled as some say? I AM yet to hear any burn in difference on any headphones but i have seen a lot of talk about burn in on these Philips....

Really hopping to get a more exciting and pumping sound from a open back and these x2s seem to do that.... As a momentum, hd25 and m50x i am trying to find a fullfiling open can for my tastes (indie, metal,edm), i liked the hd600 presentation of mids and highs but they still feel a little flat and i think the hd650 would not change that much (plus it costs more than double of the x2)....

 

[Sinery]

I am waiting for my pair. Should be here on friday.

Só if it says woox on the box it is bad and if it says Gibson it is good?

It seems that these newer batches have no more problems.... At least when it comes to the build....Do you guys think that the newer batches may already come with newer pads like on the x2hr?

Many places have the HR version placed above 300 euros but amazon.it for example already sells the x2hr for 220 euros...

Do you guys think the HR version may show any improovement to the sound? People with problems on the x2 may get their pairs replaced for hr pairs under warranty?

The original x2 must be discontinued soon i guess...

Is it true that the x2s improve a lot with burn in? Is the peak on the treble that bad and thr sound muddy or muffled as some say? I AM yet to hear any burn in difference on any headphones but i have seen a lot of talk about burn in on these Philips....

Really hopping to get a more exciting and pumping sound from a open back and these x2s seem to do that.... As a momentum, hd25 and m50x i am trying to find a fullfiling open can for my tastes (indie, metal,edm), i liked the hd600 presentation of mids and highs but they still feel a little flat and i think the hd650 would not change that much (plus it costs more than double of the x2)....

Woox was the original manufacturer and all was fine and dandy and highly highly praised, then Gibson took over and things turned crappy and has been a shitstorm since.
As far as I have gathered all build issues have been fixed and there may or may not be driver mismatch going on.

Actually got a Woox and a selected (took the best out of 3) Gibson pair here, haven't gotten around to A/B them.
Working too damn much.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

Got my Fidélio x2s yesterday.... Havê to say i AM pretty impressed with the bass response for a open headphone. It is not the tightest bass but it is very punchy and it hás a lot of rumble. Philips really did succeed in trying to replicate the bass of a closed back on a open back.

I AM a hd25, m50x and momentum fan and i would go as far to say that the x2 at times is even a bit to bassy for my tastes. If the x1 hás more bass than i dont think it would suit me..... And i listen to a lot of trance and progressive....

I would like to get a few things out of the way before talking a bit more about the sound.... Sometimes i get a bit pissed about some stuff i read here on head fi because it makes everything rather confusing and by the time you stopped reading you are even more confused than before. I get some of the conparisons made and i can even hear a bit of the sibilance some talk about, but to compare a x2 to something like a hd600 is simply stupid because besides being both open backs, they are completely different in pretty much every regard.... And yes, if you are asking, i havê both.....

My take on this is simple.... If you like edm, metal and modern music styles, if you wanna havê fun and if you are a fan of the signature of something like a m50x, hd25, (maybe momentum), aurvana live and beyers custom one pro.... This is the closest you can get to those sigs on a open back.

They are warm, maybe a tad too warm but still not muffled as some claimed....but i can see some finding them muffled or too colored if you come from a hd600, beyers or akgs.


More to come..... Working..... But yes, i will b*** a little bit more against stupid comparisons and misuse of terminology....

 

[Pharmaboy]

Nope, I just removed the stocks and saved those, stretched the HM5 pads around the driver housing itself, and cut a hole for the 3.5mm jack. See pics below.

I'm just seeing this fascinating post now, 1+ wk after the fact. As a longtime owner of the X2's (wonderful headphones--my first "serious" pair), I'm very interested in this. Brainwavz now have a round version of the HM5 (same depth, just not oval); the dimensions would be perfect for this application.

I just took my pads off (easily--no glue), but find 4 plastic prongs that stand ~3/16" proud of the flat surface of earcup. These are designed to insert into 4 matching holes in the inside surface of the velour stock pads. Does your pair of X2's have these same 4 prongs on each earcup?

If so, I'm wondering how you got the HM5s to "seat" over these prongs, which protrude from the surface of the earcup. It appears to me that these prongs would make any non-stock pads stick out farther than intended.

??

 

[OldDude04]

I'm just seeing this fascinating post now, 1+ wk after the fact. As a longtime owner of the X2's (wonderful headphones--my first "serious" pair), I'm very interested in this. Brainwavz now have a round version of the HM5 (same depth, just not oval); the dimensions would be perfect for this application.

I just took my pads off (easily--no glue), but find 4 plastic prongs that stand ~3/16" proud of the flat surface of earcup. These are designed to insert into 4 matching holes in the inside surface of the velour stock pads. Does your pair of X2's have these same 4 prongs on each earcup?

If so, I'm wondering how you got the HM5s to "seat" over these prongs, which protrude from the surface of the earcup. It appears to me that these prongs would make any non-stock pads stick out farther than intended.

??

Those posts are indeed there, but the HM5 pads are so fluffy that the posts press into the back of the pad a little and you can't feel them at all. And because of that, they don't hold the pad out further than intended, as you can see in the pic below.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Those posts are indeed there, but the HM5 pads are so fluffy that the posts press into the back of the pad a little and you can't feel them at all. And because of that, they don't hold the pad out further than intended, as you can see in the pic below.

Right you are. And yes, the Brainwavz pads are >3/8" deeper than the stock pads. Also slightly wider in the earhole dimension. These dimensional variations vs stock pads may help explain any sonic differences you hear vs stock.

Do the HM5s make the X2s bright/brighter? I take it they tighten up the bass somewhat, but wondered about upper midrange/treble.

For the record, I'm very fond of the sound of the X2's stock. Sure, I can hear that the bass lacks the ultimate low frequency range & impact of, for example, my ZMF Ori (which has pretty amazing bass). But the actual sound of the X2's bass, like the entire rest of the frequency range, is pleasing to me. It's not a headphone for extreme "accuracy" or razor-sharp transients. It IS a headphone for relaxed, tuneful, spacious listening. It ticks just about all my boxes.

And for what it's worth, I've found the Liquid Carbon to be an amazingly good matchup w/the X2's--which I could hardly expect, since it's somewhat warm in its own right (as are the X2's). But together, the 2 components really synergize and sound terrific.

 

[OldDude04]

Right you are. And yes, the Brainwavz pads are >3/8" deeper than the stock pads. Also slightly wider in the earhole dimension. These dimensional variations vs stock pads may help explain any sonic differences you hear vs stock.

Do the HM5s make the X2s bright/brighter? I take it they tighten up the bass somewhat, but wondered about upper midrange/treble.

For the record, I'm very fond of the sound of the X2's stock. Sure, I can hear that the bass lacks the ultimate low frequency range & impact of, for example, my ZMF Ori (which has pretty amazing bass). But the actual sound of the X2's bass, like the entire rest of the frequency range, is pleasing to me. It's not a headphone for extreme "accuracy" or razor-sharp transients. It IS a headphone for relaxed, tuneful, spacious listening. It ticks just about all my boxes.

And for what it's worth, I've found the Liquid Carbon to be an amazingly good matchup w/the X2's--which I could hardly expect, since it's somewhat warm in its own right (as are the X2's). But together, the 2 components really synergize and sound terrific.

I like the stock sound as well, musical and fun. I think one of the best bang for your buck buys around. However I wasn't a fan of the pads. The HM5 pads do change the sound up. They tighten the bass up, give you a little more sub bass, and due to moving your ear a bit further away from the driver, give you a slight improvement in sound stage and an airiness to the highs. I wouldn't say it makes them bright though.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

@HungryPanda Sorry for the bother....

Could you please give us yout take on the hd600 vs hd650, fidelio vs hd650 and fidelio vs hd650?

Really curious to know your opinion since you have/had all of them.... if you don't mind of course....

Cheers m8....

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

Got my Fidélio x2s yesterday.... Havê to say i AM pretty impressed with the bass response for a open headphone. It is not the tightest bass but it is very punchy and it hás a lot of rumble. Philips really did succeed in trying to replicate the bass of a closed back on a open back.

I AM a hd25, m50x and momentum fan and i would go as far to say that the x2 at times is even a bit to bassy for my tastes. If the x1 hás more bass than i dont think it would suit me..... And i listen to a lot of trance and progressive....

I would like to get a few things out of the way before talking a bit more about the sound.... Sometimes i get a bit pissed about some stuff i read here on head fi because it makes everything rather confusing and by the time you stopped reading you are even more confused than before. I get some of the conparisons made and i can even hear a bit of the sibilance some talk about, but to compare a x2 to something like a hd600 is simply stupid because besides being both open backs, they are completely different in pretty much every regard.... And yes, if you are asking, i havê both.....

My take on this is simple.... If you like edm, metal and modern music styles, if you wanna havê fun and if you are a fan of the signature of something like a m50x, hd25, (maybe momentum), aurvana live and beyers custom one pro.... This is the closest you can get to those sigs on a open back.

They are warm, maybe a tad too warm but still not muffled as some claimed....but i can see some finding them muffled or too colored if you come from a hd600, beyers or akgs.


More to come..... Working..... But yes, i will b*** a little bit more against stupid comparisons and misuse of terminology....

Hum..... i may have exagerated a bit on my first post......

But still there are a few things that i stand by.... after a few hours with the hd600 i can once again say that if you are looking for a upgrade on a m50x (but smoother and more linear on the mids and highs of course) or if you want something close to the momentum 2.0 or even hd25 sound on a open back over ear format, the fidelio x2 may be your best bet. They are fun all around but still they are pretty smooth and make most of the genres sound good without rapping your ears.

About the comparisons with other headphones.... now that i compared both it is not totally stupid to compare both the hd600 and fidelio x2 because are similar in the way they are linear through the specturm but still overall, to my ears they make different approaches on a neutral basis.

The Fidelio x2 is pretty linear but as a warmer tilt due to the enhanced bass. It is really quite a funny mix because to my ears the X2's do not feel v shaped, if so just slight, they just have a bass bump to make everything more fun. Vocals still sound in line with everything else and are pretty clear (nowhere near muddy or muffled as some tried to describe). Yes there is a warm tilt or even coloration if you wanna call it like that but they are not muffled.... the only way i can see them sound muffled or muddy is if you are coming from Beyers, and more treble happy and flat stuff from akg. For example, even next to Beyers 80ohm pro dt770 the fidelio x2 sounds much fuller, hits much harder on the bass, feels much more full bodied.... even the hd600 sounds fuller and warmer than the 80ohm dt770 despite not having their bass extension.... It still makes me mad everytime i read reviews on the 80ohm here on head fi.... they are super misleading and abuse of the term "basshead" when they are nothing like that. They just have bass that goes low my friends but overall they still sound pretty flat and even thin. I would never recomend the 80ohm dt770 to anyone who wants to have fun unless once again if you come from treble happy cans....

Anyway.... the hd600, compared to the fidelio x2 is not that different in a way that still presents the sound in a linear way and still with a tiny bit of warmness (it is not bright sounding at all) but their sound is tuned differently form the x2s. while the x2 sounds more pumped on the bass and has a slighty more laidback or smooth sound the hd600 digs a little deeper on the highs and mids wich maked them feel more detailed and textured. Despite the bass response being a bit lacking on the hd600's i can still have the same or even more fun listening to stuff like royal blood, rage against the machine or artic monkeys on the sennheisers because the electric guitars sound super textured, full..... the hd600's simply seems to have more resolution and more detail wich still makes them sound fun and full despite not having a huge bass. Both headphone have indeed similarities because they are both pretty linear... they just have highlights on different areas of the spectrum.

It is tough to choose one actually.... the hd600 feels like a superior headhone in a way that it feels, more organic, has slight to no coloration has more resolution in the highs and mids and it has a more controlled (tighter but also does not goes as low) bass but the fidelio x2 is not very far behind, it feels smoother overall (less resolution also means it is more forgiving) but it still present a very linear sound while sounding more fun due to its enhanced bass. Also they are easier to drive. I am using a fiio e12 to feed both by the way....

Oh by the way, x2s sound more spacious but with the hd600's it is easier to tell where each instrument is placed.

They are both pretty good all rounders...
For detail and resolution junkies the hd600's are the best bet. Also i think they are most fullfiling for rock and metal unless bass is yout top priority because electric guitars and cymbals just sound much more textured and with more resolution.
The x2's are maybe more geared towards people who want good all rounders but that listen mostly to beat centric genres like house, trance, overall edm, hip hop, r'n'b.... also they are easier so they are the easy choice for people that do not want to spend money with amplification.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

I actually agree 100%. I just recently borrowed my brother-in-law's HD650 and HD600 and had them for 4 days. I found the X2 to be a better all around set than either of the HD's.

How would you rank the 3? The hd650 hás much bass than the 600? Are the mids And highs on the 600s better?

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

I just received a HD650. So if anyone wants any comparison between the X2 and HD650, just tell me.

Initial impression are that the HD650 has significantly better separation and transparency but X2 has better soundstage and bass. With the HD650, i enjoy how everything is presented in layers and with black background. With the X2, it's all about soundstage with a bit more bass. They are two very different headphones although they share very similiar signature. In car terms, it's like a RWD and AWD of the same car. They both excel at different things.

Can you please?

 

[thecrow]

Can you please?

Ive probably mentioned it before that the x2 has more kick and punch. More dynamic sounding because if it. Great for movies.

Not that it's overly hard to drive but when driven with a somehat powerful amp the hd650 is not as bassy or warm as you might expect. Its actually fairly neutral. Quite easy listening with a very good level of true detail. Probably a truer/more neutral sound than the x2.

You may see some reviews around the place that describe the hd650 as neutral and think why. I certainly did til i demoed it with quite a few different amps including my pha3.

If i had wanted a neutral natural headphone at this price point i would have bought the hd650 (even though i used to think I would have preferred the hd600 for that sound). However i wanted something "fun" (as they say here) and wanted something versatile that would suit movies (again) and the x2 was exceptional value for that

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

Ive probably mentioned it before that the x2 has more kick and punch. More dynamic sounding because if it. Great for movies.

Not that it's overly hard to drive but when driven with a somehat powerful amp the hd650 is not as bassy or warm as you might expect. Its actually fairly neutral. Quite easy listening with a very good level of true detail. Probably a truer/more neutral sound than the x2.

You may see some reviews around the place that describe the hd650 as neutral and think why. I certainly did til i demoed it with quite a few different amps including my pha3.

If i had wanted a neutral natural headphone at this price point i would have bought the hd650 (even though i used to think I would have preferred the hd600 for that sound). However i wanted something "fun" (as they say here) and wanted something versatile that would suit movies (again) and the x2 was exceptional value for that

Thank you very much for your reply.

I havê a couple of questions though.... Other hd650, hd600 and x2 owners (or who havê tested all of these) feel free to answer as well please...

Would you say that the hd600 and hd650 are superior headphones to the x2? By this i mean in terms of technicality, texture, resolution, etc....

As i said before i AM a hd25 fan and also a momentum over ear fan and i have been trying to find a open over ear pair that matches those presentations without breaking the bank.

Luckily i had the chance to get a mint hd600 for 125 euros and i got the x2s brand new from amazon for 139.

I like the hd600 and i may feel that they havê more resolution and detail in the highs and mids but unfortunately i feel that they are somewhat lacking in the bass for electronic music (although not thin sounding at all) and also there is somethig on the hd600 that messes up my hearing. I get ringing buzzing on my ears after a couple of minutes with them.

I always thought of getting the hd650 to see if it suíts me better but here is the question.... Having the hd600 and Fidélio x2 would i really get anything new from a hd650? What would i win/loose? I want more bass on the hd600 and a bit more musicality or warmth but despiste the ringing on my ears i kind of wanted to maintain a similar mids and highs presentation because their resolution is awesome and make electric guitars sound raw and powerfull (like a hd25 that lacks bass extension but still hás nice impact and cymbals).

Another thing that makes me question my need to buy the hd650 is the x2s current pricing... I got my x2s for 139 on prime day but they can still be bought on amazon for 159 while the hd650 costs 320 euros and a AMP is still needed... Is the hd650 really worth double of the price of the x2?

Thank you...

 

[Pharmaboy]

For what it's worth, I've enjoyed my X2s for the past 2 years. In the next week or so, I'll have the opportunity to hear a modded pair of HD650s as well as a stock HD600.

That should be very interesting; I'm looking forward to it (somehow I've managed to not hear any Sennheiser headphones).