Agreed.  Natural is probably the best adjective to use.  If you want really accentuated vocals I don't think you'll get that with the X2s, but for properly mastered music this is a good thing as it means no one element of the music will overpower the others.  

Hi lofthanza,   I own both, but it's difficult for me to compare them directly as I don't have an SPL meter to volume match them.  What I can say is that, to my ears, neither headphone has particularly forward mids (but they also aren't recessed IMO).  To me the X2s sound less congested than...

I think someone (Mad Lust Envy?) mentioned using SineGen to do a frequency sweep and then listening from the exterior of the earcups to see if one side sounds louder than the other.  I tried this and couldn't detect any difference.  That doesn't meant the headphones are perfectly balanced, but...

I guess I'm lucky in that clamping pressure hasn't been an issue for me so far. I haven't worn the X2s for more than three hours at a time yet, though.

I can't personally hear any left/right channel imbalances on my set.  I tried using SineGen and still couldn't detect any left/right imbalances.  It could just be my ears, though.   I spent the weekend doing a fair amount of listening on the X2s and I'm liking them even more than I did...

It's hard for me to say since I'm still adjusting to the X2s and I don't listen to metal, but these probably wouldn't be my top pick for really heavy music. The slight edginess of the treble might be a turn off.I have no idea which headphones are well suited to metal (Hifimans maybe?).

Here's another review: http://www.audiostream.com/content/focal-alpha-50   I've heard very good things about those JBLs.  For the money I don't think you can get anything better.

I have some Adam Audio F5 monitors.  They sound pretty fantastic (reviews paint them as superior to the A5+, but I've never heard an A5+ myself).  I don't know if these would be a good match for you since they are fairly neutral.   I still use headphones (and actually just upgraded to a...

  Great write up!  I too have been listening to songs haphazardly like an ADD child.  And like you, I've found myself occasionally swept up by the power of the music and shutting off the pesky analytical part of my mind.  In the end that's what it's all about.  

X2 owners should have fun with this: http://static.onemansblog.com/audio/VirtualHaircut.mp3   Katie Melua sounds positively divine on the X2s:     

Hi lofthanza.  I had the same issue with the M50s and it was one of the reasons that compelled me to get the X2s.  Tonight I'm going to do a lot of A/B testing between the M50s and X2s.  I think the X2s are a fair bit better in this respect, but I have to do a lot more listening to say for sure.

Wow, that’s a very glowing evaluation obsidyen!   My X2s also arrived early this morning, and I spent a few hours auditioning them before heading off to work.  A few caveats:   (1)   Relative to most Head-Fiers, I probably have below average knowledge of audio.  While I’ve listened to a...

X2s just got here!  I will post early impressions shortly.  One thing I can say: comfort is phenomenal!  Right out of the box there are zero issues with fit or excessive clamping force for me.  Sound leakage isn't nearly as bad as I was expecting.  At moderate to moderate high listening volumes...

X2s just got here!  I'm going to give them a solid listen and then post some first impressions.  Comfort is out of this world!

That's frustrating!  I'm usually a fairly patient person, but waiting for packages to be delivered drives me nuts.     I'm interested in hearing your Q701/X2 comparison.  I know that Robbie Khan prefers the Q701s (http://www.neowin.net/news/philips-fidelio-x2-headphones-review), but it would...

I don't want to get the thread too far off topic, so I'll send you a PM.

That's great to hear.  One of the reasons I decided to upgrade from my ATH-M50s is that they sound a bit crowded/congested.  The treble in particular has a tendency to overpower the mids to my ears (it probably doesn't help that I use an Emotiva XDA-2, which adds some sparkle). I look forward to...

I don't want to derail the thread, but here's some advice. If you want to build a PC, invest the bulk of your money on the CPU, GPU, and a decent SSD. For the other components you can go for value. Although don't skimp out on the PSU. Check out sites like Tom's Hardware, Techreport, PC Part...

Mine too! Can't wait to give them a listen.

My X2 is being processed for shipment now, and I should receive it Tuesday.  I'm not quite sure why it didn't ship out yesterday as I placed my order over two weeks ago.  Maybe there was a huge backlog of orders to fill?  Regardless, I'm eagerly anticipating trying it out next week and will...

Another definition is "almost, approaching, or trying to be." I think he's using it synonymously with the term "semi." On another note, Amazon now indicates that the X2s will be in stock November 20th.

I basically agree with you, I'm just playing Devil's advocate. I haven't heard either the Z7 or the X2 so I can't say anything about these headphones specifically. If you offered me one or the other headphone for free on the condition that I couldn't resell them, I wouldn't necessarily go for...

  The audio industry is pretty notorious for overpricing goods.  It's not like the PC industry where 9/10 times a $1000 PC is hands down superior to a $500 PC.  Since it's very difficult to evaluate a product who's value is inherently subjective, brand name and marketing can inflate prices...

I'd like to know this, too.  Hopefully Phillips can get a shipment in soon.

Thank you again for your detailed and informative response Zennheiserie8!  It's members such as yourself that help make Head-Fi such a great community and very welcoming to neophytes like me.   I agree wholeheartedly that headphones can't always be ranked in a straightforward, hierarchical...