Philips Fidelio X2

Let me start off by saying that I had the previous version of this headphone - the X1, and I got rid of it because of the excessive bass output that spoiled what would have otherwise been a very good headphone. I was hoping that the X2 would correct the faults of the X1 but all I perceive are very minor improvements in bass definition and slightly improved sound-staging.

The bass continues to dominate in the X2 at the cost of mid-band and treble quality. In bass heavy music, it is the bass that shouts the loudest and makes sure you 'get the point'. It's fun at the beginning, but soon becomes tiresome and for me at least is a right switch off. Vocals often lack smoothness and naturalness, and the glassy tone in the upper midband/treble heard in the X1 is still there in the X2, but now there's added graininess. As a consequence, the sound sometimes lacks resolution and refinement. Imaging also suffers as voices, for example, become 'splashier' and are not as defined and distinct as they should be. The whole sound is a curious mixture of big bass and lower mid-band warmth, and upper mid-band and treble brightness or coarseness; there is simply no integrity to the X2s sound.

Although it lacks refinement in reproducing a lot of music, ironically in Classical music - where bass tends to be much less prevalent - the X2 can actually sound very nice. Sound-staging is quite deep and wide and instruments are placed fairly precisely. However when the music gets busy and bass notes start to prevail, then the presentation starts to becomes 'in your face' again; the X2 can't resist unleashing the testosterone filled bull that is its nature.

So if you like your music 'big' sounding and don't care much for refinement, precision and musical insight, then go for it. Otherwise steer well clear.

I've recently sold the X2 and bought the Sennheiser HD600 again - for the third time - and again I'm reminded what a truly great headphone it is. The qualities I was missing in the X2 are finally here in the HD600; refinement, naturalness, high class resolution, smoothness and a finely judged tonal balance.

The pretender - the Philips X2 - has been imperiously brushed aside.

Build: It's superb. Feels incredibly sturdy and solid. Pretty sure I can drop them on the ground and they would be fine.
 
Comfort: They are amazing in this department as well. I also got a couple of Beyers laying around, which are pretty much pillows wrapped around your head, (velour pads with lots of 'travel') and the X2's are almost as comfortable. The only thing is, they catch quite a bit of dust, which is easily rubbed off though.
Edit: After 100+ hours of use, I think the X2's are actually more comfortable. When I switched back to the Beyers, I noticed my ears touch the drivers inside the Beyers, this doesn't happen with the X2's. Also the headband on the X2 do a supreme job at distributing the weight across your head. Way better than the barely padded Beyers.
 
Sound: They are the best all-rounders on the market right now in my opinion. And not only in this price category, also above. Read about lot's of people selling their HD-6x0's with crack etc and keeping these with a basic amp like M2/M2 combo or Fiio's. Yes, it's that good. And no, you don't need an amp, but I would recommend one for desktop use, because it really does love some extra power.
They do everything good basically, nothing superb. (roughly said) Except for sub-bass, which is insane on these. Best buy I ever did with headphones.
Won't go into details of the sound much, because I don't feel experienced enough to do so. But user Baycode wrote an excellent long review here.
 
Lows: Very very good. (for open cans) Mids: Great, not as forward as HD-600 etc, but very good. High: Great and smooth. No sibilance for me, although in the beginning there was a bit. But after 50+ Hours, there is no such thing. (burn-in, brain burn-in, call it what you want) Love this because my Beyers sometimes make me almost throw them out of the window. Although the highs on my Beyers are very detailed.
 
All in all these are amazing sounding neutral-ish and relatively warm sounding cans. They don't disappoint with any kind off music.
 
Absolutely wholeheartedly recommend these. They are truly great. Curious to see what Philips is going to do with the X3 in a couple of years. Hopefully kick ass.
 
Here are some pictures:
 

 
 

These are, without a doubt, my favorite headphones I've personally listened to. They are super comfortable (I can listen to these things for hours without any fatigue), really easy to drive, and have amazing build quality. My listening consists of MP3 320 from my laptop>FiiO E07K>Philips Fidelio X2. I have also tried them with my iPhone 6 Plus and it seemed to drive them fine.
 
Sound:
 
Like I said, these are my personal favorite headphones. I think they sound great throughout the entire frequency range. There is actually a surprising amount of bass (not too much for me and I'm not a basshead). To me it sounds like there is quite a wide soundstage, and I can hear all sorts of details that I haven't heard before in my music.
 
Comfort:
 
Wow. Are these things ever comfortable. The pads are really nice, and the auto adjusting headband works really well. I feel like there is the perfect amount of clamping force.
 
Value:
 
I think these cans are one of the best values out there. I've listened to a fair amount of more expensive headphones and I think that these sound better. I have heard some people make the case that the X2s are the best sounding headphone under $1K, and I think I'd agree with them.
 
 
All in all I can't recommend the X2s enough, especially if you are looking for an open can. I love them, and they will be the headphone that I will be using the most from now on,

Very, very, very good headphones, Kudos to Philips for making such a stunning performer.
Neutral headphones, they still mantain a very high fun factor and high trasparency. Very detailed yet very musical too. A true masterpiece. Bass is extended, creamy, textured, detailed and with good presence. Mids are perfection. Highs are smooth yet airy and sparkly, holographical. Not laid back in any way, yet smooth. Very very easy to drive, even from a smartphone. Very high trasparency and wide soundstage. They only lack the ultra uber high end tecnicalities of a 30.000$ system, but not even HD800s have that. Still burning in probably, here are some impressions on some songs.
Check the end of the review for burn in impressions.
Animusic: 

Acustic Courves 
Oh my god. This is wonderful. Incredible detail, with a supremely organic and layered sound. Pluck of guitars is very satisfying and with excellent texturing. Drums are excellent, with great body and presence. Very realistic.
9.5/10
The Harvester
The strings. Ohhhh. How good, so organic, yet realistic. Veeeeery very good. And then the electric guitar. It's just perfection. Not  too intimate, not too spread, with right amount of body. X2 has a very high ability to mantain high contrast and sound still fun and smooth.
10/10
Pipe Dreams
Again very very good contrast, organic yet airy sound (!?!?!). Very very enjoyable and neutral. Very good soundstage. Instruments are all around, you feel in the room.
9.8/10
 
I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You - Tina Arena & Marc Anthony

Vocals are sooo good. Very good extension and transparency. Very very enjoyable. Addicting. Exceptional naturalness and wide, immersive soundstage. Very controlled, great body.
10/10
 
I will always love you - Dolly Parton & Vince Gill

Again, vocals are just exceptional. Stunning. I don't know what to say, I would just repeat myself. This is incredible, how balanced the sound is, yet how enjoyable.
9.8/10
 
Digital Love - Daft Punk

 
Bass is really great. Very immersive. Vocals, as always, just perfect.I'm stunned by the ability of these headphones to never sound congested. Very good detail. BAss is very "open", almost as if in a real room. Definitely not boomy, very very good control and transparency. And again, that feeling of enjoyment. You forget the headphones.
9.5/10
One Day (Vandaag) - Bakermat

Exceptional realism. Pianos have great body and realism. Bass slam is fenomenal. Very good Prat and impact. Perfect vocal rapresentation. Very good soundstage. Right amount of sparkle.
9.5/10
 
What I Might Do - Ben Pearce

Stunning bass performance, vocal perfection, very detailed yet involving. Bass is almost creamy.
10/10
 
Bust A Move - Infected Mushroom

 GREAT! Really great! Very airy and detailed. Bass is again present and impactful, creamy. Cymbals are higly realistic. I hate repeating myself, but again, vocal perfection. Incredible soundstage. Very airy. Wonderful imaging abilities.
10/10
Savant - Nazareth

 
Very high realism and contrast. High detail retrieval, great soundstage. Very good impact and PRAT. Very credible. Still pretty smooth anyway.
9.5/10
 
Savant - Wild Ganja

Again a stunning performance, perfect balance, extremely wide soundstage. Bass has very good punch and presence, mids are perfect, highs detailed and smooth but not laid back.
10/10
 
Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven

 
Exceptional. Stunning. Lovely. You feel the notes on the piano as if they were real. Black background. Very immersive.
10/10
 I will add more songs and impressions as burn in goes on.
These are very very very good allrounders anyway.
 
Having owned HD600s, wich i loved very much but ended up selling after getting some HD800s, I have to say these are clearly better. Yes, better than HD600s and near HD800s. I'm the one who spent 1200 dollars for HD800s anyway
Vs HD650s: X2 has much better soundstage,sound is more realistic; definitely more enjoyable sound (especially bass is more extended, textured and punchy, one of the weaknesses of HD650 IMO), highs are more airy, much more holographical sounding but still lightly warm and smooth sound. Mids on X2 are more neutral( I always found HD650 to be emphatised at around 500Hz) but equally natural. HD650s are a little more forgiving, treble is a little tilted down on them on some areas but more present higher up and i do not find it very entertaining. On X2s it is almost right, smooth, yet not laid back, definitely. There's sparkle. HD650 is near neutral, but there is a little veil, since it is a little warm but with not perfect bass extension and forward mid-bass. X2s are definitely the winner here.
 
VS HD800s:X2 has a little less wide sound,separation, detail and articulation on par. Still more enjoyable, but HD800's sound is a little more transparent (faster, more control, less distortion?) but not by much. still X2 has better depth, more credibility and a more balanced sound, in fact they are very good even without amp. HD800 has a more analytical sound (it is not bright, but bass is very fast and it presents detail in a forward sounding way). HD800 is tecnically better but X2 is the better headphone overall.
These are the most enjoyable headphones I have ever heard. Neutral but fun, with both a hint of warmth and of sparkle. Fenomenal. 
Comfort and build quality are very high. Pads are very comfy (no problems of ink leak), headband almost disappears. Comfort about on par with HD800s. Cable has much better quality than HD650's stock but seems less high end than HD800's.
Price/performance ratio is the best i have ever seen in audio. If these were selling for 900$, it would still be good value. Yes they are that good
I have had them for few days (almost two weeks), thus the sound may change ... will post if it happens.
 
Look is very good for the headphones by themselves, not so much on head because of the big headband system,looks a bit weird on head. Still very sexy though  
 
Overall thoughts:
 
Sound: 10-
 
   Bass presentation: 10
 
   Mids presentation: 10- (slightly behind HD600 wich is more natural)
 
   Highs presentation: 9 (a little artificial atm times, not the smoothest out there)
 
   Distortion measurements: 9+
 
   Space recreation and coherence: 9.7
   
   Fun factor: high
   
   Transparency: high
 
Comfort: 9.7
  
   Pads: 9.5
 
   Headband: 10
 
Look: 9
  
   Alone: 9.5
   
   On head: 8.5
 
Value: 10+
 
Overall: 9.5
 




 

 

 
 
 

 

P.S.: you want a more HD650ish sound? Try placing HD6xx foam, cut to fit, over the drivers(under the pads). Hd6xx sound with better extension and imaging.
 
Burn in impressions: sound is definitelt improving and I don't think it's placebo since with HD800 I heard no change whatsoever in sound . These are definitely changing. Mids are more forward now, the sound in general got more trasparent and a little more smooth. Maybe pads are changing with use? Dunno, anyway, for anyone buying them, wait at least two weeks of burn in until giving them a final judgement. Again, I'm shocked by the quality. Very very good Philips
 
Burn in 2: these keep improving it's crazy. Or I'm becoming crazy. Really, this cannot be true, for so little money. They are really really underestimated just because they are relatively cheap compared to the insane prices of hifi audio.
Revising votes as time goes. Sound gets a little more mellow

As a reference, I like the sound of Momentum over ear.  I don't like Grado Sr80i which is too bright for me. 
 
Comfort:  Excellent.  I worried the headband design will not be comfortable but after a week of using X2, I think this is probably the best system for such a large and relatively heavy headphone.  Unlike the usual headband design, the weight of the headphone is evenly distributed on the head. I don't feel the headphone being heavy at all. There is virtually no or very little clamping force and yet the headphone is very secure.  Momentum is much more comfortable because of its light weight and low clamping force.  X2 has slightly less clamping force than HD558 so it is slightly more comfortable.
 
Sound:  Compare with HD558, X2 is better in all frequency range.  X2 extend to lower bass and higher treble.  Momentum have a better bass impact but X2 can provide a deep rumble at lower end which is quite satisfying.  I find X2 a bit on the bright side.  It is nowhere near as bright as Sr80i.  I agree with review by PowderLegend that the sound of cymbals, snares, drum brushes are a bit artificial.  This is the only area that I find X2 quite disappointing.  
 
Overall, I like X2.  It has open sound as you expect from an open headphone.  Unlike other open headphones (HD558 and Sr80i), it has very good bass -- not bass head bass.  The only downside is the slightly artificial treble.

I got my X2 Christmas day and now have 5-6 hours listening and 20+ burning in. I use a Headroom Total Bithead and iTunes with ALAC Redbook on a 2011 MacBook Pro. My other full size headphones are a pair of modded Sennheiser HD 580s with HD600 grills and a HD650 cable and some Grado SR125s with stock cable, new stock ear pads, and a lambskin headband. Also own (but not used for this review) TTVJ Millet Hybrid Portable, Senn Amperior, Ety HF2, UE TF.10 Pro (981/1000), and MEElec A151P. My main system is DefTech BP-6Bs, Arcam A80, Schiit Bifrost Uber USB, fully upgraded Pro-Ject Debut III, and Audioquest cables. I listen to hip-hop, pop, and rock. Most of my headphone listening is with my computer. The tracks I used for evaluation are Daft Punk's Give Life Back to Music from Random Access Memories, Dinosaur Jr.'s Pierce the Morning Rain from I Bet on Sky, and Kendrick Lamar's Money Trees from Good Kid M.A.A.D. City. 

First off, I love the X2. They have a great sense of space, wonderful mids, and deep bass. I've been most impressed with their ability to preserve dynamics in recordings, but bass reproduction is a close second.
 
Comfort:  HD580>X2>SR125
 
The Senns are slightly more comfortable due to the large ovals and foam vs the pure circle and elastic of the X2, but that's splitting hairs. Both sets are insanely comfortable and wear well for several hours. The Grados are very light, but the foam isn't soft and sits on the ear rather than around your head. The Grado headband has no clamping force, so they're not very secure either. Not great for long listening sessions or when you have to move around. The Senns and X2 both stay put. 
 
SQ: All three are equal, but for different reasons. The HD580 is neutral and smooth with good detail retrieval, the SR125 is quick and airy, and the X2 is a great all-rounder with decent detail retrieval, fantastic dynamics, better bass than both, and a hint of warmth. 
 
The X2 is slightly more mid-forward than neutral which gives them a warm feel, but it's only noticeable in A/B tests with the Senns. The Senns are crazy neutral and don't dig as deep as the X2 or have the treble extension of the X2. The Senns aren't as dynamic as the X2. The Grados aren't either. The Grados are faster than the X2 and have a boost in the presence range. The Grados have better attack and speed- the X2 and Senns both feel slow in comparison, like the difference between BA and dynamic IEMs. The Grados isolate notes much better than the X2 or Senns, but that clarity comes from their speed and a boost in the presence range. Definitely not neutral, but lacks the bass impact to be truly V shaped. 

My immediate impression is that the HD580 and X2 have nearly identical neutral signatures, with the X2 having more solid bass, a slightly bumped up midrange, and a better sense of space and dynamics. The X2 is slightly less smooth than the HD580, but the detail is still all there. The differences are slight except for bass response and dynamic performance. The extra bass extension is immediately noticeable, dynamics take a few listens to hear the differences. Against the Grados, the X2 sounds fuller but slightly less realistic, especially with cymbals and snares. 

Overall, the X2 is fantastic. It's comfortable and sounds great stacked against a fun headphone and a true (if aging) reference headphone. I only need one set of full size cans, and I'd be happy to keep the X2. I'll be selling the SR125 and HD580 because I've found my keeper set of cans. Check the FS section for the listings. 
 
Update: Tried the X2 with Laptop --> Bifrost--> Millet Hybrid. The X2 scales really well. Sounds great with both tubes and solid state. My millet swings 8+ volts, which probably explains how the bass solidified vs. the Total Bithead. Imaging and separation improved as well, but that could be the DAC. I'm just happy I can hear the differences- I don't know why some people are calling the X2 mid-fi. It's clearly hi-fi to my ears.

Edit: Will report back here with Fidelio X2/Fiio X5 impressions when the X5 arrives. My X5 hasn't shipped yet, but I plan on using it to replace the Total Bithead as a USB amp/DAC with the added bonus of playing off the grid too. 

UPDATE!

I don't want to get lost in audiophile nonsense language here. The X5 HO is amazing- it's clarity and control are the best I've heard. Not for a portable. For anything. This is a dream combo. 

The story doesn't end there... I stacked the X5 with my PMHA. The X5 running a TTVJ Portable Hybrid with the X2s is insane.

The PMHA is sidegrade or even downgrade in some areas compared to the HO of the X5, for example, bass is noticeably flabby in comparison. I don't even care. There's way more of it. The realism that the tubes give is worth it. Call it midrange bloom, weight, bass slam, whatever. Doesn't matter what you call it, you just have to hear the difference on a suitable recording. I'm using an ALAC rip of Opeth's "Ghost of Perdition" from Ghost Reveries. It's perfect for this combo. It's brutal authority with glowing mids and effortless treble. This combo is worth its weight in gold. For the first time ever, I'm not sorry about my wallet.