[Slater]

I just scored a Philips A5 Pro for $60 shipped!

Looking forward to hearing them.

 

[Lurk650]

I just scored a Philips A5 Pro for $60 shipped!

Looking forward to hearing them.

Wow! From where?

 

[Slater]

Wow! From where?

 
eBay, complete with box & all accessories. Supposedly excellent condition, except wiring on 1 driver needs resoldered so he was selling 'as-is'. Asking $100, & I offered $60. Repair should be simple.
 
I need another pair of headphones like I need a hole in the head, but I really like Philips & I've been dying to try out the A5 Pro and Fidelio X2 for a while now.
 
I've been looking for a deal on an X2 for a few years now with no luck. Hopefully something will pop up soon.

 

[Pharmaboy]

   
eBay, complete with box & all accessories. Supposedly excellent condition, except wiring on 1 driver needs resoldered so he was selling 'as-is'. Asking $100, & I offered $60. Repair should be simple.
 
I need another pair of headphones like I need a hole in the head, but I really like Philips & I've been dying to try out the A5 Pro and Fidelio X2 for a while now.
 
I've been looking for a deal on an X2 for a few years now with no luck. Hopefully something will pop up soon.

 
I know a solid/trustworthy Head-Fi'er w/a pair of X2's F.S. ($160). I own the X2's (love them!) and regard that as a pretty good deal.
 
(BTW, he doesn't even know I'm mentioning this)
 
Just search "Philips Fidelio X2 Headphones - Price Drop" in the F.S. Headphones forum & you'll see it.

 

[Lurk650]

I wonder how much better the X2 are over the 9500S

 

[Pharmaboy]

I wonder how much better the X2 are over the 9500S

 
You & me both!
 
At the risk of hijacking this thread (which I enjoy a lot), a brief Fidelio X2 story:

1. The X2's were my first serious, high-quality headphone. They were immediately wonderful for me.
2. When I got my 1st serious amp (Lake People G109-A) & plugged in the X2's, it was one of the best audio experiences in 35+ years...bliss.
3. But in past 1.5 yrs, I've gotten other headphones, incl 2 discussed here (Yenona's; Marantz MPH-2's) + a real endgame pair, the ZMF Omni/Ori. Also 4-5 other amps, several also endgame. I kind of lost touch w/the X2's.
4. The other night, while burning in my newest amp, the Cavalli Liquid Carbon (mfr recommends 150 hr burn-in...I check periodically to see if it's OK)--I decided to peek on on the LC w/the X2's
   1. I had no expectation this would sound good, or even 1/2-way OK: the X2's are warm, bassy, expansive, good soundstaging--and so is the LC. I figured it would be a wave of sweet/thick sound
5. Plugged the X2's into the LC, and OMIGOD, got some of the best sound of my life. I can't describe how big, impactful, and wonderful that combination sounds.

 
I was so blown away that I did something foolish--cranked the volume way higher than usual (I have bad tinnitus; loud volume causes it to "flare")...it sounded so fine, even very loud. Pure pleasure (ears still ringing like church bells).
 
Punchline: the X2's "scale" like crazy. I'm in love with them all over again...

 

[peter123]

I wonder how much better the X2 are over the 9500S

I've only compared the two once in a store but at that time I found the X2's to be on a different level. It definitely has a fuller sound with much better bass impact, it's also considerably better built (material wise).

Also: the best pairing I've ever heard with the is the Burson V2+ so given the family resemblance between your Air and the V2+ it'll probably be an excellent match.....

 

[mysacisanorange]

Q

 

[Lurk650]

I've only compared the two once in a store but at that time I found the X2's to be on a different level. It definitely has a fuller sound with much better bass impact, it's also considerably better built (material wise).

Also: the best pairing I've ever heard with the is the Burson V2+ so given the family resemblance between your Air and the V2+ it'll probably be an excellent match.....

Dammit Peter, now you got me browsing eBay

 

[Slater]

They are the Sony MDR 10RBT's. Originally 40mm drivers. I'm not exactly a bass head, but I do like slightly elevated bass with an overall neutral sound signature.

I don't know exactly how I'd even remove the driver from the casing. It's put in very weird

 
Usually they're glued in with a thin layer of glue. If you don't care about destroying the stock drivers, it will be infinitely easier. You can also use an xacto to CAREFULLY cut the glue. The trick with the xacto is to only cut the glue and NOT the plastic frame holding the driver.
 
As far as a new driver, if you want the same drivers, you can get OEM replacement parts from Sony: https://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-accessories.pl?mdl=MDR10RBT
 
The advantage with that is you would only have to replace the 1 bad driver. It also has a CCAW voice coil, which is an above-average feature. I see from the exploded diagram how weirdly mounted the stock driver is. They obviously got it installed somehow, so you'll just have to take a look and try and figure it out. It may not even be glued in.
 
Because it's mounted so oddly, you may want to try and stick with the OEM replacement part, especially if you've never modded a headphone before.
 
The stock driver is 40ohms, so you want to try and match that with whatever you choose. I wouldn't go with anything less than 32ohms or any more than 50ohms. Ask the seller for impedance specifications before you buy.
 
So if you want to change to a different driver (and you prefer a neutral sound), I've had good luck transplanting the legendary Koss KSC75 drivers into other headphones. You have to cut them apart using a Dremel, and there's an integrated rear frame that you have to preserve as part of the driver. The overall size once you get it all cut down with the Dremel is 40ish mm or so (might be 1-3mm larger depending on how well you shave it down with the Dremel). The price for the KSD75 are only about $15 for genuine ones (Anything you see for $5-$8 is almost guaranteed fake BTW). I'd strongly recommend you get them sold/fulfilled by Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KSC75-Portable-Stereophone-Headphones/dp/B0006B486K).
 
3 other excellent drivers are:
 
1. This triple diaphragm driver from aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Perfect-sound-quality-Three-diaphragm-unit-40mm-speaker-unit/923848_32299109199.html
2. This hybrid wool bio-fiber driver from aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/40mm-speaker-unit-wool-pots-earphone-unit/923848_32258256034.html
3. This carbon nanotube driver from aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Top-HD-Carbon-diaphragm-unit-40MM-DIY-headphone-speaker-unit-Bass-artifact/32299546659.html
 
You can fine tune the amount of bass on all 3 of the above drivers by covering some or all of the hole in the center of the magnet with some masking tape, modeling clay, or bluetac. The more of the hole you cover, the more the bass will be reduced.
 
Also, besides impedance, you'll need to keep an eye on driver thickness and magnet size. Some drivers are deeper (thicker) than others, and since it's a wireless headphone there's batteries and circuit boards crammed in the cups that you'll have to contend with. Just make sure if you get something non-OEM, to make sure it's the same thicknesss or less as the stock driver or there's a risk it won't fit. Ask the seller for dimensions before you buy.
 
Finally, when soldering the new drivers, be VERY fast with the iron, and use the minimum heat necessary. Apply the soldering iron for no more than 1 second, or you risk damaging the driver.
 
Good luck, and let us know how everything works out.

 

[jux Tpose]

Isn't it a good practice to always replace both drivers, or is that only for hi fi speaker pairs?

 

[mysacisanorange]

Usually they're glued in with a thin layer of glue. If you don't care about destroying the stock drivers, it will be infinitely easier. You can also use an xacto to CAREFULLY cut the glue. The trick with the xacto is to only cut the glue and NOT the plastic frame holding the driver.

As far as a new driver, if you want the same drivers, you can get OEM replacement parts from Sony: https://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-accessories.pl?mdl=MDR10RBT

The advantage with that is you would only have to replace the 1 bad driver. It also has a CCAW voice coil, which is an above-average feature. I see from the exploded diagram how weirdly mounted the stock driver is. They obviously got it installed somehow, so you'll just have to take a look and try and figure it out. It may not even be glued in.

Because it's mounted so oddly, you may want to try and stick with the OEM replacement part, especially if you've never modded a headphone before.

The stock driver is 40ohms, so you want to try and match that with whatever you choose. I wouldn't go with anything less than 32ohms or any more than 50ohms. Ask the seller for impedance specifications before you buy.

So if you want to change to a different driver (and you prefer a neutral sound), I've had good luck transplanting the legendary Koss KSC75 drivers into other headphones. You have to cut them apart using a Dremel, and there's an integrated rear frame that you have to preserve as part of the driver. The overall size once you get it all cut down with the Dremel is 40ish mm or so (might be 1-3mm larger depending on how well you shave it down with the Dremel). The price for the KSD75 are only about $15 for genuine ones (Anything you see for $5-$8 is almost guaranteed fake BTW). I'd strongly recommend you get them sold/fulfilled by Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KSC75-Portable-Stereophone-Headphones/dp/B0006B486K).

3 other excellent drivers are:

1. This triple diaphragm driver from aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...nit-40mm-speaker-unit/923848_32299109199.html
2. This hybrid wool bio-fiber driver from aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...ol-pots-earphone-unit/923848_32258256034.html
3. This carbon nanotube driver from aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Top...e-speaker-unit-Bass-artifact/32299546659.html

You can fine tune the amount of bass on all 3 of the above drivers by covering some or all of the hole in the center of the magnet with some masking tape, modeling clay, or bluetac. The more of the hole you cover, the more the bass will be reduced.

Also, besides impedance, you'll need to keep an eye on driver thickness and magnet size. Some drivers are deeper (thicker) than others, and since it's a wireless headphone there's batteries and circuit boards crammed in the cups that you'll have to contend with. Just make sure if you get something non-OEM, to make sure it's the same thicknesss or less as the stock driver or there's a risk it won't fit. Ask the seller for dimensions before you buy.

Finally, when soldering the new drivers, be VERY fast with the iron, and use the minimum heat necessary. Apply the soldering iron for no more than 1 second, or you risk damaging the driver.

Good luck, and let us know how everything works out.

 

[Slater]

Sounds great. I was looking at the philps citiscape uptown drivers on aliexpress. They have a big plastic ring around the drivers, which I could probably drill the mounting holes onto, for a secure fit, and the large rings could act as a lip for the pads to go onto (as the pads require glue I think to be mounted). I doubt I could get normal 40mm drivers in. Also, the stock drivers sound pretty awful.

Can you elaborate on the sound signatures of the three drivers you posted? They look interesting

 
I own a few KSC75, and have transplanted them into other headphones for various projects. They are neutral, warm, and very clean sounding. There's a truckload of reviews on HeadFi you can check out to get a better idea of their sound.
 
As far as the aliexpress drivers, I don't personally own any of the ones I listed.
 
I have however heard the carbon nanotube driver in a friend's build. It has strong bass, and excellent treble extension. You can see this from the frequency graph posted by the seller. There are a number of very popular and highly rated JVC headphones that use 40mm carbon nanotube drivers, and it's very possible that these are the exact drivers used. Not many manufacturers use carbon nanotube drivers due to the expense; so their rarity makes it easy to identify the OEM applications where they are used.
 
On the bio-fiber driver, it is reported to be the same driver as found in the Meizu HD50 (of which I own 4 pairs). It is fairly neutral, with rich mids and a slight bass forward sound. Same deal as the carbon nanotube drivers - hybrid bio-fiber drivers are very rare among manufacturers, which makes it easier to identify the OEM applications. Again, there's a few reviews of the HD50 on HeadFi to read more about their sound.
 
The triple diaphragm is one of the best sellers amongst a number of similar aliexpress sellers. While I haven't heard that exact driver, triple diaphragms in general are usually very responsive due to the diaphragm being effectively so stiff. This usually translates to powerful bass, and is why manufacturers coat diaphragms in titanium and beryllium. A lot of high end headphones have triple diaphragm drivers, and there is significant additional cost in the manufacture process due to the extra diaphragms.
 
If you obtained frequency graphs from the sellers on the bio-fiber and triple diaphragm drivers, they will tell a more complete story about their sound signature.
 
Without seeing the frequency graphs, if I had to pick ONE to try, I would get the triple diaphragms. I know as soon any of my 40mm drivers die, that's what drivers I plan to get (especially since I already have a ton of the HD50 bio-fiber drivers).
 
I even bought 40mm to 50mm adpater rings in anticipation, which will allow me to use the 40mm drivers in my headphones that came stock with 50mm drivers.

 

[GirgleMirt]

Those drivers look super interesting, the triple look especially nice with their smooth curve!  How is the sound vs mainstream headphones?  And there's so many of them... That with 3d printing could become an expensive hobby!!!   Is there some online resource who tests those drivers, of have plans, guides, etc., for them?  There's a 99$ be driver without any measurement, most drivers don't even have any text on them, nor even any mention of their brand (GNSENSE) /model?
 
Quote:

Isn't it a good practice to always replace both drivers, or is that only for hi fi speaker pairs?

It depends...  Sometimes the design/manufacturing/materials can change slightly during the years and the new replacement driver might be slightly different.  Sometimes design does not change at all, but every driver is slightly different and some do match them, i guess the tighter the tolerance the least important this becomes.  FWIW, if it's an old pair I'd probably replace both, as one of the most important factor in sound is placebo, if you're at all anal about any of this might as well not risk it, placebo can have incredible detrimental/beneficial effect on sound!

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I have been watching the A5 Pro on Groupon for a while now. November of last year they went on sale for $80.00 for a couple of weeks. The only reason I didn't pull the trigger was I had literally bought the Fidelio l2s a few days before these went on sale....I would watch for them to drop in price on Groupon.