[ozyx]

Hello,

2 years ago I was thinking to buy the X2, but I didn't due to the price. I recently bought the Sony MDR-1A and I am quite happy with the results.

Now the X2 is on offer (€140) and I am trying to decide if I should get it. Is the X2 significantly better from the MDR-1A?

 

[cossix]

It depends on what you need it for. Although I would label it as "better", that may not be the case for everyone.

The X2 is open-backed and the 1A is not. If you live somewhere noisy or have people around when you use the headphones, the closed 1A would be better for that situation.

For gaming, the X2 is much better because of its wide soundstage. It has a massive advantage in positional cues because of its design and will make the game sound more immersive.

The build quality of the X2 is also better; one of the best built cans I've seen in a while. The 1A felt a bit cheap to me. It looked nice, but felt like it was going to break if I looked at it wrong.

In terms of sound, the 1A isn't great to my ears. It has too much bass that isn't very tight. It sounds like a slightly better version of a Beats headphone to me. The bass is very muddy and bleeds into the mids which doesn't do the headphone any favors.

If you need a headphone for gaming or want to get into open-backed cans to try something new, definitely pick up the X2 if it's on sale!

 

[ozyx]

Thanks. I am not a gamer and where I live it is not very noisy* nor there are any people around when I use the headphones.

* There is still some noise from the air-condition and the fans of my computer (which can get somewhat loud sometimes), would that be a problem for the X2?

 

[cossix]

Thanks. I am not a gamer and where I live it is not very noisy* nor there are any people around when I use the headphones.

* There is still some noise from the air-condition and the fans of my computer (which can get somewhat loud sometimes), would that be a problem for the X2?

I own a few open-backed cans (in my signature down below) and I've never been bothered by case fans or my central air conditioning, so I think you'll be fine. It's mostly just annoying when people are in the same room talking and whatnot but I'm never really in that situation.

The other good thing about the X2 is that it doesn't need an amp to run well. I'd assume amping it and adding a nice dac will help a good bit but they are by no means necessary to get good sound from the X2