[renugaid]

So got the Fidelio X1 in and had a bit of time to compare. Immediately notice they sounded darker. I did comparisons to the Lambskin and the Proteins and the X1 was darker than both. Not necessarily in a bad way, as despite being darker its fairly balanced. Bass on the X1 is plentiful for an open pair. But it feels less controlled than the Argons.

Soundstage had a different feeling to the Argon and I would almost say that the Argon has the better soundstage. The impact of the Argon bass is just pounding and so it has this magic that makes the other frequencies seem further away. I don't know what it is but the soundstage of the Argon is just different. I constantly find myself playing competitive games with it over my other pairs. There's just something positional about it that works better because of that bass. The Mk2 version is supposedly wider but haven't been able to confirm that for myself.

Not sure how different the X2 are, but I think I'd keep the Argon if I could only have 1 between them or the X1.

 

[HiFiRebel]

I've got X2's. I can compare them once I get my Argons.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I've got X2's. I can compare them once I get my Argons.

The X2 was very high on my list until I picked up my Argon...I still think I would like the X2, I just don't like having headphones that are too similar in terms of their sound signature/capabilities. I'm not a collector of headphones, I want specific tools for specific purposes. I don't like having a bunch of headphones that do the same thing. I look at my headphones the same way I look at my angle grinder, my skill saw and my impact drivers...
I only need one skill saw, and I only need one headphone with epic bass AND massive sound stage.
When I picked up the Argon, it made 2 or 3 of my other headphones redundant. I suspect that buying an X2 would be buying another redundant headphone...but, then again, if I could get one for $100 I would jump on it.

 

[HiFiRebel]

The X2 was very high on my list until I picked up my Argon...I still think I would like the X2, I just don't like having headphones that are too similar in terms of their sound signature/capabilities. I'm not a collector of headphones, I want specific tools for specific purposes. I don't like having a bunch of headphones that do the same thing. I look at my headphones the same way I look at my angle grinder, my skill saw and my impact drivers...
I only need one skill saw, and I only need one headphone with epic bass AND massive sound stage.
When I picked up the Argon, it made 2 or 3 of my other headphones redundant. I suspect that buying an X2 would be buying another redundant headphone...but, then again, if I could get one for $100 I would jump on it.

X2 are very good. I paid £150 for mines and I think they are worth it. Having said that, I hope Argons bass is better not that X2 bass is poor, but I like my bass

 

[HiFiRebel]

Getting ready

 

[HiFiRebel]

 

[pngpng]

I have had the Argon for a week now, and the Dekoni Blue for a few days. They are similar in some ways, for example, the bass is close in quality and quantity. (Argon wins, of course, but it's close).
What I am finding more interesting is how they are different. The soundstage on the Argon is clearly much larger, but sometimes it is hard to get a handle on what that means. Defining soundstage is sometimes elusive and difficult to put a fine point on....but the difference on this particular track was pretty striking.
Around the 1:15 mark Lou Reed sings, "and the colored girls go, 'do, do-do,do, do-do'..." then female vocals fade in singing the same refrain.
On the Dekonis it sounds like the volume is slowing rising on the vocals and the voices are getting closer. With the Argons that same moment sounds like they start out very far away and their voices rise in volume because they are moving closer. With the Dekonis, the 'colored girls' seem to be covering a shorter distance, versus how the Argon presents the sound

I've had the argons for about a week now. I tried that track you posted and it's exactly as you said. You can hear the voices come from away and then right up to your ear. It was really impressive and incredibly novel coming from a more intimate soundstage like the he400i. I actually felt a bit tickled by it.

The argons do some amazing things with the soundstage. Echos that used to feel like delayed feedback now have a physicality to them. They actually sound like an echo in some space. Another surprise I had was listening to Massive Attack's Angel. Starting ~20 seconds, there's a subtle tick sound that goes along with the kick drum. When I heard that ticking sound I immediately thought of turning down my sub because the top of my window blind was rattling. That's how convincing the soundstage was for me. There was a verticality to the sound that I wasn't expecting. The argons don't make every song become a totally new experience, but once in a while there's something special happening with them.

 

[kukkurovaca]

On the more compact side of Argon amplification:


I recently picked up a used RSA SR-71A. Happily powers the Argons on low gain. : )

 

[HiFiRebel]

BTW how are the Argons for outside use?

 

[kukkurovaca]

BTW how are the Argons for outside use?

Sound-wise, good. But they’re bulky and with the inner band the have a relatively light clamping force. So they’ll tend to slide around if you’re wearing them while walking around.

 

[filo9s]

BTW how are the Argons for outside use?

if you don't bother that these are probably one of the biggest headphone around, and has a style that is far away from what a non-audiophile would consider nice, well they are very good and has a nice isolation both inwards and outwards.
i've tried them in train and if it were not for the fact that i looked dumb, i would have kept them for the entire travel.

 

[pngpng]

Sound-wise, good. But they’re bulky and with the inner band the have a relatively light clamping force. So they’ll tend to slide around if you’re wearing them while walking around.

I agree, they're pretty bulky for outdoor use. However, the clamping for is adjustable. Just involves some bending of the headband. I found it helped with sealing.

 

[HiFiRebel]

Thanks guys. Not that I plan to be taking them outside often, but it might happen so I was curious what are your thoughts. Oh and I'm passed the point where I care what others think, so them being bulky is not a problem for me. Too old to care

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Thanks guys. Not that I plan to be taking them outside often, but it might happen so I was curious what are your thoughts. Oh and I'm passed the point where I care what others think, so them being bulky is not a problem for me. Too old to care

They aren't the most practical outside because of the size and weight. As far as the looks, you are correct to not care what others think, but in addition to that, they aren't that crazy big or odd looking, and at least where I live, people wearing ginormous/weird/bulky/flashy headphones isn't unusual. Nobody is going to look twice at you in them.

 

[kukkurovaca]

I think if I was going to use mine outside regularly, I would swap out the suspension band for a ZMF pilot pad. I definitely remember the stock T50RP being more wear-outside-able, and I think the single band is part of the reason. For outside use I generally go for my B&O H6 or IEMs though.