[dfuse]

Hey guys, a few weeks ago I set out to buy a new headset/headphones for gaming, somehow stumbled upon this forum and kept reading reading and reading even though I probably only understand 10% of what people are saying here as I am a complete utter audio noob I didn't even know headphones could sound so different or be so expensive.
My mind is made up, I'm gonna buy this Fidelio X1! The most expensive headphone I own is a Sennheiser HD-205, so this is going to be a big step up! 
 
The only thing I'm not sure about is what to buy as soundcard/dac/amp, I have read so much in this thread and others, but there is too much choice and I don't know enough about this stuff :/
 
So I'd like some advice...here is my situation:
* just build a new mini-itx pc, so I don't have room for an internal sound card, the onboard one is a Realtek® ALC892, with DTS Ultra PCII, DTS Connect and Optical S/PDIF (don't know if this relevant).
* I do not care about competitive gaming, I just want to be immersed into my game, that's why I decided upon this headphone.
* I did read that Dolby Headpone works great with these headphones? So I guess I need that too
* (Virtual) Surround sound is not a must, but if someone says it sounds great then why not
* Opinions seem to be divided about wether an amp is needed or not, but I did notice some gamers here saying they noticed an improvement
 
The brands/devices that seemed to pop up the most here are the Magni/Modi stack, AudioEngine D1 and the FiiO E10/E17. However, I think these are all more targeted towards listening music and don't have that Dolby stuff, right?
I was thinkening (I may be dead wrong but that's why I'm asking here) that I'm better off looking at devices like the Sound Blaster E5, X-Fi HD, ASus Xonar U7, ..? Are these going to do these headphones justice? Do I need something extra/else?
 
I also read I may or may not have to buy a different cable
Last thing, I read it somewhere here but can't find it anymore, that these cans (picking up some lingo here ) are rather small? I measured from earlobe to earlobe around my head, 42cm. If I remember right, someone said 44cm is the max so I should be ok?
 
I apologize for the lengthy post but after reading so much here my head is stuffed with nothing but questions.

 

[Midgetguy]

  Hey guys, a few weeks ago I set out to buy a new headset/headphones for gaming, somehow stumbled upon this forum and kept reading reading and reading even though I probably only understand 10% of what people are saying here as I am a complete utter audio noob I didn't even know headphones could sound so different or be so expensive.
My mind is made up, I'm gonna buy this Fidelio X1! The most expensive headphone I own is a Sennheiser HD-205, so this is going to be a big step up! 
 
The only thing I'm not sure about is what to buy as soundcard/dac/amp, I have read so much in this thread and others, but there is too much choice and I don't know enough about this stuff :/
 
So I'd like some advice...here is my situation:
* just build a new mini-itx pc, so I don't have room for an internal sound card, the onboard one is a Realtek® ALC892, with DTS Ultra PCII, DTS Connect and Optical S/PDIF (don't know if this relevant).
* I do not care about competitive gaming, I just want to be immersed into my game, that's why I decided upon this headphone.
* I did read that Dolby Headpone works great with these headphones? So I guess I need that too
* (Virtual) Surround sound is not a must, but if someone says it sounds great then why not
* Opinions seem to be divided about wether an amp is needed or not, but I did notice some gamers here saying they noticed an improvement
 
The brands/devices that seemed to pop up the most here are the Magni/Modi stack, AudioEngine D1 and the FiiO E10/E17. However, I think these are all more targeted towards listening music and don't have that Dolby stuff, right?
I was thinkening (I may be dead wrong but that's why I'm asking here) that I'm better off looking at devices like the Sound Blaster E5, X-Fi HD, ASus Xonar U7, ..? Are these going to do these headphones justice? Do I need something extra/else?
 
I also read I may or may not have to buy a different cable
Last thing, I read it somewhere here but can't find it anymore, that these cans (picking up some lingo here ) are rather small? I measured from earlobe to earlobe around my head, 42cm. If I remember right, someone said 44cm is the max so I should be ok?
 
I apologize for the lengthy post but after reading so much here my head is stuffed with nothing but questions.

1. Dolby is a different sound compression tech I think, but my belief is that if the details are encoded in the audio files, things like marketing Dolby Digital is useless. It's just my belief, others may think/know differently. I don't claim to be the most knowledgeable on these subject matters, I just enjoy my music

. And yes I do game and I don't have any problems with that either.
 
2. Magni/Modi stack is universally a well-regarded setup for pretty much any headphone so it's a great place to start. Doesn't have Dolby whatever as a marketing point, but again, refer to point #1. These headphones will immerse you in your games regardless of this stuff as far as I'm concerned.
 
3. A different cable does actually help for once. I'm usually in the camp that can't hear a difference with a nicer cable, but in this case, there actually was a difference I could hear. From what other members have attested, simply the
 
4. I would say these fit the average head fine. I'm not sure how exactly to qualify average since I don't have a measurement of my own head, but I like to think mine's of average size and the X1 fits fine.
 
Finally, welcome to Head-Fi! Sorry about your wallet

 

[dfuse]

Thank you for the reply.
Apparently I didn't read enough because when I wanted to order the X1 I discovered it is discontinued. However, the X2 seems to fit my needs just as well, has replaceable earpads and a better cable.
Still gonna some research some more about the dac/amp, magni/modi stack is a contender though.

 

[MarcelE]

Both the X1 and X2 are low impedance headphones and you can drive them easily
from your laptop, smartphone, tablet etc.
For the best quality an amp/dac combi is preferable, but not necessary immediately.

 

[iwing88]

hi i am looking for a reasonable dac/amp, source from pc,  looking at asus xonar stx/fiio/ibasso....
not sure which one to get for my x1.
help....

 

[dfuse]

Thanks, yes I understood that already. But since I do want the Dolby features for gaming I think I'm going the external soundcard route (found some more gaming oriented threads here), and most of those already have a better dac and amp then mobo so can't go wrong there I guess.

 

[Avalon2060]

  hi i am looking for a reasonable dac/amp, source from pc,  looking at asus xonar stx/fiio/ibasso....
not sure which one to get for my x1.
help....

If you're looking for a reasonably priced amp that makes a very good pairing with the X1, I can recommend the Fiio E09k.   I  use this amp with a variety of low impedance headphones including the X1. In the comments section following the review of the X1, the E09k was recommended by Mike a reviewer at Headfonia. 
 
http://www.headfonia.com/the-fidelio-x1-by-philips/

 

[iwing88]

If you're looking for a reasonably priced amp that makes a very good pairing with the X1, I can recommend the Fiio E09k.   I  use this amp with a variety of low impedance headphones including the X1. In the comments section following the review of the X1, the E09k was recommended by Mike a reviewer at Headfonia. 

http://www.headfonia.com/the-fidelio-x1-by-philips/

Thanks. It's better then the Asus xonar essence Stx sound card?

 

[eac3]

  Thank you for the reply.
Apparently I didn't read enough because when I wanted to order the X1 I discovered it is discontinued. However, the X2 seems to fit my needs just as well, has replaceable earpads and a better cable.
 

 
Last time I checked, you couldn't freely purchase replaceable earpads for the X2.....even directly from Philips! So that point is moot. Maybe that will change but how long has the X2's been out?
 
I also wouldn't be surprised if you end up purchasing a third party cable due to the stock cable having a distance of 12-15ft long (I am guessing here)?
 
I have been trying to find in writing, the X1 being discontinued on Philips website (maybe their global site?) but I couldn't come up with anything. http://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/X1_28/fidelio-hifi-stereo-headphones
You can still purchase new on Amazon. However, the X2's just dropped in price so I wouldn't purchase the X1 new from Amazon unless they have another $180 or less lightning deal. Otherwise, I would purchase second hand and come out ahead with $100+ savings to go towards whatever you decide on a DAC/AMP combo

 

[dfuse]

I saw it on every online shop (discontinued by manufacturer), couldn't find a shop in Europe either that still had some. 
I did find them on amazon, but amazon.com, so US. (I'm in Europe)
I try to avoid buying electronic stuff second hand...I'm not a trusting person
 
Edit: on amazon.com they come about 100€ cheaper than the X2 in europe, so I tried to buy them but after converting to €, shipping costs and custom fees, I almost arrived at 300€...which are what the X2's cost

 

[Avalon2060]

Thanks. It's better then the Asus xonar essence Stx sound card?

 
Sorry, no experience with sound cards. I use my computers original dac. 

 

[iwing88]

Sorry, no experience with sound cards. I use my computers original dac. 

Ok thanks man

 

[Midgetguy]

  I saw it on every online shop (discontinued by manufacturer), couldn't find a shop in Europe either that still had some. 
I did find them on amazon, but amazon.com, so US. (I'm in Europe)
I try to avoid buying electronic stuff second hand...I'm not a trusting person
 
Edit: on amazon.com they come about 100€ cheaper than the X2 in europe, so I tried to buy them but after converting to €, shipping costs and custom fees, I almost arrived at 300€...which are what the X2's cost

You really should check out the FS/FT forum. I've dealt with many here and it's a great experience. You get to see exactly what condition the products are in from photos and unless stated, they're in working order. I've seen X1s on the forums here for like $140 USD, so even with international shipping, it would be what, like $200-$220ish? That's still loads cheaper than you buying something in Europe. Also, as @eac3 stated, the stock cable is quite long. 3m is usually what I run into with headphones that come with long stock cables. Way to long for my needs, I usually end up buying like a 1.2m cable to use.

 

[dfuse]

The X2 has been ordered..with a FiiO E10K. I forgot to tell I'm buying this with my company, so need an invoice and second hand is not feasible.
3m is indeed too long, but there is a cable management clip included so I guess that'll solve that problem.

 

[Midgetguy]

  The X2 has been ordered..with a FiiO E10K. I forgot to tell I'm buying this with my company, so need an invoice and second hand is not feasible.
3m is indeed too long, but there is a cable management clip included so I guess that'll solve that problem.

Technically solves the problem, but I just hate having a bundle on my cables. Good that you made a decision though!