[chicolom]

  Without going back 222 pages, has anyone swapped pads? I'm thinking J-money Beyer's or Alpha pads.
 
It looks like they are glued in, but I'm ready to rip away if anyone else has done it, I am not a pioneer modder I am a sheep modder.

 
Georgelai57 has messed with the pads:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/623013/new-philips-fidelio-x1/2835#post_9853208

 

[lou1s]

  Philips are easy to drive > go with them for use with the Sabre chip. They ought to compliment eachother (HT chico), however sticking a reasonably priced amp in the chain will definitely help as well.

 
Could I get by without the DAC with the X1's? I'm worried that the X1's will sound too muffled/muddy. I already have an amp to drive them.

 

[mrk]

come on, now you're just teasing with the custom setting.

If/When I do get this pair, I'll probably use my extra M-100 cable, as prescribed by Tyll.

Not sure what you mean hehe!

 

[richard612]

  BTW.. my X1's are taking a long time to burn in.... For me the effect seems real... and I'm sure it's not just my brain. My completely disinterested GF went wow a few hours ago compared to when I got them. Or.............. maybe she's just humouring me.

 
Confirming.  Mine were a hot mess out of the box.  "What did I just get myself into?" was my first impression.  After five days, bliss.

 

[dakanao]

   
Confirming.  Mine were a hot mess out of the box.  "What did I just get myself into?" was my first impression.  After five days, bliss.

How is the bass for rap/hiphop and dubstep? Some say it's weak, some say it's very strong?

 

[richard612]

  How is the bass for rap/hiphop and dubstep? Some say it's weak, some say it's very strong?

It's both.  I'm listening to breakbeat right now, in fact.
 
The graphs show a gentle low-end rolloff and I believe them.  With no EQ, the X1 bass is not pronounced.  I wouldn't say that it's deficient, just that it's not too exciting.  A basshead wouldn't like it, I don't think.  My V6 and 7506 are both better in this regard.
 
With some EQ, the bass is spectacular and brain-shaking.  I feel that it goes deeper than the V6 can manage and is much tighter and better controlled.  Even at high power levels it never goes flabby.  I'm very happy with it.
 
So if you're willing to EQ and push up the far low end by 4-5db, I think you'll be happy.  I also push down the 150-400Hz region a few db, FWIW.  So far, break-in has killed most of the upper bass hump but not all of it.  

 

[dakanao]

  It's both.  I'm listening to breakbeat right now, in fact.
 
The graphs show a gentle low-end rolloff and I believe them.  With no EQ, the X1 bass is not pronounced.  I wouldn't say that it's deficient, just that it's not too exciting.  A basshead wouldn't like it, I don't think.  My V6 and 7506 are both better in this regard.
 
With some EQ, the bass is spectacular and brain-shaking.  I feel that it goes deeper than the V6 can manage and is much tighter and better controlled.  Even at high power levels it never goes flabby.  I'm very happy with it.
 
So if you're willing to EQ and push up the far low end by 4-5db, I think you'll be happy.  I also push down the 150-400Hz region a few db, FWIW.  So far, break-in has killed most of the upper bass hump but not all of it.  

Well I like my lower midrange, so I'm probably only gonna bump the bass up lol.

 

[Alchemist007]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LTEUDO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1DCPNQKKEISZB
 
This is the mediabridge that was mentioned right? Just making sure because I'm not sure if "step down design" is something else entirely.

 

[AxelCloris]

Looking back through this thread, it seems that's the cable MLE used. I remembered the Mediabridge brand name being mentioned a couple times when MLE was talking about the replacement cable, and a quick search lead me to the original post.
 

Ordered the black Vmoda cable. Would've preferred the black and gray one, but it's sold out.

It's odd. The stock cable doesn't define instruments clearly the way my mediabridge cable does. The stock cable is a little too diffused sounding.

While I don't believe in cable-fi, the stock cable truly is slightly choking the X1's sound. Such a shame. The cable is GORGEOUS.

I don't expect the Vmoda cable to sound better than the Mediabridge one, but I like the cloth sleeve on it, and it's shorter.

 

 

[Alamei]

Can someone who's owned these for a while and put them through the ringer give their two cents on a ballpark for how long the earpads will last? The only thing that's stopping me from trying out the X1s is their lack of replaceable pads. I'm not confident enough in my skills to try extracting them from the glue and replacing them with non-stock pads like @georgelai57, so I'm interested in knowing how long the stock pads are likely to last.

 

[Gregory_WE]

To go along with the above, has anyone got word from Philips on whether you can send them your headphones for pad replacement, or will be able to do so in the near future? It's not ideal, but if after a few years I need to pay $50 for that service then I'm fine with it given the original cost of the headphones.

 

[Alamei]

  To go along with the above, has anyone got word from Philips on whether you can send them your headphones for pad replacement, or will be able to do so in the near future? It's not ideal, but if after a few years I need to pay $50 for that service then I'm fine with it given the original cost of the headphones.

A manufacturer repair service would certainly be a nice option to have, or even an "official" third-party repair service like Beyer offers in some locales. Barring that, I wonder if any enterprising head-fier with strong modding skills would be able to figure out a consistent replacement procedure for the pads and offer to service for the headphones for a fair price.

 

[georgelai57]

If Philips makes the pads available in the future, you will find that the pads just need to be pulled off and the new ones pushed back in. The glue is optional in my view as the studs are designed so that left and right pads are not interchangeable and there is only one way up for each pad. Headphones like Audeze are a lot more difficult to change earpads.

 

[retiredat21]

Hi guys. I hope someond here can help me.. im going to buy the fidelio and connect it with a xonar u3 but i read that this setup alone will mess up the sq due to impedance.. so i decided to connect a dac/amp combo in between.. i was just wondering which is better to connect with this setup.. the e7 or the e10? E17 is kinda out of the budget.. i hope someone can help me.. thanks!

 

[PTom]

There are quite a few people who have used the X1 with the E10, have a look at this: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/689313/dac-amp-for-fidelio-x1-ratings-and-recommendations-compilation-thread
 
I got myself an Audioquest Dragonfly for the X1 due to the huge price cut last month. Available in the US for around $99 and in the UK for £80. Sounds really good to my ears.