[ruffra]

Quote:

 
 
I think I might end up keeping the Titanium HD but will probably switch out the Magni for something else. Does anyone have any alternative recommendations of a low impedance amp which sounds similar to the Magni and O2 and has both a headphone out and line out? I'm willing to pay up to 3x the price of the Magni which is about $300.

 
The Musical Fidelity Xcan V8 is a great match with the X1's  Thats all I listen to now !!!   The Beyerdynamic T1 with SPL Auditor sits gathering dust.
I did try the Matrix M stage Amp but it is more suited to the Senn HD650 in my opinion.  Possibly the Musical Fidelity M1 HPA would be a good fit but that's more expensive.
MF Xcan v8's seem to be coming up more regularly on EBay in the UK now, so you might get one around your budget.
 
Don't forget to change the Cable!!! Can't speak too highly of the Toxic*Cable now fitted. Really detailed sound throughout the audio spectrum and no hardness in any aspect  apart from where natural in the recording. A great fit for the X1's basic characteristics. You can hear right through to rest of the system and recording ,which can give its own problems if you have a weak link somewhere.
However I do find the X1's are still a little tight on my head/ears in comparison with some other phones but I am willing to put up with that for the pure enjoyment I am getting from the listening experience !!!

 

[HolyCheese]

Is it me or do these headphones sound a bit like the music is coming from behind. Wait let me draw it out.
 
Okay, please don't say anything about my mspaint skills.
 
 
Imagine the red circle is your head and you look at it from above. The top of the picture is before you. The front. This is what it somewhat sounds like to me. The closer the black line to the head the more the music seems to come from there. This is just a quick sketch. But as you can see I feel as if there doesn't really come alot of music from the front left and right but there is right in front of me and from the side. But what's coming from the side seems te be a tad behind me. It's really vague to describe. 
 
This isn't a bad thing at all. Just something I have to get used to.
 

 
Okay when listening to this track: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-4wUfZD6oc
Everything comes from the front. Really strange how they can 'mix' this into music. In this track I don't hear the music coming from behind. Personally I like that a lil bit more since my hd518 had that too. But that's just getting used to these cans I think. And the fact that I like these headphones is a prety big thing on it's own because so far the only competition for the hd518 were the hd600 en 650's and I've heard ALOT of cans. Soundstage is the most important thing for me. Except that it shouldn't be sibilant. Those two things are the most important and this headphone did it.
 
Anyway. My original question was whether anyone recognized this.

 

[cib24]

I can't say I have ever heard this. Perhaps you don't have the headphones fitted correctly on your head sometimes? To me it always sounds like I'm right in the front row with a select few recordings sounding like I'm standing in the center of the music (music is not in front but coming from the sides). I've never felt like it was coming from behind me unless the recording purposely makes it that way when someone knocks on a door or is walking from left to right, etc.

 

[Salvatore]

@cib24 Could you please do K702 anniversary vs X1 comparison when your annies arrive. I would really appreciate this because I've been considering of getting the X1s for movies.

 

[smellyfungus]

@cib24 Could you please do K702 anniversary vs X1 comparison when your annies arrive. I would really appreciate this because I've been considering of getting the X1s for movies.

I'd be very interested too. was waiting for the x1 before I decided to go for the Annie's. very much liking the look of the x1. might just be the girls wearing em though.

 

[HolyCheese]

The X1 and K702 are extremely different headphones. You can't even compare these two.  This is like comparing coffee to milk. The only way to find out which one you prefer is to listen to these (or similar) headphones. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

How different? In what aspects?

 

[HolyCheese]

Well AKG's cans are very bright sounding while the x1's are very warm.
This is just a matter of personal preference. I personally can't stand AKG and similar bright cans. But that's just what you like and what your ears prefer, there is no way you can find that out just by a description. It took me alot of listens and two very wrong purchases to find that out. I came from the hd518, very warm sounding, like the hd650. And reading the description of the ath m50 I tought that would be a good choice. Defenitely not. Those were one of the worst heaphones I have listened to. Except for the Grado GS1000, (while I like the ps500/rs2i)
 
Don't pin me down on this since I didn't own the AKG K702, I've only had brief listening sessions with them. But I have owned the K550. (which I despised too) Going back from the K550's to the hd518 is a very big downgrade but it made me enjoy music again. This is just something you have to find out yourself  
 
For me, the X1 is like a warm and lovely Spanish coffee, refined and just lovely. Bright sounding cans (like the k702) is more like a shot of vodka. Way too strong for my taste.
But for others the X1 might be something gross and the shot of vodka is just lovely.
 
 
I hope that I make some sence there. It's very hard to describe sound.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'm referring to the K702 Anniversary which is what they were asking you to compare and doesn't sound like anything that you're referring to.

The Anniversary is QUITE warm. Considerably warmer than the cold, and dry K701, and warmer than the Q701.

The Anniversary is like the superhuman child of the HD650 and Q701.

 

[HolyCheese]

Aah I did not know that, I'm very sorry. I have no experience with the anniversary edition but the fact that it's warm makes it pretty interesting. 

 

[lesliejazz]

Can anyone comment on how the X1's compare to the HiFiman HE-400's?

 

[attika89]

Quote:

Can anyone comment on how the X1's compare to the HiFiman HE-400's?

Please use the search function first. It has been mentioned before...

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

Can anyone comment on how the X1's compare to the HiFiman HE-400's?

Posts 648 and 651 are a good place to start.

 

[cib24]

Quote:

I'd be very interested too. was waiting for the x1 before I decided to go for the Annie's. very much liking the look of the x1. might just be the girls wearing em though.

Yes, once I receive the AKG's I will definitely be doing a comprehensive review. It will include a comparison of the Philips Fidelio X1, AKG K702 65th Anniversary, and Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 250 Ohm. I will also re-look back into the Creative Titanium HD and ASUS Xonar Essence ST for music, movies and games with all three headphones. And, I will hopefully have one more amp to compare to the Magni soon, but I'm really going to need help on the amp front.
 
I was recommended by ruffra the Musical Fidelity X-Can V8 but it is a tube or tube/hybrid amp and I'm not sure that I want an amp which will colour the sound. But the real problem with this amp is the fact that there are absolutely none available on Ebay or anywhere in the UK from my Google searching so it's out of the question anyway. When I think of an amp, I think of one which merely amplifies the sound and doesn't mess with anything else, letting the headphone sound as it is supposed to. The Magni is pretty damn clean and doesn't actually change the sound much if at all, but it's just too powerful for the low impedance X1's. I don't like the fact that when I barely increase the volume on the amp that the sound increases by a whole hell of a lot. I really need some recommendations for a new amp. I'm willing to spend about $300 and I would prefer to have a headphone out and line out on the amp but if I can only get a headphone out then that is alright I suppose.
 
The AKG's will probably arrive in about 3 weeks considering I purchased them in the USA and shipped them to my house in the States. Then, I will need to have them packaged and shipped to the UK to my place over here for me to test them.

 

[raybanner]

i just love my X1. i can listen to a various genres with this beauties. exactly the headphone i was looking for