rcoolb2002
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 19, 2013
- Posts
- 35
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- 11
Yeah wow. And I was just looking for some plugs for an extension cable too!
I went straight from the line-out (green) on the SBZ > E09k.
The reason for this is because the SBZ's output impedance is at an oddly high 22ohms, despite Creative claiming it to be 10. I did a measurement and it did hover at 20ohms.
At 20 ohms, that I believe to be too high for the X1 as I regularly heard an imbalance in the bass. It drops and at times, distort at certain low frequencies.
People say the Xonar STX is a "good match" because the output impedance on it was 10ohms, typical of most Xonar audio solutions. But like many others has said in this forum, the general rule of the thumb is 1/8th as you already know. I personally feel that 10ohms as an output impedance is still reasonably okay like I explained in my previous post.
My only reservations:
1. The freaking glued on pads. I searched this thread for "pads" but I dont think I saw any posts where anyone was able to find a good substitute for the originals? Any input on this? Has anyone successfully replaced the pads with something from another manufacturer? I think I saw someone mention Beyer pads.
You can always put covers over the pads to keep them clean.
2. The input jack durability. I read on two reviews so far (pocketlint and headfonia) that there have been people mentioning breakage of the input jack. Anyone have this happen? Does the jack seem flimsy?
I can't say about the jack durability, but I imagine if you baby the headphones and are careful it will be alright. It doesn't feel flimsy or anything.
Some Questions:
Is the X1 mostly metal or plastic? I cant tell from reviews I've read. Looks like a mix of both, but I cant tell which piece is what.
It feels well built and has some metal (aluminium I think) on it. I wouldn't worry about it as it feels better than most headphones in this price range.
My girlfriend bought me the Schiit Magni as a gift The output impedance on this thing is supposedly less than 0.1ohms. This is awesome, yes? Would I still benefit from swapping the cable?
Swapping the cable certainly wouldn't hurt anything, and it's cheap to do (~$5-10 dollars).
Anyone use this with the V-Moda boom-mic cable?
I think I've seen some people mention they have used those together successfully.
Anyone find a nice matching stand for these headphones? If they end up being my main headphones, I'd like to keep em pretty on a stand lol.
I dunno. I keep mine in the box when not in use to keep them clean and dust-free.
Thanks!
You can always put covers over the pads to keep them clean.
I can't say about the jack durability, but I imagine if you baby the headphones and are careful it will be alright. It doesn't feel flimsy or anything.
It feels well built and has some metal (aluminium I think) on it. I wouldn't worry about it as it feels better than most headphones in this price range.
Yeaa, but ear pad covers would feel different and change the sound would they not?
Yeaa, but ear pad covers would feel different and change the sound would they not?
Even worse, from what I've seen, all ear pad covers have no hole in the middle, so the cover would be against my ear the entire time...
And every other headphone in this price range has replaceable pads.
And about the build quality, again its not like these are below $150 or even $200. I could get the K701/702 for the same price and those have nice build quality. My only reservation with those is that they have less bass, and the K701 has no removable cable.
But so far most impressions do seem good. And my only real reservation is the replaceable pads.
In reality, I dont think I'd ever destroy or need to replace them anyway. But its nice to know that I can, and headphones in this price range really should have the option..
My X1's are up for sale if anyone's interested in getting a pair:
These don't change the sound:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/623013/new-philips-fidelio-x1/2625#post_9790098
They feel slightly different, but not bad or anything.
No headphone is perfect and yes, the pad issue is a fail. I agree but there is a pic of someone that put Alpha pads on the headphone IIRC. He removed the stocker and put the Alpha over the ear cup. My kind go ingenuity. I did similar with my Pro900. It's all about getting creative and improving things.
My favorite saying to my friends is this - stock sucks. In anything. You should see my truck........
I take it the TH900s made them redundant/obsolete?
It would appear that the headphone amp on the Soundblaster Z and Zx both use the Maxim MAX97220A, but the ZxR uses the superior 80mw TI TPA6120. The ASUS Essence STX uses the very similar TPA6120A2.
Therefore, as you say about the STX being a "good match" with the X1 via the headphone out (albeit with a bit of colouration), would it be safe(ish) to assume the ZxR would behave similarly in this case?
Don't want to go to the additional expense of getting this $200 card and a $100 amp - may just go down the Titanium HD and amp route - might even try it out with my old very low impedance FiiO E5 first before getting a better amp.