Philips Fidelio & 500 dollars to burn
Apr 6, 2014 at 5:31 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
RadiatedAnt

RadiatedAnt

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I'm looking for a fun sounding headphone. The philips Fidelio x1 seems to have this covered, paired with a Fiio e18 Kunlun amp/dac and an Oyaide re-cable seems like a good setup for me. This portable setup is just under 500 dollars total. Can someone make a recommendation on a better headphone or setup? I listen to Trip.hop, Future.Music, Neo.Jazz and just about anything but Country. I'm a big fan of sub bass and a detailed sound signature but not a rattle my head bass. I've grown to love a neutral sound signature but I'm looking for something with a refined lower end. Out of all the headphones I've owned I really enjoyed the Yamaha 100SL the subbass was delicious but it lacked the soundstage my Grado SR80s have. I know I'm comparing apples to oranges here but this is where the Fidelio X1 comes to mind. Any X1 owners care to chime in?


Thankyou,

ant
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 2:42 AM Post #2 of 14
Why buy a headphone and an upgrade cable at the same time? I think you should use the stock cable for a bit and then decide whether it's worth investing more money into the headphones. 
 
Another headphone you should be interested in is the Beyer DT990 (250 ohm). The sub bass is awesome, it has a good sound stage and is a very fun headphone. I'm looking to buy a pair of them or X1's soon.
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 4:45 AM Post #3 of 14
peterek said:
Why buy a headphone and an upgrade cable at the same time? I think you should use the stock cable for a bit and then decide whether it's worth investing more money into the headphones. 

Another headphone you should be interested in is the Beyer DT990 (250 ohm). The sub bass is awesome, it has a good sound stage and is a very fun headphone. I'm looking to buy a pair of them or X1's soon.
Click to expand...


I've read about the x1s flaw and the cheap cable affects the sound quality in the upper register.
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 9:35 AM Post #4 of 14
I might just pull on the HE-500, is this something that suits my needs? I read the bass extension on the planar magnetic headphones is excellent due to the driver size. I'm not sure if its the sound signature I am looking for though.
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 10:11 AM Post #5 of 14
HE-400 might be the better choice for you because of its bass emphasis. It will be more fun than the HE-500. See this review, and then note the rating it got and how it compares to other headphones in that review list: http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HE400
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 10:23 AM Post #6 of 14
There's a pair of "Mint" HE-400's in the FS forums for $200 right now, SO CHEAP. You'll have plenty of that $500 left over afterwards.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/713188/fs-hifi-man-he-400
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 12:57 PM Post #7 of 14
radiatedant said:
I might just pull on the HE-500, is this something that suits my needs? I read the bass extension on the planar magnetic headphones is excellent due to the driver size. I'm not sure if its the sound signature I am looking for though.
Click to expand...

 


HE-400 would be a good choice as well. I haven't heard the HE-500, so I can't really comment on it, but be aware that it needs a powerful amp. The HE-400 is much less picky.

EDIT -- Take this with a grain of salt, but as far as I've gathered from reading threads and comparisons here when I tried to choose between HE-400 and 500 is that the HE-500 has slightly deeper extension than the HE-400, but the HE-500 also has a fatter, looser bass. HE-400 has very tight and controlled bass. The extension on the HE-400 is very deep as well.
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 1:04 PM Post #8 of 14
manbear said:
EDIT -- Take this with a grain of salt, but as far as I've gathered from reading threads and comparisons here when I tried to choose between HE-400 and 500 is that the HE-500 has slightly deeper extension than the HE-400, but the HE-500 also has a fatter, looser bass. HE-400 has very tight and controlled bass. The extension on the HE-400 is very deep as well.
Click to expand...


I haven't heard the HE-500 (I own the HE-400). But based on Innerfidelity's measurements, the extension seems about the same:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE500.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE400.pdf
That's close enough that people could be imagining a difference, for it seems pretty negligible. Of course, sometimes headphone measurements don't accurately reflect perceived response.
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 1:09 PM Post #9 of 14
cel4145 said:
I haven't heard the HE-500 (I own the HE-400). But based on Innerfidelity's measurements, the extension seems about the same:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE500.pdf

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE400.pdf

That's close enough that people could be imagining a difference, for it seems pretty negligible. Of course, sometimes headphone measurements don't accurately reflect perceived response.
Click to expand...

 


Yeah, I have hard time imagining extension much better than the HE-400. It goes deep. Perhaps there is a general difference in bass presentation that causes a perceived difference. IDK. Probably shouldn't be repeating hearsay, though some members whose ears I mostly trust have said this.
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 4:05 PM Post #10 of 14
peterek said:
  There's a pair of "Mint" HE-400's in the FS forums for $200 right now, SO CHEAP. You'll have plenty of that $500 left over afterwards.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/713188/fs-hifi-man-he-400
Click to expand...

Good looking out but someone snatched them before I could :frowning2:  (work) Oh well, I am looking for a a deal/sweetener for a nice pair of planar magnetics.
 
Edit:
 
Thank you guys for all of your input, you are my number one source for anything headphone related. I am set on a pair of he-400s unless I find a deal for the 500s. I am going to pair this with an e18 USB DAC/AMP from fiio and connect it to my android device. A possible re-cable in the future once I establish a connection with the sound signature. This pair will be my fourth hifi-man product.
 
Cheers,
 
Ant
 
Apr 7, 2014 at 4:10 PM Post #11 of 14
manbear said:
Yeah, I have hard time imagining extension much better than the HE-400. It goes deep. Perhaps there is a general difference in bass presentation that causes a perceived difference. IDK. Probably shouldn't be repeating hearsay, though some members whose ears I mostly trust have said this.
Click to expand...


Either that, or you know how it goes. One person said that there was a difference, and then others starting "hearing" it, even though it's not there. :)
 
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