[Jakkal]

I found a pair of Fidelio L2 in Akihabara for just 100$ (more or less). I want to buy a new portable headphone to use while walking, taking the tram and so on.
I already have a Fidelio x1, and I love it.
Do you think that they are a good match for what I have to do?
I'm worried about the sound leakages, but I know that that price is out of the world (positive speaking).
I will use them directly from my phone (a Lumia 920)

L2 leak a lot less than a open headphone. Just a bit more than a closed one. So you can use them outside and they look stunning, but they have less bass than X1. They have more than enough bass IMO, but not as much as the X1. They are very easy to drive, so driving them from a phone is not an issue. For 100$ I think it is a steal.

 

[Head1]

$100 is a phenomenal bargain, if it is in good condition. 
 
On another note L2 won a group test:
 
Best headphones for everyday use (HARDWAREZONE.COM TECH AWARDS 2015) 
 

Nominees:

 

1. AKG K845BT
2. Audio Technica ATH-MSR7
3. Beyerdynamic Custom Studio
4. Bose QuietComfort 25
5. Focal Spirit Classic
6. JBL Synchros S700
7. Monster DNA Pro 2.0
8. Philips Fidelio L2
9. Plantronics BackBeat Pro
10. Sennheiser Urbanite XL
11. Sony MDR1A

 
"This category came down to a choice of three headphones - the Sony MDR1A, the JBL Synchros S700, and the Philips Fidelio L2. While they each had their merits, the one that consistently sounded excellent on all tracks was the Philips Fidelio L2." 

 

[wolfjeanne]

Always nice to hear that others think you have made the right choice

 

[willyvlyminck]

  what can you say about the L2 against the new sennheiser momentums over ear?

The L2 wins easy, did hear them both in long sessions, as I felt in love with the looks of the Senn, but after hearing the L2, my choice was easy, and for those thinks the looks are also important, don´t hesitate, these are probably the greatest made headphones in their price class and way beyond, only leather and aluminium, no plastic.

 

[retiredat21]

 .

 

[retiredat21]

  The L2 wins easy, did hear them both in long sessions, as I felt in love with the looks of the Senn, but after hearing the L2, my choice was easy, and for those thinks the looks are also important, don´t hesitate, these are probably the greatest made headphones in their price class and way beyond, only leather and aluminium, no plastic.

hi bro. i finally had the opportunity to own them at the same time for 2 days and decided to return the senns. L2 really wins easily.

 

[sarahsusiepak]

That's really interesting to hear - I own a pair of Sennheiser Momentums MK1 over ear (which I bought because it hit the sweet spot in terms of price and looks) but now I'm thinking of selling them for the L2. Was there a particular aspect of the L2's sound that convinced you to make the switch?
 
Also (not sure if this has been asked before) - are the earpads replaceable on the L2?

 

[willyvlyminck]

That's really interesting to hear - I own a pair of Sennheiser Momentums MK1 over ear (which I bought because it hit the sweet spot in terms of price and looks) but now I'm thinking of selling them for the L2. Was there a particular aspect of the L2's sound that convinced you to make the switch?

Also (not sure if this has been asked before) - are the earpads replaceable on the L2?

I did a listen session with both in my local shop, and the L2 did impress me with pure clean detailed sound

 

[DJScope]

  That's really interesting to hear - I own a pair of Sennheiser Momentums MK1 over ear (which I bought because it hit the sweet spot in terms of price and looks) but now I'm thinking of selling them for the L2. Was there a particular aspect of the L2's sound that convinced you to make the switch?
 
Also (not sure if this has been asked before) - are the earpads replaceable on the L2?

 
The Momentums are a intimate, warm and veiled sound. The L2 is nearly the complete opposite, even though the soundstage is quite intimate also, it has pin point imaging which compensates for it, it's also a colder and more detailed. The L2 is a much better headphone in terms of sound. BUT! The L2 is an open back headphone, so will leak sound a lot, so no good for listening in public places.

 

[ojrobinson]

Awesome comparison! Thank you for this.

 

[willyvlyminck]

I just wanted to post a correction to what I wrote on 25th September 2014: these headphones are NOT harsh, but they are revealing of sub-par audio sources.

I have always liked Apple and I was under the impression that they only used top quality components. I have now had to revise that opinion. The L2s do sound a little harsh at times when listened to via the headphone socket on my iPhone or iPad. But used with a Samsung Galaxy S4 this is not the case, the sound is smoother, richer and fuller than the sound from my iPhone 5 and no less clear. The iPhone has more treble 'edge', but it's noticeably 'thinner' and just doesn't sound as good as my S4. I have since read that Samsung use a high quality Wolfson DAC, whereas Apple just use a fairly standard Cirrus Logic audio chip. I only found this out after I had clearly heard the difference for myself and wanted to find out what each manufacturer was using.

I have to say its slightly dented my faith in Apple. I currently own both an iPhone 5 and a Samsung Galaxy S4 and I do not use my L2s with my iPhone any more, as the slightly edgy sound ends up annoying me, but I'm happy to listen to them with my S4.

+1 to Samsung, -1 to Apple.

I would like to stress again that I am absolutely not an Apple-hater. I previously owned a Galaxy S2 and the sound from that was genuinely awful. Compared to the S2, my iPhone was so much better, I was convinced the harshness was coming from the L2s - I now know it wasn't. I know I could use a separate DAC with my iPhone, which would improve the sound, but I don't really do my 'serious' listening on my phone anyway and the quality of sound direct from my S4 is more than 'good enough'. It's unfortunate that the sound from my iPhone definitely isn't.

I use them with my iPhone 5s, but for optimal result I use the Beyerdynamic A200d. Mostly I use my L2 indoors with a Teac combi. The L2 are topnotch in every discipline.Anyone know if the S2 come close soundwise?

 

[John Arild]

A little late, but I do appreciate your findings. I found the M50 to be disappointing too. To little control over the soundstage, and the bass was very sloppy. To be honest, a I could get more fun with Koss Portapro a lot of the time. Nowhere near to create a stage and sound "outside" the phones. Well, I am having Array 1400 with some serious Audio Research mono amplifiers and LS2B - I have quite a few difficulties finding headphones that will be satisfactory. I am eager to try X2 or L2, though I realize that L2 is discontinued (for a reason?). Thanks a lot!

 

[willyvlyminck]

A little late, but I do appreciate your findings. I found the M50 to be disappointing too. To little control over the soundstage, and the bass was very sloppy. To be honest, a I could get more fun with Koss Portapro a lot of the time. Nowhere near to create a stage and sound "outside" the phones. Well, I am having Array 1400 with some serious Audio Research mono amplifiers and LS2B - I have quite a few difficulties finding headphones that will be satisfactory. I am eager to try X2 or L2, though I realize that L2 is discontinued (for a reason?). Thanks a lot!

The L2 is really exellent, on all levels

 

[John Arild]

Thank you very much for answering! Wow, I didn't expect any answer . What a nice thread and excellent members here. This is my first post, and I am quite an audioholic . Just in case and for curiosity - do you know how the X2 is compared to L2? I've tried Q25 - and it's fun for some time, but I  think do need a bit more "laidback", wider soundstage and detailed sound. It's like having the music some feet away, just not 1 inch from my ear .

 

[DJScope]

The L2 is really exellent, on all levels

 
Totally agree!