Philips Fidelio L2
Mar 17, 2014 at 12:49 AM Post #332 of 1,146
  Just ordered a pair of the L2s from Amazon.it. What's interesting is that just after I placed my order for a pair the price went up by 34.11. For those who are interested, Amazon.it does indeed ship to America. They'll be here Wed or Thurs this week.


Yeah, back on Feb.19 they hit a low of 153,98€ at Amazon.it:  http://it.camelcamelcamel.com/Philips-L2BO-00-Auricolari-Microfono/product/B00F4P7NG0
 
Mar 17, 2014 at 6:38 AM Post #333 of 1,146
 These are a newer version the L1's correct? If so, will there be a X2 coming soon?

 
That's a good question, having spent some time with the L2's I would love to hear a new version of the X1 if indeed there was one to come.
 
I did consider getting the X1 , but many say there is not enough difference between the L2 and X1 and I wanted originally a headphone that could travel and work at home...  and the L2 is certainly easy to drive...
 
Maybe an email to Philips could shed some light ?
 
on the X2  maybe
 
Mar 17, 2014 at 1:26 PM Post #334 of 1,146
Just as a small update... I mentioned the cable might be a weak point..... not so sure now...
Tried 3 other cables I had to hand, 1 from a pair of Sennheissers, another Belkin cable, and one from a pair of Superlux HD668B's
 
Well changing the cable does change the sound signature but it is difficult to say if its an improvement !
 
The mids are more pronounced , forward if you like, and i may be inclined to say overall they sounded more immediate, larger even...
 
all pluspoints however..
 
The sound was also less three dimensional, the depth that makes these headphones sound more speaker like gone....as a result the imagery and instrument positions are not as well defined....
 
The one thing that stayed the same is the Pace Rythym and Timing...... L2's can certainly make ones foot tap......
 
in conclusion so far.... I will have to try more.... but I prefered the stock cable to the ones I tried.....
 
 
anyone else tried other cables ?
 
Mar 17, 2014 at 1:37 PM Post #335 of 1,146
  Just as a small update... I mentioned the cable might be a weak point..... not so sure now...
Tried 3 other cables I had to hand, 1 from a pair of Sennheissers, another Belkin cable, and one from a pair of Superlux HD668B's
 
Well changing the cable does change the sound signature but it is difficult to say if its an improvement !
 
The mids are more pronounced , forward if you like, and i may be inclined to say overall they sounded more immediate, larger even...
 
all pluspoints however..
 
The sound was also less three dimensional, the depth that makes these headphones sound more speaker like gone....as a result the imagery and instrument positions are not as well defined....
 
The one thing that stayed the same is the Pace Rythym and Timing...... L2's can certainly make ones foot tap......
 
in conclusion so far.... I will have to try more.... but I prefered the stock cable to the ones I tried.....
 
 
anyone else tried other cables ?

 
Once mine comes in I'll be trying it with 2 V-Moda cables, the standard plain cable and their BoomPro cable. If the estimated delivery time is correct mine will be here in a few days and I can start testing them. I know there are some people who say cables make no difference but I feel they do change the sound slightly, hoping that the V-Moda cables don't hurt the sound since I really want to be able to use this as a headset in addition to portable cans.
 
Quite excited to hear these bad boys and compare to my HD650.
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 10:04 AM Post #336 of 1,146
Back again ...
 
Been playing with the setup for a couple of days to see what the L2's are really capable of....
got a top notch silver cable made up, boy did that make a difference !  an already clean and clear headphone stepped another notch up the ladder, old cable is back in the box now...
 
Still wanted to see if these could sound better still, so stole some stuff of my main room Hi-fi system.
 
its now connected via a Modified DAC-AH which has a sound signature as dark as can be and being driven by the Pre-Amp section of my Ming DA   MC-34 Tube Amplifier.....
 
Oh my.... can these step up a notch or two when asked...
 
Thro this setup they are powerful, detailed, and the image very well, awesome with rock music, but I think the valve amp is helping somewhat there...
 
I could perhaps say they may be over warm sounding, but boy do they boogie.....
 
the  £3000  Naim Hifi can't make a bass guitar sound like it does with the L2....
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 10:37 AM Post #337 of 1,146
My L2 arrived yesterday. I will try to give them some time this week.
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 11:15 AM Post #338 of 1,146
Back again ...
 
Been playing with the setup for a couple of days to see what the L2's are really capable of....
got a top notch silver cable made up, boy did that make a difference !  an already clean and clear headphone stepped another notch up the ladder, old cable is back in the box now...
 
Still wanted to see if these could sound better still, so stole some stuff of my main room Hi-fi system.
 
its now connected via a Modified DAC-AH which has a sound signature as dark as can be and being driven by the Pre-Amp section of my Ming DA   MC-34 Tube Amplifier.....
 
Oh my.... can these step up a notch or two when asked...
 
Thro this setup they are powerful, detailed, and the image very well, awesome with rock music, but I think the valve amp is helping somewhat there...
 
I could perhaps say they may be over warm sounding, but boy do they boogie.....
 
the  £3000  Naim Hifi can't make a bass guitar sound like it does with the L2....

This makes me so pleased I made the investment
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 4:53 PM Post #340 of 1,146
oops...make that L2.
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 5:17 PM Post #341 of 1,146
spent all afternoon with the L2's firmly clamped to my head !!!   even gone as far as ordering some new tubes for my Mc34-b...
some 6n1p-ev-oc  tubes  ......
 
Hard to beleive how good these headphones can sound with a good source feeding them.....  never had a set of cans that can go so loud and stay so controlled and  with such clarity....
 
best £150 i have spent on HiFi ever.....  how can they sound better than a pair of AE1's and a Naim System !!!  beggars belief....
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 5:29 PM Post #342 of 1,146
  spent all afternoon with the L2's firmly clamped to my head !!!   even gone as far as ordering some new tubes for my Mc34-b...
some 6n1p-ev-oc  tubes  ......
 
Hard to beleive how good these headphones can sound with a good source feeding them.....  never had a set of cans that can go so loud and stay so controlled and  with such clarity....
 
best £150 i have spent on HiFi ever.....  how can they sound better than a pair of AE1's and a Naim System !!!  beggars belief....

 
Yeah, I'm really impressed with these cans. They sound good out of my phone but sound excellent when paired with my E12. Several times I've been surprised by how big the sound is coming from these cans.
 
That said, they can get warm on the ear fairly easily. Maybe I'll get used to it, but they seem to get warmer than my Mad Dogs did.
 
Mar 20, 2014 at 5:42 PM Post #343 of 1,146
 Originally Posted by
  1. AxelCloris
 
 
Yeah, I'm really impressed with these cans. They sound good out of my phone but sound excellent when paired with my E12. Several times I've been surprised by how big the sound is coming from these cans.
 
That said, they can get warm on the ear fairly easily. Maybe I'll get used to it, but they seem to get warmer than my Mad Dogs did.

 
I agree they do get a little warm after a while, the seal with the stock pads is very good and although comfy with good pressure the warmth will make One remove for a few minutes during extended listening.....
 
The new silver cable has really opened them up, went back and forth between the Microstreamer and the Mc34-b with Dac-ah and although there are some differences both sound significantly better with the new cable over the stock cable....
 
I do wonder now..... will there be an X2 ?
 
how much would one have to spend to get a big improvement over these ?   
 
Mar 22, 2014 at 12:37 PM Post #344 of 1,146
Hi, 
 
I'm planning to buy my first headphone for home use. I have the Hifiman RE-400 iems and I really like their sound signature, so Hifiman headphones are a possiblity. However, they are quite expensive here and the build quality of the RE-400s was very bad (had to send back 3 times, because of the audio cutting off on one side). I also liked the fidelio S1 iems, so I consider buying the L2 or the X1, because I heard they are very good for their price. I also have no amp, so efficient headphones like these are the best choice. Here in the Netherlands, I can get the X1 for €215 and the L2 for €220. Since they are the about the same price, I don't know which one to choose. I've read people saying the X1 is better, but also people saying the L1 is better. I don't mind a warm sound, but I want good mid presence. So I think the L2 would be better for that. However, I heard the X1 has a better soundstage since it's a fully open can. I don't care about the portablility, but comfort is also very important. So which one would be the better buy? (sorry if my english is bad)
 
Mar 22, 2014 at 12:56 PM Post #345 of 1,146
 I'm planning to buy my first headphone for home use. I have the Hifiman RE-400 iems and I really like their sound signature, so Hifiman headphones are a possiblity. However, they are quite expensive here and the build quality of the RE-400s was very bad (had to send back 3 times, because of the audio cutting off on one side). I also liked the fidelio S1 iems, so I consider buying the L2 or the X1, because I heard they are very good for their price. I also have no amp, so efficient headphones like these are the best choice. Here in the Netherlands, I can get the X1 for €215 and the L2 for €220. Since they are the about the same price, I don't know which one to choose. I've read people saying the X1 is better, but also people saying the L1 is better. I don't mind a warm sound, but I want good mid presence. So I think the L2 would be better for that. However, I heard the X1 has a better soundstage since it's a fully open can. I don't care about the portablility, but comfort is also very important. So which one would be the better buy? (sorry if my english is bad)

 
You don't say what you are going to be using as source ?  will these be used with a phone ?  or Ipod... or a laptop/mac ?
I can't comment on the sound of the X1 as I only have the L2.... it is a very good headphone .... doesn't have a real weakspot that i can hear... Bass is well extended and tuneful, Mids are slightly recessed with stock cable but some to life with a good silver cable, highs are clear no aggressiveness, They produce good detail across a deep soundstage, position instruments well and have good pace and timing, comfy if a little warm after extended periods of use....and very easy to drive....  did I mention they look stonking too :)
 
They make my other headphones sound poor in comparison, and they just get better with better sources...
 
All listening is subjective and my personal opinion of course..... but for the money I beleive them to be a good choice....
 
I think i will have to spend maybe £400 to better them.....by any significant amount....
 

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