[Selarah]

Alight, I've recently received my Philips Fidelio x1's I can say I'm very pleased with them so far. However I'd like to make these headphones really shine and have the best performance possible.
 
I've read around that the stock audio cable should be replaced to improve the audio quality, which is a shame the stock cable is beautiful.. Wondering if anyone could recommend a similar looking cloth cable with low Ohm resistance that would perform the best? (I've read the V-Moda cable, but is there a better looking one? yeah, i'm picky)
 
Another question, I have the sonar essence STX sound card. I have read that this is not the best match for a low impedance headphone such as these x1's. I'd like to keep this sound card however, as I love it for movies and games. What are my options? Any input and advice would be highly appreciated, budget around $500 I'm willing to spend in total here.. thank-you! 

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Alight, I've recently received my Philips Fidelio x1's I can say I'm very pleased with them so far. However I'd like to make these headphones really shine and have the best performance possible.
I've read around that the stock audio cable should be replaced to improve the audio quality, which is a shame the stock cable is beautiful.. Wondering if anyone could recommend a similar looking cloth cable with low Ohm resistance that would perform the best? 
Another question, I have the sonar essence STX sound card. I have read that this may not be the best match for a low impedance headphone such as these x1's? I'm quite a newb and I'm not quite sure what to do or how it all works when it comes to this. Should I replace this sound card? (although I really enjoy this card) what about amps or dacs? Could I still keep this card and use them in addition to the sound card? (clueless on how this works) Any input and advice would be highly appreciated, budget around $500 I'm willing to spend in total here.. thank-you! 

If you looking to improve music audio (stereo sound), you could try a Schiit Magni headphone amplifier, $99.
Plug the Magni into the STX's RCA output, the STX can not send Headphone surround sound thru the line-output (RCAs), but you can use the Magni for music and the STX's headphone output for surround sound (gaming and movies).

 

[kraken2109]

Don't waste your time and money on a cable. The X1 is unlikely to benefit from an amp since they don't require much power. The only issue with your current setup is the impedance mismatch between the X1 and the Xonar, but to be honest it may actually create a more pleasing sound for you. Have you tried the headphones with anything else and noticed a difference?

 

[Selarah]

I have only tested them with the stx and iPhone. Edit: To me it sounds much fuller just plugged into the iPhone than the stx. The xonar sounds slightly more flatter to me? I do most of my listening on the pc with flac files and foobar that's why I'd like to perfect this setup. This impedance mismatch, can this harm the x1s in anyway? Or is it strictly just a sound performance issue? I have tested changing the cable with a random one I had laying around and I definitely notice a lift in the mids and tighter bass. Im picky on looks and enjoy the sound change that's why I'm asking.

Edit: Ahh this is not true at all once I completely ditched the stock cable, and actually took another listen, the stx does sound clearer but I feel its still lacking something but I'm not sure what though.

If you looking to improve music audio (stereo sound), you could try a Schiit Magni headphone amplifier, $99.
Plug the Magni into the STX's RCA output, the STX can not send Headphone surround sound thru the line-output (RCAs), but you can use the Magni for music and the STX's headphone output for surround sound (gaming and movies).

 


Interesting purpleangel I might do that. Is there a significant music audio improvement with the magni over the stx? I'm willing to spend more than 99$ What other low impedance amps could I use (that can plug into the RCA out like your recommend)?