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Philips Fidelio X2 : A Review by Baycode
Sep 5, 2015 at 7:35 AM Post #916 of 1,061
baycode said:
K7XX or X2, which is better? Well first it depends on your source. Dont expect good synergy for K7XX directly with some sources. It needs a good/synergizing and smooth sounding SS amp (IMO) in the chain. On the other hand X2 sounds great through many many sources. I love the presentation of both for different reasons but lately I have been spending more head-time with K7XX due to my music preferences. X2 has more meatier and more pronounced bottom (bass) compared to K7XX. It has almost speaker-like general presentation (X2) to some people -which is very enjoyable... So in general K7XX sounds more neutral compared to X2 but dont get me wrong, K7xx really doesnt lack bass (IMO).

Somehow X2 also paired excellent with my tube amp (336SE) whereas K7XX didnt synergize well with it. X2 even sounds very good through an Sansa Fuze which makes it the greatest allrounder.

The second most important thing is your music preferences. EDM, Electronic, Trance, metal and most pop music sounds better with X2 (IMO, YMMW). This doesnt mean the other types does sound bad. X2 is suitble with almost any genre (this is the other reason that makes X2 greatest allrounder). But if I compare it to K7XX I have to highlight something... With my gears and to my ears K7XX sounds better with most instrumental, vocal, chillout and classical music.

Anyone needs a good open back cant go wrong with both. Sound signature preference, music preference, sources and amps in the house tells the last words...

I am keeping both unless I find a better HP to beat one of them.
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Thank you, Baycode! Decisions, decisions... I listen mainly acoustic, vocal (that's because i'm afraid treble of X2's), orchestral and rock/metal (heavy/symphonic) music, so I guess I need somewhat compromise between two worlds (neutral-ish and fun worlds). Source... For now, I have E-MU 0404 USB with built-in amp, but if needed I can buy dedicated amp.
 
Sep 6, 2015 at 2:07 AM Post #917 of 1,061
Father's Day gift has arrived...Waited a long time for these!

 

 
Sep 6, 2015 at 7:37 AM Post #921 of 1,061
michaelsd said:
Had me worried for a second... It's still June in the U.S.
tongue.gif
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Is the subbass really as strong as OP states?
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Only a few hours in and you can get a great sense of the bottom end of these headphones, listening to a few EDM tracks I would the "sub-bass" is more polite than the mid-bass slam is in comparison!
 
I would note that the bottom end on X2's is more pleasing than my HD600's, X2's bottom end is much more warmer, reaching down further than the HD600's. 
 
Note, I believe the headphones I've mentioned are definitely 'tuned' differently, no two are better or worse.
 
The sound sig remains me of the 1st Momentum's but with a wider and more open soundstage!
 
Sep 19, 2015 at 6:14 AM Post #924 of 1,061
Anyone tried to use EQ for fix "grainy treble"? I hear some people there complain about that and I found a little tip for fix treble - headphoneaddict.com/fidelio-x1-vs-x2-review/ .
 
Oct 6, 2015 at 11:00 AM Post #926 of 1,061
Hi there,
 
I have Nuforce icon HD for na amp/dac combo with 10 ohm output impedance and I'm really checking the X2 right now. Read bunch of reviews and everythng about it sounds great. Only thing I am worried about is the damping factor. Do you think it will sound ok powered by icon in comparison to HD 650 or 600? I was also thinking to bypass the icon amp with Fiio e6 (which is really cheap and has great output impedence), I don¨t know if it would make it sound better or worse or if it's complete BS.
 
Oct 6, 2015 at 1:10 PM Post #927 of 1,061
jirakja said:
  Hi there,
 
I have Nuforce icon HD for na amp/dac combo with 10 ohm output impedance and I'm really checking the X2 right now. Read bunch of reviews and everythng about it sounds great. Only thing I am worried about is the damping factor. Do you think it will sound ok powered by icon in comparison to HD 650 or 600? I was also thinking to bypass the icon amp with Fiio e6 (which is really cheap and has great output impedence), I don¨t know if it would make it sound better or worse or if it's complete BS.
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I use X2 with E-MU 0404's amp, which 22Ohm impedance. I think it work just fine, but I junior in serious audio, so don't quote me on it. Before buying X2 I read about damping factor, and found some threads on reddit. Some quotes from: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/2vsn3h/how_difficult_are_the_philips_fidelio_x2_to_drive/
Quote:
MlNDB0MB: you want to make sure you have low output impedance on the amp. I did the calculation, and you want below 40 ohms output impedance for the fidelio x2.
 


MiyamotoKnows: It's always the rule of 1/8 amigo. So 32/8 = 4 ohm. This is the maximum amp output impedance target. A 40 ohm output impedance would provide little or no dampening at all. Most amps (not all) are designed to have an output impedance as close to zero as possible. Check this explanation out.
 
MlNDB0MB: Below 40 ohms is the point where the frequency response is changed by less than 1db. This is pretty lax in this case because the impedance doesn't vary much. Basically, as long as you don't have a tube amp, you are fine. But yea, you can go lower and get more damping.
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And quote from https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/2wtzay/understanding_output_impedance_and_damping_factor/
MlNDB0MB: It affects the frequency response and damping. 10 ohms is still relatively low compared to 300 ohms of the hd600, and 250 ohms of the dt880, so those should definitely not be affected much. The fidelio x1 is low impedance, but since it's impedance doesn't vary much, the frequency response should be similar. It's phase doesn't vary much, so that makes me think it doesn't need a lot of damping, but I'm not sure about this.
High output impedance is definitely an issue for balanced armature IEMs and the sennheiser 558 and 598 though.
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And, if we see on graphs on InnerFidelity, impedance in Fidelio X2 indeed doesn't vary as Sennheiser 598. So, in result, I think we can say, that your amp will be fine with X2, but ofc in theory less impedance of amp will be better with these.
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 3:39 AM Post #928 of 1,061
Okay, so do these have a strong bias? I do not like basshead-type headphones. I want a neutralish/natural sounding headphone. I wanna hear all of the sound. I just really want a no-nonsense neutralish headphone that does what it's told without fail. I have no good studio-quality headphone on me now that my SRH440 has gone to crap. To give you an idea of what I've liked so far, I tried and liked the SRH940 quite a lot.
 
At this point I'm debating between these, the X2, and just getting the SRH940. Or the HiFiMAN HE400S.
 
Or just going with the known, tried way and buying an HD600. Even though it's high impedance and I won't be able to use them away from home (and I'm a laptop user). However, didn't Tyll Hertsens say that the Fidelio X2 should knock the HD600 off the wall for anything except those using a tube amp? Why would he say that unless the X2 was neutral? Isn't the HD600 loved because it's neutral? In fact:
 
 The Philips Fidelio X2 is going to hit the Wall of Fame like a boss. The only thing keeping it from knocking the HD 600 off the wall is its low 35 Ohm impedance that makes it a poor match for high output impedance tube amplifiers—something that the HD 600 does very well. 
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Don't understand why this would be said if the X2 isn't neutral. But I hear a lot of people saying it's not neutral or balanced.
 
Basically, I'm looking for the kind of headphone a person would use to find subtle differences and details in sound and has a good soundstage. This headphone will be used for recreational purposes, but also for serious work.
 
Further, does Philips allow you to return these? I mean with headphones, I dunno if I like them until I've tried them. Oppo lets me return their's in 30 days if I'm not so happy with them. I'd be a bit intimidated to buy the Fidelio if it's going to be a "no take-backs" scenario.
 
Be honest with me guys. I think I've eliminated my choices down the best in the $400 range. Namely:
 
  1. Fidelio X2
  2. HD600
  3. HE400S
  4. K702
 
And at this point, man, I've been at this for months now. It's time for me to choose.
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 7:15 AM Post #929 of 1,061
Strong bass? No, it's nowhere close to satisfy a basshead

If you read ttyl full review you'll see that he mentioned that the "neutral" curve that he refers to has a bit of accentuated bass

Just get the k702, i think it will suit your taste better, maybe, still lacking some info, dac/amp? Song taste? I don't have srh940, so what exactly are you looking for?
 
Oct 7, 2015 at 12:42 PM Post #930 of 1,061
Tyll wrote:
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I usually site the desired neutral target for bass rise as about 3-5dB below 120Hz. It seems to me the X2 gets pretty close to this, and to my ears the bass response in the X2 is entirely appropriate. By that I mean that I consider this profile as neutral, and not bass emphasized.
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I think this nails it. I consider the X2 very well balanced and fun at the same time
 
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