wwmhf
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2004
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To me too, X2 is revealing. On a solid state amp of mine, X2 delivers more details.
I'd guess that I'm in the minority here but I find the X2's to be very revealing and that it's very easy to pick up differences from different sources with them.
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To me too, X2 is revealing. On a solid state amp of mine, X2 delivers more details.
FWIW, on my system I hear more details with X2 than any other headphone I ever had, sans, maybe K712, which end up just a bit too revealing (harsh) for my taste.
Not at all.
They are very detailed WHILE being very fun to listen to IMHO.
Thanks for confirming that I'm not insane
After reading a bunch of posts that says that the X2 doesn't scale, doesn't need an amp etc etc I started to feel a bit lonely.
X2 scales nicely with amps and sources.
I am sorry, I must disagree with some of your observations. It looks like you are very sensitive to treble. X2 treble is way better than 650 (however, i agree with you in some cases the X2 treble can feel a bit grainy). 650 treble dies and it is very poor. Mids are slightly unnatural in 650 and more pronounced than X2. In X2, mids are where it needs to be. I strongly feel both X2 and 650 are not neutral but X2 is more fun and 650 is the exact inverse of it.. to put it mildly boring and lacks any energy.
Hey, but we are all not equals and agree to disagree..
Indeed
I am sensitive to treble. Most hifi equipment is a bit "hot" in treble. We tend to like it. I visit classical concerts with big orchestras often (no ear damage for those who may think...), and there it is always apparent how little treble you hear in most of the performance. Sure, if metalic instruments like copper or triangles step in, there is a lot of treble. But I find that a lot of hifi equipment magnifies the brilliance of those instruments, at the expense of the harmonic structure (in the mid and presence area; say from 500 to 2000 Hz).
The HD650 has been given a diffuse field response as much as possible based on measurements, and after that has been tuned with the bass as if you would listen to loudspeakers in a practical situation - to make it closer to a reference that is used for final mixing music in recordings. For a lot of people (without giving it a judgement!) that means it has too much energy in the high-bass/fundament region. If you take a graphic equalizer, tune down the HD650 with 2 dB on the 125Hz and 250Hz, and add diagonally an increasing curve from 4kHz, via 8kHz to 16kHz, you get a headphone that emphasizes the pluck of a guitar instead of the guitar enclosure. A record engineer could do the same BTW, by putting the microphone closer versus further away from an acoustical guitar. It's all a matter of preference, and there is no absolute reference. So, at the end, it depends on the records that you like to use as a reference.
I do disagree with you on the mids (from 500 to 1000Hz), there I find the headphones even pretty equal, supported by the measurements. It's more like how the mid is relative towards the fundament area (125-400Hz) and the treble (4kHz) which are the biggest differences.
Last but not least, the waterfall diagram for the X2 (time in ms):
You clearly see the resonance at say 220Hz, and quite some nasty stuff between 1 and 5kHz)
The following waterfall is the one for the HD650 (measurement depths is the same, X2 is a nit more efficient, hence the different scale):
It shows that the decay of rubbish lies closer to the noise floor, and is less broad in frequency.
And for those who like, the HD800:
Forget about what happens below 100Hz (due to the time of the FFT window).
I had the Senn HD600 previously and no such problem. Can you recommend a better higher quality headphone than the Senn HD600/650 as my budget is £350 pounds approx and Senn HD600/650 are only £225/250. I thought the Fidelio X2 was an upgrade at a bargain price but the treble is so painful even with treble turned down which does not sound right.
I had the Senn HD600 previously and no such problem. Can you recommend a better higher quality headphone than the Senn HD600/650 as my budget is £350 pounds approx and Senn HD600/650 are only £225/250. I thought the Fidelio X2 was an upgrade at a bargain price but the treble is so painful even with treble turned down which does not sound right.
This is really weird. As someone who came from HD600, X2 is MUCH more forgiving, darker headphone.
It does nit make sense but ear pain and now short head aches. Never once had any problems at all with the Senn HD600 not even slightly.
This is really weird. As someone who came from HD600, X2 is MUCH more forgiving, darker headphone.
The X2 has very apparent and splashy treble, and overall more treble compared to an HD600 or HD650. I re-tried multiple times, but always return to the HD650.