[Uberclocked]

   
On the subject of a blind test... Can you tell the difference with an amp or not? I'm guessing it would be hard to get the volume similar.
 
Though I'm wondering about if it gives better bass to the X2's? (I'm not 100% sure but some people say amps can improve bass/treble ect.), is this true for the X2?
 
If I'm plugging it into a soundblaster Z or a Xonar soundcard would I miss an amp or not really is what I'm trying to get my head around.

The Xonars and SBZ both have built-in amps.
>.<

 

[Desertblood]

   
On the subject of a blind test... Can you tell the difference with an amp or not? I'm guessing it would be hard to get the volume similar.
 
Though I'm wondering about if it gives better base to the X2's? (I'm not 100% sure but some people say amps can improve bass/treble ect), is this true for the X2?
 
If I'm plugging it into a soundblaster Z or a Xonar soundcard would I miss an amp or not really is what I'm trying to get my head around.

 
With this specific DAC/Amp, I can. At least on the X2s. On the X1s, the benefit of the E7 is debatable. With the X2s, the difference is very clear to me. They definitely sound superior with the E7. It make the mid sound deeper and the bass really come alive (my opinion).
 
Is the E7 worth getting? Depends. If you're tight on cash, don't put your last dollar on it. But if  you're actively looking for a DAC/Amp, I think the FiiO E7 is a good way to go here.

 

[adpo]

New owner of a pair of X2's here. These are the first decent headphones I've had since having to sell off what had been pretty much my endgame kit a few months back due to a random car running into the place I had been renting. Needless to say, I've dearly missed having some nice headphones to listen to. The fact that these cans are so well driven by just my smartphone leaves me both highly satisfied and deeply impressed by the performance I'm getting for what I paid.
 
That said, I've only got one issue with them: the cable is too damn long for what I need. I'm looking around for shorter cables and what I'd like to know is if anyone here has had any experience with using fancy cables on these cans and whether or not they've heard any improvements.

 

[Nijjion]

  Fiio E07k sounds way better than 1150 onboard audio, so if you can amp them do so.
 
 
The Xonar and Z have high output impedance that might be detrimental to the X2s sound.

 
So If I want to use a soundcard for DSP settings I should get an amp and connect it to the soundcard for the best setup with the X2's? I was worried about the impedance as i'm not very knowledgeable about the subject.
 
I'm thinking of getting the Schiit stack (maybe even the Vali instead of the Magni as quite a few people been raving about that with the X2).
 
Not sure if I should bother with a DAC though if I'm using the soundcard.

 

[ThurstonX]

  New owner of a pair of X2's here. These are the first decent headphones I've had since having to sell off what had been pretty much my endgame kit a few months back due to a random car running into the place I had been renting. Needless to say, I've dearly missed having some nice headphones to listen to. The fact that these cans are so well driven by just my smartphone leaves me both highly satisfied and deeply impressed by the performance I'm getting for what I paid.
 
That said, I've only got one issue with them: the cable is too damn long for what I need. I'm looking around for shorter cables and what I'd like to know is if anyone here has had any experience with using fancy cables on these cans and whether or not they've heard any improvements.

 
That's a bummer about your previous rig, not to mention the house...
 
...but it's great you're finding the X2s worth the price.  re: cables, they've been discussed in this thread (quite a few pages back now).  I used a Mediabridge while I was making my own replacement, and it was fine.  I prefer my DIY cable, but that's builder's pride/bias 

  Similar to Mediabridge in price are KabelDirekt cables (see Amazon, etc.).  I couldn't hear any difference between the Mediabridge and stock, and maybe not with my DIY, either, but it's lighter and shorter.  So, IMO there's no reason to spend more than $10 on a shorter replacement or the parts to make your own.
 
HTH.

 

[wanderingsounds]

   
Bass has more impact... It sounds stronger and more present. Kick drums especially.It's like Explorer2 has taken off a thin veil from the sound while also making it smoother and more musical.
 
What's great though is stereo separation improved tremendously. I'm starting to believe channel imbalances some owners have experienced might be due to the amp/dac they use. It's known mobile phones', tablets' and laptops' stereo crosstalk is really high compared to dedicated dac/amps. And it's even bad in some low quality amp/dacs. Explorer2 is great in that regard.

Aaaaaahhhhh that sounds like a beautiful prospect. That's why I ordered an Explorer2 even before you made that post! 

 

[wanderingsounds]

  New owner of a pair of X2's here. These are the first decent headphones I've had since having to sell off what had been pretty much my endgame kit a few months back due to a random car running into the place I had been renting. Needless to say, I've dearly missed having some nice headphones to listen to. The fact that these cans are so well driven by just my smartphone leaves me both highly satisfied and deeply impressed by the performance I'm getting for what I paid.
 
That said, I've only got one issue with them: the cable is too damn long for what I need. I'm looking around for shorter cables and what I'd like to know is if anyone here has had any experience with using fancy cables on these cans and whether or not they've heard any improvements.

Bummer, but I can see a reason to see some humor in that accident
 
Regarding cables, see my comment on the answers I got to the same question I asked a few pages back: post #1661

 

[arcwindz]

So If I want to use a soundcard for DSP settings I should get an amp and connect it to the soundcard for the best setup with the X2's? I was worried about the impedance as i'm not very knowledgeable about the subject.

I'm thinking of getting the Schiit stack (maybe even the Vali instead of the Magni as quite a few people been raving about that with the X2).

Not sure if I should bother with a DAC though if I'm using the soundcard.

I pesonally would go for the creative new e5 instead of getting an amp since that would probably be a double amping

 

[Nijjion]

I pesonally would go for the creative new e5 instead of getting an amp since that would probably be a double amping

 
Not to my knowledge as you disable everything from the card and use the "What U hear" function to bring the DSP settings through to the DAC/AMP and use those.
 
Think that's what others do but not 100%.
 
Haven't seen anything good said about the E5 but will have another look around. I wanted an audiophile dac/amp as it seems quite a few of these amp/dac from creative and other producers like such lose quality for music compared to the others.

 

[obsidyen]

 
Aaaaaahhhhh that sounds like a beautiful prospect. That's why I ordered an Explorer2 even before you made that post! 

 
Good choice.

Right now I'm listening to Whiskey in the Jar by Metallica and guitar riffs sound so beautiful. Laptop soundcard made them sound a bit edgy, that's gone with Explorer2. Apodising filter works very well.
 
It'd be also good for 25 ohm Fostex TH600/900 in case you need monster bass.

 

[wanderingsounds]

   
Good choice.

Right now I'm listening to Whiskey in the Jar by Metallica and guitar riffs sound so beautiful. Laptop soundcard made them sound a bit edgy, that's gone with Explorer2. Apodising filter works very well.
 
It'd be also good for 25 ohm Fostex TH600/900 in case you need monster bass.

I tend to listen mostly to Ambient and all sorts of new Electronica (too many sub-genres to make it worth listing), though occasionally I do some Post-Punk, Shoe-Gaze and other stuff with drums, guitars, bass and vocals. Not at all interested in Hip-Hop or DubStep. The only bass-heavy stuff I care about is everything Dub minus the Step part.
 
Now particularly interested in finding out how the X2+Explorer2 will handle synths (e.g. Klaus Schulze).

 

[SonicWarrior]

Bitten the bullet 

.. Ordered in amazon and it is arriving tomorrow.. Hopefully it complements my P7.

 

[obsidyen]

 
I tend to listen mostly to Ambient and all sorts of new Electronica (too many sub-genres to make it worth listing), though occasionally I do some Post-Punk, Shoe-Gaze and other stuff with drums, guitars, bass and vocals. Not at all interested in Hip-Hop or DubStep. The only bass-heavy stuff I care about is everything Dub minus the Step part.
 
Now particularly interested in finding out how the X2+Explorer2 will handle synths (e.g. Klaus Schulze).

 
I see. I'm not much of a dubstep fan either but some tracks are really good. I feel like Rocky Balboa when they play Fade by Zak Waters or Turn Around by Grabbitz at the gym.

 
I think synths sound beautiful with X2, I listen to trance often and I like it a lot. Man on the Run sounds great.

 

[SunshineReggae]

  The following are my impressions. I am not a professional so take everything with a grain of salt.
 
 
I have in my possession both the X1 and X2.
The first thing I did after getting the X2 is comapre the two aesthetically.
The black on black looks really sleek. In terms of looks X2 wins this one.
I tested the swivel on each and the X1 has noticeably more. The cups can be moved around significantly more.
Observing the headband one will notice that the X2 has a higher peak. It is more "bent".  
 
Looks: X2 wins
 
 
Putting them on is where you start feeling differences. The peak and the more limited swivel impact the comfort.
They "dig in" below my ears a little bit. Now I may be spoiled by the X1s, but these are not as comfortable. Period. No discussion about this one for me. 
 
Comfort: X1 wins
 
Now for the interesting part; the sound.
Going forward I want to make a disclaimer: the differences aren't large, I am simply mentioning them because they exist.
 
Anyway, I did an A/B test on these. 
Personally, I like to feel like I'm surrounded by the sound when I'm using headphones.
When I first got the X1, I was amazed by the depth. It felt like they could reproduce sounds to fill the room I was in.
When I tested the X2, this is where I found the largest difference between the two. The X1 made me feel like I was in a room, the X2 made it feel
like I was in the same room but without a roof. This is probably (imo) where the "darker" vs "brighter" arguments come from. 
The X2 exposed the faults in the X1 that I hadn't realized before. To me, it just feels like the X2s are "airier". There seems a smidge more space between instruments.
 
The other aspect I've read about is the seeming lack of bass in the X2. In my opinion, this is not true. I still feel the kick without issue.
I think the reason people see the X2 as less bassy is because of the difference highlighted before (the closed room vs open roof room).
 
Purely soundwise, I'll have to hand it off to the X2, but BARELY.
For instrumental music, I'd go with X2. Drums feel fantastic. For music more along the lines of dubstep/hip-hop, I'd go with X1.
 
It feels like I'm beating a dead horse but I want to emphasize one more time that the differences are minimal (soundwise).
 
So what should you do? 
I would go for the X2. My main reasons are the slightly more airier sound and the fact that they have replaceable pads.
I plan on keeping these cans for a LONG time, and replaceable pads were a must for holding on to these.
X1 is still a fantastic choice. It is a clear winner to me for comfort. 
 
But make your own choice, this was just my two bits. Sorry if repeated myself too many times.
 
 
 
 
EDIT: 
Saw a post about blind tests. Yes I could probably tell which ones were which.
 
Second, I ran both through a FiiO E7.

 
This is excellent thanks. One of the VERY few unbiased, reasonable comparisons of these headphones out there.
 
Personally, this goes a very long way in convincing me to stick with my X1, especially because of my music preferences. 

 

[SunshineReggae]

Thanks for that comparison. Tyll mentions that the X1s have a graininess in the lower treble that can sound harsh or unnatural. How noticeable is that flaw?

 
In the first few weeks that I owned the X1, there was a period that it seemed to bother me quite a lot. But as I got used to these headphones, that totally vanished. Now I don't hear it anymore, and I'm not even sure whether it was actually an issue in the first place or something imagined. This is unrelated to Tyll's impressions though; his impressions are his and I respect them and won't argue with them.
 
I really love these headphones by the way; granted I don't see why you would pick them over a DT880 or HD600 for classical music or jazz or whatever, but with modern music, the X1 is definitely a superior choice.