[Shawn71]

Question..

Do I potentially save £30 odd and buy a new pair off ebay from someone, or should I just pay £175 off Amazon with the option of returning?

I currently use HyperX headphones, so I'm sure this will be an improvement, but the whole Gibson thing is putting me off.

I'm second guessing whether to buy them!

Just go with amazon route as @madwolfa suggested.......unless you personally inspect the HP before handing over the cash.
That £30 might put us in mental agony if theres anything wrong that you discover once you get them in your hands or when listen to them.

 

[KhaledM]

   
The vocals etc were coming from in front of my right eye and not out from the center of my nose.
 
There is a hole on the back of the pads that show where to put the pad and this was not aligned with the pin on the pad.
 
The glue is in the four holes on the ear pads you have to slowly pull them away so not to rip the material.
 
I would suggest to check only if you hear a balance issue and notice a pad being the wrong way up and if you have a hot glue gun to reattach the pads.

I went a head and posted the information you provided on the Philips forums, I hope they look into this problem in the assembly line, because it's a shame that such a great and UNIQUE pair of headphones like these be ruined by a minor mistake.

 

[Pahani]

  Im currently using sennheiser pc360 headset as an open backed headphone for producing and listening to house style music. I believe it uses the same drivers as the 558.  I actually really like the sound signature of these headphones, Neutral lows and nice highs. I ordered a pair of dt880s to test but the high end was to zingy and fatiguing for  my taste. Would you guys say the X2 has a similar sound as the pc360 or would another sennheiser headphone such as the hd600, hd 598 be a better choice for an upgrade?

Also is it the x2/00 batch i shoudl be looking for or the x2/27? Does anyone know if the current batch on amazon UK is absent of these quality control issues i keep hearing about?

I happen to also own the closed-back PC350 SE. I absolutely hate them in every aspect but soundstage, which ironically is the widest I've heard and likely ever will (including my X2's). The PC350's require MUCH more power, I forget the specs, but they're in the 120-150 Ohm range. The bass on them is present, that's about it. The mids and highs are quite forward, but still seem constrained somehow, until you give them too much power and they suddenly turn harsh. Fitment is also a little fiddly, you'd think the headband should sit on your head, but it really shouldn't....proper fitment is with the headband ABOVE your head, so only the cups grip your head. Wearing them with the headband on yer noggin results in a poor seal at the bottom of the cups and a loss of even MORE bass! I was constantly reaching up to press in on the bottom of the cups to get some semblance of bass.
 
For a headphone supposedly targeting PC gaming, the amount of power the PC 350's require is nowhere reachable using onboard audio. My X2's are immensely more enjoyable as an all-rounder, though if you have the need for absolute soundstage in, say, a first-person shooter, that would be the only instance I'd recommend the PC 350's. Even then you'd better have an external amp, the onboard audio won't cut it.
 
I actually hunted down my PC350's while I was writing this and A-B'd them, and I couldn't get them off my head fast enough! LOL

 

[Shawn71]

If you are from UK, see the link I posted earlier, a friend of mine bought from that exact link and got the very first version, WOOX all the way.
Seller says in the listing they are old stock with slightly damaged box, exactly what my friend received.

well then, if I were to order an X2, I cld definitely do so, if that seller is legit in describing the item and I wld get the same item as described in the listing........

 

[felton1592]

 
If you are from UK, see the link I posted earlier, a friend of mine bought from that exact link and got the very first version, WOOX all the way.
Seller says in the listing they are old stock with slightly damaged box, exactly what my friend received.

Unfortunately it is out of stock. Even if it wasn't, surely I'd have to pay import tax, etc?
 
Do you know of any other places elsewhere?

 

[KhaledM]

  I went a head and posted the information you provided on the Philips forums, I hope they look into this problem in the assembly line, because it's a shame that such a great and UNIQUE pair of headphones like these be ruined by a minor mistake.

 
I hope this is not against the forum rules because I want to share the link of the thread I started on the Philips forum, I would encourage anyone who experienced any problem with their X2 to go the thread and mention his experience, they say they want to hear from all of you who had bad experience, I guess it is a good way to shed some light on the problem with the people who maybe can do something about it.
 
Here is the link: http://www.supportforum.philips.com/en/showthread.php?37488-I-guess-I-found-the-reason-of-the-sound-imbalance-in-some-of-the-Fidelio-X2

 

[thesmokingman]

The earpads are keyed so they can only go on one way, properly that is. This must mean the earpads were literally glued on upside down ignoring the pins?

 

[J Mirra]

The pin is tiny and they can fit upside down as the holes for the headphones feet are symmetrical both ways up leaving the thinker part of the pad at the front instead of the back.

 

[thesmokingman]

The pin is tiny and they can fit upside down as the holes for the headphones feet are symmetrical both ways up leaving the thinker part of the pad at the front instead of the back.

 



Nah, not the key pin, but the four mounting pins. They are keyed to only fit in one way. To install it upside down, the earpad won't sit flush on the earcup because the mounting pins will not drop into the holes. You'd have a 1/4 in gap if you tried mounting the pad upside which then would have to be seriously glued to stick on. Also, my pads are not thinner on one side vs the other, however there is a dip in the middle of them. The angle on X2's in in the driver plate not the earpads anyways.

 

[thesmokingman]

However if you reverse the pads, L to R, then you can mount the pads upside down. But as I wrote I don't see how its possible to not notice if you mounted the L earpad on the left earcup upside down since the earpad would not mount at all. That's a lot of glue involved. This or maybe my earpads and phones are different than yours?

 

[chry5alis]

The pads on my set are not thicker or thinner on either side.  I did notice both oblong holes that my ears fit into are angled in the same manner from the vertical line of the headband.  The pads are made from memory foam and there was some distortion but only from the contact they have been making on my headphone stand.

 

[J Mirra]

This is a picture from a Google but is the same array as mine the holes are in the same position either way up.
 
My left pad was upside down, my pads are thicker at the back then the front.
 
I just thought I would mention it for people with an unbalance sound.

 

[thesmokingman]

This is a picture from a Google but is the same array as mine the holes are in the same position either way up.


 


My left pad was upside down, my pads are thicker at the back then the front.


 


I just thought I would mention it for people with an unbalance sound.

 



But the wholes are not the same distance. Go measure it.

 

[J Mirra]

 

 
 

This is a picture from a Google but is the same array as mine the holes are in the same position either way up.
   
  My left pad was upside down, my pads are thicker at the back then the front.
   
  I just thought I would mention it for people with an unbalance sound.

 



But the wholes are not the same distance. Go measure it.

Mine was glued on that way.

 

[thesmokingman]

Mine was glued on that way.

 



I don't doubt they were mounted/glued incorrectly. They'd have to be to be oriented upside down. However that would make it not specifically a manufacturing issue per say but a quality control . It was a mistake during assembly which should have been picked up during QC. Nevertheless it is a simple issue imo, not a desgn flaw or defect.


Also your post below is exactly what I mean by the pins and holes for mounting being keyed. They will not come together if flipped upside down, left on left.

Mine would not stay in place without the glue, the holes on the pad that fit on to the pins on the headphone are to wide for the pin to sit snugly.


 


A manufacturing issue on these pads.