[CluckerByte]

Just got confirmation from Philips that they have improved the acoustical tuning of the X2HR, so now we all know.

 

[chocomel167]

Just got confirmation from Philips that they have improved the acoustical tuning of the X2HR, so now we all know.

Did they say what they changed?

 

[Slater]

Just got confirmation from Philips that they have improved the acoustical tuning of the X2HR, so now we all know.

Did they say what they changed?

Agreed.

I'm cautiously skeptical because the pad change alone would affect the sound, so technically that's all they could have done and still be able to say they changed the "acoustical tuning".

There have already been members who have directly compared the X2 and X2HR, and their conclusion was that they sound the same.

Not saying Philips is lying or that I don't trust them, but 'creative' marketing is done all of the time and it's important to separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

[CluckerByte]

Unfortunately no specifics could be given, it was hard enough getting the information from these staff members to begin with. If they're not reading a script everything is all too hard and too much effort.

I don't think the sound has changed much, I think mostly changes in the bass and treble were made, and only slightly. This is what the reviews I posted earlier mention they notice. This could be because of the pads, who knows. Those few who have actually bought the X2 and compared them have usually done so pretty quickly without critical listening, and if the changes are subtle it may require certain material to appreciate better. Unfortunately I don't have a pair of original X2 to compare with.

My X2HR are due for arrival today, so I can go off memory but I don't think that's going to be very accurate. I am just taking into account that the signature of the sound may be slightly more detailed on the upper end and the bass may be more controlled.

I am using them with a dedicated headphone dac/amp unit now too whereas last time it was just running out of my PC dedicated soundcard, so there may be audible differences there too, plus I was using Dolby Headphone a lot and now I'll be using Dolby Atmos for headphone, so there are many factors changing that will influence what and how I hear things.

 

[peter123]

Personally I'd trust the guys here having heard both a lot more than any random employee at Philips but YMMV......

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

Unfortunately no specifics could be given, it was hard enough getting the information from these staff members to begin with. If they're not reading a script everything is all too hard and too much effort.

I don't think the sound has changed much, I think mostly changes in the bass and treble were made, and only slightly. This is what the reviews I posted earlier mention they notice. This could be because of the pads, who knows. Those few who have actually bought the X2 and compared them have usually done so pretty quickly without critical listening, and if the changes are subtle it may require certain material to appreciate better. Unfortunately I don't have a pair of original X2 to compare with.

My X2HR are due for arrival today, so I can go off memory but I don't think that's going to be very accurate. I am just taking into account that the signature of the sound may be slightly more detailed on the upper end and the bass may be more controlled.

I am using them with a dedicated headphone dac/amp unit now too whereas last time it was just running out of my PC dedicated soundcard, so there may be audible differences there too, plus I was using Dolby Headphone a lot and now I'll be using Dolby Atmos for headphone, so there are many factors changing that will influence what and how I hear things.

I call It BS. I am going to give you my take... the philips fidelio x2hr is the same exact fidelio x2 ever but this time philips and the company in charge of the manufacturing putted their **** tohether and the x2 is now free of problems. In fact the latest batches of the original x2 had all the problems already solved. I had 3 different pairs 2 months ago and all of them worked fine and were properly balanced, all made by gibson, just minor cosmetic flaws (basically i traded them because i am super picky).
Problem is.... when you screw up the word gets spread and now that philips had solved the problems no one is interested in buying a headphone that is known for inbalance issues.... so what do you do...? You pick up the same old headphones, stick 2 more letters in their name and lettering, a new box, some marketing bs and tada!!! You are now selling the same old product as a new and improved one and avoiding the bad reputation from the past.

As others stated above there have been users with both and they felt no difference. I even recall reading something, a statement from philips (someone posted on reddit or something) admiting their problems with the ink from the pads and saying they were silently introducing changes in pads and headband. This stament if i am not mistaken as more than 1 year and a half so i would even bet that the newer pads and headband from the x2hr are already present in the latest batches of the original x2.

Another example of silent changes....

I know is a different company but another example.... last year sennheiser revamped the box of the legendary hd25 and it was said this newr version had a new clicking ajustment... i have two hd25s (yes i love them) the older one was bough half a year before this revamp and has the old box and etc.... guess what.... the older hd25 i had already had the new adjustment mechanism....

 

[CluckerByte]

Fair enough, I'm just the messenger.
Personally I've seen more reviews state sound changes than just your average Forum joe, and two Philips sources state what I mentioned.

I'll attach screenshot later, they say aside from the "earpad upgrade, they "also" worked on a bit of acoustical tuning differences vs the x2" which would indicate it's not purely from the pads.

The in depth info anyone is seeking is not usually passed out by companies anyway, usually people like Tyl give out that info after listening to new products. Also Philips is not Mr Speakers, they don't live and breath sound and so don't get into the nitty gritty about communicating all these changes. Their marketing is horrible.

 

[CluckerByte]

[deleted]

 

[Slater]

I call It BS. I am going to give you my take... the philips fidelio x2hr is the same exact fidelio x2 ever but this time philips and the company in charge of the manufacturing putted their **** tohether and the x2 is now free of problems. In fact the latest batches of the original x2 had all the problems already solved. I had 3 different pairs 2 months ago and all of them worked fine and were properly balanced, all made by gibson, just minor cosmetic flaws (basically i traded them because i am super picky).
Problem is.... when you screw up the word gets spread and now that philips had solved the problems no one is interested in buying a headphone that is known for inbalance issues.... so what do you do...? You pick up the same old headphones, stick 2 more letters in their name and lettering, a new box, some marketing bs and tada!!! You are now selling the same old product as a new and improved one and avoiding the bad reputation from the past.

As others stated above there have been users with both and they felt no difference. I even recall reading something, a statement from philips (someone posted on reddit or something) admiting their problems with the ink from the pads and saying they were silently introducing changes in pads and headband. This stament if i am not mistaken as more than 1 year and a half so i would even bet that the newer pads and headband from the x2hr are already present in the latest batches of the original x2.

Another example of silent changes....

I know is a different company but another example.... last year sennheiser revamped the box of the legendary hd25 and it was said this newr version had a new clicking ajustment... i have two hd25s (yes i love them) the older one was bough half a year before this revamp and has the old box and etc.... guess what.... the older hd25 i had already had the new adjustment mechanism....

Perfect examples of 'creative marketing'.

My X2 is a Gibson bought a few months ago and it has zero QC issues, no glued pads, etc. I couldn't have been happier.

We are having a large meet in Ohio this weekend. I'm hoping someone shows up with an earlier (Woot) X2 or an X2HR so I can directly compare both the sound as well as the pad/headband material. Like you mentioned, I'm pretty sure my X2 already has the most recent improvements.

 

[Slater]

I'm going to disconnect from this thread, it's clear nobody is interested in entertaining the idea of the X2HR being refined. Perhaps there's a bias with the fact some people own the X2 and don't want to know their headphone may be slightly superseded now, but regardless I'm not feeling a very open minded environment provided I cited many articles, company quotes and general thoughts and everyone just wants to shut it down.

Is this the mentality and attitude that headfi is mocked for externally?

Such a shame.

Not sure what you're offended by - like you said you were just the messenger. I didn't see anyone attacking you or your credibility.

Just because everyone doesn't just automatically drink every cup of Kool-Aid they're presented with like good little sheeple, doesn't mean we don't care about truth, information, and participating in healthy discussion.

Let's say you were at a car dealership looking at a 2018 model to possibly replace your 2017 model (which you were perfectly happy with). The new model is 20% higher in cost. The sales person said "wow, you're gonna love this new model. We made this model a lot better with a number of improvements". But for the life of you, you can't visually see any improvements whatsoever except different material covering the seats and a badge on the trunk that says "HR". It's not any faster than your 2017, it doesn't handle any better, or have any detectable improvements. And on top of that, neither the sales person nor any sales literature can concretely list what specific "improvements" and changes were made other than the seat material and the "HR" badge on the trunk. And neither the sales person nor the literature can specifically explain how the 2018 HR model is any different than your "non-HR" model (other than the seat material and trunk badge). Wouldn't you have a healthy skepticism and ask what specifically has changed, how is this better than your 2017 model, and what is the reason for the 20% price increase?

Would you just blindly trade your 2017 in and sign on the dotted line for the 2018 model given that scenario? If so, then I have a great deal on a bridge that I'm interested in selling you.

That's not being biased, offensive, attacking, mocking, disbelief, or criticism. That's called common sense, street smarts, and being an informed consumer. And if that somehow earns the right to be apparently mocked by external parties, then so be it.

Regardless, we'd hate to see anyone leave.

 

[Slim1970]

Got my X2HR's last Friday and I have been giving them some head time. I had the original X2's but sold them so I can't do a direct comparison. I thought they were great mid-fi headphones so I was about to repurchase them and that's when I learned about the X2HR's. I've been using them with both my Dragonfly Red and Mojo. The X2HR's sound very good with both but the Mojo has a slight edge as it enhances the treble on the X2HR's. The Mojo also has more micro-detail than the Dragonfly and it drives them more to my liking. As far as sound is concerned I think I am in agreement with @CluckerByte on this one. There is a difference is sound quality between the X2's and the X2HR's. The bass is better defined and there seems to be more subbass on the X2HR's from what I recall on the original X2. There also seems to be more treble detail on the X2HR's that I don't remember the X2's having. The X2HR's has a more open soundstage to my ears as well. I don't know if it's the new pads but there is a sound improvement on the X2HR's over the original X2's.

 

[CluckerByte]

I got my X2HR's this morning, they arrived a day late.

Currently burning them in, final verdict will be after 150 hours which is my common routine "just in case".

So far my impressions are much like @Slim1970.

The first impression of the X2HR sounds better rounded and defined in the sub-bass area and definitely more treble, so much so that it stood out right away compared to the original X2 that I owned.
I need time to adjust to the sound because I've been using my speakers and KZ-5 IEM's for quite a bit now, so I'm not used to all the detail being spread out rather than inside my head.

No quality issues, channel imbalance is non existent, all headphone tests passed very well.

Apologies on getting crappy earlier, I completely understand the caution everyone is taking towards the X2HR's, I was the same and bought them before I even read and saw things about slight sound changes.
No idea if it is the pads, or slight revisions to the internals, but regardless these headphones hit me differently than my X2's did and I've re-created the environment I was listening to my X2's on to be sure.

@Slim1970 - thanks for the update as I thought I might be going crazy or be a victim of placebo. I like to think I'm quite an analytical person and can differentiate between these things.

ALSO: My box says Gibson on the bottom which is normal, but my headphones say Gibson under the headband, and somebody else a few months ago posted here stating his said WOOX under the headband, so perhaps multiple variants again.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

I'm going to disconnect from this thread, it's clear nobody is interested in entertaining the idea of the X2HR being refined. Perhaps there's a bias with the fact some people own the X2 and don't want to know their headphone may be slightly superseded now, but regardless I'm not feeling a very open minded environment provided I cited many articles, company quotes and general thoughts and everyone just wants to shut it down.

Is this the mentality and attitude that headfi is mocked for externally?

Such a shame.

There was until someone had both at the same time and Stated that there was slight to no diference.

Honest to good, i hope your x2hr is wonderfull and trumps the original x2 but the truth is that the differences are probably very subtle and at the moment you can get the original x2 on amazon for around 130/140 euros, the x2hr costs 320. This diference in pricing completely is completely bezerk....

 

[CluckerByte]

There was until someone had both at the same time and Stated that there was slight to no diference.

Honest to good, i hope your x2hr is wonderfull and trumps the original x2 but the truth is that the differences are probably very subtle and at the moment you can get the original x2 on amazon for around 130/140 euros, the x2hr costs 320. This difference in pricing completely is completely bezerk....

I got mine for 153 euro, so slightly more than the original X2, but here I've seen the X2 sold for even more, can't complain.
I typed up the deal and how much I got them for on the last page I think.

Definitely not worth paying crazy amounts more as far as sound quality improvements go and comfort, because then you enter higher tiers of headphones that may be worth dropping a bit more cash on, but for 10 euro extra it's a no brainer, including no issue with quality control. (So far)

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

I got mine for 153 euro, so slightly more than the original X2, but here I've seen the X2 sold for even more, can't complain.
I typed up the deal and how much I got them for on the last page I think.

Definitely not worth paying crazy amounts more as far as sound quality improvements go and comfort, because then you enter higher tiers of headphones that may be worth dropping a bit more cash on, but for 10 euro extra it's a no brainer, including no issue with quality control. (So far)

of the 3 x2s i had i kept the second pair wich was overall the better one (it had the better mix of sound and aesthetics). All three sounded pretty much the same but the first one was the one that sounded a bit better. It seemed to have more airy treble and overall sound but it also had the less clamp so it could be because of that.... but anyway, once again it was something that was noticeable but very very subtle and hard to perceive when comparing the 3 pairs (i had the three at the same time).

If later the x2hr appear for around the same 130 euros on amazon i might give it a shot but for now i am more interested in deciding if i should sell my hd600 and getting a hd650 or the new hd660s....