[rhythm is life]

Just received the X2. After some brief listening with some of my favorite tracks, here's my impressions:
 

1. Nice box. Certainly a step up from my AKG K545 plastic-windowed unboxing experience. The velour pads are comfortable. They're a bit stiff, but pressure is minimal and I expect them to soften up over time. I wasn't a fan of self-adjusting headbands before but the X2 is very easy to adjust, maybe even foolproof. The "hammock" attached to the headband deserves the name, it's like a pillow on top of my head. The cable exudes quality and I'm a big fan of the cable clip as I sit by my desk a lot, a couple feet away from my amp's headphone jack. 
2. The bass response is near perfect. From 60 Hz all the way through the midrange, the X2 is completely neutral. Below 60 Hz (the primary driver resonance as measured by InnerFidelity) the bass response falls off, but not by much until you get below 40 Hz or so. Using EqualizerAPO, I boosted the bass 2 dB with a low shelf filter using a 60 Hz cutoff. This brought the deep bass forward a bit without boosting the midbass. Somebody on a previous page mentioned liking Pendulum with the X2. I can confirm that. Set Me On Fire, specifically, was a treat to listen to, and the bass didn't disappoint.
3. The mids are warm and smooth. Perfect for some laid-back listening.
4. I always have issues with a headphone's treble response, and the Philips is no exception, although my issue is very small. The lower treble has a bit of graininess to it. I checked the treble response by running a frequency sweep, and to my ears, the upper-mid peak flattens out at around 3 kHz where it should, but then above 4 kHz it rises a bit, before dipping at 6 kHz. The treble is very well extended. During my frequency sweep I could hear 16 kHz without jacking up the volume. 
5. I don't have a lot of open headphone experience, so the soundstage was an ear-opener coming from my K545. Credit the angled drivers. Unlike the K545, which fired hard-panned sounds directly to the sides of my head, the X2 presents a convincing, speaker-like stereo image with an appropriate angle. It's certainly not a super-wide soundstage, but it's realistic. With the K545, I have to use crossfeed for the headphones to sound natural. With the X2, I felt like I didn't need the crossfeed. It's still welcome on vintage recordings like The Wind Cries Mary, though. 

 
Some tracks I listened to:
 

1. The Eagles - Hotel California (Live) My go-to track for sound quality and the first track I listened to. The crowd sounded quite convincing. The guitar was nicely textured with well-defined and dynamic plucking. The bass drum came in thumping. The percussion was lively. The bass, combined with the left-side acoustic guitar, gave a rich warmth, but not at the expense of clarity. I didn't hear sibilance in the vocals that others have complained about (not on the X2, though). Well done.
2. Young Jeezy - Put On One of my favorite tracks for loud and deep bass. The opening features a descending bass line in four steps, in this order: 55-43-37-27 Hz. The 55 Hz note hit fairly hard, with the 43 and 37 Hz notes slightly quieter. The 27 Hz note was barely audible. When it comes to bass this deep, listen through closed headphones or IEMs. Or planars.
3. Pendulum - Set Me On Fire The X2's responded better to the bass on this track, which I expected because this song doesn't go as low as "Put On". The lowest note was slightly quieter than the other bass notes.
4. Alice In Chains - Rotten Apple My experience with this song was a lot like "Hotel California" between the rich acoustic guitar and the punchy drums.

 
I think the X2 is a keeper. It's like an HD650 with deeper bass and a wider soundstage, for less money (especially for me because I would need a more powerful amp). Highly recommended.

 

[obsidyen]

X2 is indeed like an improved, better HD650 with more sub bass and clarity.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Anyone with both the X2 and MA900 care to chime in how they compare? Currently have the MA900 but reading about X2 has me very interested, especially after reading that it has a better soundstage and more sub-bass (for an open headphone).

The X2 will not touch the MA900's soundstage. The X2 has a good soundstage though. The bass has good energy even at 40hz.

 

[maricius]

Not to derail the thread but I have yet to hear anyone say that the sound got WORSE after burn in. Why is that?

Well, most people claim that burn-in is leads to the sound the manufacturer intended. I don't think a manufacturer would intent a final product to sound worse than straight out of the box. Then again, maybe some people won't like the tonality shift. At least, the technicalities shouldn't get worse.

 

[Sundown]

Anyone elses earpads itchy? Put your headphones on a white piece of paper and brush the ear pads. Are there little black linen flakes coming off? I rest my headphones on the wall and the earpads are leaving black marks on the wall where the earpads rest... Probably going into my skin too.

 

[BB 808]

  Anyone elses earpads itchy? Put your headphones on a white piece of paper and brush the ear pads. Are there little black linen flakes coming off? I rest my headphones on the wall and the earpads are leaving black marks on the wall where the earpads rest... Probably going into my skin too.

Experienced that when I got my X1 last year.  Wiped down the pads with a damp cloth several times and the itchiness and flakes were gone.

 

[Kalookakoo]

So are these better than the HD650's? Or better question, how are they different? I'm happy with mine, but with 650's being a little over 300 this Friday, I'm just wondering if I missed out.

 

[kcee]

The X2 will not touch the MA900's soundstage. The X2 has a good soundstage though. The bass has good energy even at 40hz.

Own both, used the MA900 pretty much exclusively the last year or so. Past a few quick comparisons I have not picked up the 900's since I have had the x2's.

 

[Sundown]

  To hear how well X2 can handle sub-bass, listen to this song. You can thank me later.
 

Haha, I used to play this in the car off 750wrms in a 30hz enclosure on a 12" subwoofer. It was fun watching the door panels, steering wheel, and dash flex on the low note. These headphones remind me of that a bit but nothing is moving in my vision. 

 

[Jazz1]

Can anyone recommend a hard case for these headphones? I understand they come without a carry case or bag.

 

[rwpritchett]

Can anyone recommend a hard case for these headphones? I understand they come without a carry case or bag.

The CASEBUDi XL is a good fit for the X1. It should be good for the X2 as well.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF6IKL4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=OIE16I5E7SPM&coliid=I1UPE5CW7D8EHW

 

[starv3d]

is the x2 worth the extra 100€ that the x1 cost?
im interested on this but the x1 are at really good price
 
i read that if u put the x2 cable on the x1 they become almost the same and the x1 have better base and vocals

 

[Jazz1]

The CASEBUDi XL is a good fit for the X1. It should be good for the X2 as well.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF6IKL4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=OIE16I5E7SPM&coliid=I1UPE5CW7D8EHW

Thanks! I'll give them a try. They look like they will do the job well.

 

[SonicWarrior]

My X2 should be here on Monday. It will be paired with the ifi micro idsd. Looking forward to it as it will be my first pair of full size cans.

Eagerly waiting for your observations to know how it pairs up with X2. I am waiting to pull the trigger on micro as well as X2. I currently own P7 (after deliberating with NAD and momentum for a month) and very satisfied with purchase. Couldn't wait to see how it pairs up with micro.

 

[Baycode]

X2 hammock is slightly larger than X1, so there is a probability that the X1 case won't fit.

I use this carbon structure case with splashproof zippers for my X2:










PS: bought from Aliexpress months ago so the link is broken. But there should be sellers there. Search for Large headphone case or HD650 case in Aliexpress you may find. Also this one might be at Amazon as well. Inside is velvet like material. Quality and fit is unmatched: superb.

Edit: Structure is not completely hard, I can say semi-hard (or semisoft), but keeps the HP from external elements. I have been using it since I got my X2's and it traveled many times with me without any problems. Zippers are a little stiff but very secure.