[obsidyen]

  Hi guys,
i want to buy a new pair of headphones because my HD598, that i've been using for 4 years, don't satisfy me to much on the bass side. I use them for both music trough iphone 6+ (rarely on mobility, else i use the koss porta pro) and Fiio X3 (connected to my PC or laptop), as well as for daily gaming on my PC.
 
I've been always a Sennheiser fanboy but this time i'm looking at the fidelio L2 or X2... But can't decide between these two. Anyone have experience with both and can give me some infos? how they compare? They both have good punchy basses?

 
I used to be Sennheiser fanboy too, still love them but they are left behind in many areas now. HD650 isn't the all-rounder Hifi headphone it used be be, it's surpassed by many headphones. Momentum is good but not great etc etc...
 
In my opinion, Fidelio X2 is better than all Sennheiser headphones as a true all-rounder with the exception of IE800. IE800 is an IEM though so they can't really be compared. HD700 is a fail, HD650 was good but has been surpassed by new headphones, HD800 is technically amazing but not as fun as X2.
 
X2 and L2 are both good headphones but X2 is much better, at least to my tastes. I like full sounding, musical open-back headphones that have punchy, strong bass. X2 is one of the best headphones that fit these criteria. L2 is good if you like a brighter sound signature. That said, in terms of musicality and bass quality/quantity, X2 is a lot better. Amazing for music, games and movies. They basically sound like speakers. I'm selling my L2 since I haven't even once used them after buying X2.
 
Don't get me wrong, X2s are not basshead headphones. They are headphones for audiophiles who love bass. There's a difference. 

 

[gorbenzer]

   
I used to be Sennheiser fanboy too, still love them but they are left behind in many areas now. HD650 isn't the all-rounder Hifi headphone it used be be, it's surpassed by many headphones. Momentum is good but not great etc etc...
 
In my opinion, Fidelio X2 is better than all Sennheiser headphones as a true all-rounder with the exception of IE800. IE800 is an IEM though so they can't really be compared. HD700 is a fail, HD650 was good but has been surpassed by new headphones, HD800 is technically amazing but not as fun as X2.
 
X2 and L2 are both good headphones but X2 is much better, at least to my tastes. I like full sounding, musical open-back headphones that have punchy, strong bass. X2 is one of the best headphones that fit these criteria. L2 is good if you like a brighter sound signature. That said, in terms of musicality and bass quality/quantity, X2 is a lot better. Amazing for music, games and movies. They basically sound like speakers. I'm selling my L2 since I haven't even once used them after buying X2.
 
Don't get me wrong, X2s are not basshead headphones. They are headphones for audiophiles who love bass. There's a difference. 

Well you quite convinced me
 
Let's wait for the next salary ^^

 

[liraop]

Just ordered mine yesterday. Waiting anxiously to it arrive. 

 
And holding the money to do not order the Vali schiit  =~~
Thanks for all your tips and infos. 

 

[subguy812]

My shorter cable from ebay is arriving today. Has any commented on the build quality of this cable and impedence?

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-Audio-upgrade-Headphone-Cable-For-philips-Fidelio-X1-UE6000-UE9000-/310803988432?

Sorry if I missed it!


Edit: Nice to have a shorter cable....the quality seems good...happy so far.

 

[lofthanza]

obsidyen
Does the x2 sound warmer through ur meridian amp ( I hope I got the spelling right) than through ur phone fr example?
I am trying to find a neutral amp that makes the x2 less warm.

 

[Got the Shakes]

Received my X2s yesterday and finally got a chance to try them out today. All I can say is wow. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I only had time to listen for about an hour, but I thought they sounded really great listening through my FiiO E07K hooked up to my laptop. Listened to various genres of music and everything sounded fabulous. Can't wait to try them for movies and tv shows, as well as some FLAC files (only got to try some of my MP3 V0). I think I have finally found the perfect headphones for me and hopefully my wallet will finally get some relief (at least once I finally purchase a DAP which is the last piece of gear I am looking for).

 

[obsidyen]

@obsidyen
Does the x2 sound warmer through ur meridian amp ( I hope I got the spelling right) than through ur phone fr example?
I am trying to find a neutral amp that makes the x2 less warm.

 
No it doesn't. Meridian Explorer2 is very neutral, I think more neutral than the slightly warm original Explorer. That said, it has a natural, organic, smooth sound. Amp section is great and quite powerful, better than the likes of Geek Out and Dacmagic XS. I really enjoy the sound that comes from it. I'm not a warm sound addict, in fact I sold Sennheiser Momentums because their overly warm sound made me disgusted. I don't find X2s to be warm, just neutral with some added bass, but it might be so because I drive them with Explorer2.
 
If you want a cold and analytical sound though, you might want to take a look at Sabre dacs, such as Resonessence Herus. I dislike Sabre dacs as I find their sound digital, clinical, dry and irritating but some like its clinically detailed sound.

 

[lofthanza]

It seems you have/had the dacmagic xs. I am using it to power the X2s. Other than being able to drive the X2s to a higher volume, it really doesnt give any advantage over the sound of my galaxy s3. Can you plz give a comparison between the Explorer2 and the dacmagic xs? Ur comparison will help me decide whether to get the explorer 2 or no.
Thanx Indeed

 

[obsidyen]

I had it for a few weeks but didn't like it and sold it. The amp section was not refined at all, I think it was actually worse compared to Macbook Pro. Yes the volume went higher but the sound was harsh and digital. I found the sound fatiguing. Then I bought the original Explorer (2nd version) and liked it but got bitten by the upgrade bug and bought Chord Hugo. I liked Hugo at first as it's technically great in some areas (mainly timing) but its lean and bright sound signature was fatiguing to me as well. Also there were obvious design quirks, it was hard to use as dac in a Hifi setup. By that time I had sold Explorer though, so I just used laptop headphone jacks for a while.
 
I bought Explorer2 a few weeks ago though and I'm extremely happy with it. Meridian used some of their high end tech in Explorer2 and the sound is just amazing. Compared to Dacmagic XS, it's smoother, more fluid, organic. A lot more musical. For low/mid impedance headphones (it can even drive HD650s) Explorer2 is more than enough. Also Explorer2 can decode Meridian's upcoming MQA format, which will be used by Tidal streaming service which will allow us to stream high-res audio  in much smaller files. Meridian is no joke when it comes to audio formats (they co-developed Dolby True HD with Dolby labs) so I'm sure MQA will be an important development. Apparently MQA mastered music (it's applied at mastering stage) will also sound better in addition to being smaller in size, but I cannot confirm it yet as I have not heard it myself.

 

[mejoshua]

Hey obsidyen, you mention geek out earlier. Did you own one or listened to one? Do you mind sharing how it sounded with the X2?

 

[zoolzoo]

Got mine in from Amazon today. A little bummed so far, bass seems a bit bloomy...creeps into the mids imo.

 

[Uberclocked]

  Got mine in from Amazon today. A little bummed so far, bass seems a bit bloomy...creeps into the mids imo.

w8 for burn-in, m8

 

[liraop]

  Got mine in from Amazon today. A little bummed so far, bass seems a bit bloomy...creeps into the mids imo.

I read that the burn-in is around 200hrs 

 

[kenshinesca]

I think I'll stick with the bass my X1's provide.  The only thing that I wish my X1's had are the removable pads of the X2's

 

[s0ckpupp3t]

  I think I'll stick with the bass my X1's provide.  The only thing that I wish my X1's had are the removable pads of the X2's

I don't think you can go wrong with that decision.  If you're happy with the X1, stick with it.
 
Also, I thought apart from the fact that X1 pads are glued on (but can be carefully removed) the construction was the same as the X2 pads.  You may at some point be able to buy X2 pads and replace your old X1 pads.