[fideliyo]

I bought the Bass Plus replacement pads:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Plus-Velvet-Replacement-Ear-Pads-Cushion-For-Philips-Fidelio-X2-Headphones-/261967950938
and the wool headband cushion:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hand-Knit-Pure-Wool-Headband-Cushion-For-Philips-Fidelio-X1-X2-HiFi-Headphones-/251815707193
Took more than a month to finally be delivered. Anyways...  
 
First impressions, the bass plus pads seem identical to the stock pads.  The build, sound, everything seems exactly the same. The only difference, of course, is the "special edition bass plus cushion" text. Based on no evidence at all... I feel like these are extras made in the same factory and only able to be sold with the added text so they can't be marketed as the original stock pads. Again, that is pure speculation, but they really seem identical.  What remains to be seen for me is if they bleed ink like my original pads did.  Even after several washes they would leave marks on my desk when I set them down.
 
The wool headband is pretty neat, I guess. I got the black one.  It snaps on easily and looks and feels nice. It wasn't something I really needed because the headband is comfortable enough as is, but it is nice to be able to take it off to wash it if I need or something.  Honestly, I bought it mostly for the looks. It kind of fills in the empty space above the headband and below the leather top of the headphones pretty nicely.
 
I'll update if the bass plus pads bleed or not, or if anything else comes up.
 
UPDATE:
The bass plus pads DO bleed ink... just as bad as my stock pads! I stand by my first impressions that they are just stock pads with added "special edition bass plus cushion" text even though they sound identical.  What a bummer. I love these headphones but I hate having to be so careful not to get ink stains on anything I set them on.

 

[obiwanshinobi87]

   
I came from LCD-2F and prefer X2 for pretty much everything except EDM, because of better controlled and textured bass on Audeze. Tonally they seemed about the same, but I found LCD-2F sometimes a bit shouty in the upper-mids. X2 on the other hand is completely fatigue-free for me. Which is quite opposite to your review..
 
As a side note, I feel that my HD600 was better than either headphone with vocals and audiophile-grade acoustic recordings. For that purpose I plan to rebuy them some day...

I had a different experience. Bought the X2 twice, really liked them but thought their mids were really mediocre. Bought the LCD-2F's and was immediately drawn into their intimacy. Their soundstage isn't as wide, but the imaging felt superior and female vocals made my ear tingle when they hit the right frequencies. The X2's in contrast, felt a little more "grand" in the sound presentation, which didn't always sound better to me. The bass on the LCD's had a nice impactful midbass, subbass is there but not quite as high as X2. All in all, the LCD's just sounded more dynamic. This may not be worth an extra $700 for everyone, but I listen to music all the time so it was for me.

 

[madwolfa]

  I had a different experience. Bought the X2 twice, really liked them but thought their mids were really mediocre. Bought the LCD-2F's and was immediately drawn into their intimacy. Their soundstage isn't as wide, but the imaging felt superior and female vocals made my ear tingle when they hit the right frequencies. The X2's in contrast, felt a little more "grand" in the sound presentation, which didn't always sound better to me. The bass on the LCD's had a nice impactful midbass, subbass is there but not quite as high as X2. All in all, the LCD's just sounded more dynamic. This may not be worth an extra $700 for everyone, but I listen to music all the time so it was for me.

 
Yeah, to each his own, I guess. I don't miss my LCD-2F.

 

[Ishcabible]

  I had a different experience. Bought the X2 twice, really liked them but thought their mids were really mediocre. Bought the LCD-2F's and was immediately drawn into their intimacy. Their soundstage isn't as wide, but the imaging felt superior and female vocals made my ear tingle when they hit the right frequencies. The X2's in contrast, felt a little more "grand" in the sound presentation, which didn't always sound better to me. The bass on the LCD's had a nice impactful midbass, subbass is there but not quite as high as X2. All in all, the LCD's just sounded more dynamic. This may not be worth an extra $700 for everyone, but I listen to music all the time so it was for me.

 
I agree with this; though the fazored versions weren't my cup of tea because they did some weird things to the treble. A good LCD-2.2 is fantastic but obviously a much more expensive headphone.

 

[madwolfa]

  I agree with this; though the fazored versions weren't my cup of tea because they did some weird things to the treble. A good LCD-2.2 is fantastic but obviously a much more expensive headphone.

 
I haven't heard pre-Fazor'd LCD-2, maybe I'd have a different opinion then.

 

[KewlMunky]

   
I haven't heard pre-Fazor'd LCD-2, maybe I'd have a different opinion then.

 
I have an LCD-2.2 and I would much rather prefer it over the X2 (pre Fidelio X2-gate), despite the significant cost difference. The X2 has more bass boom, but it rolls off really fast where as my LCD-2 has a very impactful bass that extends deeper and doesn't feel bloated. My LCD-2 also has clearer highs and a more forward midrange than the X2.
 
IMO, YMMV, etc. etc.
 
I'm only selling it and keeping my X2 because I prefered my HE-6 over the LCD-2 and cant' justify having two high priced headphones.

 

[Ishcabible]

   
I haven't heard pre-Fazor'd LCD-2, maybe I'd have a different opinion then.

 
Definitely give it a try if you get the chance. I thought the Fazors were a downgrade. They got rid of what made the LCD-2 special.

 

[EternalShadow]

After a hundred hours of burn in, I can say that I noticed no direct change in the way the headphone sounded.  I did realize, that "brain burn in" can possibly be an actual thing.  
 
That said, the X2 still sounds inferior to my HD600 in all respects except for bass amount.  It sounds much darker than my K553, K701, and HD600 in fact.  On bassy tracks, midrange and treble clarity is significantly lower than any of my other headphones, and bass can feel sloppy.  
 
There are certain tracks where the X2's sound acceptable to my ears, but A/B directly with the HD600 and everything just feels right.  
 
I bought the X2 because it was suggested as a bassier form of the HD600, but it's not.  
 
I'm keeping my X2 for tracks that I feel need that bass thump, but everywhere else, it's not quite there.  
 
There's a lot of mention of soundstage, but I feel that it has a VERY 2D soundstage. HD600's, while having a compressed soundstage, just felt more natural front/rear.  
 
I have quite a few Yiruma tracks, and I know exactly what a real piano sounds like, having played for over a decade. Something sounds a bit different with the X2 in the treble. Can't explain it, not good nor bad, but definitely not what the real deal sounds like.
 
All I got out of this experience so far is that I absolutely cannot wait to get some tube amps for my K701 and HD600   

 

[simonwellander]

After a hundred hours of burn in, I can say that I noticed no direct change in the way the headphone sounded.  I did realize, that "brain burn in" can possibly be an actual thing.  

CAN possibly be an actual thing? Of course it is..

 

[EternalShadow]

  CAN possibly be an actual thing? Of course it is..

Sorry, I don't have time to read through the science journals to state that it is a fact.  
 
Interestingly enough, the more I think about it, the less it seems to be fully accurate.  My first listen to the headphone is very very close to what I interpret it to sound now. 
 
But please, don't let that get in the way of everything else I stated.  

 

[wwmhf]

  After a hundred hours of burn in, I can say that I noticed no direct change in the way the headphone sounded.  I did realize, that "brain burn in" can possibly be an actual thing.  
 
That said, the X2 still sounds inferior to my HD600 in all respects except for bass amount.  It sounds much darker than my K553, K701, and HD600 in fact.  On bassy tracks, midrange and treble clarity is significantly lower than any of my other headphones, and bass can feel sloppy.  
 
There are certain tracks where the X2's sound acceptable to my ears, but A/B directly with the HD600 and everything just feels right.  
 
I bought the X2 because it was suggested as a bassier form of the HD600, but it's not.  
 
I'm keeping my X2 for tracks that I feel need that bass thump, but everywhere else, it's not quite there.  
 
There's a lot of mention of soundstage, but I feel that it has a VERY 2D soundstage. HD600's, while having a compressed soundstage, just felt more natural front/rear.  
 
I have quite a few Yiruma tracks, and I know exactly what a real piano sounds like, having played for over a decade. Something sounds a bit different with the X2 in the treble. Can't explain it, not good nor bad, but definitely not what the real deal sounds like.
 
All I got out of this experience so far is that I absolutely cannot wait to get some tube amps for my K701 and HD600   

 
Tube amp for HD600 sounds like a good try, but it is interesting to know which tube amp work well with K701.

 

[wwmhf]

  I bought the Bass Plus replacement pads:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Plus-Velvet-Replacement-Ear-Pads-Cushion-For-Philips-Fidelio-X2-Headphones-/261967950938
and the wool headband cushion:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hand-Knit-Pure-Wool-Headband-Cushion-For-Philips-Fidelio-X1-X2-HiFi-Headphones-/251815707193
Took more than a month to finally be delivered. Anyways...  
 
First impressions, the bass plus pads seem identical to the stock pads.  The build, sound, everything seems exactly the same. The only difference, of course, is the "special edition bass plus cushion" text. Based on no evidence at all... I feel like these are extras made in the same factory and only able to be sold with the added text so they can't be marketed as the original stock pads. Again, that is pure speculation, but they really seem identical.  What remains to be seen for me is if they bleed ink like my original pads did.  Even after several washes they would leave marks on my desk when I set them down.
 
The wool headband is pretty neat, I guess. I got the black one.  It snaps on easily and looks and feels nice. It wasn't something I really needed because the headband is comfortable enough as is, but it is nice to be able to take it off to wash it if I need or something.  Honestly, I bought it mostly for the looks. It kind of fills in the empty space above the headband and below the leather top of the headphones pretty nicely.
 
I'll update if the bass plus pads bleed or not, or if anything else comes up.

 
Useful info, thanks for sharing.

 

[dtp1981]

  I bought the Bass Plus replacement pads:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bass-Plus-Velvet-Replacement-Ear-Pads-Cushion-For-Philips-Fidelio-X2-Headphones-/261967950938
and the wool headband cushion:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hand-Knit-Pure-Wool-Headband-Cushion-For-Philips-Fidelio-X1-X2-HiFi-Headphones-/251815707193
Took more than a month to finally be delivered. Anyways...  
 
First impressions, the bass plus pads seem identical to the stock pads.  The build, sound, everything seems exactly the same. The only difference, of course, is the "special edition bass plus cushion" text. Based on no evidence at all... I feel like these are extras made in the same factory and only able to be sold with the added text so they can't be marketed as the original stock pads. Again, that is pure speculation, but they really seem identical.  

 
Interesting.  Thought I read a couple reports that they were a little softer than the stock pads.  If that's not the case, it's definitely not worth buying for me.

 

[wwmhf]

  If anyone's interested I posted my review of the X2: http://www.head-fi.org/products/philips-fidelio-x2/reviews/15009
 
I burned them in for roughly 100 hours.

 
A nice write up. What was the amp used for your review if any? 

 

[Ishcabible]

A nice write up. What was the amp used for your review if any? 

Thanks! For the review I used an Audio-GD SA-31 and a 2 channel Beta22.