Hi everyone,
First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who have contributed to this comments and advice and have been a great help to me and I couldn't be happier with my X2's!
I'm rather new to this world, as you'll likely be able to tell if you read my post, as I'm not very good at describing the sound like some of you. I initially bought the Sennheiser HD598's, and while I liked them a lot, very much so, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. I spent a lot of time researching, and I think in that time they were a little too hyped up in my mind. The highs, to me, were incredibly harsh - quite painful actually. I felt like I needed to lower the volume due to that, but then I felt like I was missing out elsewhere...
I then discovered the Fidelio X2's and based on what people were saying about them they sounded absolutely perfect for me, as games, movies and music (in that order) are my main uses for them. I took a bit of a gamble and ordered them from Amazon; I say gamble due to the recent QC issues.
Thankfully, and very luckily it seems, I appear to have absolutely no issues at all with them. They're Woox (both on the box and the headphone), the ear pads aren't glued, there are no defects on the band or metal trim, and I left them on a piece of white paper and left them with music playing for a couple of hours and no sign of any dye.
I also ordered the Anker nylon cable in red; http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00R15B5TM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A2PGPJL0BBLHLX
Was this a good choice? I haven't really seen it mentioned much here, however the reviews on Amazon were fantastic and I'm a big fan of Anker and their products.
As for the most important factor; the sound of the X2's. Wow. That's all I can say. It's such a fun headphone; the crisp detail in the lows and mids is absolutely phenomenal. The soundstage is amazing. The highs aren't harsh at all. The bass is beautiful, a little booming, I can feel it, but it's never too much. To me they sound incredible, and a big improvement on the 598's.
I was able to do a direct comparison, as I haven't sent the 598's back yet, and the X2's are a lot more detailed and the bass is such a welcomed addition, something that was seriously lacking on the 598's. Also, it's amazing how the 598's feel a lot less comfortable now that I've worn the X'2. I know the 598's are known for their comfort, but honestly the X2's are a LOT more comfortable to me. Likely because I have a fairly big head, which helps, but the band of the 598's feels like it's digging into my head a little now, whereas the X2's are just ridiculously comfortable; it's like having amazing speaker slippers on my head.
Again, many thanks to everyone who's posted in this thread and I hope to stick around and try and return the favour to help others in their quest for this beautifully constructed and even more beautifully sounding headphone.
