[CaptMidnight]

Just got mine I had a pair of the original fidelio x2's when they were new out I think I paid like £180 for them. I bought my 2nd pair the x2hr used on ebay but literally 1 week old 10/10 condition. They were £90 so the seller likely bough them for £109 when they were on sale at amazon. They're made by HK holding.

Wish I could compare to my old ones but can't get any sound out of them. They've taken A LOT of abuse, worn them nearly all day, every day for the last 4 years.

 

[MisterMudd]

Still crazy after all these years! For my X2’s......

 

[CaveManta]

One of my original X2 ear pads started to fall apart, so I went to find some replacements. I couldn't find any replacement ear pads that would just snap on. I wish I bought some of those "bass plus" pads back when they were available. What's the point of featuring removable ear pads if no replacements are available? Philips really botched these amazing headphones.

Anyway, I decided to take on the arduous task of massacring the original ear pads and putting a replacement set onto the detachable plates. I settled on some knockoff Audio Technica AD900X pads that I got from China. They're the perfect diameter for these headphones, and they don't obstruct the locking mechanism at all. I kept the felt membrane that was behind the original pads, because it seems to improve sound somewhat.

All in all, I'm very happy with how it turned out. They still sound balanced, yet fun, because the bass punch is there. The only downside I notice is that the soundstage is slightly shallower, and the treble is a bit metallic now. Pads with more depth will probably help in this regard..perhaps AKG K701 pads? Here are some pictures of how the pads fit. They don't look as elegant as the originals, that's for sure. But they sound great.

 

[Blinding]

I was looking for some replacement earpads and found some Brainwavz ones that I liked that states on their website that they're compatible, but how do you put other pads on the X2? Do you take the old ones and strech the Brainwavz ones over the cup ? And by they way can someone recommend a nice 3.5mm to 3.5mm male to male audio cable? Something nice and not too stiff, preferably like the vmoda audio only cable (can't get that in black).

 

[CaveManta]

For fun, I tried some of the "Round Hybrid" Brainwavz earpads, and they are a tiiiiiiight squeeze. I felt like I was going to rip those suckers in half. The XL earpads will probably fit more comfortably. And even still, the Brainwavz pads have a lot of excess material that wraps around the bracket. It may get in the way of the mounting holes, forcing you to get a little bit more creative. (You might want to cut some of it away).

To put new pads on, I detached the earpads, ripped the velour covering off from the inside of the cup, pulled off the foam, and painstakingly peeled away the remaining glue that's on the backside of the plastic ring. Isopropyl alcohol will dissolve the glue pretty nicely..but it makes such a mess. I found it easier to just peel away the glued plastic material while it was dry. Once you're through with the massacring, you simply stretch goatse your new, undersized pad over plastic ring, making sure that the cushioning is on the flat, textured side of the ring. And ta-da! You have a detachable bracket with a new earpad equipped.

Whatever you do, stick to velour pads. If you use any kind of leather, even the hybrid pads, the sound of these headphones will go as dark as Bravo 6.

 

[Tatalor51]

New on the forums and at buying decent headphones in general. Just got a pair of Fidelio X2HR from Amazon UK, like new (and they indeed look new) at a very good price, 112 Pounds compared to 160 new. First time listening to them I liked the sound but then I did some comparing with a pair of Audio Tehnica ATH-MSR7 I have and my impression is that the X2 fall short in clarity, bass and especially volume.

From what I read the MSR7 have rather subdued bass for a closed back and the X2 should be quite bassy for an open back but the bass from the MSR7 is way punchier and tight compared to the X2. Is there that much of a difference in this regard between a closed back and an open one? Could be that my ears are not used to open backs (never had one until now) and need some more listening to pick up on it? I know comparing open backs with closed is complicated but still.

What seem even weirder to me and makes me think I could have gotten a damaged pair is the volume issue and this is not debatable like the bass or clarity. Running them both from a FiiO K3, for the X2 I have to turn the volume up way higher compared to the MSR7s to hear them as loud. Both having the same impedance, does this sound normal? I imagine that leaking sound from the open backs X2 would result in lower perceived volume but the difference is really big. My main worry is that I got a damaged pair and, not having listened to many decent headphones and no other open backs at all, it's kinda hard to tell. What should I listen more closely to to tell for sure they are technically fine?

How does the above sound to you experienced people here? Any opinions or information on the matter would be really useful, if sounds like a damaged pair I'll return ii and order another. Sorry if I posted in the wrong place, this seems to be the main X2 thread around here.

Thanks in advance

Listened a bit more to the 2 head to head, mostly to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Tom Waits. Activating gain on the K3 helped a bit with volume, but even with gain it's at 70% or so depending on the song. To hear as loud, the MSR7 stay at 60% or less and with gain active. And gain does increase volume by quite a bit. The voice is more upfront and clear, there's more detail and the bass is definitely more punchy on the MSR7. The X2 sound a bit more natural and there's the sensation of space, which I assume is to be expected. Sorry I cannot describe it better, it might be actually possible that those differences are normal for open vs close and it's just the fact that I'm not used to open backs?

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

New on the forums and at buying decent headphones in general. Just got a pair of Fidelio X2HR from Amazon UK, like new (and they indeed look new) at a very good price, 112 Pounds compared to 160 new. First time listening to them I liked the sound but then I did some comparing with a pair of Audio Tehnica ATH-MSR7 I have and my impression is that the X2 fall short in clarity, bass and especially volume.

From what I read the MSR7 have rather subdued bass for a closed back and the X2 should be quite bassy for an open back but the bass from the MSR7 is way punchier and tight compared to the X2. Is there that much of a difference in this regard between a closed back and an open one? Could be that my ears are not used to open backs (never had one until now) and need some more listening to pick up on it? I know comparing open backs with closed is complicated but still.

What seem even weirder to me and makes me think I could have gotten a damaged pair is the volume issue and this is not debatable like the bass or clarity. Running them both from a FiiO K3, for the X2 I have to turn the volume up way higher compared to the MSR7s to hear them as loud. Both having the same impedance, does this sound normal? I imagine that leaking sound from the open backs X2 would result in lower perceived volume but the difference is really big. My main worry is that I got a damaged pair and, not having listened to many decent headphones and no other open backs at all, it's kinda hard to tell. What should I listen more closely to to tell for sure they are technically fine?

How does the above sound to you experienced people here? Any opinions or information on the matter would be really useful, if sounds like a damaged pair I'll return ii and order another. Sorry if I posted in the wrong place, this seems to be the main X2 thread around here.

Thanks in advance

Listened a bit more to the 2 head to head, mostly to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Tom Waits. Activating gain on the K3 helped a bit with volume, but even with gain it's at 70% or so depending on the song. To hear as loud, the MSR7 stay at 60% or less and with gain active. And gain does increase volume by quite a bit. The voice is more upfront and clear, there's more detail and the bass is definitely more punchy on the MSR7. The X2 sound a bit more natural and there's the sensation of space, which I assume is to be expected. Sorry I cannot describe it better, it might be actually possible that those differences are normal for open vs close and it's just the fact that I'm not used to open backs?

Generally speaking it sounds like you are describing the difference between open and closed back headphones. Something else that could be affecting your perception is that you haven't listened to them for very long...sometimes it takes time to get used to a headphone, your perceptions often change over time and experience with them.

 

[Tatalor51]

Generally speaking it sounds like you are describing the difference between open and closed back headphones. Something else that could be affecting your perception is that you haven't listened to them for very long...sometimes it takes time to get used to a headphone, your perceptions often change over time and experience with them.

How about the volume? From what I read they should be easy to drive but, without Gain activated, I need to push the FiiO K3 almost to max volume to have a reasonable level. Even with Gain active the volume must be quite high to reach a reasonable loudness level. For MSR7 and even more so for a pair of Sennheiser HD 569, the volume stays at 60% or so and there's no need for gain. Does this sound normal?

 

[Ayax]

For fun, I tried some of the "Round Hybrid" Brainwavz earpads, and they are a tiiiiiiight squeeze. I felt like I was going to rip those suckers in half. The XL earpads will probably fit more comfortably. And even still, the Brainwavz pads have a lot of excess material that wraps around the bracket. It may get in the way of the mounting holes, forcing you to get a little bit more creative. (You might want to cut some of it away).

To put new pads on, I detached the earpads, ripped the velour covering off from the inside of the cup, pulled off the foam, and painstakingly peeled away the remaining glue that's on the backside of the plastic ring. Isopropyl alcohol will dissolve the glue pretty nicely..but it makes such a mess. I found it easier to just peel away the glued plastic material while it was dry. Once you're through with the massacring, you simply stretch goatse your new, undersized pad over plastic ring, making sure that the cushioning is on the flat, textured side of the ring. And ta-da! You have a detachable bracket with a new earpad equipped.

Whatever you do, stick to velour pads. If you use any kind of leather, even the hybrid pads, the sound of these headphones will go as dark as Bravo 6.

I tried Brainwavz XL and they are too big for X2s, they rotate and wiggle all the time and can be detached with ease, sometimes even when removing the headphones from your head.
Regarding material, I prefer Micro Suede. They provide a touch of sub-bass while not being as bassy as hybids, and somewhat I feel highs are softened a little bit, which is a nice touch as these can be harsh sometimes. And with Micro Suede you don't have the dirt headache like with Velour.

 

[CaveManta]

I tried Brainwavz XL and they are too big for X2s, they rotate and wiggle all the time and can be detached with ease, sometimes even when removing the headphones from your head.
Regarding material, I prefer Micro Suede. They provide a touch of sub-bass while not being as bassy as hybids, and somewhat I feel highs are softened a little bit, which is a nice touch as these can be harsh sometimes. And with Micro Suede you don't have the dirt headache like with Velour.

I like the sound of micro suede... Well, not literally the sound, until I hear it for myself, lol. I'm going to order some micro suede pads and try them out. But I'm really enjoying these AD900x pads. They bring more liveliness to the sound, getting rid of the laid-back quality that the X2 originally had.

How about the volume? From what I read they should be easy to drive but, without Gain activated, I need to push the FiiO K3 almost to max volume to have a reasonable level. Even with Gain active the volume must be quite high to reach a reasonable loudness level. For MSR7 and even more so for a pair of Sennheiser HD 569, the volume stays at 60% or so and there's no need for gain. Does this sound normal?

My X2 is a little bit harder to drive than my M50. But the difference is not stark. They both have a lot of bass quantity, too, with the M50 edging out in sub-bass. The X2HR's stock earpads are really firm..perhaps they need to break in a bit, to form a better seal with your head. I've got a new X2HR here, and it doesn't sound far off from how my original X2 sounded, but the earpads are definitely different..way stiffer and less dreamier feeling.

Is the difference in volume that you are noticing the same between both sides? If that is the case, then I'm not sure I could blame the headphones themselves, as one driver would probably fail at a time.

 

[Tatalor51]

My X2 is a little bit harder to drive than my M50. But the difference is not stark. They both have a lot of bass quantity, too, with the M50 edging out in sub-bass. The X2HR's stock earpads are really firm..perhaps they need to break in a bit, to form a better seal with your head. I've got a new X2HR here, and it doesn't sound far off from how my original X2 sounded, but the earpads are definitely different..way stiffer and less dreamier feeling.

Is the difference in volume that you are noticing the same between both sides? If that is the case, then I'm not sure I could blame the headphones themselves, as one driver would probably fail at a time.

The difference is pretty big volume wise but it's the same on both sides. But listening to them couple more days, I think they are fine. The bass is there but being not so punchy and 'in your ear' compared to the MSR7s it's probably because the open-back.

Now I actually prefer them, I started to notice anf appreciate the soundstage very clearly and somehow they feel less 'shouty' and aggressive than MSR7 and even more so compared the wife's Sennheiser HD 569.

It is probably just my ears not being accustomed to them and with open backs in general. And since I don't need to play them on max volume on the K3 even without gain, I think it's fine.

 

[Tatalor51]

Tried to listen to them on my phone (LG G7 with an integrated Sabre DAC) and not really possible. Even at max volume, it's way way too low. Now this might be partly LGs fault because they implemented a 'high impedance' mode which activates only when it detects 50Ohms or higher headphones (tested with Sennheiser HD 599 and the volume was too loud at max level) but I did not actually expect it to be that low that it sounds tinny and lacking detail. You can somehow trick the phone if you plug in the empty cable first and then the headphones to the cable and it would activate aux mode, I think, and the volume is somewhat decent.

The MSR7 are about the right volume if not a little louder when pushed to max and the KEF M100 buds which I usually use I keep at the volume at about 65 when the 75 is the max. I won't actually listen to them from my phone, was just testing stuff. Not really sure what to make of the above or if this information is useful to anyone

 

[Tatalor51]

Just got an answer from someone on the LG G7 thred that he is running the X2 out of the phone with plenty volume to spare. Keeping in mind that from mine (and my wife's G7) is way way low, I'm starting to thing that something is wrong either with my X2 or the cable. I'll test it with the MSR7 cable when I get home, if they are compatible.

Does anyone here happen to have a FiiO K3 or Audioengine D3? If so, with no gain, what volume do you usually run the X2s? Let's say from Tidal or Spotify. I know we don't hear the same, the volume is subjective and also it depends on the song/music genre, but just a ballpark figure would be useful.

Thanks!

 

[Blinding]

Would this cable (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F2MCPHR/ref=twister_B07HNBX5LP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) be a good replacement for the, very long, stock cable?

 

[CaptMidnight]

x2hr's £104.99 atm on amazon UK atm

They also have the Senn 599 black edition for only £89.99