Philips Fidelio X2hr - not impressed

[alphaman]

Anyone try the X2s with the new Dekoni pads (suede or protein). $40 / pair
Zeos Reviews YouTube channel raved about them.

 

[Brava210]

I'm going to answer my own question, is the AKG K702 a better option compared to the Philips Fidelio X2hr in terms of sound quality, sound stage and instrument separation, in a word, yes.

AKG K702 = a proper open back, sounds absolutely amazing straight out the box, perhaps a shade lacking in volume level due to the 200mW drivers, the sub bass interferes with the vocals, backing the volume off a little solves that. For the price I'm well happy for the sound quality I'm getting.

My opinion, I think of all my headphones the AKG are the worse....they sound like a cardboard box

 

[ishmaelk]

The X2HR can feel a bit grainy sometimes, but I have the HD800S and I often prefer the X2HR to them. It's not as technically accomplished, but it gets many many things right.
When I first had them I wasn't impressed, but their tuning has grown a lot on me.

 

[xaxaxa696969]

The X2 sounds too dull and boring to me after having tried different cans. Bass and soundstage is alright, but it sucked away the mids and sparkles so much that it didnt impress me at all. One of the most comfortable headphones for its size though, that made it worthwhile in my books.

Its sibling, L2 though, is literally hot garbage. I was unaware till at some points that its treble was making my ears bleed. All in all, very disappointed going for the Philips lineup

 

[Roving poet]

I'm still trying to decide between these and the Sennheiser HD 599. So I am not as disappointed as you with the x2hr, to me they seem bright and lively in the treble with plenty of presence and a juicy crunchyness which works very well for Strings but not so well with vocals. In fact harsh sibilance is a constant problem with these babies. I may end up keeping the HD599 instead for this very reason, they still have plenty of presence and detail but they are considerably more forgiving of close miked vocals. Like the X2HR the mid-range is very full and somewhat warm, but more subtle than the Philips.

 

[jasswolf]

I'm still trying to decide between these and the Sennheiser HD 599. So I am not as disappointed as you with the x2hr, to me they seem bright and lively in the treble with plenty of presence and a juicy crunchyness which works very well for Strings but not so well with vocals. In fact harsh sibilance is a constant problem with these babies. I may end up keeping the HD599 instead for this very reason, they still have plenty of presence and detail but they are considerably more forgiving of close miked vocals. Like the X2HR the mid-range is very full and somewhat warm, but more subtle than the Philips.

Sennheiser HD 560S is another option: https://www.thomann.de/gb/sennheiser_hd_560s.htm

Drop x Sennheiser HD 6XX if you're not fussed about imaging or staging.