[oldkid]

Folks.
Has anyone thought of dealing with possible reflections on x3?

From the photos, the internal plastic walls seem to be very reflective and thin, where a treatment to reinforce the walls and apply an adhesive layer of surgical paper would be welcome.

I'll wait for my x3 to arrive and I intend to do some tests in this regard, if anyone has already anticipated, post your experiences please.

There is not enough bass for it to reflect on anything

 

[Riversalt]

There is not enough bass for it to reflect on anything

it's not about bass.

 

[Radio81]

It comes with a single-ended 3.5mm cable. It's just a really long cable. They're missing the 4.4mm cable which seems like it would fit better with a non-portable setup which the cable length says they were aiming for.

I'm talking single 3.5mm at the headphone...like the X2HR.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Folks.
Has anyone thought of dealing with possible reflections on x3?

From the photos, the internal plastic walls seem to be very reflective and thin, where a treatment to reinforce the walls and apply an adhesive layer of surgical paper would be welcome.

I'll wait for my x3 to arrive and I intend to do some tests in this regard, if anyone has already anticipated, post your experiences please.

I haven't seen anyone doing mods on the X3 yet.
Normally i start taking my headphones apart and 'fixing' them almost as soon as i get them. Not so much with the X3 because i really like the stock sound.
I was surprised when i opened them up and found no acoustic treatment to the internal plastic. Obviously that is an opportunity to alter the sound in some way. The question is, what are you trying to achieve?

 

[Riversalt]

I haven't seen anyone doing mods on the X3 yet.
Normally i start taking my headphones apart and 'fixing' them almost as soon as i get them. Not so much with the X3 because i really like the stock sound.
I was surprised when i opened them up and found no acoustic treatment to the internal plastic. Obviously that is an opportunity to alter the sound in some way. The question is, what are you trying to achieve?

I still don't have my X3 in hand, I should get it next week, I'm curious and I enjoy seeing the possibilities he can gain with modding.

I've been looking at the X2's driver and I noticed that it has a fully open hole, the X3 has the same hole a little bigger but covered with acoustic paper, I think there would be a bass adjustment, I'll test it when I have my x3 in hand.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I still don't have my X3 in hand, I should get it next week, I'm curious and I enjoy seeing the possibilities he can gain with modding.

I've been looking at the X2's driver and I noticed that it has a fully open hole, the X3 has the same hole a little bigger but covered with acoustic paper, I think there would be a bass adjustment, I'll test it when I have my x3 in hand.

It might also be a good candidate for magnet stacking.
Dang...i just remembered, i currently have 2 sets of X3 on hand. I should probably try some reversible mods to at least give some other people an idea of which direction to go. Maybe I'll do a little damping with blutak just to see what happens.
I have an amp stack that allows me to A/B headphones really easily, (AKG HP4E) so I've already tried a little bit of pad rolling with the Dekoni Elite.

 

[Mr Trev]

I still don't have my X3 in hand, I should get it next week, I'm curious and I enjoy seeing the possibilities he can gain with modding.

I've been looking at the X2's driver and I noticed that it has a fully open hole, the X3 has the same hole a little bigger but covered with acoustic paper, I think there would be a bass adjustment, I'll test it when I have my x3 in hand.

https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-philips/fidelio-x2hr/
In this review he mentions how fully/partially covering the driver hole on the X2HR affects the bass response (mod section towards the bottom of the review). I'd have to imagine opening the "same" hole on the X3 driver could bring some of the bass back.
For the record I did cover the hole on my X2 by ~50% and yes it did flatten the bass hump

 

[Riversalt]

It might also be a good candidate for magnet stacking.
Dang...i just remembered, i currently have 2 sets of X3 on hand. I should probably try some reversible mods to at least give some other people an idea of which direction to go. Maybe I'll do a little damping with blutak just to see what happens.
I have an amp stack that allows me to A/B headphones really easily, (AKG HP4E) so I've already tried a little bit of pad rolling with the Dekoni Elite.

Could you give more details about bearing pads?

Is this part about magnetic stacking how would the tests be and possible effects?

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Could you give more details about bearing pads?

Is this part about magnetic stacking how would the tests be and possible effects?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stacking-magnets.839878/

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Lined the cups with some bluetak...need to set up the stack so i can compare them.

 

[Riversalt]

Lined the cups with some bluetak...need to set up the stack so i can compare them.

Wouldn't it be the case to put a little bit of polyester surgical retention tape on top?

 

[Riversalt]

Lined the cups with some bluetak...need to set up the stack so i can compare them.

Looking forward to your post modding impressions.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Wouldn't it be the case to put a little bit of polyester surgical retention tape on top?

1)one mod at a time
2)I'm not sure how much advantage that would be. The bluetak would be doing most of the work anyway.
3)I'm just trying some quick reversible mods, I'm not really looking to make a whole project out of it.

 

[Timothy Olietho Owor]

There are 2 CAMPS:

Camp 1 - Fidelio X3 "Haters"
Those that say this headphone is overly bright and sibilant are definitely individuals who don't understand listening volume and sound engineering. Anyone with normal hearing that listens extremely loud isn't actually listening to the TRUE FIDELITY of their music. There is a science to it! Tyll from inner fidelity discussed this in full in a 3 page Headfi post titled, "Listening Loud Destroys Fidelity"

Camp 2 - Fidelio X3 Lovers
SIMPLY IMPRESSIVE!! The soundstage on display here is nothing like what most have experienced. Detail Retrieval is simply outstanding. I don't say this lightly. Once you've figured out how to listen to music at an optimal level, you shall know why these headphones should be worth around $600 in my opinion. At about $200 with it's stunning build quality and sound, this headphone is a STEAL! Remember, only for those who can listen at an optimal level. THESE HEADPHONES ARE DESIGNED FOR THE SOPHISTICATED LISTENER. If you love to listen extremely LOUD, don't bother with these headphones. You need something dark with tame treble. In addition, the construction and choice of materials used is remarkable; a metallic head band wrapped in fine Scottish leather. It's a great looking headphone. Now onto the sound structure.

BASS:
It's flat, present and extremely controlled. It's sufficient enough to be present & punchy. It's predecessor the X2 does offer a boosted bass performance that's quite addicting I have to admit. As a result of the X3's tuned down bass, all subtle details of the music can be heard very effortlessly.

MIDRANGE:
Liquid and Smooth! It's very comparable to the rich midrange of the X2. The layering on the X3 is very well done. Initially, the midrange might seem distant on the X3, give it time and you'll appreciate why. The distance paints the illusion of sound coming from speakers placed significantly in front of you. Vocal & instrumental timbre is realistically uncolored.

TREBLE:
Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! It never gets offensive. Well tuned to fit the concert hall theme. After listening for weeks, I'm still quite impressed at the realism of the cymbals produced. Note: If you love listening at extreme head banging levels, I'll highly suggest you steer clear and pick up a dark headphone. You'll be better served by a dark sound signature. Your hearing maybe still be at risk even with a dark headphone that's played very loud.

Hint 1: Some YouTube reviewers have no clue on proper and optimal listening levels no wonder they never discuss it while they review & compare gear. The result, most of members of the community have been gravely misguided. Be sure to give Tyll Hertsen's article on Headfi a read. You'll be thankful you did. Here's Tyll Hertsen's 2 step guide on how to tell your listening volume is too loud:

1. A sense of fatigue with listening
2. A sense of pressure as you listen

Hint 2: Do some research on Aliasing, Over sampling and why 'high resolution audio' sounds better (SMOOTH with ZERO GRAIN). It's has to do with a gentle low pass Anti-aliasing filter and not necessarily "Resolution". A very intriguing topic indeed.

I highly recommend this Headphone, Great execution Philips!

 

[oldkid]

There are 2 CAMPS:

Camp 1 - Fidelio X3 "Haters"
Those that say this headphone is overly bright and sibilant are definitely individuals who don't understand listening volume and sound engineering. Anyone with perfect to normal hearing that listens above 63DB maximum (C-Weighted) isn't actually listening to the TRUE FIDELITY of their music. There is a science to it! Tyll from inner fidelity discussed this in full in a 3 page Headfi post titled, "Listening Loud Destroys Fidelity"

Camp 2 - Fidelio X3 Lovers
SIMPLY IMPRESSIVE!! The soundstage on display here is nothing like what most have experienced. Detail Retrieval is simply outstanding. I don't say this lightly. Once you've figured out how to listen to music around 63DB maximum (C-Weighted), you shall know why these headphones should be worth around $600 in my opinion. At about $200 with it's stunning build quality and sound, this headphone is a STEAL! Remember, only for those who can listen at the optimal level that mixing and mastering engineers do; 63DB maximum (C-Weighted). THESE HEADPHONES ARE DESIGNED FOR THE SOPHISTICATED LISTENER! If you love to listen extremely LOUD, don't bother with these headphones. You need something dark with tame treble. In addition, the construction and choice of materials used is remarkable; a metallic head band wrapped in fine Scottish leather. It's a great looking headphone. Now onto the sound structure.

BASS:
It's flat, present and extremely controlled. It's sufficient enough to be present & punchy. It's predecessor the X2 does offer a boosted bass performance that's quite addicting I have to admit. As a result of the X3's tuned down bass, all subtle details of the music can be heard very effortlessly.

MIDRANGE:
Liquid and Smooth! It's very comparable to the rich midrange of the X2. In terms of layering, the X2 midrange is a little forward compared to the X3. Initially it might seem distant on the X3, give it time and you'll appreciate why. The distance paints the illusion of sound coming from speakers placed significantly in front of you. Vocal & instrumental timbre is realistically uncolored.

TREBLE:
Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! It never gets offensive. Well tuned to fit the concert hall theme. After listening for weeks, I'm still quite impressed at the realism of the cymbals produced. Note: If you love listening at extreme head banging levels, I'll highly suggest you stir clear and pick up a dark headphone. You'll be better served by a dark sound signature. Your hearing maybe still be at risk even with a dark headphone.

Hint 1: Some YouTube reviewers have no clue on proper listening levels no wonder they never discuss it while they review & compare gear. Hold yo reviewers accountable otherwise most of members of the community have been gravely misguided. 63DB maximum (C-weighted) ranks as "normal listening level". Be sure to give Tyll Hertsen's article on Headfi a read. You'll be thankful you did. Here's Tyll Hertsen's 2 step guide on how to tell your listening volume is too loud:

1. A sense of fatigue with listening
2. A sense of pressure as you listen

Hint 2: Do some research on Aliasing, Over sampling and why 'high resolution audio' sounds better (SMOOTH with ZERO GRAIN). It's has to do with a gentle low pass Anti-aliasing filter and not necessarily "Resolution". A very intriguing topic indeed.

I highly recommend this Headphone, Great execution Philips!

3rd camp: Me!
I used to love my X3s then I bought a Focal Elegia, a closed back pair that beats the X3's open design in every aspect of the sound signature.

I always listen at low gain, most of the time low volume, especially at night.
They're decent, but not great. They deserve a listen if you don't already own a better pair of cans.