[talan7]

These headphones need to be at CanJam NY or Philips is stupid. When do these come out? It seems like we've been waiting forever.

 

[luedriver]

X3's have won the 2020 iF Design Award, along with some philips tvs

 

[Asspirin]

Design awards are handed out like candy, nothing special about that.

 

[railcannon]

Hi guys I'm waiting for this headphone for a long time.
I don't know when it will start selling in my country.
I have 3 Philips headphones and I think all these headphone are my most valuable headphones ever.
I think the x3 headphone would be my best headphones.

 

[Arniesb]

Design awards are handed out like candy, nothing special about that.

What are you talking about? All devices that have these awards look absolutely stuning.

 

[Mhog55]

X3's have won the 2020 iF Design Award, along with some philips tvs

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I do enjoy a nice looking headphone, but the real beauty is in the sound... Which is yet to be determined.

 

[BubbleSoap]

Being an owner of 3x X2HR I am so excited too...
Is there any news on a release date yet?

 

[GoodBoy]

Being an owner of 3x X2HR I am so excited too...
Is there any news on a release date yet?

Why 3x? I've recently returned my X2HR due to comfort issues, but I already miss them and possibly rebuy them then replace pads if no alternative comes along. I just have to deal with the fact these are not for all day wear, but rather short music sesssions.

X3 are echeduled to release in summer but no specific date has been given. I already now I'm not gonna like very much those big jacks protruding from both sides. They are bigger, longer more invasive than X2 and now there's two of them!

 

[BubbleSoap]

Why 3x? I've recently returned my X2HR due to comfort issues, but I already miss them and possibly rebuy them then replace pads if no alternative comes along. I just have to deal with the fact these are not for all day wear, but rather short music sesssions.

3x because one is constantly linked to the piano,
and the other two plugged into my amp.
but I'm actually decluttering at the moment,
so soon I'll put 1x for sale and I'll just keep 2 of them.

No comfort issues for me,
I love the sound,
I like the rich bass,
and I love the fact that these headphones were designed to be driven from portable devices,
driveability isn't a problem.
An amp milks out a little extra, but it's fine even without...

 

[GoodBoy]

For me X2HR were very comfortable... for an hour or so. At first I thought they were really one of the most comfy cans, because I've worn them for 30minutes a day. Things changed drastically when I started to wear them for 5hrs+ on a daily basis. All of a sudden I developed some serious jaw pain, pads material started to feel a bit itchy (not much but still...). The cups started reposition themselves because elastic material inside of strap pulling them up. So in my opinion there's some serious design flaws with these headphones, and I don't think they stand the test of time - elastic strap is going to give up someday, plastic screws will break, thin velour will shred and deteriorate rather quickly. However I like the sound signature so much that I'm propably buy them second time regardless of those issues. Unbeatable value especially at 120 euros these days.

 

[BubbleSoap]

Have you ever tried the AKG K712pro?
They've got a very similar sound to the X2HR (even a bit better),
but comfier (and even a bit more expensive).
I think they are the comfiest cans I've ever tried...

 

[Sonic Defender]

Design awards are handed out like candy, nothing special about that.

True, but that in and of itself does not mean that some of the products so awarded did not deserve the merit. That would be a false equivalency to make, but your point is well taken.

 

[Sonic Defender]

For me X2HR were very comfortable... for an hour or so. At first I thought they were really one of the most comfy cans, because I've worn them for 30minutes a day. Things changed drastically when I started to wear them for 5hrs+ on a daily basis. All of a sudden I developed some serious jaw pain, pads material started to feel a bit itchy (not much but still...). The cups started reposition themselves because of the elastic material inside of strap pulling them up. So in my opinion there's some serious design flaws with these headphones, and I don't think they stand the test of time - elastic strap is going to give up someday, plastic screws will break, thin velour will shred and deteriorate rather quickly. However I like the sound signature so much that I'm propably buy them second time regardless of those issues. Unbeatable value especially at 120 euros these days.

You would be well advised to find and try the Onkyo A800. I think it is an improved version of the Fidelio X2, sound and comfort. The company that makes the drivers for Philips also made the drivers for the A800. The A800 is probably hard to find, but if you do find one used or new, I would encourage you to consider trying it. I reviewed it here about three years ago so if you dig around you can find my review and there is a moderately active thread here of active A800 users.

 

[deadchip12]

Btw where is the shp9600? Vaporware?

 

[Pharmaboy]

You would be well advised to find and try the Onkyo A800. I think it is an improved version of the Fidelio X2, sound and comfort. The company that makes the drivers for Philips also made the drivers for the A800. The A800 is probably hard to find, but if you do find one used or new, I would encourage you to consider trying it. I reviewed it here about three years ago so if you dig around you can find my review and there is a moderately active thread here of active A800 users.

I respectfully disagree. I got the Onkyo A800 in the hopes of a sonic upgrade to the core X2 sound. After full burn-in the sound was OK, perhaps a bit more resolution than the X2s, but IMO, distinctly less fun to listen to.

However, the comfort of the A800 was far below that of the X2s. The A800 was one of the more uncomfortable headphones I ever used. I found the angle between the earcup/slider assemblies vs headband to be too sharp/acute, and the earpads themselves were weirdly uncomfortable for me...not quite deep enough.

I sold the A800 primarily because I couldn't resolve the comfort issue.

But I also admit that I rarely if ever use any headphone for more than 30-45 minutes at most/at a time. If I did, perhaps I would find the X2s' comfort wearing on me, too. I like it's fit & comfort, but I do have several other headphones that are more comfortable...