Philips Fidelio X3
May 3, 2021 at 11:22 AM Post #1,516 of 1,956
These are my best pair of headphones and I don't understand why nobody talks about them. Their soundstage is really great, specially with surround sound, imaging might not be the more precise though and the overall sound signature is neutral with very accurate bass.

Sure, price should drop soon but in my opinion, buying them for less than 300 usd is still a good deal
 
May 3, 2021 at 12:20 PM Post #1,517 of 1,956
These are my best pair of headphones and I don't understand why nobody talks about them. Their soundstage is really great, specially with surround sound, imaging might not be the more precise though and the overall sound signature is neutral with very accurate bass.

Sure, price should drop soon but in my opinion, buying them for less than 300 usd is still a good deal
Well I finally received the Asgard 3 w/TrueMultibit DAC. I may do a little shopping for them, as I do need more headphone alternatives.
 
May 9, 2021 at 1:09 AM Post #1,518 of 1,956
These are my best pair of headphones and I don't understand why nobody talks about them. Their soundstage is really great, specially with surround sound, imaging might not be the more precise though and the overall sound signature is neutral with very accurate bass.

Sure, price should drop soon but in my opinion, buying them for less than 300 usd is still a good deal
Not sure, but for $200 they are an absolutely great headphone. Second favorite to my closed back Denon AH-D5200... another pair I picked up for ~$200. Don't have the beautiful biodyna subbass punch or vocal forwardness of the AH-D5200, but do have a larger sound presentation and a bit warmer/ more relaxed presentation. The X3 do take well to EQ though... subbass boost works great for bring out low end punch with them and they also work very well with hybrid tube amps and a tube like a Reflector 6H23P-EB.
 
May 9, 2021 at 1:46 AM Post #1,519 of 1,956
Not sure, but for $200 they are an absolutely great headphone. Second favorite to my closed back Denon AH-D5200... another pair I picked up for ~$200. Don't have the beautiful biodyna subbass punch or vocal forwardness of the AH-D5200, but do have a larger sound presentation and a bit warmer/ more relaxed presentation. The X3 do take well to EQ though... subbass boost works great for bring out low end punch with them and they also work very well with hybrid tube amps and a tube like a Reflector 6H23P-EB.
Yeah they are a fantastic set. Paired with iFi iDSD Signature and they are just awesome.
 
May 12, 2021 at 10:19 PM Post #1,520 of 1,956
Got in the Dekoni pads (Choice Suede) to try with the X3... not really liking them right now. Comfort is good, but they do the Dekoni pad signature move of muddying/muffling up the sound and bloating the bass... X3 sounds more like an X2 now (bloated/muddy low end). Will try some EQ, but just switched back to stock pads for a check and yep gets clearer and tighter again. You also get change of sound space with more reverb on the deeper & larger volume Dekoni pads. Space presentation is interesting, but just not as good as stock to me since now songs emphasize things differently and doesn't seem quite as a cohesive sound...less musical more like certain frequencies and details over emphasized...

I will give them more time and play around with EQ, but initial impression is like any other Dekoni pad I've tried before on various headphones... slightly wonky and less clear sound I don't like right off the bat.

i-DtcL7xD.jpg
 
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May 13, 2021 at 12:50 AM Post #1,521 of 1,956
Got in the Dekoni pads (Choice Suede) to try with the X3... not really liking them right now. Comfort is good, but they do the Dekoni pad signature move of muddying/muffling up the sound and bloating the bass... X3 sounds more like an X2 now (bloated/muddy low end). Will try some EQ, but just switched back to stock pads for a check and yep gets clearer and tighter again. You also get change of sound space with more reverb on the deeper & larger volume Dekoni pads. Space presentation is interesting, but just not as good as stock to me since now songs emphasize things differently and doesn't seem quite as a cohesive sound...less musical more like certain frequencies and details over emphasized...

I will give them more time and play around with EQ, but initial impression is like any other Dekoni pad I've tried before on various headphones... slightly wonky and less clear sound I don't like right off the bat.

i-DtcL7xD.jpg

Nope, neither the sued nor choice leather sounds good with the X3. I doubt Dekoni tested these, they just noticed that they fit so claim they are compatible.
But what I wanna know is, they kind of cables are you using?
 
May 14, 2021 at 1:04 PM Post #1,522 of 1,956
As @askeladden says the X3 price has been around $170 here in Norway for the last 3 weeks. I bought one, but it had bad connection at the connector on the right earcup so I'm waiting for my replacement. These are new sealed units, produced in September 2020.
Did you get your X3's replaced? I've been having trouble with my right earcup when using custom balanced cables and figured it had to do with this odd pinout: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/philips-fidelio-x3.913807/page-44
Would be great to know if replacing them worked for you so I can send mine in too.

I've sent a support request to Philips for clarification on the pinout.
 
May 14, 2021 at 4:27 PM Post #1,523 of 1,956
Did you get your X3's replaced? I've been having trouble with my right earcup when using custom balanced cables and figured it had to do with this odd pinout: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/philips-fidelio-x3.913807/page-44
Would be great to know if replacing them worked for you so I can send mine in too.

I've sent a support request to Philips for clarification on the pinout.

I've owned 2 pairs of X3s both of them had the odd pin out. Zeos's review pair has it also. So its pretty much what Philips intended, the question is why? I hope Philips support gets back to you with a meaningful answer.
 
May 14, 2021 at 6:48 PM Post #1,524 of 1,956
May 25, 2021 at 5:19 PM Post #1,525 of 1,956
These are my best pair of headphones and I don't understand why nobody talks about them. Their soundstage is really great, specially with surround sound, imaging might not be the more precise though and the overall sound signature is neutral with very accurate bass.

Sure, price should drop soon but in my opinion, buying them for less than 300 usd is still a good deal

I think they're good for under $200, but there are a lot of great headphones out there for similar money. The sub-bass is practically nonexistent on these things. The upper-bass is fairly accurate, but still a little lacking. Not to mention there is a treble spike somewhere too that really got fatiguing for me on certain material. Which is weird considering these are a pretty easygoing headphone most of the time. I liked how they looked and how light they are. Mine also had ridiculous headband tension to where I had to use rubber bands for them to be wearable, and also had a driver mismatch issue.

I tried them against my Monoprice M570 which edged them out in most categories apart from soundstage, so I sent the X3 back. It'd be nice if they did a little revision to correct a few of these things. I'd consider buying them again.
 
May 25, 2021 at 7:31 PM Post #1,526 of 1,956
Hi everyone!

I’ve read through most of this huge thread and seen several people have asked about replacement cables.

I got the X3 a few days ago and really like them so far, but I really have a gripe with the cables that came with them. First of all, they are very stiff and unyieldy (hope that’s a word) and can’t be rolled up nicely when not used. They kind of feel like cheap usb cables. Secondly, the brading, while it looks good, makes them very noisy. The cable surface is like sandpaper, making even the lightest touch against clothing, or anything really, produce audible noise.

I got the headphones for a really good price here in Sweden (150 euro, which I really feel is a steal) so would mind at all spending 50-100 euro for a soft, higher quality cable. I’m a complete novice so don’t know if that would be enough tho.

There have been a few links to compatible cables but everything so far seems out of stock, strangely enough. Is there perhaps a more “popular” set of headphones that uses the same wiring, that could potentially make searching for a replacement easier?

I’ve spent a lot of time searching but coming out empty handed.

Thank you!
/Daniel
 
May 29, 2021 at 6:20 PM Post #1,527 of 1,956
Jun 2, 2021 at 4:27 PM Post #1,528 of 1,956
These are my best pair of headphones and I don't understand why nobody talks about them. Their soundstage is really great, specially with surround sound, imaging might not be the more precise though and the overall sound signature is neutral with very accurate bass.

Sure, price should drop soon but in my opinion, buying them for less than 300 usd is still a good deal
I do really agree with you, I bought them today voor 190 euro. I am just listening to the headphone for 2 hours and I really like it. I think its better or more enjoyable than my Beyer Dynamic DT 1990 and my Meze 99 classic. I can't put exactly my finger on what I like more than with the others. I think its the soundstage and warm mid tones.
I am using the blanced cable from Meze and that works quite well. https://mezeaudio.eu/collections/accessories/products/99series2-5-balanced-cable + an ifi mini DSD black label.
 
Jun 2, 2021 at 6:03 PM Post #1,529 of 1,956
Hi everyone!

I’ve read through most of this huge thread and seen several people have asked about replacement cables.

I got the X3 a few days ago and really like them so far, but I really have a gripe with the cables that came with them. First of all, they are very stiff and unyieldy (hope that’s a word) and can’t be rolled up nicely when not used. They kind of feel like cheap usb cables. Secondly, the brading, while it looks good, makes them very noisy. The cable surface is like sandpaper, making even the lightest touch against clothing, or anything really, produce audible noise.

I got the headphones for a really good price here in Sweden (150 euro, which I really feel is a steal) so would mind at all spending 50-100 euro for a soft, higher quality cable. I’m a complete novice so don’t know if that would be enough tho.

There have been a few links to compatible cables but everything so far seems out of stock, strangely enough. Is there perhaps a more “popular” set of headphones that uses the same wiring, that could potentially make searching for a replacement easier?

I’ve spent a lot of time searching but coming out empty handed.

Thank you!
/Daniel
I am using this https://mezeaudio.eu/collections/accessories/products/99series2-5-balanced-cable it works very well with my iifi DSD mini and a 2.5 mm TRRS to 3.5 mm TRS adapter which is required for 3.5 mm.
 
Jun 9, 2021 at 2:42 PM Post #1,530 of 1,956
A Apple computer question. I'm a bit embarrassed to ask the forum members regarding what "AudiMidi" app setting I should use with my Asgard 3 with TrueMultibit for Tidal? A recent YouTube video reminding me this app. existed on my M1 MacMini (I was previously using a 2015 iMac with another headphone/amp combo.

So, how far should I jack the settings.

BTW, I had previously complained that my B&W P9's bass sounded way too bloated with the Asgard 3. Well I changed out the cable to a much shorter one, and the bass beast has been tamed.

Thanks for the help! Its always fun to play with equipment new or old!
 

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