What to buy next after Fidelio X2

[Tatalor51]

Wondering what to get next, but some context first (shamelessly recycled from my other thread):

I'm very new at this and I will use a Tidal HiFi account and I mostly listen to rock, alternative and some brit pop (Pink Floyd, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, REM, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Tom Petty, Radiohead, Suede, Morrissey, Depeche Mode to name a few). I'll also give jazz a shot soon.

What I have now:
- Audio Tehnica ATH-MSR7 for 150 Euros and love it, use it at work for the most part together with an Audioengine D3;
- Fidelio X2HR, got used/as new for 150E from Amazon Uk, using it at home with a FiiO K3. This one I was kinda disappointed with at first. never listened to an open back before and to me sounded muddier, with less bass and I had to push to volume on the FiiO way higher than for MSR7s for the same loudness. I even thought I might have gotten a broken pair.

However! After couple days they really grew on me. Got used with the bass, which is indeed less punchy than for MSR7s but I don't find this bad anymore. Also started to hear the soundstage, the sensation of space and understand open backs have a bit of a different sound, but not in a bad way. The volume issue is still low but I guess it's normal and I don't run them to max volume, even with gain on the K3 off. So I think it's fine. Bottom line, I prefer them to the MSR7s now and I'm looking for another pair of open backs.

Sorry for not being more concise. What I need now are some recommendations about what to get next. Needs to be an upgrade to the X2 or at least a good sidegrade. What I looked into:

- Sennheiser HD 599: a really good deal at a local store, 120E. But do they sound different enough compared to the X2 to worth buying?

- Sennheiser HD 660S: 315E. Bit expensive. Also would I need a new DAC?

- Hifiman Sundara: from Amazon US: 390E (export taxes and all makes it expensive). Would this need a new DAC? Also, could there be any warranty issue from buying from an US store an having delivered it to Romania?

- Hifiman HE-400i: from Amazon US: 220E, same issue as above;

- Audeze LCD-2: 590E from a local store, I think this will definitely need a new DAC. And are also really expensive, not sure if I go there that soon.

Open to other suggestions also and thanks in advance.

 

[Mhog55]

I much prefer the slightly brighter, warmer sound of the Msr7b over the X2. You could always try one of the easier to drive planar magnetic headphones, such as the Hifiman HE400S, or the Brainwavz Alara. The 400s is essentially a planar version of the Msr7b imo, only it has the typical planar sound instead of the dynamic driver sound. I'm really enjoying the Alara. It's tone kind of sits in between the Msr7b and the X2. It sounds fantastic with rock music imo. I also really like my Sennheiser HD 58X with rock music. Both the 58X and Alara are fairly balanced sounding, with a tasteful bump in the bass. Again, planar vs dynamic. Outside of these open backs, everything else that comes to mind is outside this price bracket. I haven't tried the 660s yet, but it and the Focal Elex are my two contenders for my end game headphone. 600 bucks is about the most amount of cash I'm willing to drop on a set of cans.

 

[BobMonkhouse]

I believe your Fiio is the weakest link in your chain. You definitely need another DAC/amp combo even with your X2.

I listen to similar music genres and love my Fidelio X2. For the money, I can't expect more from them. I use them plugged in OL DAC (Modi 3) > JDS Atom most of the time and don't have complaints.

As far as HP upgrade goes, if you like punchy bass, look at the new AEON 2 Closed and Open thread. I'm also interested how they'd compare to my LCD-2 the current revisions of which sound more balanced than the older versions. My AEON 1 Open and LCD-2 are driven pretty well by the JDS Atom but for sure sound better from Gilmore Lite MK2.

If you decide to buy planars, you may look for a high current amp. You don't need a very expensive DAC but a good amp is very beneficial. I myself just posted a question about the well priced Aune S7 Pro from Drop.

One more thing about your Senn options, if you like the X2 sound signature with its full bass, better get HD 650 or HD 6XX, just my opinion.

 

[Tatalor51]

@BobMonkhouse: you were right on the K3.

In the end, after some careful consideration, I decided to spend some more money on stuff (early Christmas, heh) and got the JDS OL DAC + Atom (shipping to Europe and VAT increased the cost by 50% but oh well, I like them alot) and Sennheiser HD660s at a reasonable price of 310E. The Atom has enough power to drive the HD660s at about 2pm on the volume wheel, with gain off. Might be wrong on that but even the X2 sounds better on the new setup, on the K3 had to push the volume near max.The HD660s obviously sounds better than the X2 but not by a whole lot and the X2 has a noticeably bigger scene and its bass sounds better on some songs.So the diferences between them are big enough to want to keep them both.

Also waiting on a pair of Sony MDR-1AM2 which I found As New and pretty cheap on Amazon UK. So I'll have 2 pair of closed cans (MSR7 and the MDR-1AM2) and the open ones mentioned above. And now I hit pause on the spending spree, at least a few months. This is an expensive hobby indeed

Edit: on the other hand, just noticed Hifiman HE4XX for only $160 (free delivery in EU and all taxes included) on Drop, part of their EU Shipping test. Kinda sound like a steal and they are different enough than what I have or am I wrong?

 

[CoryGillmore]

You'll like the 1AM2! I've had one for over a year now and since it's used for work only, it's my most used headphone. Very light and comfortable. It can get hot and sweaty though. Very fun signature with great bass and great detail up top. Can be driven by a potato and does not scale much with better amplification.

 

[Daniel Oshiro]

Glad you found the 660! One of my all time favorite cans!