[acme15]

Hi guys, I listen to a wide variety of music genres ranging from classical to dubstep, from blues to death metal, from country to Korean pop as well as everything else in-between.
The type of music I listen to depends entirely on my mood, but recently I have been listening to a-lot of classical and electronic music with a little bit of metal here and there. ~ Currently listening to Ludovico Einaudi as I type this.
 
At the moment I listen through my trusty Koss Pro DJ100's connected to an Asus Xonar DS while at home, and through a Motorola Razr i connected to a FiiO E7 while out and about. My music is mostly stored in 320kb/s MP3 as much of it is only available in that format, however a-lot of it is stored in FLAC and ALAC, and there are a few lower quality recordings ranging from 80kb/s upwards (which as you would expect, do sound quite awful)
 
I am considering purchasing a pair of Phillips Fidelio X1's because I like what I read about them, as well as an Asus Xonar Essence ST to replace my Xonar DS. 
 
I am expecting there to be a massive difference, hopefully a difference that will almost 'blow me away' while listening to genres suited to the X1's, am I naive to expect such a massive difference? I will of  course be keeping the Pro DJ100's for listening to more bass heavy music which wouldn't be suited to open-backs.
 
I can pick up a brand new pair of X1's for £150 currently.
 
Thanks all!

 

[kinger2005]

Both will be a great improvement over your current setup, but I'd suggest getting a standalone dac and amp if you have the budget. Also, if my impression is right, the x1s are actually darker than the Koss dj100.

 

[wink]

How much difference you hear depends on your hearing acuity and training.

 

[acme15]

Can you explain a little more what you mean by the sound being 'darker'? Cheers
 
And my hearing is pretty good, I can tell the difference between different audio components etc, but I am still new to the methods of describing the sound, so I may have a-lot of questions which make it seem like I cant

 

[kinger2005]

Darker as in a more accentuated mid-bass. The Koss dj100s are mid forward as far as I understand.

 

[tdockweiler]

Probably won't be a massive difference at all. The DJ100 is really that good. It's also not as colored as people say. The DJ100 will even improve a little with M50 pads and a different/better DAC/AMP if you get more headphones later. My modded Q701 sounds pretty close to my DJ100 with M50 pads. None of my music is dramatically different between them. Actually my DJ100 is more detailed actually, even more so than even the HD-650 and K400.
 
I've yet to find a closed headphone better to MY ears than the DJ100. It wasn't the K550 or SRH-940. The KRKs are comparable in many ways, but sound quite different.
 
If someone can find me a headphone that sounds like a open DJ100 with M50 pads i'll give you $100000. The modded Q701 is close, but still needs fuller mids and a little less treble. More present low bass. Modded Q701 is as close as i've gotten, but the DJ100 is still warmer than that.
 
BTW one headphone you might like is the HD-598. It has less bass than the DJ100, but worth checking out. The Q701 is better though.
 
EDIT:
 
The graphs of the X1 look pretty good. I wonder if i'd like that headphone? I would never buy it due to what appears to be non user replaceable pads.
 
http://en.goldenears.net/17992

 

[acme15]

What makes you think I'll like the 598's better? I did consider them but the reviews and build quality of the X1's are so much better.

I'd just like to point out that people have been comparing these headphones to cans in the £300 - £450 region, and I can get a pair of X1's for £150. I can't justify spending £300 - £450 on a pair of headphones, and even the Sennheiser HD598's are £20 more (but I will read up on them)

I have been known to wear headphones for over 12 hours at a time, so comfort is also a big plus (as the Koss' aren't the most comfy headphones in the world) and a removable standard 3.5mm cable is also a big plus, as I want to buy a V-Moda CoilPro cable to go with whatever I buy, simply because I will use them primarily at my PC, which is only 2ft away from me, but I do like to wander about the room doing things while I am listening to music.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  How much difference you hear depends on your hearing acuity and training.

 
 

  Can you explain a little more what you mean by the sound being 'darker'? Cheers

Darker as in a more accentuated mid-bass. The Koss dj100s are mid forward as far as I understand.

 
Not necessarily "accentuated," more like rolled-off or de-emphasized treble - the net result is that the mids seem accentuated  (relatively louder). Take note that on initial hearing two headphones can both seem dark but later on you might notice the cymbals might be more extended on the other, meaning that relative to otehr headphones where the cymbals are more "in your face" or "jumping at you," the one of the "dark" headphones might just be much smoother.

 

[acme15]

Just purchased the Phillips Fidelio X1's for (£148 brand new), along with a Hama/Koss coiled cable (£9.80 brand new) and a Xonar Essence STX (£90 used, boxed with warranty)
 

 

[manbear]

  Just purchased the Phillips Fidelio X1's for (£148 brand new), along with a Hama/Koss coiled cable (£9.80 brand new) and a Xonar Essence STX (£90 used, boxed with warranty)
 

Let everyone know what you think after you've spent some time listening 

 

[acme15]

 
Let everyone know what you think after you've spent some time listening 

 
Will do! 

 
How long do you think the burn in time will be through general listening? Is it worth leaving them playing frequency sweeps for a few days or something to accelerate the process?
 
When I got my DJ100's they had already been burned in.  

 

[manbear]

   
Will do! 

 
How long do you think the burn in time will be through general listening? Is it worth leaving them playing frequency sweeps for a few days or something to accelerate the process?
 
When I got my DJ100's they had already been burned in.  

I couldn't give you an exact time, but for me, I just set my music library on random and leave them playing slightly louder than I would normally listen to for 2-3 days. Not that there's anything wrong with frequency sweeps, I just don't bother. I also listen to the headphones throughout the process. No way I'm going to let a new purchase sit there without trying them out. Everyone has their own break-in rituals though. 

 

[acme15]

Thanks
 
Its exciting taking another step up in the world of audiophilia. From budget-fi to mid-fi. First open backs too, in fact, I havent even used open backs before. 
 
Another question to which you may be able to shed some light. Is plugging the headphones straight into the sound card with the 1/4" jack going to make much difference compared to connecting the headphones to my front-panel headphone port which of course is connected to the front panel header on the sound card?
 
The cans are going to be used almost exclusively on my PC, so plugging them into the front-panel as I do now is far more convenient.

 

[acme15]

Yep, they're awesome, new setup is awesome, love it! 

 
I sense a long and expensive road ahead.