Philips Fidelio X2 [COLOR=A9A9A9](Price: 299 Euro): [/COLOR]

A Review by Baycode

do not attempt to compare

and acts like a sub-woofer attached inside the cups

Though I would prefer a little more up-front mids

I would prefer slightly more details on the bass-subbass region TBH

fun

easy to listen

technically superb

never

poisoning

But clamping force is on the north of being average for my head. But anyone can stretch the headband by using the old technique on head-fi (putting some books in between the ear-pads for a period of time, or just stretching the headband out by pulling with hands).

200 hours

without any

eye shaking, chest shivering bass.

wish

is probably

over

382 grams

Drivers: Angled Dynamic Drivers, 50mm diameter Layered Motion Control (LMC) Diaphragm with GEL filling between the layers + Powerful Neodymium Magnet

Rated Impedance 30 Ω

Frequency Range 5Hz ˜ 40kHz

Sensitivity 100 dB @ 1 mW

Max Input Power 500 mW

Distortion < 0,1% (THD)

Cable 3 m (9 ft), Removable, Single entry with 3.5mm mini jack on both ends (According to a Chinese web site cable made by Oyaide. I measured the value as 0,6 OHM for +/- and gnd for this cable)

Plug 3.5mm Gold Plated

Circumaural memory foam velour earpads, earpads have heat regulating technology

382 g (Headphone only, measured by Baycode)

3.5mm to 6.5mm converter

3 m (9 ft) Cable

Fidelio Cable Management Clip

None

[COLOR=FF00AA]Short Impressions, Comparisons and Photos by Members:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000][/COLOR]My 7 years old daughter enjoying the dad's X2(these sweet factors postpones all of my reviews!)I always prefer to see "detailed but simple and easy to evaluate reviews" on head-fi. So I ended up using the graphs. Each factor you see in the graph is provided after extensive listening and A-B'ing with other. The higher the value, the better that factor gets. Anything less than 5 is below average, 5 is average, 10 is max. These numberings are not based on any other reviews. For better understanding the terminology and graph please see the notes section on the bottom of this page and read this glossary . To see the summary of the graph just look at the red and orange bars (red bar is average value of all factors while orange is the average value of only the sound quality). For the other factors you can find short notes under separate headlines. I want my reviews to be as fast an effectively understandable as possible which reflects only theand as you already know-. Some of the review products are free review samples sent to me while some of the others are purchased by me. Always feel free to ask any questions.I compare and put the values for each category which is specifically evaluated (calculated) values for that "CATEGORY". So pleasean IEM category with full sized HP's.Each ranking on frequency ranges are equated values of the each fq response and its technicalities. All these values should be taken asThanks for your visit and valuable contributions!CAPTIVATING SOUND!WIDE SOUND-STAGE!EXCELLENT LAYERING!WARM!FUN!TOE TAPPING!BASS!CLARITY!SMOOTH HIGHS!COMFORT!STYLISH LOOKING !General sound signature is warm, neutral-ish till the beginning of the sub-bass region, then it gains some extra dB(this character changed after even more burn-in (200+ h) it still produces bass with body but this is not as bloated as once it was and depends on the recording).Highs never get into the ear-piercing territory. But not veiled either. I have never heard such smooth highs on any HP before. Yet it's very detailed!Mids are very very good (). After 200+ hours of burn-in I can now say that the mids are sounding excellent. Still not very much up front but not shy like it's on the beginning.Bass is the dominant part on X2. But it shows itself especially "".. Bottom end has good separationd detail after 200+ h burn-in.Clarity is top notch throughout the freq ranges. But especially mids and mid-highs territory is excellent.I believe this headphone is certainly up there with top of the models from other big names. It's technical capabilities are excellent. I think this is Philips's biggest success to produce a headphone which isandwhile beingat the same time. Sound-stage is wider than anything I have ever heard! Layering is heard to be believed. Excellent! Imaging is also very very good on X2. X2 is very detailed sounding HP. It really likes higher-end products as a source (wish I could have ATM). Anyone who prefers: a detailed and technically superb full sized HP with a warm-musical sound with smooth highs and highly satisfactory level of bass can go for this X2!Is this an hi-fi headphone as stated on the box? In to some degree yes... But, if the bass had a tiny bit-more texture and detail, if the bass slightly is lesser, if it weren't a warm HP I can definitely say that it's an excellent Hi-Fi audiophile HP. But it's really a warm, fun, unique sounding HP thatgets fatiguing. I am aHP loving person but I really rank this Fidelio X2 on the top. Because it's engaging yet technically superb on a broad range of SQ areas!Once I start to listen the X2 I never want to put the HP away! It certainly captivates me (and my daughters as well) with its comfort and soundCompared to neutral-ish headphones like a K551 or K701, X2 has more bass presence, better soundstage depth, expansive soundstage (like its on the K701 and better than K551) but imaging and layering is much better. Both AKG's produces high frequencies with more presence and with slightly more detail but X2 is not far behind in detailing yet X2's highs are very smooth (never gets fatiguing) and general sound signature is not thin. In comparison, both AKG's sounded thin after listening to X2 for a long time. This character of the X2 is, because I couldn't get enough pleasure from all of my AKG's (including the K340 electrostat-dynamic hybrid) once my ears/brain gets used to the sound of X2.(front)Align pin is a nice idea. This prevents a mis-aligned insertion (attachment).Pop, Rock, EDM, Soundtracks, Hard Rock, New Age, Chillout, Ambient, Instrumental, Heavy-Metal, Vocal, Classical, Jazz, all kinds of bassy music, etc. Broad ranges of genres are suitable with this HP.Also excellent while watching movies! (Sorry I don't play games, so no opinion on it).Home and relatively quiet office. It's not portable by any means.Circumaural. Earcups completely surrounds your ears and ears fits inside the cups. Single detachable cable on the left earpiece.This is really an easy to fit HP. X2 has a self adjusting headband. It really fits like a glove :bigsmile_face: and stays securely on head even if I shake my head a little with the musicAlthough X2 is 382 grams, it feels a little heavy on the head at first listen. But long term listening up to 3 hrs doesn't cause any problems for me. For a large headed person this HP may cause some discomfort because of the clamping force at first trials. Is it clamping too much? I can say not for my case (I have medium size head).Edit: Clamping force is now excellent. Not tight, not loose. Extremely comfortable. I think this headphone got stretched and loosened its clamping force a little bit during use...Deep memory foam and velour earpads are heat regulating type. Because of the thick and technically designed earpads makes this headphone a joy to wear. I also never have sweating problems, even after extended use.X2 is supposed to be open backed. So its really hard to say that it isolates. But all I can say that there is very little isolation. Unfortunately X2 is not suitable to be used in the noisy environments. It will leak sound as well. So surrounding people can hear what you're listening to.X2 is stated as 30 ohms. I have tried it with my Galaxy S2, Sansa Fuze, iPod Touch and every portable solution can drive them well. I have also connected it to my SS and tube amps. It definately scales better with better and more powerful sources. Likes tube amps very much. Synergy is excellent IMO with a DV 336SE. I have tried a Zaerix 6AS7 NOS military tube on the back and the bass was hitting tighter with body. 1950's RCA 6AS7G black plates JAN tube gives the X2 a flatter, yet detailed sound response. With the General Electric 6080 5 Stars tube on the back position I can hear unimaginable level of details on the recordings. I don't know how and why but X2 has special synergy when paired with Sansa Fuze player (without the need of an amp, my Fuze is Rockboxed).Sound is already great right out of the box but it needs at least 30-40 hours of burn-in for the biggest settlement. Especially clarity opens-up!! Don't know if there will be a change in the future but as for today I have reached 100h with X2.I have passed. Now it is sounding much better. More linear compared to the previous period of burn-in. Mid frequencies came slightly more forward. Bass earned more detail and definition. Also bass is not on the eye shaking level now. But still bass plays a big role and because of this X2 is still far from being a real neutral HP. I like the X2 much and much more after passing 200 hours. I am eager to hear if there is going to be any change on sound with more burn-in.I believe X2 is completely settled. I am on 300+ hours and I hear no change in sound. I will inform if anything changes...When I first opened the box of X2 and touched/worn it I feel the quality of a higher-end product. It certainly feels like a Porsche! Also it's very powerful but this time the power is not beneath the wheels, it's beneath the ear-pads!Aluminum speaker cup holders, steel headband inner parts, real leather headband with breathable self adjusting headband, excellent quality removable memory foam velour ear-pads, everything is built to last forever!...but only the test of the time will tell the real truthAnalytical HP lovers, absolutely flat (neutral) HP lovers, who doesn't like extra bass, who hates single entry cables, who prefers a really light (X2 is 382 g) HP; who needs isolation from outside noise, who needs a portable HP, should avoid X2.Since the 300-400 Euro HP's are crowded with very good competitors and X2 has a chance for being a very durable, quality, fun, warm, but detailed signature HP. Its bass will satisfy even the bass-heads. Its extremely big sound-stage, imaging and layering capabilities are appealing. General sound quality is excellent.This term is new in head-fi (I prefer to use it). "Love factor" is very "personal taste" dependent and one should take care of this factor as a grain of salt (but if you ask me it's one of the most important factor). This factor summarizes my liking of sound quality, fit-comfort, durability, isolation, microphonics, aesthetics, etc. So joining of all these factors makes me want to listen to a given iem/hp for a long time or not.Although X2 is slightly heavy for me, and its bass is slightly over my tastes, I really enjoyed it. Wearing this comfy HP is like holding two teddy bear toys on your ears. Velour and memory foam earpads are excellent in quality. I suppose no-one will ever want to replace them with something else! Self adjusting headband is excellent and fits my medium sized head perfectly! I can listen to it for 2-3 hours non-stopissues. After that period I have some neck pain (because of the weight). But this is easily gone after making some exercise and some breaks. I can say that my love factor for X2 is well above average. Philips Fidelio X2 and Havi B3 Pro1 are the two best buys for me this year!I think X2 is an excellent HP who wants some warmness and expansive soundstage with excellent fun factor with toe tapping soundIt's material (or build) quality is excellent. But do not expect any accessories other than a Fidelio Cable Management Clip and a 3.5mm to 6.5mm convertor. Ithere were at least a carrying case inside that beautiful cardboard box!!! C.mon Philips it's not that hard to put that carrying case for the price I paid!If I solely talk about the sound quality, although X2 is warm and bassy HP, it has the potential to satisfy even the neutral HP loving audiophiles (including myself) because of its technical capabilities and fun factor!Although I didn't have chance to hear X1 (the predecessor of X2), I read a lot about it before and all I can say that X2an upgradeits predecessor! X2 doesn't exhibit any problems on the highs region like X1. Also earpads are easy to remove and put-back!Yes, provided by Philips (where available or applicable), 24 months. I always appreciate the guarantee on the audio equipments. So big applause for Philips here!, thanks to my pocket! I paid 380 Euro! Approximately every gram of this headphone is 1 Euro for me! :blink:1- Most of the terminology used in this review is depending on this excellent write-up by multiple headfiers: http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary 2- Specifications and/or color of the equipments covered by this review may change in the future by the producer. And these changes may not be reflected inside the review in the future (although I prefer to update).3- The bar-graph review technique is a new one and its my way to show readers to understand an equipment at first look. It’s easier to understand IMO rather than reading dozens of pages. But I also advise any reader to look for the other reviewers pages and other contributors ideas. There is no single way to reach the truth.4- The values in the graphs may change “slightly” over time. This is because my equipment collection is growing and comparative evaluations will always be in the process (even after review). So please feel free to come back and check the graph in the future (for example 2 months later). But usually these values are created after extensive burn-in and listening/comparing periods. So will mostly be stable.[rule]On the head photo by hi5 Comparative impressions with HD558, X1 and L2 by arcwindz : http://www.head-fi.org/t/723025/philips-fidelio-x2/1785#post_11146227Comparative impressions with HD600/650, HD800, LCD 2.2, HE-560 by daltonlanny Comparative impressions with HD600/650, LCD 2.2 by MattTCG Comparative impressions with HD600/650, HD700, HE400i, HE560, LCD 2F, DT880, DT990, T1 by cute Comparative impressions with HD650 and HE400i by Jazz1 Comparative impressions with HP50, HD600s and AHD2000 by Zennheiserie8 Comparative impressions with B&O H6 by Randolph Duke Impressions for imaging (for gamers) by Sundown Replacement earpad (cushion) info and part number for ordering through Philips by Rave77 : http://www.head-fi.org/t/729413/philips-fidelio-x2-a-review-by-baycode/765#post_11246136