Philips X2/27 Fidelio Premium Headphones, Black

I have generally used quite a few headphones in the$200 -$400 range in the past, or what is known as mid-fi (though for the un-initiated, even $300 can seem like crazy money for headphones). For home use, you will be hard pressed to find a better value at this price range. It is basically a great all-rounder which handles all genres of music with panache and verve; supremely comfortable despite its size, and solidly built. It creates a wide out of head soundscape – with diurnal recordings I sometimes find myself instinctively turning right and left towards the apparent source of the instrument! It has a sound signature with slightly emphasized base and gradual fall off at the higher frequencies which would please the average listener stepping up from sub $100 headphones. Despite being quite consistent across the frequency range it has FUN and exciting sound signature which is non-fatiguing.

Let me elaborate on some of the main points one looks at, while choosing a headphone, in the paragraphs below:

Comfort
In terms of comfort, especially for extended hearings, THIS CAN’T BE BEAT! The huuge velour ear-muffs are like soft pillows cradling your noggin and it never gets too hot unlike memory foam+(p)leather combos like Sennheiser Momentum 2 (just sold) and B&W P7 (tried and returned).

Sound signature
Open and airy as expected with an open back but with more bass presence than expected of such headphones. This is a great balance that Philips has achieved. There is no need to get into more technicalities – this will suit most music genres. I listen to wide range, but mainly acoustic and vocal heavy genres like folk, country, blues, soft rock, and despite the slight V-signature, it handles vocals like a pro. This is also excellent for late night movie watching – the provided 10 feet long cable is perfect in this regard, and open backed nature of the headphones really help create the surround like atmosphere for the movie sounds and score (even though, technically, only stereo). Generally speaking, sound signature can be described as warmish and (only) slightly laid back. anyone who does not have a very specific set of preferences (such a very heavy bass leaning or completely flat signature) should be happy with the sound signature.
The sound profile is also non-fatiguing to my ears which, together with the physical comfort features, makes this my go to headphones for long listening sessions

Match-ability
To be honest, these turned out to be harder to drive than the 30 Ohms impedance and 100db @ mW specs suggest. I could drive them, just about, from my phone (LG G4) but I need to put the volume to atleast 85-90% to get a decent output and the SQ was not great, slightly muted, especially in the lower frequencies and without the detail and spaciousness which I know the cans are capable of. The ipad air (and a friend’s iphone) do a much better job at driving the cans so maybe the LG g4 has a weak amp. Similarly, my Desktop (Asus 87-pro motherboard based, no extra soundcard) struggles to do justice, but I have better luck with my Dell Latitude work laptop, which is able to drive these satisfactorily at about 65-70% volume (your volume preferences may vary). Therefore, I conclude that these headphones are near the limits of what can be driven without external Amp-ing, and hence an amp (or DAC/Amp if you are so inclined) is recommended. Success will vary with source – a dedicated DAP will probably not require an amp. However, almost any portable amp should work – at least in terms of sufficient power. Since I use this almost exclusively with a Chord Mojo (with which it positively sings!) this is not an issue for me – but it is worth considering if you are planning to drive these straight from a mobile/computer.

Build Quality
Built like a tank. There’s a lot of metal and a high quality hard plastic to go with the leather headband. It’ll take a beating. the earmuffs can attract lot of lint and hair, but nothing a bit of lint remover cant fix.

Price-performance ratio
I got this “Used-Like New” at $194. At this price it is a no brainier. I would argue that even at $100 more than that – it justifies the price. It compares favorably with the more portability friendly can priced at $400 and above, without the portability and pretty frills, ofcourse. Which brings me to.

Portability/ travel use
None. Zilch. Nada. It stays at home (or if you have your own cabin, office). It leaks sound (nothing drastic but its there), lets in ambient sound, and more importantly, its huge and doesn’t fold any.

Cable/ connections:

10 feet long and with both 3.5mm and 1/4 th connector options. Again, the thought is home use.

I like that it has the standard 3.5 inputs on both ends. This lets me change the huge-ass icluded cable for one of the many shorter aux-cables lying around when sitting at the computer. More importantly, when doing small chores around the house, I can connect a bluetooth receiver with a short 3.5 mm cable clipped to my shirt/tee (I use the aventree clipper pro for now which has apt-x). This flexibility is a game changer for me and often can be a factor that tilts buying choice (other factors remaining constant).

Conclusion
In short, if your budget is less than 250 bucks and you want a set of cans for marathon listening sessions at home, you need to get this. You will have to get to the $600 range and above to find an open-back appreciably better at SQ. I have the $999 focal Elear for home as well; which is subtly better in almost all respects (especially clarity and that sparkle in the highs, but NOT sound-stage possibly) but still I use this almost as often.

BACKGROUND:
I’ve owned the Sennheiser HD-650, HiFiMan HE-400, Ultrasone Pro 2900, Audio Technica ATH-M50s, and Sennheiser HD-280 Pro. Besides the ones I’ve owned, I have also auditioned their predecessor, the Fidelio X1’s, as well as the Sennheiser HD-555’s with the soundstage mod. The AMP, DAC’s, and sound cards I currently use are as followed: Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1 Plus, and Asus Xonar Essence STX. As for myself, I do not consider myself an audiophile. I have not listened to enough audio equipment to be considered one. (I have only listened to a handful). However, I do consider myself a “little” above your average consumer…maybe an audio geek? I listen to all types of music, but I mostly listen to: EDM, Hip-Hop, Rock, R&B, Pop, and Rap. From time to time, I listen to Classical, Jazz, and Instrumental. There is no genre I hate! I also play a good amount of video games and watch a ton of movies! From here on out, I will only refer to the model name to save character length.

TL;DR:
Very impressive headphones. Warm sounding, and superb bass. Beats out headphones in the same league of around $500+. Impressive upgrade from the X1. Prefer them over the HD-650’s because they are more fun sounding and faster hitting. Compared to the HE-400, they do lose by a small margin in the bass department, but win in everything else. Overall, better than the Ultrasone Pro 2900 in every way. Beats out every other headphone I’ve used or tried. Great with video games and movies. Also, very comfortable and luxurious! Buy them now!

REVIEW:
The box itself was very simple. Nothing fancy, and unfortunately there is plastic. But who cares about the box, when it’s the headphones that matter?

My first impressions out of the box were VERY VERY good. The first thing I noticed was the amazing bass. The highs are not ear-piercing and are existent and clear. The mids are “slightly recessed”. And as I just mentioned, the lows are superb. Mind you, this is with zero burn-in. Overall, I classify the sound as very warm, soothing, a little bit analytical and overall just fun! These are cans that you can put on for hours on end without hurting your ear drums. Instrument separation is amazing as well. I’ve already noticed a slight tightening of the bass from burning them in. They are a versatile headphone and can sound good with whatever you throw at them. They sound especially good with my most listened to genres: EDM, Hip-Hop-, Rock, R&B, Pop, Rap. They are really good for any genre that needs that bass! Video games and movies sound superb as well. I’ve been playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Don’t JUDGE! It’s actually a really good game!), and it just pairs perfectly with the game. The bass is excellent, as well as all the sound coming from the game. Just now, I watched the Star Wars Episode VII teaser trailer on these bad boys, and boy does it sound fantastic. Get ready to drop your jaw.

As for the physical aspects of these cans, they are excellent. Philips has done wonders with the material of choice and it just shows. Everything is solid and just speaks luxury with their mix of leather, metal, sturdy plastic, and cloth. The headphones are also very comfortable on the head. They sit on your head with the hammock cloth piece. I have a relatively small head and they definitely do not move around when shaking your head. Most of the pressure (very little) is on the top of your head. Of all the headphones I’ve used, they are on par in comfort with the HD-650. They do win by a small margin over the HD-650’s because of the miniscule clamping force. Unfortunately, they lose slightly in comfort over the HD-555’s (aka HD-595, HD 558). The HD-555’s really are the “king of comfort” because of their low weight and zero clamping force.

COMPARISONS:
I will only be comparing them to the X1, HD-650, and HE-400. As I think these just straight out beat all the headphones I’ve auditioned. The X1, HD-650, and HE-400 are also all in the same price range and are also all considered to be warm sounding, and fantastic headphones.

FIDELIO X2 VS FIDELIO X1:
First things first, I know you are wondering how these compared to the X1. The first time I auditioned the X1’s, I immediately was impressed. Mostly because they were by Philips, a brand name not known for their music equipment. I thought they were a good sounding can, but the bass was just overblown and it didn’t sound like a “high-end” headphone because of that. The feeling overall was that they were aiming for a headphone that would fight the battle against Beats by Dre (which it obviously beated, pun intended). I wasn’t too fond of the non-replaceable ear pads as well. Ear pads need to be replaced, and should be! I didn’t think they were a worthy purchase because of those two very big issues. Now with the X2’s, Philips have solved both issues, and have made it sound even more spectacular. This time around, Philips was aiming the battle against the likes of the HD-650’s.
WINNER: FIDELIO X2

FIDELIO X2 VS SENNHEISER HD-650:
The first day I received these headphones, I immediately compared the two. The HD-650’s are my go-to headphones. On first audition, I thought the X2’s mids sounded recessed compared to them. Importantly, I also noticed the bass… “Now that’s something I haven’t seen in a long time.” Bass is present on the HD-650’s, but they just do not compare. From further listening and burn-in, I noticed that everything was getting clearer and that instrument separation was getting better. However, the mids still felt a little recessed compared to the HD-650’s. I kept switching between the two and my conclusion was that the bass was the cause of the recessed mid’s. It was a consequence that I would forgive, because of how fantastic everything else was. Another major advantage of the X2’s are that they are indeed a “fun sounding” headphone. Don’t be surprised when you see yourself bobbing your head to that tune you listen to. They are also fast hitting headphones. Both contrary to what the HD-650’s are known to be. By no means am I bashing the HD-650’s…I really do love the HD-650’s, but take a listen to the X2’s and tell me otherwise! The material used in the X2’s are also a lot better than the HD-650’s. My HD-650’s started creaking even after careful usage. Both are good in terms of build quality, but the X2’s just beat it.
WINNER: FIDELIO X2 WIN!!

FIDELIO X2 VS HIFIMAN HE-400:
I’ve been speaking about how amazing the bass is. I think I’ve already said the word “bass” way too many times… But ANYWAY, the HiFiMan HE-400 paired with velour ear pads wins by a small margin in terms of the low end. The HiFiMan HE-400’s just are without a doubt the king of bass among the headphones around the price tag of $500. However, mid’s and high’s are just beaten without a doubt by the X2’s. Don’t get me started on build quality. X2’s just beat HE-400 in build quality.
WINNER: FIDELIO X2!

CONS:
The only minor thing I don’t like about the headphones is that Philips decided to wrap the cable with braided cloth. Some might prefer this over the standard cable, but it is near impossible to clean when they end up getting dirty. This obviously won’t be an issue when you use them as a home pair of headphones, but there’s always the chance of them getting dirty. They are easily interchangeable so I won’t get bothered by that too much.

CONCLUSION:
Do yourself a favor, buy them now!

I see a lot of reviews that start as “I’m no audiophile, but…” I will put my experience with audio, and let you decide how much my review is worth.

I have owned a full 5.1 surround set of polk audio powered by a yamaha surround. I have since downgraded to a bose cinemate (the one with the two little ‘simulated’ surround sound speakers and a sub) thanks to my fiance not liking bulky speakers. Honestly it has worked just fine for me, though I can tell a definite difference in surround quality vs 5.1.

Headphone experienced is limited to a Playstation 3 headset, and a turtle beach before that ($90 one) My most recent headset was the Sony Pulse. I would use it mainly for gaming, but discovered I really liked to listen to music from youtube on it while working on my laptop. It was awesome, until it broke recently. So I began my quest…

I haven’t been doing as much gaming lately due to owning a business and working on my laptop writing articles and working on facebook advertising campaigns, so I wondered if I could get even better sound from a regular set of headphones. I researched for roughly a week and seemed stuck and overwhelmed.

Initially, I was leaning toward wireless because I loved the freedom so much. Washing dishes, getting up to refill my water, taking a pee… it was all so easy with wireless. As I read, however, I heard about things like soundstage, muffled bass, veiled sound, dark, warm, neutral, etc. I knew there was more to the listening experience than I was ever aware of, and was really curious just how good music could sound…

My budget was initially $200, as the most I’ve ever spent was roughly 120 on the Pulse. As I’m sure you have, I came across all the usual suspects… Sony MDR line, ATH-M50/50x, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamics… I read reviews, here and in audiophile land, like a monster. I became obsessed. I wanted that absolute best bang for my buck as I always do with important purchases. And sound quality had become very important the more I had read.

I was dead set on the Sony x950bt (the one with extra bass boost button) because it was wireless and people said it was the best wireless sounding HP they have ever heard.. even people who owned infamous Sennheiser HD600 were saying that so I believed it. I read a 25 page thread on head-fi about them, following mods people were doing to them to get them to sound better. The price had been down to 99, and 149, but was currently 199, and I sure didn’t want to have to mod it out at that price just to sound right! I would have felt cheated if I paid that much so I said “to hell with it” and started looking at higher quality wired ones.

I didn’t know anything about Ohms, or output or any of the other technical jargon people were talking about with amps, so my goal was to get a high quality headphone that didn’t need an amp… was that even possible. According to one angel of a reviewer, it was. He had recommended to another poster similar to me that he should just get the Fidelio x2 and be done with it because it didn’t need an amp. I popped that into my google search and it brought me here…

The reviews for this thing, apart from a couple easily dismissed 3 star reviews, blew me away! This could be exactly what I was looking for. I will disclose that I bought it for a straight 300 shipped from amazon directly, and paid the $5 to overnight it.

About an hour later, a client had a pair of ATH-M50x that he wears to work everyday. I tried it. It sounded great, but not very much better than my old pulse, and had a wire. It also didn’t turn up nearly loud enough for me. I started getting worried that I didn’t go high-end enough with the fidelios, as I had heard the two compared by another poster on a forum.

They showed up to my work the next day, and luckily I was on break. Plugged them into the Samsung S5, and pulled up my favorite mix on Youtube for a test (Vol. 3 Epic Legendary Intense Massive Heroic Vengeful Dramatic Music Mix – 1 Hour Long) I put it to 7 min as that is a song that always gets my blood pumping, and began my initial test…

First thought: OMG these are CLEAR! I could hear everything. I understood exactly what they meant by open soundstage. I wasn’t immediately blown away because of one thing though… I felt there was a lack of bass, and I couldn’t really feel the music as I had on the pulse. All the reviews talking about this having a lot of bass, I thought were slightly misleading for a noob like me. That’s what I thought, but have since reversed my decision and will explain later.

Comfort: Unbelievable. I have large ears and headphones become uncomfortable usually after an hour or two. Not these. I wore these for a six hour stretch while sitting in my recliner and working on my laptop, and not a single pressure point or sense of discomfort. The ear cups are the softest things I have ever felt; I believe they are some kind of velour over memory foam! As others have said, the universal strap, while it looks dorky as hell, is perfect and molds excellently to your head. I felt they were a bit clampy at first, but that went away in a matter of days with no outside influence other than my head.

Side note: the Pulse, and any other headset I’ve had ritually left indentations in my scalp after a long wearing session. It became painful and so did my ears. Not even a trace of those problems with this X2. I can’t even describe the comfort.

Fatigue: I regularly had to take off my previous headsets due to fatigue. Not sure if that was due to them all being closed cans, or the small soundstage, but it was true. I didn’t WANT to take these off at all! I even carried my laptop in to the bathroom with me because I didn’t want to stop hearing my music!!! I was blown away by the comfort. Yesterday I was dying to put these on and go into the other room and work, but life happens, and I have a fiance that requires some talking too (boooooo lol)

This morning the first thing I ran downstairs to do was put these on and write this review! I swear your ears feel naked without them! And your music turns into crack for your ears. Life just gets boring without these on…

Back to the Bass issue… I was at best buy yesterday for an unrelated purchase, and couldn’t help myself but to go demo the Sony Extra Bass wireless headset. The guy unhooked it so I could use my phone, and I put it to the exact point I did for my first test of the x2 so I could have some consistency in my test. I was blown away by how bad they sounded! I understood what people meant by a dark veil over some HPs… they had it bad. The clarity was nowhere even close.

So the bass with the X2… I understand now what people mean by “there is bass where it was INTENDED to be.” These definitely have the bass, and you can feel it, it just isn’t OVERPOWERING like most less expensive HPs you might be used to. It’s almost like the bass is in the background where it is supposed to be. Sometimes you can feel it even when you don’t really hear it, because you are focused on the main sound of the song. I hope that helps somebody.

Leakage: Leakage is bad at high levels. I had to turn it to about half volume for my fiance to watch TV in the same room comfortably. And the funny thing is, the music still sounded awesome at mid volume! Even now alone I’m at only 2/3s or 3/4ths because it is so adequate. You know all those other HPs how you have to turn it up to actually hear what’s going on? Not these, they are so clear you can listen to them at low levels and still love your music!

Isolation: They are open back so obviously not as good as closed. But to be honest, at mid volume I didn’t have a problem with her TV watching. At 3/4 you can only hear the gunshots or hard bass of what somebody is watching. At full volume forget about it. Perfectly fine for me.

Open back HP magic effect: I have read about the effect open ears do, that it seems like the music is being played in the room, not in your ears. This effect is very minimal to my ears. I can still tell I’m wearing headphones. I imagine you would have to either listen at low volumes, or really zone out and focus. Or maybe it is happening and that is why I feel so good wearing these things. I haven’t had a nice set of closed backs so I can’t really compare. But one thing is for sure… you can close your eyes and feel like you are at an orchestra or rock concert, so maybe that is the effect they are talking about.

Build Quality: Top notch. Plenty of metal where it counts, plenty of cushion where it counts. One complaint is the wire is 9 feet. No problem when sitting in a chair or at a desk I assume, but getting up to move around is a PITA. I need suggestions on a 3 foot cord, so anybody who is reading this please put a comment on with a recommendation, I would really appreciate it.

In conclusion I can say these were an awesome investment at 300. I haven’t looked at options in the 400 range, so I cannot say whether or not it is better than other offerings in that range. I will say that the majority of people in the industry I have read are saying these are better than most offerings in a much higher price range. For what it is worth, I would have paid $400 for these after hearing them for a few hours.

Hopefully my noob opinion will help one of you reading this!