Great price for some really enjoyable headphones. Probably all you need, don't need an amp either!
Addition:
Just want to remind you these are a discontinued model, the successor (x3) didn't review very well either. I would snatch these up while you still can
CamelCamelCamel.
about 65mm on the inner ear. Just took a ruler to mine
Thanks for going out of your way to measure them! helps heaps and now I’ve just purchased. Good deal!
Haha, wasn't even out of my way! It was already on my head and the ruler was an arms reach away.
They are good headphones and easy to drive. No regrets
For more detail, It's a tall oval shape 65 x 50mm (about 20mm deep).
I have them and love them. I have big ears and they're really roomy, in length, width and especially depth
I got dumbo ears and they fit great
I got these delivered about 2 weeks ago for the same price. I've tried a few headphones over the years and these are the best i've heard. I know each person likes different things but for me these are detailed with great bass so i'm super happy with them. I use them mainly for gaming and watching movies and a little bit of music. For movies connected to my home theatre amp they are absolutely amazing. In my opinion it's like having a home theatre strapped to your head. I don't know if i can go back to normal speakers now. I seem to be able to hear so much more and feel the bass more than with my speakers. Definitely recommended at this price.
I couldn't agree with you more. I've dabbled in quite a few headphones but I keep coming back to these, they are the most comfortable and sound signature that most people will enjoy. Perhaps my tastes are too unrefined, but the more audiophile-approved headphones just didn't have enough low end for my liking.
Yep i hear you. I read so much about the Sennheiser hd 58x's being amazing for their price. Got a set, owned them for a year and got a dragonfly dac to power them. Basically forced myself to listen to them and ended up selling them because i felt they sounded super boring. I enjoyed nothing about them. No these on the other hand are the opposite in my opinion. I adore everything about them. Just shows how different people enjoy different things. I honestly can't be any more happy with these. I had a try of the new grado SR80x's recently. They sounded close to these to me but with less bass. But these are amazing!
Haha I didn't need to hear this! I've got a pair HD58X in transit to me now.
@youfnc: Buy the X2HR, see which one you like more. HD58X should have pretty good resale on eBay, you won't lose much if anything. If you don't like the X2HR, Amazon has a pretty good returns policy (double check it) so you just can't lose!
I've had the 58X and I currently have the 6XX. Both sound the same to me and other than the really cool design of the 6XX, it sounds "meh" to me
@dazzles: Sweet, Thanks for the advice, mate. I'll pick up a pair of these and add them to my growing collection
@dazzles: I went from ath-m50 to focal elear to meze 99 classics. M50 sounded the best. I don't think I have the audiophile ears. Hopefully these will bring me joy.
@sunnymel: I also hope they bring you joy. I sold my LCD 2C's recently and currently rotating between the X2HR and the DT177x. If you ask me, these audiophiles clearly don't know how to have a good time!
@sunnymel: Meze 99 are well regarded for their timbre, not their tonal balance. They're a very warm, very v-shaped headphone that don't bring much in the way of clarity.
If you want a proper upgrade, check out the AKG K371.
I picked these up about a year ago for the same price to replace my 15~ year old Audio Technica AD-700's
Great headphones, comfortable, sound great, can wear them for 8 hours and it feels fine, not quite as comfy as the AT's but they're also obviously made to have the ability to be portable and stay on the head. Would reccomend them to anyone looking for some solid headphones.
My AD-700s are almost 15 years old too, still going strong!
15 yr old AD-700 Club!
Just ordered some more foam pads for head and ears to keep them going.
Mine will need that soon, where did you get yours from?
@Not Applicable: These are what I ordered, they fit. https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08CKC8YC5
Headphones enthusiast here. Have a bunch most midfi and some hifi, depending on how you define.
These are def my favourite within the open backs. At this piece, they are stupid good.
Just buy Philips Shp9500. Sounds the same to me and they are probably the same thing
how much are they?
Don't listen to that comment, that is just false. They do not sound the same at all. Not that the SPH9500 are bad, they are decent, but they're not the same as X2's. Also this comment applied years ago when the SPH9500 was like ~$90 and the Fidelio X2 was like ~$300. Now this is regularly on discount below $200 and the SPH9500 costs more than $130.
Ok guys, I have the Audio Technica ATH-M50s, how does this compare to them?
I find the mids a bit recessed on the ATs…
These are relatively V-Shaped so if you're looking for mids I wouldn't necessarily go for these
You can still actually hear the mids though, they're not killed by the bloat of the ATH bass
ATH has stronger bass, but i find the x2hr way more comfortable
Original M50s, or the M50X? Either way:
If you want to stick with closed back, get the AKG K371.
If you want to try open back, go for the AKG K601 (soundstage width, imaging), the HIFIMAN HE400SE (neutral tonality, resolution, soundstage), or the Sennheiser HD6XX (natural tonality, detail, resolution). They won't be as wide or as bassy as the X2HR, but they also won't have distorted bass or overly bright treble.
If you need an amp/DAC stack, the Tempotec Sonata E44 USB-C dongle on AliExpress can go for $70-$80 after cashback when everything lines up, and adds a touch of warmth, slightly narrows the soundstage compared to an entry level desktop setup, but is otherwise punches way above its price point. Can run balanced 4.4mm or single-ended 3.5mm right out of the box.
The X2HR is something that gets endlessly recommended by gamers because they like the imaging and the bass boost, but even at the price there are better options for either, and all of them pack way more detail.
Using mine right now. Great for the hippity hop.
What about those who like bippity bop?
How are these for cybergrinddonkstep?
Would do well for the bippity bop and you don't stop til you drop with a plop.
Not sure about cybergrinddonkstep.
These are probably the best combination of comfort, soundstage, and bass while still being open backed I have come across. Really, really good for general purpose/gaming PC use.
Phillips like these have always been good.
I have the shp9500, how do these compare to that? Given the negative votes from a previous comment, I would have to assume that they are “not the same thing”
SHP9500 I found sharp on the treble if dealing with high hats, nowhere close to the amount of bass on the X2HR's. Sound signature is very different. Build on the SHP9500 do feel abit cheap. They approach comfort very differently. Very light and low clamp on the SHP9500 - earcups also aren't deep but because of the lack of clamp they are comfortable. X2HR comfort- adequately deep and large enough ear cups. suspension strap is really good. Despite the bulk of the X2HR, they are very comfortable. X2HR probably get a bit warmer.
How does this compare with beyerdynamic dt990 pro?
Would this be better than hd599. Not that I have one yet but would really like to to buy one.
Im waiting for the Philips Fidelio L3s to go on sale.
Can get good prices sometimes but I stopped buying from Amazon UK ever since I had to return an item to the UK. Went smooth enough but still a pain in the ass.
These are my favourite headphones I've ever owned.
Although I don't recommend if you want any degree of noise cancelling, or you don't want others near you to hear what you're listening to.
Depends on your volume preferences. I am a very quiet listener and you can't really hear what I'm listening to unless you're within a meter.
how I have Bose QC25's looking to upgraded how much better are these?
Very different headphones for very different purposes. QC25's are closed-back and noise canceling. These are open-back with so will let in/out the sound.
Personally, I use these with a V-MODA Boom Pro (https://www.amazon.com.au/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-C…) for gaming and they sound great.
They destroy the QC25s
In depth technical review for anybody who's interested.
https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/phili…
I've had these since 2016, still my favourite and I've tried quite a few cans up to $400. Just super comfy and easy listening.
Are these any good for hard rock and metal? I have Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Which would sound better for just chilling and listening?
By the way, some interesting "trinkets" that would you might want to get.
MB Quart MBX2BT Bluetooth upgrade - turns these into bluetooth headphones if you need to go wireless. BT5.0 also supports APTX and APTX-LL.
Alternatively, a cheaper option (more unsightly), Ugreen CM279 bluetooth receiver (or any other model). Both can be purchased on aliexpress
Dekoni Audio Elite Velour Earpads for X2HR (also available in leather). Not the cheapest at $90 AUD, but they fit the headphones without modding. What's the point you might ask. The stock pads get dirty/catch lint very easily, these are less prone and they are softer. Sound wise I don't hear much difference to stock pads, but they are more comfy.
Yeah my stock pads have came lose from the inside. Looks like dekoni pads are the only straight swap replacement as these use the clip on pads. I don't know if it's worth paying $90 for pads though.
Like others, I got these two or so weeks ago at the same price.
Unless I overlooked something, don't bother with these if you have a large head like myself. Back to my AT's with the 3D Wing headband.
Large head?
I think some people whinge about the clamp force, but they can be stretched out
A bit off topic, I find the clamp force on my xm3s a bit tight too, but with a plastic headband there's so way they are stretching. There's a lot of broken ones on YouTube too so definitely won't try. I just tend not to wear them when I don't need to/am not listening, meaning I don't forget to take them off like I might if they were more comfortable
If you're patient you can get the HD 58X's for about the same price from drop with the $10 promo. Begins shipping on the 16th.
As i mentioned earlier i had a set of these and tried to force myself to like them but found them super boring. Obviously i'm not knocking them or your advice but just wanted to put my thoughts on them out there. The X2's on this post to my ears are so much better for me. It's like night and day with how much i'm enjoying them compared to the 58x's.
I’ve got some sundaras which I quite like. These worth it as a secondary pair?
Absolutely not. What are you looking for in a second pair of headphones?
What's the difference between the Predecessor model vs 40mm model? Which one is preferable?
The X2HR (predecessor) is built better. Steel spine, leather arch, suspension style headband, better ear pads.
The L2 (40mm) is mostly plastic with thin leather ear pads.
The X2HR has a wider soundstage (better for picking out instruments in something like a live performance or video games) tha the L2.
I imagine there is some sound difference, the X2HR looks a lot more neutral but the only way to really tell is to listen to both.
Love these headphones. I barely use my HD58x and HD660S.
These are way better for general PC use,gaming and pretty decent for most music.
The pads are worn out after almost 4 years. I'm considering just buying another pair instead of paying $90 for Dekoni replacement pads.
Then again, I've heard some pretty great things about the X3's too.
I have always found Philips headphones to be excellent at their price point. I think a lot of r people are just snobby about the brand because they make a lot of cheaper consumer electronics.
Phillips products I have owned have always been well made and affordable. Very happy with my hair dryer and garment steamer and SHP9500s
Are these wireless bluetooth or USB C cable?
edit: i just saw they have 3.5mm aux jack.. so how do I listen to my TV with these? Do I need a long 3.5mm cable to plug into the TV? Sorry I'm a noob, not sure how I can use these to watch TV
Yeah you need to plug them into TV.
U can buy a 3.5mm Bluetooth receiver. Ugly but beats a cable for your needs
You can buy a transmitter for the TV and receiver which you could put on the table where you're watching the TV, and connect your headphones to that.
I'd avoid Bluetooth and go for a radio transmitter and receiver, unless you're sure the transmitter and receiver support the more recent low latency Bluetooth technologies.
it's 162 now?
How’s the inner ear cup diameter for larger/longer ears? If anyone knows? Google won’t help #bigearproblems