Gobsmacked about the Philips Fidelio X1

Cleisthenes · 13 Apr 2014 at 20:34

cwgk91 said:
Just picked up a pair of X1s before going on holiday. previously was looking for a pair of 598s which I had tried in Selfridges and like but decided to take a punt on the X1s instead. Im amazed by them I have to say (much as the title suggests!). Brilliant set of headphones, and thanks to this post for making me aware of them! Sound great from my AVI system at home, my Asus Xonar card and my iphone, was very surprised!

Congrats

Rofflay · 13 Apr 2014 at 20:52

Do you need to replace the cord as well? Ive heard of a few X1 mods out there someone should have a sticky as i have never noticed one. Maybe a mod list of what we can do? Cord and mesh removal perhaps? If i browse the X1 on the rainforest site you can see people buying a lead with them as a combo.

£13 for the cord i think?

Cleisthenes · 13 Apr 2014 at 20:53

Good idea. All I've done with mine is to change the lead. I know that mrk has removed the mesh though, as it was rubbing on his ears.

Angst · 14 Apr 2014 at 14:57

Just got a pair of these and they really are great, compared to my 598's they are slightly less crisp but a lot better in the bass. They still have to burn in though so i shall see how they change.
Out of curiosity has anyone tried the original lead with a different 3.5mm adapter to see if that makes a difference to it?

mrk · 14 Apr 2014 at 15:01

The X1 soundstage is wider than the Senns by a nice margin

The stock cable's adapter made no difference to measured impedance in my testing so the adapter is perfectly fine. There was only a 0.1ohm difference depending on how I touched the contacts with the multimeter prongs.

Raymond Lin · 16 Apr 2014 at 11:01

Just tried these on in store, some limited edition gold plated metal ones.

Glad I didn't buy them as they are a touch too small for my head...yeah yeah, big head jokes

Anyway, nice headphones but it's about 1/4 inch too short either side.

mrk · 16 Apr 2014 at 11:10

Lol, nuclear noggin.

Ksanti · 18 Apr 2014 at 14:12

Any reliable stores I can try these out in just for fit? Had to get rid of my MDR-1R's because my ears pressed against the speaker housings and on top of that I'm very wary of dropping this much money on headphones with "Philips" on the side, no matter how well reviewed!

Cleisthenes · 18 Apr 2014 at 14:26

Ksanti said:
Any reliable stores I can try these out in just for fit? Had to get rid of my MDR-1R's because my ears pressed against the speaker housings and on top of that I'm very wary of dropping this much money on headphones with "Philips" on the side, no matter how well reviewed!

Get them from Amazon, try the out, be careful with them, and then send them back if you're not happy.

mrk · 18 Apr 2014 at 14:38

Ksanti said:
Any reliable stores I can try these out in just for fit? Had to get rid of my MDR-1R's because my ears pressed against the speaker housings and on top of that I'm very wary of dropping this much money on headphones with "Philips" on the side, no matter how well reviewed!

They look and feel better built than most of the same class Senns, Beyers and Grados so they should wear that brand badge with pride regardless

james.miller · 18 Apr 2014 at 14:52

phillips badge snobbery. very strange!

Psycho Sonny · 18 Apr 2014 at 15:24

are these substantially better than HD 598?

i know they are easier to drive and have more bass, but the HD 598 is cheaper.

mrk · 18 Apr 2014 at 16:34

The bass is better, soundstage is better, comfort is dependent on the user, design is better, build quality is leagues better, cable can be changed with any 3.5mm cable unlike on the Sennheisers.

Ryanr1987 · 18 Apr 2014 at 17:45

Psycho Sonny said:
are these substantially better than HD 598?

i know they are easier to drive and have more bass, but the HD 598 is cheaper.

The Sennheiser is more detailed, more cold, cleaner more pronounced mids. Wider and deeper soundstage in DH and stereo.

X1 is warmer, a bit more grainier when compared directly. Much more bass although it's loose and uncontrolled. Mids are a less forward but not recessed. Soundstage is pretty decent.

I think the X1 is a more complete headphone so it is "better" in that sense. It depends what you want out of a headphone.

mrk · 18 Apr 2014 at 22:21

Different people will have different preferences and will interpret sound differently. Proof is the above experiences from two of us.

Just try them out for yourself and return the pair that doesn't quite cut it within the 30 day Amazon returns period or however long it is.

Personally my experience is as mentioned earlier, the X1 with a cable that has lower impedance than the stock one was more detailed than the HD598 especially with bass and the soundstage is wider - Something others and review sites have picked up on also.

At the end of it the other benefits of the X1 outweigh any audible pros of the Senns even if the Senns are a bit cheaper. Your choice whatever you go for...

Rofflay · 19 Apr 2014 at 07:44

I have cold feet now too on the ear muffys and the impedance, Basically i like My Xonar ST and want to put in muses and its got a high impedance amp inside, And as i said earlier my ultimate night time cinema (Oppo BD105) will be using whatever headphone i buy and it contains a high impedance amp inside for headphone out and from Headfi people say 300ohm seems to be the limit as well.

I just wanted a better headphone with more fine detail and a more airy soundstage than my HD595 which i think are too warm to my ears but people on Headfi say it will not be a proper match as X1 is a 30ohm phone which i never knew before. I look at some info on HD650's and people are saying WOW when they try them with the Oppo or STX because they go togeather beautifully. I have a set of HD650 reserved for £220 until Tuesday and the X1 is still £181 so i really have no idea what to do. I do not ever see me using a low impedance amp in future because the Xonar and most of the Oppo's and Recivers use high impedance amps for headphones

Angst · 19 Apr 2014 at 09:28

Rofflay said:
I have cold feet now too on the ear muffys and the impedance, Basically i like My Xonar ST and want to put in muses and its got a high impedance amp inside, And as i said earlier my ultimate night time cinema (Oppo BD105) will be using whatever headphone i buy and it contains a high impedance amp inside for headphone out and from Headfi people say 300ohm seems to be the limit as well.

I just wanted a better headphone with more fine detail and a more airy soundstage than my HD595 which i think are too warm to my ears but people on Headfi say it will not be a proper match as X1 is a 30ohm phone which i never knew before. I look at some info on HD650's and people are saying WOW when they try them with the Oppo or STX because they go togeather beautifully. I have a set of HD650 reserved for £220 until Tuesday and the X1 is still £181 so i really have no idea what to do. I do not ever see me using a low impedance amp in future because the Xonar and most of the Oppo's and Recivers use high impedance amps for headphones

Buy both, send back one under dsr?

Rofflay · 20 Apr 2014 at 14:13

Too expensive mate i cant afford £400+ on CC :/

TS7 · 20 Apr 2014 at 14:44

I listen to mainly music with drums, percussion string instruments, keyboard, some RnB and Pop, occasional Hip Hop and Rock.

Will the X1's suit this kind of music?

What are the direct alternatives to the X1?

I'm coming from Senn HD202 and Sony MDR-V55 so I imagine these will be a pretty major upgrade.

mrk · 20 Apr 2014 at 22:48

My collection consists of Folk, RnB, Rap, Hip-Hop, String (acoustic), Electronic, classic RnB (Muddy Waters etc), Piano instrumentals and others. So quite the variation and find the X1 to cover all these genres just fine. Drums are bassy and the detail in bass on the X1 will lend well if that's what you listen to most.