Gobsmacked about the Philips Fidelio X1

There is a lot of drivel written on head-fi.org as well as a lot of good advice, you just have to try and decide which is which. If you doubt the ability of the STX to drive HD650 headphones well, read this in depth review (with measurements) by stereophile.com ...

http://www.stereophile.com/content/asus-xonar-essence-ststx-soundcards-follow-september-2010

The ST/STX is just as good as any of the DAC/AMP combos under £200 and a lot more convenient than most.
 
There must be a downside though, I mean a little 30ohm headphone being powered by ST which should be idealy above 80ohm and here is the spec of the 105D.

Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz: ±0.3dB into 300 Ohm

Output power: 105D BD player internal AMP
12mW into 600 Ohm
23mW into 300 Ohm
44mW into 150 Ohm
53mW into 120 Ohm
91mW into 60 Ohm
137mW into 32 Ohm



I really still do not fully understand the relationship of power and sound. I just about got ohms law and low impedance amps nailed but that is about it. Is it the whole sound that get colored or tained or changed by a high powered amp? Will the X1 scale at all or will the bass end up muddy? If someone could be clear and honest it would be greatly appreciated as im completely lost now.
 
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It may well explain why some people find the bass a little wild, that's what happens when you drive a low impedance headphone with a high impedance amp. It will be even worse with a Creative ZxR because the output of those is close to 40ohms
 
The idea of having the headphone impedance be at least 8x the output impedance of the amp is to retain a strong enough damping factor. Below 8x the driver loses control of the diaphragm at low frequencies which shows up as a loose or un-controlled bass. That's why these X1's ideally need an amp with a maximum output impedance of 4ohms and that excludes all sound cards.
 
Yep and an extra £100 for the O2. Not to mention hassle with the bigger impedance amps like the 105. Ah i guess i will send em back and hold out for a little and see what else comes out. To be fair i am not an amp man at all due to extra cots. I prefer built in amps and something to float between the two setups of pc and cinema so that would be 80-300ohm and a resistance of 10hom from the ST and unknown from the 105D.


I do not really want bad bass as they would have been gaming and movie headphones and music of electronic dubstep variety.
 
I can vouch that the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250ohm) are a very good match for the ST & STX, have ample bass, strong but not boomy and a decent sound stage. I use the combo for everything and they haven't been found lacking at all and they are also a very reasonable price at around £125.
 
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rids57 said:
The idea of having the headphone impedance be at least 8x the output impedance of the amp is to retain a strong enough damping factor. Below 8x the driver loses control of the diaphragm at low frequencies which shows up as a loose or un-controlled bass. That's why these X1's ideally need an amp with a maximum output impedance of 4ohms and that excludes all sound cards.
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so your saying there is no sound card which properly matches up to the Fidelio X1?

I'm mainly going to be using them for gaming on console with mixamp, since they are easy to drive I may also use them with my phone/tablet whilst at home.

But I also have a xonar dg, which has a headphone amp built in, will that be unsuitable?

Can you recommend a few amp/dac's preferably ones that can be used both portable and at home like the fiio e17 for use with the X1?

E17 has multiple inputs like USB, Optical, etc whereas the newer e18 only takes USB.

Is the E17 a good match for the X1?
 
The optimum match for the X1's will have an output impedance less than 4 ohms:

Epiphany Acoustics:
EPH O2: < 0.5 ohm
EPH O2D: < 0.5 ohm

FiiO:
E06: < 0.3 ohm
E10: < 0.3 ohm
E11: < 0.3 ohm
E12: < 0.3 ohm
E07K: < 0.3 ohm
E09K: < 10 ohm
E17: < 0.3 ohm
E18: < 0.3 ohm

Schiit:
Magni: < 0.1 ohm
Vali: 6.5 ohm
Asgard 2: < 2 ohm
Valhalla: 30 ohm
Lyr: < 1 ohm

Even with an output impedance of 10 ohms, like the E09K and the Xonar ST/STX, the X1's should still sound good, they will just have looser bass control than if used with an amp with very low output impedance. The Creative cards with an output impedance of 38 ohms is pushing it I think, they really need a higher impedance headphone.
 
cheers for that i'll get an E17 in a few months time.

next thing I need to figure out is if I want to replace the stock cable or not and what with? reports say some stock cables are fine and others not. They also say not to spend too much on a cable just get a cheap decent one. has anyone measured the resistance of the ones available in the UK? I can only see reports about USA ones on head fi.

I like the price of these "KabelDirekt Pro Series 1m 3.5mm Stereo Jack Cable" but I may want a better looking one tbh just for aesthetics.
 
Just ordered a pair of these with a S flex cable. Should be a decent upgrade from my HD555's that ive had quite awhile now. Do these need a amp or would they sound ok from a tablet or phone?
 
.:SAmSuNG:. said:
Just ordered a pair of these with a S flex cable. Should be a decent upgrade from my HD555's that ive had quite awhile now. Do these need a amp or would they sound ok from a tablet or phone?
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personally I am looking at this cable

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-5m...onster-Beats-Studio-Headphone/1396602639.html

pure silver = lowest resistance possible

it's only £10 more than the flex cables which is why I am considering it, it also looks nice with it being a bit "bling".

these are only 30-40 ohm impedance they don't require a powerful amp just a decent DAC with a capable amp, perfect for phones/tablets but if your looking for that next level get something like the Fiio E17/E18 to use with phone/tablet.
 
apparently that cable is a fake, so looking at these now

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=48_58&products_id=1043

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=48_58&products_id=1044

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=48_58&products_id=1046

Our Ultra Pure Range offers exceptional performance cables for only a little more than our Pure Range.

All cables are manufactured to a much higher quality and not only offer OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) Cabling but have suppressors on both ends to cut interference and noise.
All ends are Chrome Plated Metal Connector Shells for robustness and style.
Stereo 3.5mm jack plug to plug leads
High quality gold plated connectors
Ferrite EMI suppressors
Screened, low noise cable
Tough, durable strain reliefs

£2-£5 per cable, miles cheaper than visual s flex but look to be better made, has ferrite EMI suppressors too.

been tested on head fi and are low resistance 0.5 iirc.
 
Grr the £135 pair i ordered came this morning and the box says warehouse deals. I did not use warehouse those dirty little :mad:



Anyways i just plugged them into the laptop and used a dubstep track to get a feel of them. Really what struck me was that bass right away, Boomy loose but bigger than the HD595 + ST. TBH it sounded a lot similar except grainy and boomy 595. Even with an amp these still would probably sound boxy to me so i am not even going to test them with the ST or AMP. They're going back!
 
Psycho Sonny said:
personally I am looking at this cable

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-5m...onster-Beats-Studio-Headphone/1396602639.html

pure silver = lowest resistance possible

it's only £10 more than the flex cables which is why I am considering it, it also looks nice with it being a bit "bling".

these are only 30-40 ohm impedance they don't require a powerful amp just a decent DAC with a capable amp, perfect for phones/tablets but if your looking for that next level get something like the Fiio E17/E18 to use with phone/tablet.
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Thanks I already ordered the s-flex with cans. Cant really afford a dac or amp right now but hooked up my pc to a spare onkyo 606 AV receiver and its a massive improvement on my HD555's over just on-board audio from the PC. Will do for now :)
 
Mine arrived today.....wow is all I can say, I am driving them through my Asus Xonar D2X. whilst they sound very good, clear ect I am going to save up for the EHP-O2D Miniature Desktop Headphone Amplifier with USB DAC. I would say that they definatley need amping , but then I much prefer music at a louder lvl.

Would that amp/dac combo be a good match for the x1s ?

Btw I ordered the flex cable at the same time, I have not even tried the one that came with them. is it worth trying it ?

Cheers

Edit : missed the post about the diff amps and dacs. so its definatley worth getting the one I mentioned above.
Will I notice the difference using the dac or just get an amp for my sound card ?
 
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Still waiting for mine, expected Monday... Paid £160 and just got Amazon to refund the difference for the current price without any argument. :)

Really can't wait to try a decent set of cans with my STX.
 
so... anyone else liking music via dolby headphone setting on xonar like me ?
I'm still stuck listening to kraftwerk and orbital because it sounds so good on these under fii0 e6 xonar dx dolby headphone 8 channel medium room medium soundstage jazz eq :eek:
 
C64 said:
so... anyone else liking music via dolby headphone setting on xonar like me ?
I'm still stuck listening to kraftwerk and orbital because it sounds so good on these under fii0 e6 xonar dx dolby headphone 8 channel medium room medium soundstage jazz eq :eek:
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I am using FiiO E6 with my X1 on my Xonar DX as well...while I don't mind Dolby Headphone with Reference Room or Livelier room setting, I still preffer listening to music without Dolby Headphone enabled more I think.
 
Marine-RX179 said:
I am using FiiO E6 with my X1 on my Xonar DX as well...while I don't mind Dolby Headphone with Reference Room or Livelier room setting, I still preffer listening to music without Dolby Headphone enabled more I think.
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interesting as without it the sound is flat and midrange missing and a bit gritty to me on stereo on the same setup just shows ears are all different then I can only deduce
 
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