- Amazingly Comfortable
- Attractive Design
- Exquisite Sound
- Reasonable Price
- Removable Cable
Philips Fidelio X2HR Review
Our first headphone review in the beginner audiophile journey 🙂
Unboxing The Fidelio X2HR’s
When taking the X2HR’s out of the box, the first thing you’ll notice is how well these cans are made. Their sturdy and robust for the $150 price tag. The 3 meter removable cable is nice, comes with a cord-keeper and a 6.3mm adapter. The X2HR’s do not come with a carry case but due to the open back design their probably not going to be your on-the-go cans anyway. Overall, these are very attractive, well made headphones for the money.
How Do The Philips Fidelio X2HR’s Sound?
For the money these cans are truly hard to beat. I’ll spare you the details in the long list of reference tracks that I used for critical listening and get right to it. As you would expect with open back headphones, these are open and airy sounding. But unlike some open back cans, the X2HR’s maintain a great deal of imaging. Almost like a great 2-channel system you can pick out the instrument locations in certain recordings. 4-Stars for Imaging.
These are well balanced headphones and although some people report that the highs can be a little forward, I didn’t notice this after burn-in. Like most new components, I burned these in before doing any critical listening. For headphones, placing them in a closet surrounded by sweaters and pumping music through them for two days straight is a good start. I’ve noticed subtle differences in cables and components but headphones and speakers change dramatically with burn-in. Ever buy a pair of speakers after listening to them at a shop only to get them home and wonder what happened? First difference is probably your room acoustics but the second is the pair in the store have hours and hours of time on them and they’re properly broken-in.
Okay, I digress, back to the Philips Fidelio X2HR review. The bass is neutral with the right amount of punch. Without boring anyone with my reference tracks, listen to Jacques Louissier trio, Bach: Pastoral in C Minor and you’ll understand. The stand-up bass solo on this track comes in at approximately 4 minutes and is a solid test of any headphones drivers. The low response of the X2HR’s becomes quickly evident and they resolve the amazing timbre in the bass that was so well recorded in the studio. The neutral, deep and very accurate bass warrants a 5-Star rating.
The mid-range clarity was a surprise for me. In this price range, I expected a bit of bloat but there’s none. Even with trickier, complex pieces like Jack of Speed by Steely Dan these headphones shine. Lesser headphones will reveal some congestion in this track as all the horns and instruments come together but somehow the Philips X2HR’s carry on like they’re way more expensive cans. Easy 5-Star rating on the mid-range for sure.
That’s the easy stuff to describe to most beginner audiophiles. Let’s move on to the more challenging descriptors like, Detail, Lushness, Texture and Coloration.
Reference track is a requirement here: Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac. This track is so well recorded and in the master file version will allow the more intricate nuances of the audiophile terminology above make sense of any kind. On this track, the texture of Stevie Nicks voice is very apparent on components that can resolve the very fabric of her incredible voice. The X2HR’s not only bring the breath in her voice, they can also resolve a great deal of this texture. I’m using the AudioQuest DragonFly Red DAC and some custom DIY cables with and both of these help convey all this melodic greatness to these awesome cans. Conveyance of texture, 4-Stars. Check out my review of the AudioQuest DragonFly Red Here.
The utter lack of coloration from these headphones makes me give them a 5-Star rating in the coloration category. In the area of detail I’m going to have to give them a 4-Star score. They have excellent detail for the price and especially for a standard driver headphone but put them up against a solid Planar Magnetic pair and you’ll see what they’re missing. Again, for the price these are downright amazing but I’ve got to stay true to my audiophile heart. Planar headphones like the Monolith M565C’s just do somethings that driver headphones can’t. I guess that’s why most audiophiles have more than one pair 🙂
Let’s bring this Philips Fidelio X2HR review home with lush. These headphones are lush and silky in the mid to bottom-end and I really like this characteristic. Spend a little time with a pair of these and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Vocals, acoustic guitars and bass guitars all have a natural lushness to them. Not pushed to the back or colored, just lush and comfortable.
Fit and Feel
These headphones are incredibly comfortable and I could wear these all day. In fact I actually have. These may be the most comfortable pair I’ve ever owned. I’ve even used them for gaming and found their imaging helpful in PUBG when trying to locate the enemy. How do they feel? Like a solid block of steel, well not actually but like I said before; they’re extremely well made for the price.
Final Thoughts and Impressions
Go buy a pair of these. You will not be disappointed at this price. Final score: easily 5-Stars. Click the Amazon link below. If you buy them you may buy me a cup of coffee or at least make me want to write more reviews.
Thanks for visiting my Philips Fidelio X2HR review and don’t forget to listen to Mike and Pete on the Audioish Podcast. #audioish #audioishpodcast #x2HRreview #audioish #fideliox2hr
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Thanks for reading our Philips Fidelio X2HR review and check out our review of the AudioQuest DragonFly Red here.
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