Review: Philips Fidelio X2 - Fun, Dynamic and Here to Stay

I have been meaning to do this review for ages and finally I think I found a decent time slot for it.
Fidelio X2 is a new-ish headphone from a long time consumer electronics brand Philips. In my mind Philips has not been a big HiFi player for a very long time but I managed to get a listen at their Fidelio L1 some time ago. That made me wonder - is there a new serious player in the market?

I made leap of faith in to the unknown and bought the Fidelio X2 based on positive reaction the X1 and L2 received earlier. And boy I am glad I did.

The X2 is a large open headphone that at the time of writing resides at the very competitive 300€ class. The velvet pads are indeed comfortable but the clamping force is a bit on the strong side for my big head - although nothing a bit of stretching can not fix I'm sure. The fabric headband is self adjusting AKG-style and nicely soft. In overall the physical being of X2 leaves an excellent and stylish impression and with it's 35 Ohm impedance it should be easy to drive as well.

X2 is plugged to my PC using Foobar2000's WASAPI output, followed by a Belkin's Signature Series USB-cable to my DAC-HP-amplifier, the Burson HA-160D. The Burson might sound like an overkill for such an easy to drive pair of headphones - but I leave nothing to chance. I've had the X2 now for several months and I am pretty convinced that they've had enough listening time to be "broken in".

Listening

Hitting play button on Diana Krall's Stepping Out album ripped in FLAC format gives an instant impression - this is good. The initial impression is the warmth of the playback - the bass is outstanding, and we are talking about an open headphone here. At the same time the piano and drums are as clear and snappy as they need to be - I notice that my foot is tapping. Damn these 'phones are fun! Diana's voice does not pop out too much in-our-face style - "must be because of the recording" I convince myself. The X2 & Burson combination creates very jazz club like atmosphere for this album. A bit smoky and warm - I might need to bring the cubans and malts next time with me.

Moving on to KOOP's Koop Island Blues gives the same impression. This time the vocals come out more as I'm sure they are intended. The bass still stands strong in both quality and quantity. Instrument separation is top notch and there is nicely air in the playback - not maybe AKG 700-series style air but still nicely. Neither the vocals nor drums sound too harsh, overall impression is very balanced but with some juicy extra quality bass. The dynamics both macro and micro really bring the music alive and keeps the foot tapping on Queens Propeth's Song. Here the bass somewhat overwhelms Freddy's voice but the song keeps happily marching forward like a parade.

The X2 feels like opposite of Grado's phones which I've owned several during the years. They are all great and snappy as most of you know. But while being snappy and bright they lack the ultimate bass reproduction which the X2 delivers - making music fun and easy to listen.

Lastly I choose Shpongle's album Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost. This quality piece of music through the X2 really leaves nothing to desire. The dynamics, absolute resolution and overall balance really fits and tingles senses in a good way.

Philips Fidelio X2 & Burson HA-160D

Conclusion

I've listened the X2 for a while now with every music genre out there and they shine of every one of them be it pop, trance, metal, classical, acoustics, jazz or African folk music. They are easily driven from a modern smartphone but in my opinion the Burson takes them to another level - but I imagine that even cheaper DAC+amp product will be enough. Matters of taste and commitment. For reference I've owned Grado RS1 and use AKG 712 as office 'phones - the X2 tops both of them in the fun factor and in my opinion does not fall behind overall. Matters of taste once more as these three headphones are very different from each other. The X2 is most of all fun and dynamic and I'm sure it offers enough resolution and overall sound quality to impress people both new and old to the world of HiFi sound. I have no intention to part with these any time soon.