Not the lowest price ever but fairly decent since it's usually around $240.
Edit: Price went up from $203.46 to $215.78
Price down to $211.38
CamelCamelCamel.
I've got both. First thing, the material and build. The X2HR is much more premium in that the headband is genuine leather clad and earcups steel, so it's much heavier as well. The SHP9500 is basically plastic and lighter. Second, the sound. The X2HR has very good lows and the highs are very well controlled. The SHP9500 sounds a little bit bright because the earcups are shallow and the drivers are closer to the ear. However, it's considerably cheaper but still sounds good
Thanks for the insights.
They were generally priced $178 most of last year. During the sales in November I picked up a pair for $154.
For the price they are very good headphones. They're built very solidly and come with a 10 foot braided cable that plugs into the 3.5mm input. So no fretting about the cable breaking. Also meaning you can swap it out with something like a V-Moda BoomPro Microphone for Gaming & Communication ~ $50.
Probably not a bad idea to order some replacement ear pads from Aliexpress for a couple of bucks, although you may never need them they take a while to get delivered.
my wired sony v7506' sound quality is better than wh1000xm2 costing 2 times.
Yes? These are very good headphones.
Worth waiting for sales on the Sennheiser options in this range: HD 58X (cheaper), HD 560S (gaming/music), HD 6XX (music, vocal focused).
There's also the HIFIMAN HE-400S 2021 that outperforms this, at $219 on Amazon.
I would grab the HD 560S when it drops back down to $240 or lower (Amazon) if you're looking for a gaming open back, otherwise look for the 6XX at $250is (Drop).
Most of those require an amp, and Hifiman kit has notoriously average build quality.
These are versatile and easy to drive.
None of them require an amp, but two of them would struggle from a phone, one due to its low sensitivity (not the impedance, as is incorrectly usually argued), the other due to its demand for current.
The HIFIMAN design is updated, which you don't seem to be aware of.
Phillips' tuning is legitimately bad and grating in the 2kHz-6kHz region… these were always a recommendation born of those coming from gaming headsets because they have a bass hump and solid imaging, but with respect to bass extension and imaging, the 560S and HE400S 2021 thrash them.
If you're gaming, get the 560S, and if it's all about vocals and older music get the 6XX. The Fidelio is a joke compared to these headphones, from tuning through to technical performance, more so when priced above $150.
The HE400SE is $219 on Amazon right now.
@WinstonWithAY: Yup, as I wrote above, though I've incorrectly referred to it as the HE400S instead of the SE. It's the stealth magnet edition, and seems to be its new MSRP.
There's also the Drop HE-X4 for $180, which seems to be roughly the same headphone, just in the older enclosure and headband design.
When do you think the HD560S will drop? I'm thinking of buying HD599 or this. I don't see anywhere I can buy the 58X or 6XX locally either atm.
There will be no local deals for the Drop headphones. You're looking at the online price plus $15 USD delivery (no GST).
The 6XX might drop as low as $180 USD, but it's been super popular right through covid.
The previous 560S deals have come via the UK storefront on Amazon AU, so again, this isn't really about local stock, but we'll see when mid-year sales kick off.
For anyone that has experienced both, how much better are these compared to SHP9500?