![[Prime] Philips Fidelio X2HR/00 over-Ear Headphones $152.34 Delivered @ Amazon UK via AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/56/787156.jpg?h=6f347323)
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I believe this is the lowest price ever but happy to be proven wrong…
[Prime] Philips Fidelio X2HR/00 over-Ear Headphones $152.34 Delivered @ Amazon UK via AU
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AFM7 on 11/07/2023 - 14:44 amazon.com.au (1700 clicks)
Last edited 12/07/2023 - 19:12 by 1 other user
Last edited 12/07/2023 - 19:12 by 1 other user
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CamelCamelCamel.This is part of Amazon Prime Day sale for 2023
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Thanks. What would you say are the main differences between these headphones, the HE400SE and teh K612 Pro? Apologies if you have already answered this question a million times!
Staging, tonality, and detail would be better in both, with detail and separation of sounds being best from the HE400SE, while staging and imaging excel on the AKG.
Which of the lot is the best for gaming?
Competitive gaming? K612. Otherwise grab the HE400SE.
Sorry dude, but you're not going to make it as a professional player because of your headphones. Seriously, watch the video and jasswolf is correct.
Both of those headphones benefit from an amp don't they? Everything i've read on rtings, /r/headphones etc seem to suggest the X2HR are fantastic value for money at this pricepoint.
They're not: they introduce significant bass distortion and scratchy treble peaks to deliver their sound (faked detail vs note resolving ability), and most people recommending them either have significant high frequency hearing loss (common over the age of 30) or were coming from gaming products.
You should also disregard any information from more than two years ago as planar tech is still moving fast, and others have also released new products since then (eg. Sennheiser).
While neither of my options will sound their best out of a phone, both will still thrash this out of desktop audio, and scale with better gear (to a point).
Also, RTings is by and large a horrible resource for headphones beyond basic tonal measurements and an examination of ergonomics and connectivity. Look into the work of Crinacle and the Headphone Show for up to date and well-explained review and comparison data.
You should also disregard any information from more than two years ago as planar tech is still moving fast, and others have also released new products since then (eg. Sennheiser).
I dont think thats exactly the best rule to evaluate headphones. Things have definitely gotten better value in more recent years, but for example, the HD650/6XX was first released in 2004 and is still highly recommended.
@Aildaris: Yes, but they keep getting mentioned. You'll notice in recent discourse that the Philips gear, the M40X/M50X, and the Sennheiser HD 598/599 have dropped off.
6XX was a lot later than 2004, FYI.
My point is seek recency in tier lists and comparisons, and then back track for in depth reviews.
@jasswolf: Ahh okay, that makes sense then.
I just lumped the HD6XX and HD650 together since they're pretty much identical outside of color scheme.@Aildaris: Yeah, it's a cheaper enclosure and headband setup, and the nature of it technically means the engineering tolerances aren't as tight, but 99% of the time it sounds the same (subject to unit variance).
Everything i've read on rtings, /r/headphones etc seem to suggest the X2HR are fantastic value for money at this pricepoint.
That's because they are and Jasswolf is an insanely-biased and pedantic audiophile who can't appreciate products that aren't trying to cater to obsessive nerds.
No, it's because my ears aren't painted on and I've tried something other than gaming headsets.
I'd trust a pedantic audiophile over a casual headphone user who uses gaming headsets
@inamberclad: Lol, "targeting" him. I hadn't replied to one of Jasswolf's rants in a few years until now but anyone who follows follows headphone deals on OzBargain will have seen the same old garbage posted by him on every single deal for the Fidelio X2s.
The better question is: why is Jasswolf so goddamned obsessed with proving himself to be correct about these headphones when 90% of the Internet doesn't agree with him?
@Miami Mall Alien: In a world where people think Sonos is the bees knees in audio, what’s popular definitely isn’t the best when it comes to audio.
Instead of giving others a hard time for simply trying to help people out, maybe suggest why they be advice isn’t good
@inamberclad: Yeah exactly. Jasswolf is giving some helpful opinions for further research and people get offended without giving their opinion why they disagree with Jasswolf, and instead resort to meaningless insults.
At the end of the day, sound quality is a subjective thing. Obviously, the best way to tell if you're gonna like a pair of headphones or not is to listen to them, but if that's not possible, at least listen to a wide range of opinions and not just take a few sources for granted.
Recently, the prevailing trend is for headphones to conform to what's called the Harman Curve:
https://headphonesaddict.com/harman-curve/
With that said, sound quality is still very much subjective. People still modify the Harman Curve according to what they think is the best for them.
They've actually been in the process of toning down the Harman curve over the last few years, and they will wind up toning it down further. Bass distortion has been going down and people have gone off that v-shaped sound a bit as a result.
The rest of the chain has been jumping up in quality as well, shifting the tonal performance of gear, so you're seeing bass and miss preferences smooth out too.
It's an aggregated curve based on listening testing with a wide array of headshapes, but as you're pointing out, it's not inherent for everyone, nor should it be exactly applied to every headphone due to their individual engineering quirks and distortion characteristics.
There's a lot that can be objectively examined, but user headshape, and user hearing, neurology/biology, and psychology will shift subjective tastes, though usually not much for most.
They aren’t the best for audio quality, but I still like mine because it’s got the most comfortable headband I’ve tried on any headphone. Can keep them on all day without any issues.
Oh look, it's the same tired old crap from the guy who has a perpetual hate boner for these extremely popular and widely-praised circumaural headphones because of his petty fanboy preferences.
4.8 stars from 6,595 reviews but Jasswolf says they're bad so it's not a deal everyone.
be the HIFIMAN HE400SE non-Stealth ($80 Taobao, $120 AliExpress) and the AKG K612 Pro ($188 Prime deal).
So post a deal for either of those assuming they're actually selling for that price currently.
Ironic that I'm being labelled old when you're repeating buying advice from 2015 that was designed to take advantage of gamers fumbling in the dark to rake in referral revenue.
You're defending mindless populism, not an articulated viewpoint.
Already posted the K612, the HE400SE prices are normal and freely available, and have been posted before.
Yes and all of the glowing reviews from audiophile sites must also be paid-for-advertising by Philips, right?
You're clearly in the minority and refusing to be objective.
when you're repeating buying advice from 2015
You've been spamming every single deal for the Fidelio X2s for I don't know how many years now with your mindless drivel.
Do you ever stop to realise how ridiculous you come across as?
Most people disagree with your opinions on these headphones; get over it.
@Miami Mall Alien: Most people never look into it, that's not the same thing. RTings and What Hifi both structure their presentation of what little information they provide to generate referral revenue, and mouth-breathing Redditors keep driving this up without actually demoing anything else.
Some of these review sites wouldn't be afloat if they cut off that revenue stream… they can't reverse course because they would have to actively campaign to do so and find new revenue streams.
Same thing has been happening with the M50X for almost a decade… this is the Amazon era of product reviews.
It's 3 seconds out of my day to steer discourse in a better direction. You're the one ranting like a child.
It's 3 seconds out of my day to steer discourse in a better direction. You're the one ranting like a child.
"Better direction" =/= aGrEE wItH mY vIeWs or i'LL sPaM yOu iNtO sUbMiSsIoN!1!!!
Nice projection. You've been emotionally invested in criticising a particular pair of headphones for several years now.
Get off OzBargain and go touch some grass, will you?
@Miami Mall Alien: I've effectively directed you to resources that prove the arguments I'm making here, and have bat away your counter-arguments. It's a discussion that causes great frustration amongst seasoned audiophiles and industry professionals, who agree that discourse needs to improve to provide better products, marketing and information.
Anyway it's great that you learnt psych 101 from Tumblr and Instagram, but if it's all the same with you I'm going to move on with my day. I think I've made my point, and I wish you well on graduating from 4chan, twitch chat, and high school!
I've effectively directed you to resources
Citation needed.
You haven't posted a single link in this entire thread.and have bat away your counter-arguments
Overactive imagination.
It's a discussion that causes great frustration
amongst seasoned audiophiles and industry professionalsfor Jasswolf who hyperventilates when he sees any positive mention of the Fidelio X2sFixed.
but if it's all the same with you I'm going to move on with my day.
You mean onto the next angsty, neurotic rant where you'll split hairs over headphone favouritism because you live vicariously through online sh*tposting?
I wish you well on graduating from 4chan, twitch chat, and high school!
Ironic because your Fidelio X2 copypasta sounds like a meme at this point…
I was going to say I hope you'll have the self-control not to post on the next deal for the Fidelio X2s but who am I kidding? Like flies to a turd, you'll be back to shout at the sky without fail.
@Miami Mall Alien: Not sure who's more emotionally invested considering you're the only one getting worked up here lmao… maybe you should touch some of the green stuff and get off OzB considering you've added nothing of value to the conversation, outside of listing a few nothingburger review sites.
outside of listing a few nothingburger review sites.
Outside of pointing out that Jasswolf has a serious case of Philips-derangement-syndrome and has to spout his uncontrollable verbal diarrhoea everytime anyone dares to say the X2s are good?
But sure, I'm the one who's being silly here and not the guy stalking OzBargain just to sh*t on every single deal for some widely-praised headphones.
So post a deal for either of those assuming they're actually selling for that price currently.
Here you go: [Prime] AKG K612 Pro Over-Ear Open Back Headphone $188.14 Delivered @ Amazon AU
I was tempted (the AKG is on my Amazon wishlist) but I've already spent a fortune on a camera and other bits and pieces during Prime Day…
I can't really justify audiophile headphones at this early point in my research - thanks Jasswolf btw: I've been scouring old Ozbargain posts to research good prices and general opinions on a variety of headphones and your comments are handy to help me with further research!
The Hifiman will break down in 2 months and Taoboa will refuse warranty.
Setting aside that there is an official HIFIMAN store on Taobao, that's a perfectly good reason to go with AliExpress if you're risk averse, but there are buyer services that will receive the headphone for you and test it before it leaves mainland China.
Away from that, the stealth magnet version is sold here for $209, sometimes cheaper on Amazon.
Planar drivers are harder to match, so the fault rate will be naturally higher in the budget category, but we're talking 2%. Build quality in the HE400SE is a big step up from the previous HE400 models.
Hifiman are seriously not worth it. Sound quality subpar to most ears or no difference. Uncomfortable, requires delicate handling, prone to breaking down, need's more power to drive. Shouldn't shill Hifiman to the average user.
@Dollar Dreamer: As someone who has owned the Sundara and Edition XS, I could not disagree more with your statement.
It costs $50-$90 to drive these headphones properly these days, and plenty of them work fine out of phone. HE400SE is neither high impedance nor low sensitivity.
@NedStark102: I really rate the recommendations of Andy.EF, who has moved his reviews over to YouTube. Thankfully his tier list as of around May this year is still archived.
I recommend the Truthear SHIO from that, and it's $92 right now on Amazon, but if you're not interested in driving tough planars and dynamics, you can slip down to something like the iBasso DC03 Pro, or even all the way down to $10-$20 on AliE for something to drive IEMs and fairly high sensitivity headphones. The beauty of dongles is you're not overly restricted in the DAC implementation, which means a great deal for tonal balance and the basis of the signal.
Overtime, we're actually going to see high quality oversampling 1-bit DACs get put into dongles at this price point, and then over time the amps are going to scale in power as USB-PD and phone/tablet/laptop battery capacity increase. Even as things stand today, the SHIO will drive pretty much everything but the HE6 line-up and the Susvara, which are high-current, low sensitivity planars.
The authority in the sound of more controlled signal power isn't going to come across like it would from a $400+ desktop amp, but it does a fantastic job for anyone who's seriously considering Fosi combo gear or entry level Topping stacks (though the soundstage will be a tad narrower compared to the latter).
@jasswolf: Thanks for the reply and general detail you provide in audiophile related topics mate - much appreciated.
@jasswolf: I have owned Edition XS and a friend has a Sundara, Highly over rated. Great when they work, my Edition XS lasted 6 months, friend's Sundara lasted 18 months. And even when it worked it wasn't 'that great'. I don't just say things for no reason. What people freaked out about 1 year ago was basically 'high end planar' coming down in price to $200-$600 and all the shill 'initial' glowing reviews. You have to hit the forums for a truer understanding 6-12 months after release to see all the unhappy people and truer feedback. I have had Sony, Philips and Sennheiser headphones last over 10 years even being thrown around and abused. I treated the Hifiman edition XS like a delicate flower and it still broke and a lot of feedback online 24 months after release is the same. It's just over priced poor quality headphones.
@Dollar Dreamer: I agree on reviewing again after usage, but my Edition XS bought at launch is still going pretty strong. Agree that early build quality seemed to be off, but it was acknowledged and has been completely ironed out. HIFIMAN are used to slightly higher failure rates due to the inherent technology, and have great support.
This is what affordable progress looks like in this space, and it beats the hell out of competitors charging as much as 3 times the price. Audeze are doing the same thing, with a slightly different philosophy on where costs are cut. Both companies get redditors hissing at them like snakes because they don't understand the inherent failure rate in the technology as it exists today.
Damn how bad is taobao if AliExpress is for the more risk averse?
@gnarkill: AliE is Taobao for international users. There's direct support for returns and transactions are held in escrow until delivery. They're both Chinese eBay, in effect.
In this case though, you can use something like Superbuy, get the headphones checked for basic faults and then forwarded on and save 30%. It's absolutely worth the punt either way.
I have had m50x I have owned since 2015 and it still holds up well. What would you recommend for a definitive upgrade? Used to only use m50x as hobby music recording now it’s been my main driver for music, movie and gaming so its sound staging is bit meh. Would appreciate your recommendations!
Edit: I do use m50x with an audio interface so it has preamp etc
AKG K371 or K553 MK II, alternatively the Audeze Maxwell if you want to go wireless and put your DAC/amp in storage until you're willing to dabble in open back headphones.
Cheers for the reply mate! Don’t mind wired as I will use headphones only with desktop/laptop (connected to the audio interface). Will look into them!
@lookingforTV: Maxwell is a big step up, the K371 and K553 are tonal and soundstage fixes of the M50X, the K371 maybe have less technical prowess on the treble, but much better mids and bass.
@jasswolf: I still do hobby music recording so will have to skip the wireless! Will keep an eye out on AKGs, any from sennheiser you’d consider being an upgrade from m50x?
@lookingforTV: Closed back? Nothing that's a serious upgrade, and nothing wireless.
Maxwell supports USB wired, I believe it also does 3.5mm, but in either case the battery needs to be charged (on-board DAC, amp & DSP). It's using the very latest bluetooth codecs (LC3 & LC3 Plus) so audio quality isn't an issue.
Just have to wait for phones to catch up, Android updates on this front have been very slow.
@jasswolf: Seems like K553 is available for $142. I bought M50x for $149. I am hoping that I am not side stepping! Happy to spend close to $300-350 if I would definitely feel the upgrade from m50x. As long as they are comfortable to wear for 6-8 hours a day (m50x is)
@lookingforTV: Maxwell is $469 local, should be comfortable but they are slightly wide boys and weighing 490g.
Might get down to $400 during sales.
@jasswolf: I've a Grado sr80e. Would one of those things be better than it? Mainly for watching movies on PC and playing FPS games. Ta.
@CocaKoala: If it's not for competitive online multiplayer, you'll probably love the HE400SE. Otherwise in terms of current deals you might want to look at the AKG K612 Pro or the Sennheiser HD 599 SE.
@jasswolf: I have tried one too many a Sennheiser and couldn't come to terms with any of them as usually the bass was exaggerated. I'll have a go at the k612 pro as I do play fps games albeit very occasionally but enjoy it a lot. Thank you for the suggestion. :-)
@CocaKoala: I think Grado's would be better. I've got the SR80's and the Allesandro MS-Pro's (made by Grado), I'd be looking for comparisons between the two, but Grado are renowned for their audio quality, not so much these. That and they look to be designed to mimic the design of the Grado's.
@Buckshot: Grado are an older recommendation from the days where setups rolled off treble a bit more, and they are specifically liked for live recordings as they roughly follow a diffuse field curve, an older preference curve for emulating a room space.
Most studio recordings don't sound like an untreated room or an orchestral space though, so if you're listening to that and they've been aggressive with the upper mids and treble, the Grado will be too much.
If you look at the measurements, you'll see the Grados have a huge amount of treble, but not a great amount of resolving ability. I can assure you that anyone who was recommending the SR80 10 years ago would have moved onto something else today. The HE400SE fits into this category due to the detail and note/instrument separation offered by the faster planar driver.
Do appreciate that you've got a refined take versus that of a dankpods viewer though, appreciate the insight.
@jasswolf: I've made a note to try both the AKG and the HE400SE, although I am not sure where I could "try" the latter one. I suppose I will make do with the Grado for the time-being. I appreciate both of your inputs. :-)
@CocaKoala: Addicted to Audio has the stealth magnet version, if they still have the HE400i 2020 edition as well, that would also be similar.
Here's some excellent and relevant reviews:
So if I want some warm, bassy, fun headphones. Do you think the he400se achieve that better the a the X2HR? I am really not keen nuteral, critical listening cans.
No the HE400SE are fairly flat in the bass a little bright, but they're not clinical. They have a lot of detail compared to the other names thrown around.
Based on what you're describing, I'd probably look at the HD 599 SE and the HD 6XX, both of which I've posted deals for as they're on sale. I'd strongly recommend the 6XX.
I found the HD 6XXs absolutely terrible for fun deep bassy bass. I am hoping to one day find a pair of headphones that hits that kind of subwoofer / IEM type bass, wish there was a headphone store that had a diverse range to demo because I have zero interest in buying and returning headphones
@Menzoberranzan: Oh look definitely not for sub-bass. The only way you're getting any of that in an open back is a planar, but it's not going to have the sub-bass shelf you'll crave from IEMs and closed backs.
Addicted to Audio is the place for you to demo most of this, they should have a 650 on hand too, or at least a 600.
@jasswolf: That's too bad, do you have any closed recommendations I could look at?
My past experiences include a pair of DT990s back in the day but their sibilance drove me nuts. Also had a Massdrop HE4XX that didn't really impress me along with a Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 that is alright (My current pair). Have Sony WH-1000XM3s that almost satisfied the bass need but lacked in audio quality everywhere else so I use it just for travelling with noise cancellation. Also have an old pair of Sennheiser IE8s that I enjoy
Unfortunately Addicted To Audio doesn't have a Brisbane store :(
@Menzoberranzan: AKG K371 ($150ish), Audeze Maxwell ($400ish), Audeze LCD-XC ($1500ish). The former two are worth buying without demo if they meet your criteria.
@jasswolf: Where can I get the K371 for $150? They sound like they may be what I am looking for too.
@el_cheapo: Nowhere right now, was my suggested price, has been at that level previously.
Check if Amazon has anything going on the AKG K553 MK II, its direct predecessor that's slightly less tonally balanced but better performing in terms of the technical execution in the treble.
Thanks for the advice mate, much appreciated!
Could give the Drop 58x a go, a bit more bass and are fun to use. Just keep in mind of the clamping force when you first get it, especially if you have a large head.
In which just get some books and let it break in to loosen it up.
Are these legit?
Yes, it's the Chinese version without the stealth magnet.
@jasswolf: And the one with stealth magnet is a pretty good price too, 167.04 shipped. Any recommendations for audio interface?
@AFM7: That's the ex-GST price, there might be coupons though. Sonic difference is subjective, for everything it does well it adds a 12kHz peak and an upper treble bump that you might not be mad on.
@jasswolf: Yeah it comes to 173.11 for me with coupons. Do you have a recommendation or an audio interface for this?
@AFM7: If you want something portable and versatile, I'd recommend the Truthear SHIO. Goes on Amazon for $92, should be cheaper than AliE.
@jasswolf: Thanks. I'm after something for my desk, not too worried about size but want to hook up 2 microphones and at least one set of headphones, preferably 2.
@AFM7: Oh you meant an XLR interface… reticient to recommend anything for headphone/earphone output quality but on the mic side of things take a look at the M-Audio AIR 192 series on Amazon at the moment.
@jasswolf: Thanks, I saw your post earlier but you said it was good for basic headphones so wasn't sure it would hold if I were to upgrade my headphones in the future.
@AFM7: If you check the review linked in the post you'll see that none of them are good for low sensitivity headphones, and some aren't good for high sensitivity ones either. It's an afterthought in the design, used for basic live montoring. Might be worth getting a dongle until you're ready to demo amps and DACs at a store, and it's something you can use with phones, tablets, etc.
Ali express garbo over X2HRs 😂
Mate they're both Chinese these days, keep up
I love that you and your bros come to slam these headphones everytime they're posted. People like you are what OzBargain is all about.
Surely you must have notifications turned on or something to be this consistent!
Keep on slamming brotherIt's Prime Day, I just read the website… I'm glad you like your purchase, but times change.
great pair of cans, great price
One of the best i have, for me sound is very subjective, ignore the so called experts and the 'audiophile' mumbo jumbo 😁 if all ears were created the same then the audio world would be boring.
Most comfy
Fun sound, not most accurate
Did I mention most comfy?
Oh and most comfyYeah would love to have another / better sounding headphones. But if I can't wear them for 6 hours a day , I don't think I want them.
have used these in the past, great headphones and very comfortable to wear for multiple hours at a time
checks thread
insert Homer Simpson slowly disappearing into a bush memeLots of subjective opinions coming in here.
My review -
Have used these for 2 years now. Paid ~$190 via Amazon Prime Day Deal.
I like them a lot and would recommend them to all my friends.
As someone who previously had very entry level Sennheiser (~$100 pairs) these seemed like a big upgrade in sound quality.
Listen to all types of music buy mainly heavy metal/rock/heavier stuff. Also lots of gaming use - amazing for directional sound in games.
Very comfortable, will wear for 8-12 hours a day with no issues.you convinced me to buy it
These are great sounding headphones (especially if you prefer V-shaped sound signature) for music, movies and gaming. They are built like a tank as well so no cracking, peeling etc down the track. A definite bargain at this price highly recommend.
Not the best headphones at this price point but I love mine (bought for approx $170 1 year ago from Amazon). Don’t get as much use as my 6XX for general music listening but when I want to enjoy a V sound signature for electronic or hip hop music + movies it’s always worth the price of admission.
Love mine. Been using mine for about 2 years, before that I had the X1S which is quite similar. Still my favourite and go to headphones, don't think there are any open back headphones that have the depth of bass as these. This might be an odd choice, but I paired it with a creative SXFI amp for that spatial audio makes these crazy good for movies.
I have 2 pairs of these. Easily my favourite pair of cans. At this price new they are an absolute bargain.
Bought mine two years ago for $166 from Amazon. Love it. Sound quality is a really subjective topic and I am no expert in this area. But it’s really comfy, and it doesn’t need any amp
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Doesn't sell well anymore because people have caught on that there's way better audio quality and value for money to be had.
Great examples in today's market would be the HIFIMAN HE400SE non-Stealth ($80 Taobao, $120 AliExpress) and the AKG K612 Pro ($188 Prime deal).