I got this alert and believe it's the lowest price ever but could be wrong.
I ended up getting a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 so don't think I'll get a pair of these unless you convince me it's a good deal.
CamelCamelCamel.
@Roe Jogan: I don't own those two personally and I've honestly never heard of the sony's so I can't really comment on that. Just going by what those models offer, the fidelios right off that bat will have better build quality first. The biggest difference though is that the fidelio is fundamentally a different type of headphone to the cloud stingers, so it'll have a much wider soundstage by virtue of it being an open back - one known for wide soundstage at that. Imagining should also be better on the x2hr's, so the positions from where sound comes from should be more accurate.
It's a good sale, I'd honestly recommend jumping the gun, but hey, you don't need to buy every sale that comes up. If you're happy with your Sony's or cloud stingers, stick with them.
@freewhel: I purchased to not miss out then I started watching reviews. I cancelled my order for these reasons:
Heavy headset pointed out in all the reviews
Sound leak (don’t want my headphones to leak sound as I don’t want others knowing what I’m watching or listening to.
Strong grip on head pointed out in almost all YouTube reviews. I’ve dealt with this type before and it gets really uncomfortable around the ear after 45min.
Lastly but not the main reason: price, highly inflated at 400-500 as pointed out many bought these for $170 1-2 years ago so it’s not that much of a bargain.
@Roe Jogan: Yeah the fidelio x2hr are headphones you'd use purely on the pc. These headphones are built for fun sound purely. You wont feel the weight if you're sitting still, but it does take getting used to if you're not used to heavy loads on your neck.For your use case, you probably wont like these cans - or really open backs in general cause majority of them leak sound at higher volumes and dont isolate well, just the nature of trading portability for soundstage.
Will say though, I've never heard of these going for 400-500 (the x3's were overpriced from what i remember), maybe when they first released, but they've been at 200-300 for years now and were always considered top value for audio.
Didn’t need these at all but how can I not get them for this price!? I really need to stay off this site!! Bought…..
Hi, asking as someone quite new to open back headphones - which is the best to go for?
After a quick browse, I've found some that are within a similar(ish) price range (e.g. Sennheiser HD 599)
If I'm after some open ear headphones, which should I go for? Is it worth getting these, something else, or spending a little more (ie. Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro or HIFIMAN HE400SE)?
Completely open to any and all suggestions! Thank you so much in advance!
Go read some reviews and see which ones suit you better
You can't go wrong with these for the price. Sennheiser HD599 are also fantastic, but there's a little bump in the ear cup which bothers me (it's from the hinge mechanism). I'm a Beyerdynamic fan, the DT990's sound good (I had a pair for ~11 years) but they aren't exactly what I'd call "open". Technically they are, but they don't really feel like it. AKG K702 are another option, but depends on the price, same as the TYGR300R, which I've owned since my DT990s broke (bought for ~$230). On the pricier side you've got the HD6xx or HD650 which are much better if you can stretch your budget.
Hifiman HE400SE non-stealth in this price range for broad use. It's the superior headphone of all that you've listed.
For competitive gaming, where you're seeking a wide - but still natural - soundstage with good imaging in busy passages, I would suggest going beyond this price point and starting at the Sennheiser HD560s for $180-$220 on sale.
But for everything else - or if competitive gaming isn't a huge deal for you - HE400SE is the best started open back.
I know they're a step up again in $$, but have you had Sundaras too? If so, thoughts?
I have, I would move onto the Edition XS ($550 if you know where to look) or Ananda Nano ($800 during sales) if I were you.
If you have to spend $300ish, I would be looking at the Sennheiser 6XX or 600 on sales.
@jasswolf: Yeh ok cool, thanks - have seen those, just wasn't sure re comfort given how long the cups are - seem like would sit down more on your jaw! Might be necessary for the SQ gains….
Just picked up the hd 599s with the current $125 deal - and damn they're so light and comfy. Not quite sold on build quality (sure would be fine) but if I'm trying settle on one pair (!) have already slipped into the hole of looking at the 6xx…. eek.
@gazer: 6XX/650 is a great headphone to have in a collection still.
Another interesting headphone to keep an eye on is the Grell Audio OAE1.
great headphones but the earpads are cheap trash. get replacements off aliexpress asap, I got the "cooling gel" ones. I would also recommend getting one of those little ALC5686 dacs for a little boost.
Loved the open back feel of my Superlux HD681s. These sound like a great upgrade, thanks OP!
Are these bassy? I've only used Philips headphones under $50 and they were all too bass heavy. I've tried a few Sennheiser headphones from between $60 to $140 which were described as being neutral sounding from online reviews but I found them to be too bassy for my liking.
You realise that you can EQ headphones to tailor the sound a little……. right?
If you think that entry level stuff is bassy these will probably blow your head off
Can you name those headphones? It seems like you were dealing with closed backs that had a mid-bass hump. Most well-made open backs either have flat bass or maybe a 1-2 dB lift.
For those who want bass, you have 3 options:
spend a lot more money for a deeper (read: physically wider) headphone design that couples firmly on the side of your head, leaving you look like an actual box head, if such headphones/earphones still exist
wait for someone to reinvent physics, or at least come up with much better DSP or metamaterials to change the sound hitting your ear
buy a good closed back, and accept there are trade-offs to each type of headphone and earphone
From my experience this is bassy for an open back headphone but still far less bassy than closed back ones
These are exceptionally good value for the price.
They often go on sale for around $170-190.
At $125 these are a crazy good buy.
Insane price..
Thank OP. Killer deal. Comfortable, robust, V shaped sound (not overly), good sound stage, okay accuracy. Easy to drive and not tiring. Bought another pair as a gift.
My Fidelio L2 sounds fine but impulse made me click the Buy button.
Great sound!! Couldn’t recommend them more highly
great cans, great price, find them a bit heavy but solid
I've been using Bose QE2's wired in for gaming and music on my PC for years. Would this be a substantial upgrade?
I’m in a similar boat. Totally foreign to audiophile listening and would like to get into it but have only experienced 1000XM4s/XM3s and air-pods pro 2nd gen.
In a sick twist of fate seems like my QE2's have just stopped working lmao. Going to get these anyway.
I’m throwing up between the HE400SEs on aliexpress here and these. Need a learned friend to decide for me whether they’re better and if buying off ali is safe.
@taspine: good comparison, you are tempting me to get that since i cancelled the order yesterday.
https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/qg094z/hif…
stand out comments:
Wow very different, and I have both. X2hr is a very fun headphone. Hifiman is a very refined listening headphones.
For what it is worth, I can wear the Hifiman for hours on end (plus you can make it balanced too.)
I notice fatigue (both in comfort and ears) after an hour or so with the X2hr
It's not even a competition. 400se is much much better. X2HR has just more punch in the mid-bass and a slightly better soundstage. 400se has much better detail/clarity, dynamics, imaging, it's more neutral, and also wider if you remove the grills.
Get the 400se, much nicer sounding than the x2hr. The x2 I found to be quite shrill and uncomfortable to listen to. It’s quite an aggressive sounding headphone imo, it’s also quite clampy and gave me jaw ache after an hour or so.
@Roe Jogan: yea i read that too but then again. he400se is from AliExpress. 50% of my orders from ali since last year did not arrive. so bit sceptical. and the he400se has been cheaper back then and also qc has been an issue with hifiman
@hippo2s: I’ve done cursory reading on the difference and don’t seem to entirely get it but would like to know. The v2 is 40$ more on that Ali link I sent (which is off this ozb link), that appears to have been successfully used when the deal was posted. I have already ordered the x2s based off of build quality and Ali risk but am fully open to cancelling and going for the HE400se version you guys recommend because it appears to be superior.
@taspine: ive read the v1 is better quality in youtube comments, he had a few reasons, basically built quality is shiter in the v2, is there any coupons we can use with ali?
@Roe Jogan: That’s interesting because what I’ve read has said they’re functionally the same except for slightly different magnets.
@taspine: i also found a few comments saying the x2 are better, but the majority said the hifis are better
Are these the same headphones? The "00" model number and price have me wondering.. 🤔
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/philips/fidelio-x2…
Mine were delivered today. Crazy fast especially from the UK. Such amazing value for what they were asking. Absolutely loving them!
@freewhel: how would they compare to the Sony MDR-XB920 which is one of my higher end headphones, or the hyper X cloud stinger?