Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR Over-Ear Headphones

Intro: So if your wondering if these are worth it... they are. If you want more details on why then keep reading. If you want my opinion on a certain aspect of the headphone then scroll down to the paragraph over what you want to know about. I’ve got them all labeled. Build: Overall these a built extremely well. There is a bit of plastic, but any part that’s going to be under stress is excessive built up with only metal parts. Unless your beating these with a bat I’d expect the electronics to give out long before something snaps or something. It feels very good in the hands. The only issue I have with the build is that they are extremely oversized. The top of the headband to the bottom of the ear cups is about 9”. It’ll look oversized on nearly everyone’s head. That said I don’t think it’s a big deal, because your not going to be wearing them out and about as they’re open back. So overall I’d give these about a 9 outta 10 for build as they’re built like a tank and look great off the head, but are oversized when your actually wearing them. Comfort: I gave these a 4 outta 5 for comfort, but that said, these things are stupid comfy. Most people will probably be able to wear these for around 6 hours straight without ear relief. I’m really happy with the pads. They’re ultra thick, lined with microfiber, and made outta memory foam (a material I love). It’s like having a pillow around your ears and will blow your mind if all you’ve ever felt are fake leather pads. They’re so big around and deep that a lot of people’s actual ears won’t actually touch any part of the headphone. They’re also very light weight which helps. Now they loose a star due to their mesh hammock suspension system on the headband. This means that the headphone is always ever so slightly pulling down on your head with extra pressure. It’s very slight and it’s distributed across the entire top of the head but it does feel nice when you go to take them off. Also the clamp force is a bit tighter than I woulda liked to compensate for the mesh system but it’s not that bad. They’re still very good in the comfort department, understand I’m being very nit picky, but I’m sticking to my 4 stars, which translates to an 8 outta 10 for my rating on comfort. Packaging: Good enough. 10 outta 10. Parts in the box: Pretty simple. You get the headphones, some papers, a clip thing for managing the cord, a 3mm to 1/4” adaptor, and the cord which has 3mm on both ends. The cord is the nicest I currently own. It’s very thick and it’s got that soft weave around it. It’s never got tangled and is also excessively long. I don’t know how it could get much better. Im going to give the stuff in the box a 9 outta 10 rating, because I really would have liked a case of some sort, even if it was just like a soft case it would be nice to have something to store, transport, and keep the dust off the headphones. Sound: The most important aspect to any headphone is the sound in my opinion. So I’m a noob audiophile and this is probably only the 4th product I’ve listened too that is actually hi-if quality. I ordered the 1 More Tripple Drivers to compare with these and sent them back as I preferred the X2s. The other headphones I own to compare these too are the Sennheiser 558s. I’ve also heard a great speaker system. If your curious I was powering these off an Oppo HA-2 from my IPhone using MP3 files (I know, I‘m scum to not use FLAC🤙). Highs- It was quite good. The detail was equal to my 558s but the X2s the weren’t as impactful and organic sounding as the Sennheisers were. The highs were definitely better than the 1 More Tripple Drivers (over ears) although those were definitely better for cymbals. Overall clarity for like upper guitar and female vocals definitely go to the X2s. That said I don’t care very much about highs as I mostly listen to alternative an rock with mostly male vocals. If highs are a priority of yours I’d advise you to check out something from Senheiser, maybe the 58X, as they’re known for having great dynamic top end resolution from what I’ve read and heard. Midds: The midds are actually better than I expected. They’re not as recessed I expected from reviews and have good detail and clarity. Again my 558s definitely win over the X2s here as vocals and guitar chords hit with a lot more impact and there is slightly better detail on those to my ear, but it’s close. The midds are miles ahead of the 1 More Tripples as those sound quite a bit muddy from being closed and balanced in a lot more of a V sound than the X2s. So overall the midds leave some to be desired but are better than I expected. Bass- So this is why I bought this headphone and is definitely what they do best. The bass and sub bass is most likely the best for the price period. It’s very clear and goes really low. What surprised me most about the base is how little of it there is. I’m not a bass head so this doesn’t bother me, that and my HA-2 has a bass boost setting which got the base to more of a level I expected. The 1 More Tripples had noticeably more bass than these, but the X2s was drastically cleaner and didn’t muddy the other frequencies thanks to it being open back. If your listening for the bass it’s there and you won’t be dissatisfied; but it doesn’t shove it up your neck like Beats do and ruin the music. Especially if you listen to songs where the base is well separated and distinct from the highs in the recording, the X2s will play it fantastic. Overall if you want the best bass currently under $150, look no further. As a whole I give the sound 10 outta 10. Although sound is something that can always be improved upon, its sound almost definitely hits above its price especially in the bass department. Overall: I purchased this headphone as a fun headphone for the days I want a bit more bass than my 558s can offer. Not only do they fulfill that role in my growing collection perfectly, but they’re balanced well enough that I’d also recommend them as a stand alone daily driver for music, movies, games, and what not. These would be a great entry into Hi-Fi headphones if your new to the Audiophile world and would probably be the best headphones you’ve ever heard. I mean they destroy any wireless Beats, Sony, or Bose headphones, even the $300 ones in sound. They can be driven off anything, so you could use them with a phone, computer, game controller, etc. If you want them for gaming I know that Sennheiser has a pair of gaming at around the same price that’s going to be better if your really competitive and only want to use them for gaming. But these will make gunshots and explosions sound cooler due to deeper bass and are much more versatile resulting sound better for music and movies. The X2s will sound better than any skull candy or consumer grade gaming headset. You can add a mod mic for about $30 for multiplayer games, but these will beat out or match just about anything besides more expensive audiophile products for single player games. As I said earlier, they’re great for movies again due to that bass which really adds energy to explosions and makes a soundtrack with nice deep dark notes sound sick. As previously mentioned they’re overall great for music especially if you want good bass although other headphones in this price range will beat out the X2s in the highs and midds. But considering overall quality, sound, comfort, and price; Id rate the X2s at around a 9.7 outta 10. They are really a great value especially as they’re price seems to be slowly dropping (it’s currently about $120 new) and even the most critical Audiophile is probably going to be happy with these for the money. If you made it this far thanks so much for reading. I hope my input was helpful. It really blows my mind that anyone would read all this so I really appreciate it. If anyone who read it is really experienced in the Audiophile realm, I would love it if you left a reply critiquing how well I reviewed the sound. I will probably update this review a good couple months from now once they’ve been fully burnt in and I’ll cover soundstage and imagery in that. Thanks again for reading what I have to say, have a wonderful day and go enjoy some music. 🎶 🎧