Philips Fidelio X2 Review | 93 Data compared

The Headfonia review characterizes the Philips Fidelio X2Go as a superior, mid-fi open-back headphone featuring a more balanced, refined, and neutral sound signature compared to its predecessor. Key strengths include a tight, deep bass response, smooth mid-ranges, an airy soundstage, and high driveability that does not require heavy amplification. Conversely, the open-back design results in significant sound leakage, restricting usage to quiet environments. Additionally, while the treble is non-offensive, it lacks extreme high-end extension, which may underwhelm users seeking a brighter, more detailed sound.

Tyll Hertsens' Stereophile review highlights the Philips Fidelio X2Go as a top-tier, mid-level open-back headphone, praised for its robust build quality, user-replaceable velour earpads, and a low-impedance, detachable cable. Acoustically, it delivers a neutral, slightly warm sound with impressive bass and a wide soundstage, offering excellent performance consistency across different head positions. While lauded for comfort, the headband's suspension design can feel tight on larger heads, and a distinct frequency notch between 5kHz and 9kHz creates a rolled-off treble, trading high-frequency energy for a smoother, less fatiguing sound. Furthermore, its low 35-ohm impedance makes it a poor match for high-output-impedance tube amplifiers, limiting its system compatibility, despite being an excellent performer on solid-state gear.

In their What Hi-Fi? review, the publication highly praises the Philips Fidelio X2 open-back headphones for providing unrivalled comfort, an eye-pleasing design, and an incredibly entertaining, listenable sound profile. Built as a classy, all-black upgrade to the previous X1 model, these headphones retain the beloved spacious soundstage while injecting extra layers of detail, clarity, and top-to-bottom instrument separation. Specific pros highlighted by the reviewers include a smooth and neutral overall presentation, excellent rhythmic organization, precise timing, and a taut, punchy, and well-controlled bassline that drives complex tracks with confidence. Additionally, the premium construction stands out due to its strong leather headband, a comfortable inner mesh suspension band, and luxurious memory foam, velour-covered ear pads. However, the review also notes a few notable cons that keep the headphones from entirely dominating their price class. Primarily, the Fidelio X2 faces exceptionally tough competition from aggressive rivals like the Grado SR325e, as the Philips cans lack the absolute dynamic subtlety, transparency, exuberance, and sonic attack found in competing models. The reviewers also note a slightly bottom-heavy tonal balance and point out that due...

The Philips Fidelio X2 open-back headphones offer exceptional physical build quality, featuring a sturdy frame with no exposed wires and soft, highly comfortable ear pads suitable for rounder head shapes. Sonically, they deliver a wide soundstage, detailed resolution, and a warm tone highlighted by highly impactful bass and strong realism when reproducing acoustic instruments like strings and woodwinds. Additionally, the reviewer notes that the X2 is technically superior to competitor models like the Sennheiser HD 600 and Sennheiser Momentum 2.0, providing richer textures in vocal presentations. Despite these technical strengths, the headphones suffer from several sonic and design drawbacks. The bass can occasionally feel boomy and bloated, while the mid-range frequencies tend to feel overly forward, resulting in a dark sound signature that lacks the necessary musical delineation between instruments. Compared to the Sennheiser models, the X2 can sound muffled, suffocated, and lacking in air, transparency, and dynamic engagement. On a physical level, the soft pads lack included lint rollers to keep them clean, and some users may find the pads difficult to swap because they are glued down to...

The Philips Fidelio X2 is an open-back, indoor pair of headphones praised for its highly natural, well-balanced, and transparent sound signature that avoids artificial enhancement. The reviewer notes that the headphones expand audio fidelity and details across the entire frequency range effortlessly, allowing listeners to experience extended bass and clear treble without facing ear fatigue, even at high volumes. However, this audio transparency makes them highly unforgiving to poor audio mastering, compression imperfections, and balancing flaws.

The Qobuz review highlights the Philips Fidelio X2Go as a dynamic, open-back headphone delivering exceptional sound texture, an expansive soundstage, and an excellent quality-to-price ratio. Featuring 50mm neodymium drivers, it excels with a lively, energetic sound signature that brings life to vocals and acoustic music, making it ideal for classical, jazz, and folk. However, the X2 is a physically bulky headphone that offers no sound isolation due to its open-back design, making it unsuitable for noisy environments. While the generous, powerful bass is a highlight, it may not appeal to purists seeking a flat response, and the headphones require high-quality amplification to perform at their best.

Head-Fi community reviews describe the Philips Fidelio X2Go as a durable, fun, and warm-sounding open-back headphone, praised for its "bombproof" metal construction, superior comfort, and controlled, deep bass. Users highlight the expansive soundstage, making them ideal for immersive listening, though they are quite heavy and not designed for portability. Conversely, the open-back design results in significant sound leakage and zero isolation, while the sound profile features a slight, often criticized, mid-range recession. Other noted drawbacks include velour earpads that attract lint, a somewhat artificial treble, and an excessively long stock cable.

The Philips Fidelio X2Go is lauded as a premium-built, open-back headphone, featuring a durable self-adjusting leather headband and metal-encased components, with a physical design that rivals products at higher price points. It offers high user convenience, including a detachable, standard 3.5mm cable connection for easy, low-cost repairs and upgrades. Headphone GuruWhile the 3.5mm jack is convenient, the review notes the connection is somewhat delicate, requiring careful handling during cable changes to avoid damage. Additionally, the dense, fine-mesh grill creates a more enclosed acoustic experience compared to some traditional open-back alternatives.

The Philips Fidelio X2 is a high-end pair of open-back, over-ear headphones that delivers premium audio performance at a competitive price point of approximately £214-£230. Featuring a sleek matte black design with stainless steel accents and a self-adjusting "hammock-style" headband, they are built for long-term comfort using memory foam velour ear cushions. Technically, they are highly versatile due to a low 30ohm impedance, allowing them to be driven easily by mobile devices like smartphones, though they truly shine when paired with a dedicated amplifier for high-resolution audio. The review highlights several key pros and cons regarding its performance and design: Pros: The headphones offer exceptional sound quality for the price, characterized by crisp highs, clear mids, and a warm overall tone that benefits most genres. They feature high-quality construction with a detachable 3m cable and a 6.3mm adapter included for home Hi-Fi use. Cons: Their open-back design leads to significant sound leakage, making them unsuitable for public use. Additionally, they have a slight bass emphasis that may color the sound too much for audiophiles seeking a perfectly neutral profile for...

The Philips Fidelio X2 headphones are a superb, premium pair of open-back audiophile headphones that offer exceptional value for money, rivaling much more expensive legacy models like the Sennheiser HD800 and Oppo PM-1. Built with high-quality materials and 50mm neodymium drivers, they are satisfyingly weighty yet highly comfortable due to an airy hammock headband design and replaceable memory foam earpads. In terms of performance, they deliver an exquisite, easy-to-listen-to sound profile characterized by tight, precise bass, meaty mids, and highly detailed treble. Unlike many other audiophile options, they have a low enough impedance to be easily driven directly by mobile devices like tablets or smartphones without requiring an external amplifier. Pros and Cons Breakdown Despite their general brilliance, the headphones do have a few minor drawbacks. Pros: Brilliant sound with exquisite detail and precise bass. Superb value for money, costing a fraction of the price of competing flagship models. Premium build and high-quality materials. Very comfortable for long listening sessions due to the headband design. Cons: Lacks extras, missing a dedicated travel case. Poor isolation and sound leakage caused by...