Philips Fidelio X2hr Review | 93 Data compared

The Philips Fidelio X2HR are wired, open-back headphones offering an excellent, budget-friendly audiophile experience with a well-balanced sound profile, detailed mids, and an exceptionally wide, open soundstage. Their premium, durable design features a solid metal frame with comfortable velour memory foam ear cups, and they are easy to drive without an external amplifier. Conversely, the open-back design results in terrible noise isolation and significant sound leakage, making them unsuitable for noisy environments. Their large, bulky structure reduces stability, and the lack of a built-in microphone requires a separate purchase for calls or gaming.

The Philips Fidelio X2HR headphonesGo, reviewed on World Bolding, offer a rich, nuanced sound with impressive bass, midrange, and a wide soundstage that is easy to drive without an amplifier. Key advantages include a robust build, high-quality comfort, and a self-adjusting headband, making them excellent for home audio. EquipboardConversely, the open-back design causes significant sound leakage, which is problematic for gaming, and the treble can become harsh, leading to fatigue. The headset is slightly heavy, and the velour pads are prone to collecting lint over time.

The Philips Fidelio X2HR is a highly comfortable, open-back headphone featuring large ear cups and an auto-adjusting elastic headband that reduces moving parts. Priced attractively—often found between $116 and $145—it delivers excellent efficiency, making it incredibly easy to drive from low-power or portable mobile devices without requiring a heavy-duty amplifier. In terms of sound profile, it offers impressive spatial qualities with a wide soundstage and a tonality that closely follows the target preference curve from 40 Hz to 4 kHz, providing extended low-end bass response and an initially appealing, detailed presentation. However, the headphone suffers from significant high-frequency performance issues, marked by a series of jagged, oscillating resonance peaks starting at 5.3 kHz that create an uncomfortably bright, piercing sound on high-pitched notes and female vocals. It also exhibits high distortion levels in the bass frequencies below 100 Hz and around 270 Hz, causing audible clipping or ticking artifacts when the bass is boosted or played at high volumes. Furthermore, the included stock cable is stiff, long, and highly microphonic, the ear pads quickly attract loose hair, and manufacturer sample...

In his review for Positive Feedback, Ed Kobesky highly praises the Philips Fidelio X2HR headphonesGo as one of the best and most fun-sounding pairs he has ever heard at any price point. Retailing at a highly affordable street price of around $120, these open-back headphones punch well above their weight, utilizing 50mm neodymium drivers with Layered Motion Control (LMC) construction to deliver a punchy, taut, and well-integrated sound signature. The prominent pros highlighted in the review include their exceptional, upscale build quality featuring machined metal ear cups and a real leather-wrapped headband, paired with legendary comfort via velour-covered memory foam ear pads and a self-adjusting mesh hammock. Sonically, they provide a remarkably wide, spacious soundstage and surprisingly well-articulated bass for an open-back design. Furthermore, their low 30-ohm impedance makes them incredibly easy to drive directly from portable devices like an iPad without requiring a massive, expensive amplifier. However, the review also notes several specific cons inherent to the headphones' design and target performance. Because they feature a completely open-back architecture, they naturally leak audio outward and offer virtually zero passive...

The Philips Fidelio X2HR is a full-sized, open-back headphone praised for its exceptional price-to-performance value, balanced and slightly warm sound signature, and spacious soundstage. The reviewer notes that it is highly efficient and remarkably easy to drive without requiring massive amplification. Its standout features include a fast-decaying, impactful bass that avoids boominess, a natural and flat midrange, and a highly organized soundstage that is significantly wider than that of competitors like the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. Additionally, it boasts comfortable, replaceable velour earpads and a durable design with a convenient, single-entry replaceable cable. Despite its high praise, the reviewer details several notable sonic and design limitations. The primary audio weakness lies in the treble quality, which is described as dry, rough, grainy, and lacking clean airiness. The overall presentation is not entirely transparent, revealing a touch of grain across the musical frequencies. Furthermore, because the drivers do not scale dramatically when paired with higher-end equipment, it is deemed a poor tool for reviewing premium audio sources or amplifiers. On the physical side, its large, open-back footprint makes it completely unsuitable...

The Philips Fidelio X2HRGo headphones are praised for a premium, sturdy build featuring comfortable, plush ear cushions and an automatic, self-adjusting suspension headband. The audio performance is characterized by a very wide, spacious soundstage and punchy bass, although the overall sound signature can lack high-end detail, and the heavy, unbalanced earcups cause noticeable, moderate clamping pressure. Key pros include the auto-adjusting headband for instant comfort, a high-quality, durable design, and a fun, expansive sound profile. Conversely, reported cons highlight significant cable noise during movement and a lack of fine detail in the mids, alongside the aforementioned weight distribution issues. For more user experiences, visit Head-Fi.

The Philips Fidelio X2HR is an open-back, dynamic over-ear headphone launched in 2017 that offers excellent value for money with a realistic and neutral sound signature. It features robust build quality with metal components, soft velour memory-foam ear pads, a self-adjusting headband, and a high-efficiency 30-ohm impedance that allows it to easily run directly from mobile devices or desktop setups. In terms of audio performance, the headphones deliver smooth transitions from deep bass to clear, dynamic mid-ranges and exceptionally accurate treble without needing equalization. Furthermore, tests show that wearing glasses does not break the seal or compromise the low-frequency bass performance. However, the headphones suffer from notable quality control issues, particularly a persistent audible channel imbalance between the left and right drivers due to inconsistent factory matching. For long listening sessions, users may find the out-of-the-box clamping force uncomfortably high, though the headband can be manually bent to relieve pressure. The included 3-meter cloth-covered cable is also criticized for being too long, stiff, heavy, and highly microphonic, requiring an aftermarket replacement for comfortable use. Additionally, Philips does not sell official...

The Philips Fidelio X2HR review on Pragmatic Audio highlights the open-back, dynamic headphones as an exceptional value deal, particularly when caught on sale for €80. In terms of pros, the reviewer heavily praises the robust build quality consisting of premium metal components, the incredible out-of-the-box comfort enabled by the self-adjusting headband, and the plush velour-covered memory foam earpads. On the audio side, the headphones shine with a remarkably punchy and robust bass that rivals closed-back models without bleeding into the mid-range, alongside an expansive speaker-like soundstage and great spatial imaging. The detachable 3-meter cable with an included 6.3mm adapter is another high-utility benefit noted in the review. However, the review outlines clear cons and potential drawbacks depending on consumer preferences. The mid-range frequencies are described as slightly recessed, which—while great for enhancing the perceived roominess of the soundstage—can leave some vocal tracks sounding less prominent. The treble response is identified as the headphone's most inconsistent feature, displaying peaks that can introduce sibilance or harshness on poorly produced tracks. Additionally, there is a minor audible distortion in the sub-bass region. Physically,...

The Philips Fidelio X2HR is highly praised as a budget-friendly, entry-level open-back headphone that punches well above its $150 price point. It features a fun, versatile, and immersive V-shaped sound signature that offers a remarkably wide left-to-right soundstage, crisp and well-separated mids, and an impressive, clean bass response that is rare for open-back models. Additional pros include robust overall build quality using metal and high-quality plastic, a long 3-meter detachable cable, and excellent comfort facilitated by an auto-adjusting elastic hammock headband that allows for hours of fatigue-free listening. However, the headphones are not without their drawbacks. The distinct V-shaped sound profile is a notable con for audiophiles seeking perfectly balanced or neutral audio for reference and music production.

The Philips Fidelio X2HR is a highly praised, open-back pair of headphones priced between $140 and $300, tailored specifically for music lovers and gamers seeking an energetic, "fun-sounding" experience rather than precise studio monitoring. Boasting exceptional build quality that punches far above its price tier, it features a steel-tube headband covered in real leather, aluminum earcup exteriors, and thick, comfortable memory foam earpads wrapped in breathable velour. Performance-wise, it stands out with an incredibly immersive, wide soundstage and a prominent "V-shaped" sound signature that delivers powerful, punchy bass alongside vibrant, detailed highs. Furthermore, its low 30-Ohm impedance means it is incredibly easy to drive from everyday devices like phones or game controllers without needing an external amplifier. Despite these stellar attributes, the headphones carry several distinct drawbacks that potential buyers should consider. Because of their open-back construction, they naturally leak roughly 25% to 33% of their sound, making them ill-suited for public spaces or shared environments. They are physically quite large, weigh a hefty 381 grams, and feature a self-adjusting headband that may not sit securely on smaller heads or...