PHILIPS Fidelio Over Ear Open-Back Wired Studio Headphones, Hi-Res Audio, 50mm Drivers, Memory Foam Earpads, with Detachable Cable

Exceptional musical detail. Especially when you take the price into consideration. I believe you would need to spend double if not more to find a headphone that sounds better. Vocals are clear, instruments stand out with spacial separation where you may hear an individual instrument’s detail on its own and not from just being a part of the overall track. These headphones have me listening to my favorite music again for hours.

Had these headphones for approx 1 month and purchased for listening to music via my laptop. They feel and are made solid, although I am not a big fan of the second larger headband, based purely on looks. The wire provided is more than long enough and the whole build quality is excellent, including ear pads. I listen to a wide variety of music (like most) and cannot say that these headphones lacked in any musical genre. The range of tones these headphones produce are excellent, and they have not struggled or distorted once!

These headphones are unbelievably amazing. You really can't beat them for this price. The frequency response is tuned so closely to the harman curve, which I personally find superior. If that's not your sound, then you obviously wouldn't like these. The only part of the frequency response I find lacking is the <40 hertz sub-bass range. That range of sound is so low and is mostly imperceptible that I find that it doesn't really matter. Overall the bass is really dynamic and not colored, honestly you'd be hard pressed to find open back headphones with bass this present and accurate. The mids are extremely accurate and detailed. The trebles are airy without ever being sibilant, and they add a lot of openness. The soundstage is OPEN, more open than any headphone I've tried. I've A B compared these to the Hifiman Sundaras, Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT990, and Audio Technica M50x and honestly these are superior in terms of overall accuracy. All of those headphones offer different sound experiences to the table but I would put these X2HRs over all of them. These headphones are amazingly comfortable. I've used them every single day for at least 5 hours a day for the last 2 years and they still look and feel brand new. They're heavy, but they were engineered perfectly to where the weight is evenly distributed throughout your head that you hardly notice you have them on. They have a 3.5mm connection which is universal with any 3.5mm cable you throw at it. If you want to use them for gaming, you can buy a cable with a boom mic. They're also only 30 ohms so they can be driven on anything, I love that I can drive them with my DAC/AMP, my phone, laptop, electric piano, playstation controller, literally anything. They have a sensitivity of 100 dbs or so, so you'll have to crank the volume slightly more than a tiny pair of earbuds, but they can literally be driven by anything. These headphones are one of my favorite consumer products I've ever owned, I'm not exaggerating. From clothes, electronics, furniture, cars, tools, whatever. These are up there as one of my favorite things I've ever owned. You really can't beat them for the price. Just get them. Who knew Philips would be making the ultimate open-back headphone that checks all the boxes?

My old closed back phones were worn out . I read reviews , took in comments on open back verses closed back thought about noise cancellers . I opted for these . I think the soundstage is a bit wider as some people say however they do let in noise if the sound wasn’t so good I’d have returned them and got a closed back pair . They are very comfortable and the velour doesn’t make you sweaty . My old ones had 1M cable and a 3M extension these only have a 2M or so braided cable so I have to use my old extension . The cable seems very tough but you have to avoid it or you get the noise coming through the earpieces . I went for wired again as I didn’t want to spend lots of money on a pair that are useless when the battery stops charging. They are BIG . They don’t come with a pouch or holder of any kind in the box ! Seems strange as they originally were very expensive . I like them .

These headphones sound great, relatively flat (not HD600 flat but it's pretty good). Best feature is how comfortable they are. The auto-adjust headband is absolutely wonderful!

These are the best headphones I've tried, including brand leaders, under £200. The sound quality is excellent, authentic and very pleasing. They are comfortable to wear.

These are an enjoyable set of headphones. Of particular note is the wide soundstage and amazing bass for open-backed headphones. They are very clear, but this an area where they can be unpleasant at times. Depending on the source they can be rather shrill in the treble. However, this depends on the source because they are quite revealing. If you are sensitive to treble then you are likely to struggle with these at times. I also have Philips SHP9500 and these are my go-to open-back headphones. The 9500’s, by comparison are a bit light on the bass but I find the treble more consistent and enjoyable over longer periods of time. They sound very slightly “warmer” than the X2HR’s. Similarly, I have some Fidelio L2 headphones, which are semi-closed, which I use when my family is in the same room. These are also really good with excellent bass and a good balance throughout. I mention these other Philips headphones as a comparison. There is a definite Philips "house sound" with these three sets, but they all have their particular individual characteristics. In summary, I put the Fidelio X2HR in a very, very close 3rd place. This is not a derogatory placement. They are really enjoyable for a particular mood you may be in: enjoyable, fun bass, which is not too bloated but they’re not a "basshead" phone. They have really excellent soundstage and the clarity is good. Sometimes you think the sound is coming from within the room and not the headphones! However, on occasions, they are a bit "sharp" and if you’re not in the mood it can detract. The midrange on all of these headphones is really good. Comfort-wise, these are good. They need a bit of time "wearing in" as they initially felt a bit tight after the SHP9500's, which to be fair are a bit loose but extremely comfortable. The X2HR's, in contrast, won't move on your head easily, and after a few weeks are no so tight and are pretty comfortable. They are extremely well made and feel really solid. I really like the Philips headphones I have. Excellent quality at a reasonable price.

they are epic and awwsome. very cool I LOLE TO GAME ON THEM.

The built is like a tank, the ear cups cushions are soft and uses memory foams, so comfortable even for a long period of use. The sound is amazing, you don’t need to use an amp to drive it, trembles and mids are well balanced, the bass response are wide, tight and deep.

Best head phones I have owned, my other head phones are sennheiser hd 598 and hd 380pro’s . the 598’s are a bit flat sounding, the 380’s are ok but are not spacious as they are closed back. The x2hr are the best of both worlds, nice bass response and open sounding . Superb!!

The sound quality is superb, They float on my head unnoticed and produce wonderfully clear and directional audio (seriously the sound-stage is insane) Build quality is great, I can't notice anything the other reviewer mentioned. Very impressed, highly recommended

I've been using the audio technica mx50s for the past three years but the fit was not comfortable and I wanted a value upgrade. I researched and decided upon the Fidelio X2HR. I received them today, pulled them from the box and connected to my external DAC running 24/192 and the sound is superb. My audio technica MXs have more bass but I’m more into into a full balanced soundstage and the Fidelio does not disappoint. Looking forward to more listening experiences after which I will update my review.

The most surprising thing about these open-back headphones is how well the bass frequencies come through. Good presence and an open sound stage make them great for a lot of applications such as music, gaming and watching movies. Highly recommended.

Having owned the older Philips Fidelio X2 produced by Gibson, I expected these new X2HR headphones to be the same or better in sound and build but it appears the quality have dropped with the change of production to TPV or MMD Hong Kong Holdings. Difference in build quality is apparent, the metal rings around the cups aren’t flush against the frame causing you to see the exposed bare metal and glue around the 3.5mm socket. The sound I believe is slightly different, the new X2HR appear to be quieter and the soundstage that use to be super wide with the old X2 is now more condensed and vocals also seem more recessed. Have the drivers been changed since the move from Gibson?

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] If you take everything good about these headphones: - Amazing comfort. - Easy to drive. - Great soundstage. - Clear tones. - Punchy bass. - Good for gaming, music, movies or general dialogue. And add the cons: - Hard to find.... You end up with just an amazing set of headphones. Phenomenal. But hard to acquire since Philips doesn't seem to be actively producing them anymore.