Today we are going to review Open back headphones from Philips. The Fidelio X2HR. But before moving forward I want to share some of the differences between Open back headphones and closed back headphones.
Open Back Headphones are those who allow the air through ear cups to headphones speakers. This clearly means that Open Back headphones canβt completely block outside noise.
On the other hand Closed Back headphones are those whose back is completely sealed and they can block the outside noise very well as compared to open back headphones.
If you love to listen to natural music, open back headphones are a great choice for you. Please note that Sound leakage is more with Open Back headphones. That means a person near you can clearly hear the music you are hearing with your open back headphones.
Letβs move forward and review Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR Over-Ear Open-Back Headphones.
Pros:
Cons:
Sound
Build
Comfort
Value
Bottom Line:
Should you buy Philips Fidelio X2HR?. Let me tell you my opinion in a few words. Built quality is superb, It's Comfortable and fits perfectly too. Some people said they feel a little bit of headband pressure but I didn't feel it.
Earpads are thicker and comfortable but the material used for earpads is velour cushion that attracts dust and hair. Though this is not a big downside. The main problem started when I checked its sound performance.
The Bass was pretty good, the lows were perfect but the mids & treble were poor. Especially upper Mids and highs or treble were quite bad. Vocals were also not so good. Some tracks I played with Fidelio X2HR were awesome and some tracks didn't satisfy me. If you use it as a gaming headset it is good but again the issue is, it leaks the sound because it's an open-back headphones.
Those who like the V-shaped sound signature will definitely like it but overall sound performance is not good. Don't take me otherwise but I wouldn't like to recommend you these particular headphones. Philips has given many amazing creations but this time they couldn't touch their own standard.
How is the Design and Build Quality of Fidelio X2HR ?
First, let's talk about the build quality and Comfort. Fidelio X2HR Over-Ear Open-Air Headphone is a comfortable headphone with some drawbacks. It is a big size headphone so even if you have a big head size you will feel comfortable.
A Steel headband is covered with the leather that looks premium. Though Ear Cups are plastic they look nice and premium. Fidelio X2HR has a mesh Suspension headband that provides a nice cushion to your head. Though some users feel a little bit of headband pressure I don't think the same.
Earpads are thick and comfortable with soft and Breathable velour cushions. The only issue with the velour cushion is they attract more dust, hair, and dead skin over time. Ultimately this downside reduces the life of earpads and you need to change it early.
But it gave me the ultimate comfort that I loved. Earpads are easily removable. I didn't find it too much difficult to remove. Generally thicker ear pads increase comfort but it has one disadvantage too.
You feel more heat and sweat after some hours of use. It's almost 0.38 kg which might be heavy for some people. But it's quite obvious because it's not entirely plastic. Ear Cups are hinged which improves comfort level.
Slightly angled earcups are perfect for using gaming microphones like boom pro. After unboxing, I got a long audio cable which is almost 3m long. Philips has given one cable management clip to manage the cable. You can put both ends of the cable into this clip.
I also got an adapter for the hi-fi system and instruction manual. Fidelio X2HR has neodymium drivers with a 50mm size that covers your entire ear. This is open back headphone so it may not isolate the sound that much effectively but steel it works well.
Overall it's a quite comfortable headphone with few drawbacks. but overall happy with the build and comfort. Especially that mesh headband that works pretty nice. 8 out of 10 for the design and comfort of Fidelio X2HR.
How is the Sound Performance of Fidelio X2HR?
I have mixed feelings about sound performance of X2HR. It's very good for some genres of music but doesn't good for every kind of music. Bass is impressive. Though not powerful but bass is soothing and enjoyable. lows and lower mids is good but the real issue starts when I heard treble and upper mids. It's like extreme. I mean very good for bass and bad when you play treble.
I listened a few songs like Duke & Jones "escape", Pluko's "Go", Qlank's night bass. Of Course all songs are created with the mix frequencies but I found that it was feeling awesome when I heard low frequencies and bass parts came in But when I carefully listened treble and mids with Fidelio X2HR it was disappointing.
I mean what is the use of this inconsistent performance. When you listen to the song you can't categorize things like bass based, or treble based music. The song is a mixture of all frequencies and Fidelio X2HR didn't fit there as per my opinion. Especially Mids. Music with upper and lower Mids feels terrible with X2HR.
That's why I already said it fits only to a specific kind of music and not for all types. Though everyone's preference is different I don't think any audiophile will like this inconsistency.
It doesn't have much scope when mid frequency comes into the music. If you ask me my opinion about the sound performance I will give 6 or maybe 5 out of 10.
If you like V-shaped sound signatures just go for it. They are awesome in this area. Bass lovers also can try it. Vocals are not so good. Overall it's good for some people and big no for many.
Whatβs in the box?
- Fidelio X2HR headphones
- Detachable Oxygen free cable
- 3.5 - 6.3 mm adapter
- Cable clip
Who should get/Buy ?
- Philips Fidelio X2HR headphone is for those who love V-Shaped sound Signature
