Sony WH-1000XM3 (2018) vs Philips Fidelio X2/HR (2017)

The Sony WH-1000XM3 (2018) makes for an outstanding Over-Ear Headphone at $229. The Philips Fidelio X2/HR (2017), however, while overall a good product for its asking price, doesn't quite manage to stand out from its competition - there are better Over-Ear Headphones that can be found for around $150 available here.

The Sony WH-1000XM3 (2018) has done great in a couple of roundups conducted by highly trusted sources that perform objective in-depth testing, like Tom's Guide, SoundGuys, CNET, and Laptop Mag - it earned the "Best Sony headphones overall" title from Tom's Guide, "Best ANC" from SoundGuys, and "Best of previous generation" from CNET. Any product that's held in high regard by such reliable sources should be considered by anyone that's looking for a Over-Ear Headphone at this price point.

As for the Philips Fidelio X2/HR (2017) - it was really well-received by reviewers at Rtings, a great source that's known for conducting high-quality in-depth testing. It performed great in its "The 7 Best Open-Back Headphones - Winter 2021" roundup and was named its "Best Open-Back Headphones Under $200", which, on its own, makes it a product that warrants a closer look.

Lastly, we tried to do a direct Sony WH-1000XM3 (2018) vs. Philips Fidelio X2/HR (2017) comparison of review ratings between these two products, but couldn't find any review scores for the Philips Fidelio X2/HR (2017).

Compared to all other Over-Ear Headphones on the market, however, the Sony WH-1000XM3 (2018) performed great. When averaged out, it earned a rating of 9.0 out of 10, which is much better than the 7.5 review average of Over-Ear Headphones in general.