When comparing Philips Fidelio X2 vs HiFiMan HE1000 V2, the Slant community recommends Philips Fidelio X2 for most people. In the question“What are the best high end headphones for bass? ” Philips Fidelio X2 is ranked 1st while HiFiMan HE1000 V2 is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Philips Fidelio X2 is:
You can just pull out the cable as needed, allowing you to easily store the headphones without the hassle of dangling cables. Also, this feature means that the cable is easily replaceable should it get damaged.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Headphone cable is removable
You can just pull out the cable as needed, allowing you to easily store the headphones without the hassle of dangling cables. Also, this feature means that the cable is easily replaceable should it get damaged.
Pro Large ear pads are comfortable
The large ear cups go over the ear instead of sit on them, so no pressure is applied onto the ears. The ear pads on the other hand feature really soft and thick memory foam as well as high quality velour material on the pads' surface. These feel really soft on the sides of the head, and allows some air to circulate around the ears, minimizing heat.
Pro Pressure on the head is significantly minimized
A hammock design is used for the headband. Instead of one single headband piece, this has a two-piece design. The top, solid part is what holds the ear cups together while the lower piece is primarily made out of leather and mesh. This softer and more flexible part is what comes into contact with the head, which results in substantially improved comfort over conventional headband designs.
Pro Wide sound stage can result in an immersive audio experience
The wide soundstage heightens the feeling of immersion in in-game audio. The top-notch positional audio allows gamers to easily identify sound sources, like the movement of nearby players or the direction that bullets are coming from.
Pro Fun sound signature with powerful bass and crisp, detailed treble
The bass is really powerful yet also tight. The highs are boosted so audio details are quite prominent. The mids, while not as up front as the bass and the highs, are clear and present.
In-game sound effects will come as clear and detailed, while explosions, gunshots and similar sound effects are really powerful, making these really fun sounding gaming or movie headphones.
Pro Highly detailed sound with full mids and controlled bass
Highs are really clear and crisp and are able to present even the slightest details in the music that other high quality headphones are not able to give. These frequencies have a lot of sparkle and airiness to them, yet do not sound too harsh or too forward, preventing these from sounding fatiguing.
The mids are mixed really well with the rest of the frequencies. Slightly forward, the mids can easily be heard and appreciated, so sounds like vocals, guitars and keys are really defined.
The bass of these headphones have good power, but not as much as bass-heavy "bass head" cans. Instead, the bass is natural with good sub-bass presence. Bass thump is definitely there but without the bloat that can muddy up the sound.
Pro Removable cable
Each ear cup has a 2.5mm female connector to connect the headphone cable to, making the cable quite easy to remove and replace as necessary. Storage should also be much easier as you do not need to contend with a long and fixed cable.
Pro Impressive build quality with top-notch materials
These headphones are primarily made of metal, wood and leather, along with some high quality plastic parts. The headband's frame itself is made from brushed metal which is fairly lightweight yet very durable. The headband features genuine perforated leather which feels soft and allows for some airflow.
The earcups on the other hand feature a combination of metal, plastic and wood veneer on the ear cups' surface. The headphones' grills on the side are also made out of metal.
Pro Very comfortable to wear
Memory foam is used inside the ear pads, along with a leather/polyester combo on to the surface. Combined, the pads feel ultra soft and smooth on the skin. This also contributes to the headphones' overall premium look and feel.
Pro Soundstage has natural width
The sides of these headphones are covered by metal grills which makes the earcups really open. This gives the sound a wide feel, which can be very immersive.
Pro Three cables are included
It comes with 3 different headphone cables, with each one terminating in a different connector. This gives you a lot of versatility in terms of the audio sources that you can connect to. They also work well as spare cables should one get damaged.
It comes with a balanced XLR cable, a 6.5mm TRS cable which are best suited for desktop use and a 3.5mm cable for portable devices.
Cons
Con Highs can be too harsh
High pitched sound effects can be more pronounced and can be quite fatiguing to those sensitive to treble.
Con These leak a lot of sound
The large ear cups go over the ear instead of sit on them, so no pressure is applied onto the ears. The ear pads on the other hand feature really soft and thick memory foam as well as high quality velour material on the pads' surface. These feel really soft on the sides of the head, and allows some air to circulate around the ears, minimizing heat.
Con Bulky and quite heavy
These are fairly large because of the sizeable ear cups and 2 piece headband design. Also, these are on the heavy side so if you prefer light weight headphones, these might not work for you.
Con Bulky
The earcups are very big, which can result in fitting issues as the ear cups may extend beyond your jaw if you have a smaller head. The headband sticks out a lot, further adding to the bulky look.
Con Requires a significant burn-in time for optimal sound
The HE1000 V2 requires a pretty long burn-in time of around 200 hours in order to get the best sound out of it. Initially, the highs can be harsh and the bass a bit lean. After burn-in, these issues should not be present anymore.
Con Quite heavy
Despite weighing less than the V1 version, these V2s still come in at around 420 g. This is quite a weight to put on to your head and neck for extended periods so you may need to take the headphones off periodically.
Con Open design leaks out a lot of sound
The sides of these earcups are almost totally open so when you play music through these headphones, they also function like mini speakers as they leak out a lot of sound. These are not the best headphones for you if you share your room with other people as the sound can be distracting.
Con Picky with the amp/DAC you use these with
These require a bit of power to run so you will most likely need to invest in a great amp. Also, you may want to consider going through different DAC options as these headphones are so revealing that you can easily distinguish artifacts or distortion from a lesser performing DAC.