Yet another one Philips device! After our tests of the A1 and the A5Pro, the Qobuz Hi-Fi guide is now shining the spotlight on the X2, the manufacturer?s top of the range Hi-Fi model. It is a successor of the famous X1, a very successful headphone that was highly praised by the public and press.
The first thing you need to know is that this model is truly colossal, a monster with an astonishing weight of ?only? 380g. It measures 19 x 23 x 11 cm, and with this thing on your head, you truly can?t miss a single detail. Luckily the headphone isn?t a portable device, and isn?t meant to be used on the move. With its open architecture, it doesn?t block out (exterior) sounds, and it wasn?t designed to be used with a hands free kit. Instead, the device is designed to be connected to a Hi-Fi device (DAC, music player, amplifier etc).
With an impedance of 30 ohms, the headphone is meant to be used in conjunction with a good audio device (Hi-Fi player, amplifier for headphones etc), rather than with a smartphone. Its design is truly astonishing. It is incredibly comfortable, and possesses: antiperspirant ear-pads with shape memory, a double arched flexible headphone that doesn?t irritate bald heads, and an open design that boasts a grill and inclined headphones.
Now for the loud speakers. They are models with a (relatively slight) diameter of 50mm, and a neodymium battery, whose instillation in the open architecture ensures a large unrestrained deflection of sound.
Philips doesn?t hide its attempt to appeal to the fringes of the audiophile population, who don?t regard headphones to be a particularly serious product, whether they?re for DJs or just commercial use. For its low price of ?299, the headphone uses materials and possesses a frame that is normally only found in more expensive models.
The manufacturer, whose R&D offices are located in Belgium, has created a top of the range product with a guaranteed performance. Its frequency response ranges from 5Hz to 40,000Hz, DHT < at 0.1 %, it contains a correct power handling of 500mW without being brutal, a sensitivity of 100 dB/1 mW, and an impedance of 30 Ohms. The designer even equiped the X2 with an OFC cable (oxygen-free copper/better conduction), which favours the higher frequency range. This also guarantees a low oxidation over time.
Listening to the X2: this top of the range Philips device can hardly be called lazy!
We have spent a week testing the X2 at home, connected to an Astell&Kern AK120 player (16 and 24-bit files well known to Qobuz), as well as a PC equipped with an Asus Xonar Essence STX audio card.
The hold on the head is good, although the device is rather tight around the ears (due to the size of the ear pads/Circum). However having said that, the good quality materials do not irritate the head, but rather relieve the weight of the X2 by not causing any itching/ pressure on the skin.
As predicted, the headphone?s sound isolation from outside noises is almost inexistent, meaning you can?t use the device on public transport, and good luck listening in pianissimo!
The sound texture is simply fantastic. The X2 unleashes the sound when you push it well, and so you need good electronics to stir it up. Once achieved, hello sound peaks! The open acoustic design, amplified in the presence of the 50mm loud speakers, creates a great dynamic that is accompanied by a deep and roomy sound scape. The device is ventilated, beautiful, and ideal for classical, jazz, pop and folk music.
The X2 has an impressive presence that unceasingly produces the best results. This is particularly notable in the bass register, where the sound is extremely comfortable, almost too much so, which could disturb the more timid Hi-Fi purists. The sound is hardly sweet, but rather the X2 gives it welly, without sounding like a DJ headphone. The rendering of the voices is admirable (listen to Peter Gabriel in his cover version of Heroes by Bowie, it?s truly ecstatic).
You could however criticize the X2 for not being ?relaxing?, as it is able to produce a delicate treble, a perfectly posed mid-range and an imposing bass. However the headphone quite simply animates the voices, instruments and stereo, without aiming to be a ?headphone for DJs?. To top it off, it has a good quality/price ratio.
The good points:
Quality/price ratio
Very dynamic sonority without being deafening
Generous rendering of the bass without distortion
Quality of the treble, presence of voices
Measured mid-range, well placed
Power reserve, dynamic
Ventilation, quality of the components
The not so good points:
You have to really love the bass?
It has to be connected to a very good device
Quite bulky
Characteristics of the manufacturer:
Audio headphone with an open rear face acoustic design, loud speakers of 50mm with a neodymium battery (pre-inclined), and OFC cable, a frequency response comprising of between 5 to 40,000hertz, impedance of 30 Ohms, a maximal allowable power of 500mW, a sensitivity of 100dB at 1mW, a total harmonic distortion
If you are a manufacturer, importer, distributor or actor in the domain of sound reproduction and you wish to contact us, please do so using the following address: newstech@qobuz.com
If you are passionate about our Hi-Fi Guide and you wish to contact us, please do so using the following address: rubriquehifi@qobuz.com
PP Garcia pour Qobuz
Twitter @ppgarcia75
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