Zeos pad swapped the X1s with Dekoni pads or something similar and just pulled the lip of the pad over the entire edge of the headphone to attach them, if that makes any sense.
He discusses it at the beginning of this video…
These are the pads.
You have to poke a hole in the lip for the jack though, so you can’t return them. Not that you can return ZMF pads anyway.
Yeah true. ZMF pads are pretty nice though. And he wraps them up nicely for you in fancy red paper in the box, haha.
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I’m gonna leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG2wa31Lk2Y
I’d say rather get the Sennheiser 58X or the Hifiman 4XX, the 4XX especially is 130 bucks rn on Drop
I personally did not find the X2s to be bright or harsh, but that might just be me. Maybe the tuning has changed too? Or potentially a QC issue? I bought mine before they became the ‘hr’ version.
Still Josh and Zeos liked the X2HRs plenty based on their reviews.
I’d personally always encourage people to try things for themselves if they are interested. If he finds them lacking, then for sure check out and consider other options.
I just don’t see why one would buy the X2HR with all the QC issues and the sound issues when the 58X and the 4XX exist
Because someone might just want a bass-focused headphone. Or something with really deep earpads and a wide sound-stage. Maybe they want it for the single 3.5mm connector design And the 4xx are just as notorious for QC issues as well.
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I mean the 4XX have wide soundstage and quite a bit of bass but ye I heard QC complaints about the 4XX as well.
It’s really sad that Hifiman has these issues cuz they make really great sounding headphones if only they could fix the QC issues 
Also forgot to mention OP said he lives in Aus, so maybe the 4xx isn’t readily available to him? I have no idea how massdrop works for AUS.
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They are a fairly new company, hopefully they’ll improve as their manufacturing process matures.
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IMO… QC issues are only really a problem if combined with bad customer support. If I can get a replacement within reasonable time without too much hassle, then I don’t really see it as a huge problem. Maybe something to consider if you are buying 2nd-hand though… where you might not be able to take advantage of warranty.
This is interesting to me. Admittedly I have next to no experience but I don’t find my x2’s (pre hr as well) harsh at all. I can listen for hours with those things hugging my head. Comparatively the shp9500’s are a bit fatiguing possibly because the vocals are more forward and I think the treble is more emphasized to my ears. I do love them both though. Both interesting and both different.
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Yeah, that was my experience with the X2. Definitely not detailed and you could even call them ‘bloaty’ or unrefined… but I definitely did not find them harsh or anything close to that. Like I could understand some people finding the Sendy Aiva to be a bit too bright or the Elex… etc… but I would have never put the X2 in that catagory.
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I’ve gone through quite a few dac/amps in the last few months and the X2 does seem more affected in the treble, so maybe the guy just paired it with the wrong amp. I don’t think he says in the review what he used, which irritates the hell out of me. At least Z puts his amps front and centre so you can see where the wires go.
this is exactly right, the bass focus and sound stage are quite important to me with this purchase, and the 3.5mm connector is a huge plus.
I also haven’t had headphones with wires coming off both cups yet and I feel like that would annoy me until I get used to it. (I know it sounds so minor but comfort is king) Before I go ahead an purchase a high end headphone with that cable design I want to atleast purchase something cheaper like the KOSS KPH30i’s where my expectations aren’t so high so I can ease myself into it.
Its true I can’t get anything from massdrop in AUS unfortunately so the 4xx isn’t even an option at this point. I will be moving to the US in Feb to study though so then my options will open up.
So I solved the issue of my SHP’s creating temple pressure with my glasses.
Turns out I was just a big dumb dumb and didn’t take the time to adjust them properly, I honestly just clicked it into 1.5 on the adjustment sliders of both sides and wore it for a few mins decided it was comfortable and went from there. But I walked passed a mirror while wearing them and realised my earlobes were basically touching the bottom of the pad and my glasses arms were bang in the middle of the pad with the other half of the pad up my head.
Now since i’ve clicked them onto the number 4 adjustment on either side my glasses sit a lot higher up the pad’s clamp force is almost non existent which is a lot better.
I never really fully appreciated just how huge these pads are, like I have a big head but god damn.
Good to hear! Yeah they’re crazy amount of comfortable… if the x2’s are too clampy at first you are able to stretch them… hope you like them… let us know
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thanks donjklassen! I ended up purchasing the X2s so they should be here by the 6th, i’ll keep the thread updated!
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I just got a very welcome surprise in the mail today, my X2HRs came!
Im using them right now, and heres my first impressions!
The clamp force is a tighter, ive stretched the headband back and bit and its not an issue, ive also got to wear them in obviously, but the headphone itself sounds great, i’ve been using them for about 2 hours now and theres definitely more bass than the SHP’s, I feel like it has a better soundstage the them when im gaming too.
Im really enjoying the overall comfort and sound so far.
Im gonna throw a question in though, does anyone know if I can have 2 headphones running out of my GSX1000 playing the same audio at the same time?
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