Looking for upgrade(comfort and sound) for fidelio x2

Hello all. Been lurking here for the last few days and reading up on some other post from users looking for headphones around what I am looking for.

Here is why I decided to just create a post for myself:

I currently have a pair of fidelio x2 that I have used for about a year or two and while they sound pretty good, they are starting to get uncomfortable for me. They are just far to heavy and really fatigue my head/ears after a while. Sound wise I enjoy them but I find them to be a bit muddy… I wish they had a little more detail and clarity and separation.

Now I will mostly be using whatever headphones I get for casual/single player/open world gaming. And one thing that I enjoy listening to while gaming is the scenery and the soundtrack.

I don’t want a headphone that is bass light but I also don’t want too muddy. I want them still to be fun sounding though.

Here are the options I’ve been looking at.

He400i (2020)
Tygr 300r (sadly out of stock every where I look)
Dt990 (concerned about treble with this)
Shp 9600

My budget is under $200 and I will be pairing them with a sound blasterx g6

What do you all think?

TYGR 300R, in the US, go on sale roughly every few weeks direct from Beyer. There was just a sale on them so they probably sold out then. If you want them, just wait and check the website in the morning. I’d reckon they’d be up within a week.

That’s good to know that they come back into stock every now and then. Been watching their website for a few weeks and haven’t caught it then. Darn.

You would say the tygr are better than the He400i then?

Is the dt880 the same as the tygr?

Thanks!

400i is quite neutral it’s nice but eh up to preference tygr has the subtle v signature and performance wise in gaming crushes 400i

No? Why would it be?

In terms of gaming, the 400i don’t have enough soundstage for it.

Tygr are speculated to be DT990s with Amiron pads which settle the tone down. But who knows.

My money would be on waiting for Tygr or 9600s if you want something cheap and accessible without issues.

Uh no, it’s not speculation this has been confirmed on multiple cases as it’s a 990 internally, even from beyer personally that its using the 990 drivers. The pads are not amiron they are EDT 990 vb which are black 990 pads. They use amiron wireless filters.

Completely disagree it soundstages just fine… it has more soundstage than sennheiser 600 series headphones and those are used regularly despite very narrow staging

Oops, sorry. Meant filters–I was thinking the pads inside the cups. :stuck_out_tongue:

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So if I understood correctly these are basically 990 editions with just a lower impedance?

Would it be just as good to get a 990 edition then?

They are only in technicalities not sound signature. 990 are extremely sharp v signatures headphones while tygr is a subtle v. Tygr is great for those with treble intolerance but still want that bass, stage, and imaging the 990s possess. Though if your okay with that much treble sure go for 990s, I would recommend trying 990 before fully buying them though… better safe than sorry

I personally love the 990 but its absolutely not for everyone. 600 ohm has less bass and easier to manage treble and 250 ohm has more bass with speaker treble.

For beyers go for 'edition sometimes labeled premium as these are the ones that have the straight cable and can be 600 ohm

Note: there is no sound change in the aesthetically versions of 990 such as chrome, black, or manufaktor though these are usually the 250 ohm

Funny thing is I did try the 990s at first and the treble killed me. So that’s what got me into the x2s and I feel while the treble is tame compared to the 990s it’s muddy and understated.

The tygr sound like the right pick. I’ll just have to keep an eye out. Appreciate it!

Edit. I had the 990 32ohm before would the 250ohm have better or more tame treble response?

Oh I get it trust me, my best friend actually got a bad headache from my 990s. Yea tygr sounds better then… I would say still try 600 ohm if it was 250 ohm that you tried as it’s quite a bit less bothersome otherwise I think you’ll enjoy the tygr quite a bit

32 ohm is ear piercing… 600 ohm is the one you want with the refined treble… I’d post the graph for the differences but not at home right now lol its about I want to say 10 decibels lower on treble compared to that 32 ohm… so quite large of a change

Edit: going to add that yes g6 will drive the 600 ohm beyers with headroom. I get asked bout that alot figured I’d clarify

I appreciate that. I was actually looking to possibly upgrade the g6 also to a fiio k5 pro but I think that may have too much power for the tygr. Would work well with a 600ohm 990 I’m sure but not sure I want to go that route if I can get the tygr paired with my g6

Tygr is surprisingly needy so I’m sure itll be just fine I had mine plugged into an asgard 3 no issues.

Would you recommend the fiio k5 pro over the g6?

I would yeah, better sound qualities for sure.