That tier list was purely a value tier list. Knowing what else you could buy for $350 it makes sense it’s in E tier.
Yes but they are also making comments on their opinions of the headphone as well. SHP9600 was put up there in A despite agreeing it would be better if it was 30% less than its current price tag.
Yea they also did not seem to enjoy another headphone that you and I recently bought. Josh downright hated it, and DMS said he wanted to spend more time with the dampening out of the headphone.
I caught onto that one immediately. He had mentioned the mids just weren’t there… I definitely don’t have that problem like at all lol. Granted yes, it’s very very warm. Granted is it worth $1k? Hell if I know honestly. I am not very experienced with that price tier bracket of sound.
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Fidelio X3 250$
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lol a sale already? That was fast. I won’t touch it till it goes under Sundaras price tag, of which Sundara is $250 open box mint.
Sundara is $274 Open box, with the $25 off coupon (for purchases of $299 or more)… still a hell of a deal imo.
I also got the $99 deal on the X2HR. Gave them away pretty quick — loved them for the price, just wasn’t reaching for them over other headphones I had. And had a friend who liked bass quantity more than I do! I can’t see spending even $200 for the X3; but I’d be very happy to be wrong — would want to hear them to be shown wrong though. Not a reviewer out there I would trust on the matter.
depends where you look on that one man. Headphones.com when they have it up for open box(they don’t right now) is at $250 and alternatively buying off other people you can definitely get it at $250.
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You seem to always find better pricing than I can — mad skills, thanks.
I should have consulted with you before buying the open box Ananda… !
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Is going down.
Fidelio X3. 219.29$
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0884XTXS8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9xyJFbDAZAVSG
I love the SHP9500, for me Philips makes simply the best headphones. I like that the bass response is neutral or even a bit subdued, it’s short, crispy and not very punchy. I’m a programmer I listem to music 6-10 hours a day, many times looping the same track dozens of times. I really I don’t like V shape sound signatures, moast of the popular consumer headphones bass make my ears hurt. I got used to low bass, rich mids headphones and Philips, in my opinion, are the best.
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Is the 9600 just as detailed as the 9500? Because my 9500 has zero details. Even my koss porta pro sounds better. the only thing good about them is soundstage and imaging for the price
may not have them fully powered… they aren’t detail champs for sure but the 9500 does have more detail retrieval than 9600 naturally this is due to the fact that 9600 is more of a warm signature while 9500 is the brighter signature… as such with treble adds levels of detail
regardless, the 9500 can sound essentially the same as 9600 through a simple pad swap… meanwhile 9600 has the issue with inverted pad adapters and to my knowledge still is incapable of proper pad swapping
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OK, I’m on my second pair of the X3 this week, and both have acted the same way. Which makes me think I’m missing something about attaching the cable. Either I have no sound, or only one channel works, quietly. Tried both cables. Tried other cables I have at home that are similar connections and they are the only ones I get any sound out of. Is it a bad batch from the factory? Or am I missing something? Like, there’s a small black “ring” around the outer connector on the cable that almost looks like it comes off. Almost. Does it? Is this the reason I get no sound? AAAAHHHH!!!
Upon further review…There is a barely legible L & R on the connectors to the cans, and if they’re not in the proper sides there’s no sound. Exciting.
Do you have a multimeter at home so you could see how the Pinout is?
Because of how you did describe it it sounds like they don’t use the normal tip sleeve Pinout
Nope, don’t have one. Like my edit says, apparently the cable has to be used one way. And I’m assuming it’s some proprietary thing that is the only one that works with the cans. I have a couple of different cables I use with my Hifiman 400i and they look like the same kind of pins as the Fidelio cables, but they don’t work right at all. The sound isn’t terrible now that I have them working. I do get what people are complaining about with them, brighter than the old X2. But I can deal with that.
@Falenkor I saw earlier in this thread that you stated your ears were touching the insides of the pads for the X3 and that someone with taller ears would likely not find them comfortable. I’ve been looking at the X3s and I was curious on how tall your ears are? That way I could compare them to mine and see if they might be a good fit.
On a second note, if the X3s fit my ears, I am able to get them for about $135. A while back I had commented on your competitive headphone guide and you recommended the K702. I know both of these headphones are known for having large soundstages and that the K702 has some imaging issues but also that the X3 seemed to improve on imaging with good gear. I have a Schit Fulla E, and was curious between the two which one would you advise? I play OW2 mainly with some Apex, Fortnite, Hunt, and Destiny 2 PvP mixed in there. I currently use SHP 9500s with the Brainwavz XL Microsuede Gaming Pads (the stock were too itchy, I didn’t mind the treble of the SHP with the Fulla, just couldn’t stand the pads). I also plan on getting an SMSL C200 in the future.
I don’t really feel up to placing my ear sizes on here lol. I would just measure your own and measure up to whether or not they are “average” ranged… as mine are a good amount above the average for size and protrusions(hence the issues I have with headphones like sennheiser). The pads aren’t too bad on the X3 there though… they are bigger than many I tried but my ears rubbed against the inside of the pad and a part of the driver. Honestly I could have gotten over that if it wasn’t for the insanely bright sound… while I can’t verify on whether there is model variations the copy I got was even brighter than my beyers to the point as someone who loves bright headphones found it heavily sibilant worse than the Amiron Homes can be viewed… Does not surprise me that the price on the headphone nose dived.
Not a bad price for them, provided they have a return policy its definitely worth checking them out.
hard gamble. Personally, if there is variation in models and you can get a copy thats tolerable… probably the X3 since it has tighter imaging and more presence in those highs to really capture competitive gaming sounds but as far as ‘comfortable’ listening goes… I gotta hand that crown to k702 by a long shot for me personally… pads are larger but a bit less deep, mods exist to tinker the headphones, k702 can make use of an mini-xlr 3 pin - 3.5mm conversion and use a v-moda microphone among other things… Fulla will be fine for either as X3 is 30 impedance so it doesn’t need a lot of power just a good source that isn’t crap for the most part same for the 702
Haven’t had the 9500 in what feels like ages… Gave mine to a buddy after I modded it to hell alongside some ZMF suedes on it lol. However, 9500 doesn’t really have a treble problem if were comparing this against the X3… as the X3’s treble presence when I had tried it is like dialing it up to 11… in other words its extremely noticeable, very sharp, and very presently forward
Good unit, just not a fan of those units that are more on the sterile/reference side of things like SMSL and THX units
I didn’t realize they were that bright, in your review I got the impression they matched the Beyers. In that case I might not even look their way. I do have some treble sensitivity, not tons but a bit for sure.
Turns out my ears are average height, I always though they were tall.
With the issue of the X3 brightness taken into account, do the K702’s image better than the SHP9500’s? If not, or it’s not much better than the 9500’s, then based on the games I listed, are there any other recommendations you would give for under $200. I just mainly want to improve on imaging. I have tried my brother in laws Tygr and found that a bit too much bass for my liking, at least for competitive gaming.
Any suggestions on ones you like?
seeing how likely there could be unit variations where the signature is different per model, at the price mentioned provided if there is a return policy I will still say that it is worth a trial run to see what you think… especially since everyone hears very differently so results vary dramatically on a by-person basis.
I had to do this same thing yeah lol, mine are above average unfortunately it makes it a bit harder to find things that are more comfortable for me personally.
9500s are fairly basic across the board, they don’t really excel in any one area for a gamer but are just a cheap option entry level especially once modified. K702 is more refined and does image better varying on the games it plays as that larger soundstage can absolutely be a hinderance or a benefit… depending on the game played as well as the person playing that game
If I had to choose between 702 vs 9500 though… I would absolutely go with 702… and in the event of somehow as mentioned above unit variations and the like with the X3 I would take the X3 over the other two cause it’s not bad whatsoever outside of its treble issues granted as far as ‘comfortable’ listening to my own personal preferences… it lacks quite a bit in the bass department compared to its previous model the x2hr however, x2hr was bass bloated and bled quite a bit. I know quite a few who do really enjoy the X3 so it’s a small gamble
That is my biggest issue with the tygrs personally and why I typically encourage a bit of EQ with the tygr or find another model like the dt 880s respectively if you want a beyer performance that is proper sounding for a competitive environment… Tygrs issues are the bass and the sunk in mids… however, it’s still one of the best budget jack of all trades gaming headphones I do have to give it that especially in the case of its speaker like sound and imaging
This really comes down to preference, but as somebody who regularly uses brighter headphones I find that bright headphone + sterile amp tends to = sibilance in many of my songs and games so I usually try to look for amps that lean a bit on the warmer side of things such as Schiit, Monoprice, Ifi, some cases of Aune, etc again it’s absolutely a preference pick just keeping in mind that amps do tend to be different in their sound respectively. For me personally, I still rely on my liquid platinum for a lot of my sounds though I have a few other amps in house that are much more expensive these days lol. Liquid plat consistently plummets in price down to like $300-$400 even though its around a $600-$700 hybrid tube amplifier. As far as the more neutral reference grades there… SMSL and Topping are still very good for that. At the $200 mark I definitely preferred IFI’s zen stack or schiits asgard 3