I will start to enter the Rezi here the general euphoria and despite the 4 star rating a little antithesis, and quite deliberately - and I have some headphones of the upper class and top class at home, which can loosely take on this here not only because they are high-priced.
First of all were the older HiFi freaks among us, for the HiFi or even high end always good sounding words and still are. Despite that currently all HiFi magazines seem to agree as never before:
20 years ago, these headphones would be flunked here tonally pure and simple. During this time it was frowned upon when an amplifier peddled a Loudness switch, let alone this one would also be used. Ruler Smooth frequency responses were announced, a possible "life-like" playback, unadulterated - "as close to the original." If the reader something worth looking, can definitely of this handset fingers.
And now the opposite pole: When the young readership what David Guetta left has (I am running just 4 years old, and therefore from today's perspective the fast pace already strongly dusty song by Guetta feat Kelly Rowland "It's The Way You Love Me" -. continuous loop), so if you like to loves the appropriate club atmosphere, like extremely loud levels loves without ears even have any reason to "do that from" yelling, comes excellent clear to the listener. I do not know (!) Handset with which you and this completely painless because completely undistorted (and thus just healthy) can be so loud to hear such loud levels. Absolutely impressive.
The headphones would, after all, what I may call my own actually split the world. How come?
A AKG K702 (or the comparable AKG K701) has certainly a different audience of listeners "in the ear" ("eye" can not very well write) as this listener here and reflect both listeners excellent changing of listening habits within the last two decades resist.
If too much of the X1 does not bother to Bass, you can hear the Fidelio completely stress-free music. There is nothing, absolutely nothing that could upset. The AKG K702 unthinkable. I have already written the K702 that this handset reveals any bad recording mercilessly - you do not want to hear bad stuff with the K702. With the X1 no problem - each even the compressed material is blown away with force from the cellar.
No wonder - Philips sets a 50mm driver one, one for headphones have extremely large membrane (I think only the Sony XB-1000 is 70mm and thus even larger diaphragm a). Result - the bass performance is striking. As well deep bass is even available, but my SONY MDR Z-1000 lower frequencies can still punchy but play with a lot more punch. The X1 here has tubby, rich and rather soft bass. The K702? ... Is often perceived as flat, basses deep, come absolutely without force, but bone dry.
The centers are clearly superficial when AKG K702, and the Fidelio puts something in the background. Oups, not quite right: Chris Jones deep voice with "No Sanctuary Here" comes with the X1 rather directly to the ear. Alison Krauss but has the X1 at a disadvantage. Her voice has a slightly puffy down rum, the higher tones are clearly withdrawn. And yet - both voices can the K702 significantly better. This discipline has the SONY MDR Z-1000 still better here although it also operates under control as of Fidelio with a 50mm driver.
The highest frequency positions are always a bit tricky. Each one Beyerdynamik previously preferred (eg, the DT-990 Edition) will immediately say: The Philips sounds dull. Each of the rather withdrawn gait above rum loves (like me) to the heights of Beyers too narrow too aggressive and also here, depending on the audio material (such as a church organ in the Dresden Frauenkirche) myself the crystal-clear K702 already sometimes too annoying. The Philips has, as indeed for the Z-1000 SONY by the size of the membrane here principally disadvantages when it comes to precision. The concept is both listeners clear that physics can not outwit, because high frequencies means extremely fast movements of the diaphragm and the greater mass of the membrane will be accelerated now. Since we currently available strong neodymium magnets help though - but it is not enough. Both the SONY as well as the Fidelio lacks conciseness, liveliness. Too much of it sounds again "analytic" or "ultra precise". This may be the AKG excellent - only the white widerum not appreciate each ear.
The "full" sound:
The Fidelio offers first principle in that it sounds brutal pleasant. "Brutal" because he comes with force from the basement and "nice" because as already emphasized absolutely nothing disruptive. He has to offer an incredible wow factor for "modern", bass-driven listening which at first glance, for example, when multimedia distributors around the corner at the Kopfhörerbar which offers perhaps decisive buying advantage. I have already stressed in several places in Amazon that it is not on a "slick", "lifelike" today and so as close to the original lying reproduction of the sound arrives. Interested parties decide today rather on whether the sound is initially perceived as pleasant. Here is the Philips and full points.
A SONY MDR Z-1000 is similar to Philips. It can also bass, not as plump as the Philips but with considerably more punch. He is a Represented the closed guild, I know for my ears no "better" bass reproduction. He has almost the spatiality of Philips, for a closed listeners a very good result. He is also still unbeatable on any mobile device. No one can be so loud as he set at selbiger volume on the smartphone or MP3 player. The efficiency is unbeatable. The direct consequence: The SONY loses when it gets louder as it unfortunately tends straight in the middle range and for complex musical passages to lose track. He lacks control. He is, as well as the Fidelio, not necessarily suitable for the discerning classical music.
Beethoven's Fidelio is heard best with the AKG. None of the listener (and no one else in the house) achieved this madness spaciousness offered by the AKG. Since literally goes to the world. No one can cast better, nobody brings, provided appropriate music, the bass as accurate as gnarled over this handset but it is all to no impact. Fun, as fun is now understood by the young audience, does not provide this handset - club atmosphere, the AKG simply do not. But I hear in acoustic music played with steel strings each oscillation, at a Brushes each thread, the plucking of strings - a poem. All this comes at Fidelio under a little. With a banjo or a metallic sounding Dobro the necessary hardness is missing, thus acts too soft and the SONY get the point not very clean with the Fidelio. But: When I have the bass AKG in the combo unfortunately sometimes looking (very present at SONY, very succinctly when Philips). The accuracy of the K702 taken aback, but sometimes even seems almost a little chilly because too analytical. And as I said, bad recordings are exposed mercilessly, get rid of it (even if you like the music!). Alternatively, the AKG be no time at zero applied to mobile devices. It demands more like even more - namely a decent headphone amplifier.
If a split-tone Conclusion: All three listeners "can" in their own way, for their area of application, for their audience. However, the Philips can one safely say of himself: For his sound, he is among the best the market has to offer and that an open receiver, since it can combine a lot of bass with a good space.
Stay the other properties - and as the Philips competition draws in the same price range and beyond to simply and which:
Comfort: touchdown - finished - outstanding. He has a slightly elevated but not yet unpleasant pressure. This must be so because of the higher weight. The AKG K702 works on my head monstrous, the pressure is gernger, he sits on the ear is also very good, albeit on my head a ticking to lapprig. No problem with the Philips is the headband.
Processing: A AKG K702 is already processed great, the Z-1000 as well but the Philips sets despite the lower price again gained a lot. If you ever have somewhere may complain: The inner edge of the retaining ring for the ears could be a little less sharp.
Cable: very good for two reasons: It is exchanged, since fortunately stink-normal 3.5mm Klinkenanschuss present on the shell. Although Philips does not supply (short) 3.5mm jack cable, there are quite ordinary goods in accessories - and ran enjoy the good MP3 player and so music on the couch. At louder MP3 players Philips can quite well, at SAMSUNG smartphone may already be one or the other to the ticking softly. The Philips is not efficiency miracle. The supplied cable is of very good quality sound, the cable of SONY (even this has a 3.5mm Klinkenaschluss on the earcup) sets but still sound up a gear.
Only to complain about would be the Philips nor the default mounted 6.3mm jack with the then very large and bulky adapter to the 3.5 mm jack. I stand by my opinion: the 3,5er connection should be standard and then a 6,3er connection is screwed. The can itself if at all only sound at a high-end system to Tick Tick worse. So Tip: A good 3.5mm / 3.5mm jack cable to buy (eg of Oehlbach, cable Direct)
Philips is in general very good progress with the Fidelio series. High-end is not the X1 but.
Alternative is not raised by my Sennheiser HD-558th It can, in my opinion sound "balanced" and more precisely, is cheaper but unfortunately also processed significantly worse (cheaper materials). Although I have a HD-600 in the house, which runs but because of his age (over 15 years, it was one of the first) out of competition, as it is now soft-played.
In sum: good 4 stars.
Greeting, Rounder6
