Philips Fidelio X3/00 Hi-Res Audio X3 Headband, Black

Bought these by user reviews , NOT on so called professional reviews on youtube etc, let me give you some background first. I have listened and owned in the past Philips X2, Sennheiser, 580, 600, 650 and 660, Beyers DT 880, 990, Amiron, 1990, T1 first gen, AKG 701, 02 and 12 and K812, various Grados up to the PS2000e, Stax SR202, Lambda signature with tube energiser plus others of varying quality but those are the models i think most headphone enthusiasts will be familiar with. Iam running these through Amazon Music HD into my Audiolab M-DAC via USB Furtech cable and then into my Zen can amplifier and using the balanced connection into the X3's. Iam not using the 3D or X bass function on the Zen can just straight balanced connection using a 2.5mm to 4.4mm pentacon adaptor into the Zen can on 6DB gain. Build quality is excellent, i love the fabric covering as it brings a touch of class to the understated look on these, and yes the heady smell of real leather on the headband, responsibly sourced as well. Cable length is long but i find no negative in that as i do all my listening at home and not on the move, these are not really for portable use. Comfort is very high, ear pads are soft and plush and cossetting, clamp force is quite strong but i find that reassuring, and the issue about the pads riding up under the elasticated band pressure is not something i have encountered. Now onto the sound :) big smile from me as these IMHO are truly superb, sound like a cross between the sennheiser 650 for warmth and mid range and the AKG K712 with its soundstage and bass, using the best bits from both of those and a smattering of qualities from others, these throw a very wide soundstage with superb separation and imaging, these rival the Beyerdynamic T1 for pin point laser guided rock steady imaging, reminding me of them in certain aspects. Open airy with warmth, bass is excellent, not sure where the negative reviews are coming from with regard to the bass on these, not quite X2 territory but VERY close, soundstage is very wide, imaging is superb, vocals upfront and realistic with lots of "body" much like the Sennheiser 600 series, treble is in no way harsh and the sibilance that has been mentioned before by reviewers on these for female vocals iam not hearing on my 55 year old ears. Treble is detailed and airy with cymbals not having that splashy quality but more tactile and realistic. The levels of clarity these produce is astonishing very much like the Grado PS1000e but better than those in all areas. The bottom line is am i happy with this new purchase, YES! Definitely one of the best if not the best i have heard, a superb balanced headphone that does everything right with outstanding qualities in Soundstage, warmth and imaging. Just wanted to add that like other reviewers these do need running in, out of the box they sounded slightly muddy as others have said but after 30 or so hours have transformed into a beautiful butterfly, stick with them , don't judge them immediately. I'm always surprised why manufacturers don't run their headphones in on a test bench before shipping them out, Philips are not the only ones to be fair, AKG are notorious for burning in, just an observation. UPDATE AUGUST 2022 Having lived with these cans for over a year now, these have been my go to headphones I keep coming back to having added other sets to my collection like Grado RS1, HiFi man Sundara , and a few more and the X3 have seen off all the competition , the sound definitely improves with extended break in, I do think there is some snobbery in the headphone Hi Fi world from more established makers and reviewers as to how could Philips make such a great sounding headphone? (How Josh Valour came to his conclusions in his YouTube review is beyond me , all I think is he had a suspect pair or was not burnt in).That's all I'm going to say but my advice would be let your ears be the best judge.....

I have used these headphones for a couple of years and I have been extremely pleased with them. They replaced a pair of X2HR and offer a different listening experience. Both are good - but the X3 just has the edge. I use them with an Echo Dot 3rd generation and this pairing sounds way better than it has any right to- an unexpected sonic treat! You really can’t go wrong with these headphones at the price. Five stars for performance and value.

Bought used and will be for casual home listening so not really bothered about sound leakage. Negative points are cables which look very cheap and the storage bag being made of cheap material which would be useless for protecting the headphone.If one looks at the similarly priced M50X for instance this is what quality should be expected. On the positive side these are comfortable to wear and light and generally well made if a little utilitarian in appearance.Sound and Soundstage are also good at this price point. Altogether I am happy with these headphones but some may think they are slightly overpriced as even if they are compared with the Fidelio X2 it seems to be quite a big price difference when looking at what you get for the extra money.

Full retail price of the Philips Fidelio X3 is £300 and around this price there are a number of good, but different, sounding over ear open back headphones. I really like the sound of the X3's, as they are slightly on the bright side and quite dynamic sounding. However, some people spending around £300 might prefer the smooth refined sound of the £400ish Beyerdynamic Amiron or the £350ish HiFiMan Sundara, both of which I have owned and not liked as much as the X3's, both of which I found uncomfortable to listen to for any length of time. Headphones are a very personal choice, probably more so than any other hifi component, but for home listening at the Amazon discounted price of £175 I don't really think there is any other headphone that comes close for comfort and sound. These are very comfortable, which I think is essential for long term listening. I'm very happy with my purchase!

Superb sound and comfort

The sound is fine， It has quite a large soundstage and good instruments separation However，i still prefer enjoying music on my tin hifi p1 The pad is too hot，the wire is stupid long，the headphone is too big，and it is not friendly to people who wear glasses lots of the sound is coming out the back of headphones（it is an open back design，people really need to consider this before buy it） I think it doesn‘t worth 300 pound，only worth 150pound or even less

Now these have dropped in price they are really the very best you can purchase in this price range. I have a bit of a headphone fetish, mainly due to my Wife's dislike of loud music. I really don't know if 'burn in' is a genuine concept or just more audio bulls##t but after just a few days use they really do sound extremely close to my reference, the Beyer DT1990pro ..... maybe the treble is a tiny bit shrill sometimes, but that maybe my ears. Build quality is excellent. Personally I would never purchase headphones with a plastic yoke. I feel this is one area that metal is a must. Considering their superb build they are extremely light weight. Comfort wise they are good for hours of continuous use, with my ears only getting slightly warm. Anyhow they are a fantastic bargain - get them, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Great sound super build quality Lovely materials and used with a dragonfly red super sound - easy to drive also - but they are open so leak sound

My Fidelio L2s were my daily cans. My L2s are my value kings and I love them. They have excellent detail, good soundstage and bass. Was going to pull the trigger on the X2s but decided to hold out for the X3s and glad I did. There cans are neutral. Your not going to get a ton of bass - it is there when the track calls for it - and its detailed and textured, not muddy, bloomy or bleed into the mids bass. The midrange is upfront and centred, not in your face, but definitely not recessed. Treble detail is high, airy, clean, wonderful, but yes, borderline a touch too much, however I have sat down with these for hours and never get fatigued. The X3s are soooo good. So detailed with a soundstage the size of a bus. If you love detail youll love these, but its not dry. Thank you Phillips for brining such great sound at such little cost. These easily compare to $1K cans.

Philips Fidelio X3/00 Hi-Res Audio X3, Much confort on the head. I first used it with the realtek audio card chip in my mother board but sound was not that great. Then I used it together with the Creative Sound Blaster Play! 4 DAC USB Portable High Resolution and the sound is excellent. Great headset. There is also no latency in game (I use a 240 Hz screen). Recommended.

Nach einer kurzen Einspielzeit legte der Fidelio X3 sehr gut los. Ob im Bass, Mitten, oder in den Höhen. Die versprochenen 5 bis 40.000 Hz nehme ich ihm ab. Da wird nichts verfälscht. Keine Beschneidung der Höhen und auch keine Überbetonung im Bassbereich wie es heute ja unnötigerweise bei anderen Herstellern so üblich ist. Durch die schöne Abstimmung, eben ohne beschnittene Höhen, wird eine realistische breite Bühne erzeugt. Ob das feine Schlagen des Beckens von Ian Moslay, oder die Spielfreude von Pete Trewavas am Bass und Steve Rothery an der e-Gitarre von Marillion in den Alben "F.E.A.R. oder An Houer Befor It's Dark, oder die Live- Konzerte mit dem Klassikorchester". Es wird alles erstaunlich gut wiedergegeben. Alle Instrumente sind zu vernehmen in einer schöhnen breiten Bühne. Stimmen werden realistisch wiedergegeben. Der Tragekompfort ist etwas fester, aber dafür hält der KH auch gut. Schnelles verrutschen ist so nicht möglich. Die Ohrpolster sind angenehm weich. Ein Schwitzen unter dem KH konnte ich nicht beobachten. Durch die 30 Ohm auch am Handy, oder der Soundkarte vom Laptop, gut zu betreiben. Einzig das mitgelieferte Kabel, was über einen 3,5 mm Klinkenanschluß mit Adapter auf 6,3 mm besitzt, ist für mich nicht die beste Wahl von Philips gewesen. Durch die wohl so qualitativ hochwertig wirken sollende Gewebewandverkleidung ist das Kabel einfach zu steif / unflexibel. Aber ist Jammern auf hohem Niveau. Der X3 braucht sich nicht zu verstecken. Da sind KHs im Bereich von 1.000 EUR unausgewogener und deutlich schlechter im persönlichem Hörempfinden. Der AKG 702 ist in der selben Preisklasse und vielleicht subjektiv etwas Spielfreudiger. Man sollte beide mal ausprobieren. Fazit: Zu dem Preis einfach nur gut.

I was looking for some new home headphones and found a great deal for these headphones. They are super comfortable and made of great quality materials. The sound is really smooth - slightly warm - and makes you want to keep listening to more music. I’d really recommend these as high quality but reasonably priced Hi-Fi headphones.

Estos Fidelio tienen una relación calidad precio increíble. Los materiales son preciosos, y se ven Premium. Son cómodos y no fatigan. Tumbado no permite mucha movilidad por su tamaño. En cuanto al sonido, dan mucho detalle y una escena muy amplia, a este precio no he probado nada que se acerque. Los encuentro muy equilibrados. Al tratarse de un auricular abierto, se oye el audio por fuera y no me parece adecuado para uso en exterior pues no aísla los ruidos ambientales. Me parecen muy disfrutones. No aptos para quien busque sonidos saturados.