HeadphoneOverreview

Philips Fidelio X2HR

Name: Philips Fidelio X2HR
Brand: Philips

The cheap open-back with a huge stage and a treble nobody can agree on — now discontinued, and still arguing.

59 sourcesUpdated 2026-09-25

$165Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

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The short version

What to know.

A big, efficient open-back that measures close to target: more low-bass extension than most open dynamics, a shallow 2–4 kHz dip and a peak near 5 kHz. Reviewers broadly agree on a very wide soundstage (wide rather than deep), lively dynamics, no isolation, easy drive from a phone and strong value at its long-time $100–150 price. Most of the rest is disputed. Tonality splits between near-neutral, warm-and-fun and poorly tuned V; the bass reads as punchy and well extended to most and as muddy mid-bass to a critical minority; the treble is bright or grainy to the largest group, smooth to others and dull to a few; the mids are an even split between natural and scooped. Imaging, detail, comfort (heavy, with clamp that some find high) and build (solid metal, but fragile cup pins for some owners and uneven channel matching) are contested too. Philips has discontinued it, and newer budget open-backs compete at its current price.

About this product

Open-back, 50 mm angled dynamic over-ear. The X2HR is the 'Hi-Res' reissue of the 2014 Fidelio X2 (itself the successor of the X1): the same frame and driver design, sold without a mic, with a single-sided detachable 3.5 mm cable. Most X2 impressions carry over, though a few owners of both hear the HR as brighter. Launched near $300, it sold for $100–150 for years; Philips now lists it as discontinued, and remaining stock runs about $165. Not the X1 or the later X3. Units vary in left/right balance, so some of the disagreement below is about different samples.

Philips's Fidelio X2HR is a large open-back dynamic over-ear, the 'Hi-Res' reissue of the 2014 Fidelio X2 that InnerFidelity once put on its Wall of Fame beside the Sennheiser HD 600. Sold for years at $100–150, its metal frame, self-adjusting hammock headband and unusually wide stage made it the reflexive 'fun open-back' recommendation for music, films and games.

It has also been argued over for a decade. Measurements put it close to the Harman target with more low-bass extension than an HD 600 and a peak near 5 kHz, yet listeners describe the same headphone as neutral, as a warm V, as grainy and harsh, and as veiled. Left/right balance varies between units, and Philips has now stopped making it.

A good fit for

Listeners who want a very wide, speaker-like stage for films, atmospheric music and single-player games
People who want an open-back that runs well from a phone, laptop or console controller without an amp
EQ users: it measures close to target, and presets from oratory1990 and others tame the 5 kHz peak (the grain can remain)
Anyone who wants more low-bass extension than most open dynamic headphones offer
Buyers who can find remaining stock on sale from a seller with easy returns

Think twice if

You're treble-sensitive and don't want to EQ — the largest group of listeners hears it as bright or grainy
You need precise positional imaging for competitive FPS, since the stage is wide but shallow
You have a small head, or dislike clamp and weight — it is 380 g and some find the clamp high
You want something built to be dropped, or official spare pads — the cup pins can snap and Philips doesn't sell pads
You need isolation or listen around other people
You can only buy at full price with no return option, given the channel-balance variation between units

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

8 / 12topics divide opinion

1 Strong agreement3 Mostly agree8 Divided opinions

Common ground6

A very wide, open, speaker-like left-right soundstage, conceded even by critics, though it is wide rather than deep.
Measures close to the Harman target through the bass and mids, with more low-bass extension than most open dynamics and a peak near 5 kHz.
Easy to drive from a phone or laptop (30 Ω, 100 dB/mW), but it gains little from a better amplifier.
Open-back: no isolation and free leakage both ways, so it suits home or desk use only.
The stock 3 m cable is stiff and microphonic, but it's a standard 3.5 mm single-sided lead that's easy to replace.
Strong value at its long-time $100–150 street price; it is now discontinued, and remaining stock costs more.

Points of contention8

Tonality: near-neutral to about half, warm and fun to a third, a poorly tuned grainy V to a critical fifth.
Bass: punchy and well extended to most; muddy mid-bass to a critical minority, which the graphs trace to distortion and the 60 Hz resonance rather than the FR.
Mids: an even split between flat and natural, and slightly recessed or scooped.
Treble: bright, peaky or grainy to the largest group; smooth to a second; dull to a few, partly depending on the unit.
Imaging: good for music to most reviewers; vague and weak for competitive FPS to a sizeable minority.
Detail: clean and detailed for the price, or musical but short of transparency next to its rivals.
Comfort: comfortable for hours to most; heavy with high clamp to a real minority, including more Amazon owners than not on clamping force.
Build: premium metal that lasts years for most; channel-imbalance and fragile cup pins for an unlucky minority.

A closer listen.

12 topics · 8 divided

Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Choose a topic

Tonality

Leans positiveDivided opinions

Reviewer sentiment18 supporting sources

CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split three ways. About half, most of the measurers among them, hear a balanced, near-neutral tuning close to the Harman curve. About a third hear a warm, fun, slightly bottom-heavy or mildly V-shaped signature that is enjoyable rather than reference. A critical fifth, led by Resolve's ranking, hears a poorly tuned, grainy V. The split follows the treble more than the bass.

Measured

Nine X2HR rigs and InnerFidelity's 2014 X2 agree on the shape. Against oratory1990's Harman over-ear target it sits within ~1 dB from 40 Hz to 2 kHz, is about −6 dB at 20–40 Hz (the usual open-back roll-off), −1.7 dB at 2–4 kHz and +1.5 dB at 4–6 kHz, with a peak near 5.2 kHz about 4 dB over target. Against an HD 600 or HD 6XX on the same rig, eight rigs show +3 to +7 dB below 80 Hz, a level 100–500 Hz and, on seven of them, 1.5–3.7 dB less at 2–4 kHz. RTINGS labels it 'Flat'.

vs. listeners — The graphs support 'near-neutral' through the bass and mids. The 'V' reading comes from the extra low bass (relative to other open-backs) and the 5 kHz peak over a shallow 2–4 kHz dip, not from a mid-bass hump. Channel imbalance on some units adds to the spread.

Where it splits

Balanced and near-neutral — close to the Harman target through the bass and mids.52%

“Response more or less hugs our target preference curve from 40 Hz to 4 kHz or so.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)

Warm, fun and slightly V-shaped or bottom-heavy — engaging rather than reference.31%

“If anything, the balance is slightly bottom-heavy, but you can’t fault the X2s’ taut, tuneful and controlled quality.”
What Hi-Fi? (Fidelio X2 review)

A poorly tuned, grainy V-shape.18%

“V-shaped. Grain Silo”
Resolve (Headphones.com ranking list)

Link to this topic

Treble

Leans criticalDivided opinions

Reviewer sentiment27 supporting sources

CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split three ways. The largest group, including ASR, Resolve and most critical owners, hears a peaky, bright or grainy treble that turns sibilant or harsh on some tracks. A second group, including DIY-Audio-Heaven and Headfonia, hears it as smooth and non-fatiguing. A few owners hear it as dull, recessed or veiled. The peak-over-dip response explains the first two readings, and unit variation and a lower treble on some samples explain the third.

Measured

Eight rigs put the presence peak at 4.6–5.8 kHz, 2–5 dB above an HD 600 at 4–6 kHz on most of them. ASR finds 'a set of jagged peaks' starting with the worst at 5.3 kHz, and DIY-Audio-Heaven sees a 5.5 kHz resonance in its decay plots. Above ~8 kHz the rigs disagree widely (−6 to +8 dB against an HD 600 at 10–16 kHz). DIY-Audio-Heaven measures −3 dB near 14 kHz. InnerFidelity's X2 shows a 'substantial notch' at 5–9 kHz that Philips said was a deliberate tuning target.

vs. listeners — All three camps have a basis in the graphs. The 5 kHz peak explains 'bright/sibilant', the dip above it and the early top-octave roll-off explain 'dull', and a unit with a lower treble or a channel imbalance (several rigs show 2–3 dB L/R differences at 4–6 kHz or above) can sound different from the next. 'Grain' is a separate complaint from level: owners who tame the peak with EQ report that the grain remains.

Where it splits

Bright, peaky or grainy — sharp or sibilant on some voices and tracks.63%

“Female vocals were annoying to listen as the sharpness would pierce your ear and then go away.”
Audio Science Review (amirm)

Smooth and non-fatiguing.26%

“Treble too is excellent, no sharpness, no sibilance, no coarse treble, not splashy, not ethereal.”
DIY-Audio-Heaven (solderdude)

Dull or recessed — short of air.11%

“On my unit, most of the treble sits below my flat target, giving it a warmer, duller presentation with a noticeable lack of air.”
Head-Fi (bucketbucket, 3.5★)

Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked 2026-09-25

Design

Type: Open-back over-ear
Drivers: 1 × 50 mm dynamic

Electrical

Impedance: 30 Ω
Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW≈ 115.2 dB/V
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 40 kHz

Connection

Cable: Detachable, single-entry, 3 mcommunity-sourced: cable entry
Connector: 3.5 mm
Plugs supplied: 3.5 mm, 6.35 mm

Physical

Weight: 380 g
Dimensions: 190 × 110 × 230 mm

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from documents.philips.com. Cable entry not published by the maker — community-sourced from hands-on reviews: diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com, pragmaticaudio.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 59

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of 2026-09-25

What to keep in mind 7

This reads the reviews as of September 2026. The X2HR dates from around 2016, the X2 it's based on from 2014, and Philips has since stopped making it, so remaining stock and prices will shift.
Several reviews quoted here are of the 2014 Fidelio X2. The design is the same, but a few owners of both hear the X2HR as a little brighter.
Left/right balance varies between units, and several measurers found audible mismatches, so two people can honestly describe different-sounding headphones. Buy somewhere with easy returns.
How bright, grainy, smooth or dull the treble sounds depends on your ears, your music, the unit and how loud you listen. Measurement rigs also disagree above about 8 kHz.
Amazon owners rate it 4.6 of 5, and Head-Fi's enthusiast reviewers average about 4.2 for the X2 and lower for the X2HR. Star ratings mostly come from people who chose to buy it, so they skew positive.
Many impressions are relative to the Sennheiser HD 600/650, the Philips SHP9500 and budget planars like the HE400se, rather than standalone.
Much of the praise assumes EQ (oratory1990's preset is widely used), and some of the criticism is explicitly of the stock tuning.

Where to buy Product & retailer links

Philips Fidelio X2HR Amazon

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