Philips Fidelio X2: a new favourite

I gush all about the now months-old Fidelio X2 over at headfonia. But that's only because Lieven gave me express orders to talk sound.

“The question I keep asking myself is: “is what I hear closer to a traditional 2,1 set up, or not?” While I’ve not settled on an answer, I can say that the X2 does stereo well enough to melt me into my drinking chair. What’s left of my normal face becomes what my wife describes as ‘stupid lips’. ‘Stupid lips’ are an unfortunate inherited trait, but they denote fully satisfied (and often slightly tipsy) Nathan.

The X2 is a headphone I could listen to for days upon days upon days. And yet it’s neither droll, nor stultifying like some headphones often touted as fatigue-free. They just cut contrasty corners off; the X2 opens the mids wide and smooth, preserving the most important contrast. ”