Upgrade path from Fidelio X2 / HD600

I think LCD2's were originally $1k. Then last boxing day they were selling b-stocks for $500 and used prices have tanked since. I've seen a few scrape by under $400.

 

Don't take it personally. This is a snarky place and people get protective of the signal/noise ratio when there are already "general advice" threads floating around... but yours was a well thought out question and you provided plenty of background information to highlight your preferences. So even though this could have gone into one of the general threads, I don't see the harm in yours here.

 

The LCD-2 might be just the thing - however that will require some good amplification. Out of the left field, perhaps the Nighthawks? Not an upgrade, but for me it is the bastard child between the HD600 family and the Fidelio X2. People either love it or hate it, but might be the fun sound you are looking for: natural probably, definitely not neutral. The soundstage is not as big as on the X2, but less grainy sounding and tighter bass.

 

Hmm the Nighthawk isn't bad actually. If you go that route, make sure you get it with the newer pads though. They are a significant improvement over the old ones.

 

Which pads do you recommend and it what way do those offer improvements?

 

There are only two pads, the original ones and the new "ultrasuede". The new ones sound better and remove some of the fuzziness and from memory a bit of treble peak.

 

Have to see if can get some to try.

 

So I've had a couple headphones come in over the last couple days, the DT1990 and Amiron from beyer and I decided to give the HD650 a shot (previously had the HD600). I've not yet formed opinions on the three, one thing I learned quickly though is that the Fidelio X2 is not nearly as good as I thought it was. I fell in love with the low end and it's easy to adjust to the weaknesses in the headphones, but when paired against any of the three I got in those weaknesses are pretty obvious.

I don't know that any of these three are what I'm looking for, but what I do know is the X2 definitely needs a replacement (which I already knew but now I really know)

 

You know... if you're gonna go for the experience, you might as well get in on part of the "old school" trio and try the Beyer DT880 and AKG K612pro. I believe the Amiron is the new T90 successor, but the 9# family has always been somewhat shrill while the 8## family is smoother. People will also say the AKG 7## is the one to try, but the 612 is secretly better. Granted, the AKG is nowhere near what you were asking for sonically.

 

I have the Fidelio X2 and the Senn 650. Out of the phone jack I prefer the X2 both for sound and convenience of moving around but even with modest amplification such as Vali, the Senns sound better. As others said before, make sure you have the best amplification you can to judge the 650'.

And for an upgrade path from here, I think I am happy with those 2 and I don't have much itch for other headphones. To get better sound, you pay exponentially for logarithmic improvement. I don't see the point of systems costing as much as a car, but this is just my heretical point of view.

 

Keep the X2 for casual listening. Philips knows how to engineer a headphone to sound fun. Think of the legendary N6330.

Whatever upgrade headphone you choose, invest in a source and amplification improvement. Even the Schiit Stack is a good option at good value. Trust your ears and ignore price tags. If an HD650 sounds better than an HD800 (S or modified!) so be it.

The headphone that enables you to enjoy music regardless of genre for at least two albums or more tends to be suited for you. That is my experience.

 

Well there appears to be a general disdain for Chord products on here, but...

The first priority for me is to be able to move around the house with my headphones so the first purchase towards amplification was the Chord Mojo, which should be here tomorrow. I'll admit to reading the Chord Mojo thread on here and being a little freaked out by it, hopefully I'll get a good copy. If I like it well enough I'll keep it and use it as my 'move around the house' setup. I'll add a desktop rig soon as funds allow, but will want to spend a lot more there and want to have my headphones chosen first so I can find a good match.

Of the headphones I have in hand at the moment I'm having a difficult time choosing between the Amiron and DT 1990 but am leaning toward the latter, I have a set of LCD-2 on the way that arrive next week. I know none of the gear I have on hand is geed enough to get the best out of any of these, but also don't want to buy a desktop setup that may not be wall matched with the cans of my choice so am in a tough spot. Ayre is right up the road from me and they've agreed to let me borrow a Codex which I pick up tomorrow, hopefully that will be good enough to do better headphone evaluation.

Thanks again to everyone for all the advice