Review on 🎧 Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR Over-Ear Open-Air Headphone with 50mm Drivers (Black) + NeeGo Attachable Microphone - Ideal for Gaming and Communication by Young Toulson

Evaluating audio equipment is always difficult as it is very subjective. One's dirty junk is another's great bass response. So let me list what I'm comparing them to: 1. Apple AirPods (1st gen)2. Apple AirPods Pro3. Bowers and Wilkins P7 Wired Headphones These are my current/past "daily drivers" (pun intended), and while they're all different classes of headphones and in-ears, they form my foundation (I'll stop, I promise). the benchmark for how my music "should" sound. It's relatively neutral and doesn't emphasize anything, as good quality headphones should. a lot of. Now I fully expected that the Fidelio would lack some low performance. This is to be expected as it is an open design. In that regard, he did surprisingly well! The bottom was still there, even in some of my EDMs. What surprised me was how much of the lower *mid* was missing. The guitar, both electric and acoustic, had its guts ripped out. They've melted back into the mix and taken the warmth and power out of some of my favorite songs. What made me bring them back was that the mids and highs were overemphasized and took on a harsh, brittle, almost metallic tone. It was tiring to listen to. The female vocals in particular have gone from pleasant to annoying. I was also hoping that the Fidelio would appear stronger with the open back. I've listened to a few open Grados and the breadth of the soundstage was breathtaking. The Grados also lacked bass, but the sense of presence mostly made up for it. The Fidelio had a wider soundstage than my B&Ws, but not by much. It wasn't quite like the Grados I had heard before. Again, I'm not making a direct comparison between these audio hardware. B&Ws weigh more than twice as much as Fidelios and are closed. AirPods are in-ear headphones and Grados were only heard once a few years ago so are tinged with memory. However, if loyalty is what you're looking for, Fidelios doesn't seem to have it. I returned my pair.