Thanks to Dragonzeanse for starting this poll! We've contacted the vendor on your behalf and they've made the Philips Fidelio X1 Audiophile Headphone available.
Sennheiser HD600 (HD650 actually do not sound as good) combined with a blue Cardas cable is the best sounding set of cans unless you spend twice as much. An upgraded cable makes a huge difference. If you can't find a used Cardas, find a replacement cable for $50 on ebay.
I'm new to MassDrop. I see that the X2 has garnered the necessary votes(200) to have the vendor contacted. So we just wait for however long Philips decides to respond? Do they even HAVE to respond to the request? Is there like a time requirement for a company to respond by?
Everything I've read about the X2 being quite the all-rounder headphone has me wanting to try them for myself. Good at everything; great at nothing. I'm trying to narrow my headphone collection size. If the X2 can deliver even 85% of some of my favorite pairs without their shortcomings/flaws, I'll be a happy man. I've ordered a pair off amazon warehouse deals to do just that. I should have them by the weekend unless the blizzard weather delays delivery again. I'm very excited.
I have my HD600, DT900/600 and K7XX on hand still. I'm in the process of unloading numerous pairs of accumulated headphones and amps/dacs. I was originally going to throw the money from selling them towards a Hifiman HE-560 (which I would also love to have drop; I voted for them in different polls), but I'll happily keep the extra $600 if the X2 delivers on the hype.
I made a lengthy post in the K7XX discussion on page 245 if you care to read through that. Alternatively, click my profile and scroll to the discussion tab and you'll find it.
I got my replacement pair of X2's back. Wow! They are much, much better than the last. This pair of X2's has no channel imbalance issues related to volume or frequency in terms of acceptable (unnoticeable) ranges. I haven't burned these in either. I did replace the stock cable with a better one by kabeldirekt. No more microphonic bs and it's also shorter. S Ss Th F sounds are still more sibilant (or noticeable) than the pair of K7XX I had. I would say the X2 is near-identical to my HD600 in regard to sibilance. This could also be from my choice of DAC/AMP pairing.
I'm using 16/44.1 cd rips in FLAC via foobar2000's wasapi plugin on my Schiit Modi/Asgard 2 set to low gain at a little above 9 o'clock on the volume pot for the X2. The K7XX has more depth and a larger sound stage than my X2. I haven't played any games yet, but music is equally enjoyable. The headband on the X2 is more preferable. I dig the X2's cushioned headband as opposed to the K7XX's leather strap. The X2 also fits my head/ear shape/size better than the K7XX did. The only reason I could see switching from one to the other would be concerns about comfort, impedance matching your equipment or going with the K7XX for a larger sound stage. I guess if you want to swap cables, the X2 is just 3.5mm to 3.5 mm and the K7XX being mini-xlr can be a pain in the ass if you don't like DIY.
For replacement cable suggestions see: http://www.head-fi.org/t/623013/new-philips-fidelio-x1/4320#post_10475263
The X2 has been greatly improved over the X1 in every way (e.g., better sound, improved fit, and replacable ear paads). Watch, for example:
Let's hope the Philips Fidelio X2 headphone gets dropped soon.
