In the past year, I have gone through a long list of headphones and headsets. I finally, got down to two. The first, was the infamous, most talked-about, reviewed and beloved, Philips SHP9500. I bought them because I heard so much about them. However, they were discontinued for the longest time. Then, I got the Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee, which is very similar to the HD660 S. Those are definitely keepers. Then, I was hearing about the other superb, but more expensive headphones, made by Philips, which is the Fidelio X2HR. At its current price, I had to get them. I decided to add another set of headphones to my collection. Also, I was curious to see how they would compare to the SHP9500. Would the upgrade be worth it?DESIGN: Overall, the design of the Fidelio X2HR is basic, but kinda cool at the same time. The headband is made of dual-metal tubing, which is covered with a genuine leather strap with Philips Fidelio, etched on top. Underneath the headband is a self-adjusting hammock, made of breathable 3D mesh. The ear cups are made of plastic. In addition, the speakers are made of aluminum mesh, which resembles a microphone. The ear cushions are over-the-ear and made of a nice, thick and breathable velvet. While the velvet is nice and comfortable, they are magnets for lent.SOUND: The drivers of the Fidelio X2HR are 50mm, which is large. The frequency response is an outstanding, 5-40,000 Hz, which of course, is Hi-Res Audio. The impedance is 30 ohms. For PS4 gamers, 30 ohms is low enough for the controller to drive the headphones with the controller volume set to max. The maximum input power is 500mW, which is high enough to handle the power from a DAC or amp. Overall, the performance of the rivals my HD58X Jubilees, but is a bit better than the SHP9500. Give or take a few specs, between the two.I tested the performance of the Fidelio X2HR while playing various shooters on PS4 Pro and one on PS3. The first sound test was done while playing Call Of Duty Black Ops 4. The best map, which showcases the performance of the best is Nuketown. The sound from the Fidelio X2HR, gave perhaps the clearest and most authentic sound I have heard, while gaming. I have never experienced anything like this when using a headset or headphones. The bass is powerful, tight, crisp and detailed. Good sub-bass, as well. I would say, the clarity of the bass is similar to listening to a soundbar with a subwoofer. The treble is loud but heard with crispness and ample, clarity from all angles with no overwhelming, harshness for my ears. The lows, mids, and highs, are very balanced and distinguishable if that makes sense. Out of curiosity, some may want to know how the Fidelio X2HR compares to the SHP9500. So, i a nutshell comparison, the SHP9500 has inconsistent bass. The sub-bass is non-existent. The treble is good but can be a bit harsh. The lows are good, but not great. The mids rival the Fidelio X2HR. The highs can be a bit grainy. The imaging is good, but not accurate, as the soundstage is a bit airy.Back to discussing the Fidelio X2HR. Superb, tight and open soundstage. Great imaging. These headphones handle directional sounds, extremely well. With that said, I could hear the dialogue of nearby teammates, enemies, and other random sounds, throughout the map to the left and right of me with precision and clarity. I knew, EXACTLY, what was going on and EXACTLY, where the action was taking place on the map. It seems the sound magnifies toward when hearing sounds in a different direction. For example, each time my character looks in one direction, the sound increasingly amplifies in the direction and less in the opposite direction, where lesser actions were taking place. If my character, looks straight ahead, all sounds can be heard, equally. Of course, the fact that these headphones are open-back is the reason for this experience. The most impressive experience was hearing how loud and clear the explosions were, whether far away or nearby. Explosions gave a surprising, loud, clean, and crisp, sound.I must say, the Fidelio X2HR picks up subtle sounds with no effort, thanks to the headphones lows. Hearing shells hit the floor, coming from a blasting shotgun is addictive to listen to, strangely. On the Morocco map, outside of hearing the common sounds, during game-play, I could hear the subtle, clinking and breakage of pottery being kicked around, while traversing the area. I could barely hear this with other headsets, but in more abundance with the Fidelio X2HR. The unbelievable sound of crunching, as my character was trampling through the deep snow, cracking of the ice or sounds of moving water, while swimming on the Icebreaker map. Once, my character, Battery, ran inside of an open-ended bay of the Summit map. Battery was communicating, while outside and finished talking, while going inside of the bay. There was an echo of Battery's voice while speaking inside of that open-ended bay. The authenticity of the echo was unbelievable and nearly, scary. The voices of the characters, sound crystal clear. Of course, I am sure, some are wondering about footsteps. Well, the Fidelio X2HR picks up footsteps on Call Of Duty Black Ops 4, VERY well. I have been able to get the drop on enemies while ducking for cover and waiting on them to search for me.The second sound test was done, while playing Rainbow Six Siege, which is another outstanding game to test some headphones on, considering the nature of the game. Using the right headphones can be essential to survival. Anyhow, my character, Ash, sent the drone around the area. The White Masks could clearly be heard, shuffling back and forth, while crouched in cover positions, waiting to attack. Of course, this gave away their positions because of the sound, let her know exactly, where they were. Footsteps of roving patrols could be heard, very clearly. Plus, hearing how close and how distant he was from her position while taking his patrol routes. The White Masks could be heard, communicating with each other, while waiting in their cover positions. In addition, I could hear my character’s footsteps getting louder or softer, depending on movement speed. Knowing this, lets you know, when to move slowly, as your footsteps can also, be heard by the enemy. Breaching a wall was like, music to my ears. Not only was the sound of the explosion, impressive, but hearing the debris crash to the floor was impressive, as well.The final test was done, while playing Medal Of Honor Warfighter was a pleasant surprise, considering the game came out in 2012 for the last-gen, PS3. However, the game has DTS Digital Surround and Dolby Digital Surround, making for a good game to test. I was able to hear sounds, which I never heard, when I was last playing on a consistent basis, previously. The sounds were a bit louder than the other two games, which I tested, but clear. The directional sound is brought out the most when testing the while playing. For example, one of the AI teammates was firing an M249 SAW, during a gunfight. My character, Stump was getting fired upon. Therefore, he grabbed cover and happened to get next to his AI teammate. The gunfire was loud, which almost sounded like I was next to someone at a real firing range. Picture the sound of being next to someone, who is shooting a light machine gun. Anyhow, as I stepped further away, I did not hear the gunfire, as loudly. The attention to detail was unbelievable. The explosions from blasts of thrown grenades or breaching a door were loud, clear and very, realistic-sounding. Hearing dialogue from AI teammates was loud and clear. In fact, I heard the dialogue, which I had not heard, when I previously played a few years, ago. Small and subtle sounds were picked up, like a vacuum. I could hear them, clearly, whether stepping on some broken glass, a wood floor, a puddle of water or grass. Overall, I would say the sound test for Medal Of Honor Warfighter rivals the sound test for Rainbow Six Siege, which is impressive.MIC (OPTIONAL): An external mic, such as a V-Moda Boom Mic Pro will have to be purchased to utilize, while online gaming. The prices vary. I own a V-Moda Boom Mic Pro, but I have not tried this yet. I do know, with one attached, it should perform exceptionally well.VERDICT: Overall, the Philips X2HR is a great headset. For the past year, when constantly, hearing about these, I was wondering, if these were worth an upgrade over the beloved, SHP9500. Never in my wildest dreams, I would ever think Philips would make such outstanding headphones. Not to mention, the price was reduced to $148.99. With that being said, I would advise anyone looking for a headset to pick these up, just in case the price goes back up. Despite the praise, unfortunately, I reluctantly had to return these, as the headphones became heavy on my head after using. Not to mention, the sound, gave me headaches. Plus, the velvet caused the back of my head to itch. Still, they are superb headphones. They just are not for ME.