Ugh... I'm so tempted to jump on these but skeptical. Always wanted to get a pair since I've loved my X1's so much. Not sure if I want to grab these or just get some AKGs... decisions decisions!!!
RoosterMKVWhat really irks me is that it isn't clearly mentioned on the product page that this drop is for B-stock. By Philips' own admission a glued unit has the potential to be a bad egg. Non-glued are being manufactured now, so why take the risk?
badgerbadgerbadgerYes, and even the pictures on the main drop page do NOT show the glue in the disassembled headphone pictures. There are other cosmetic/build quality, and possibly sound quality, issues with the Gibson units as well.
badgerbadgerbadgerseems like it may be a LEMON DROP...... which is quite disappointing coming from MassDrop. They usually put out trustworthy high quality drops.
dbzakjCorrect. All newly produced X2s will be Gibsons. I have both WOOX and Gibson pairs, and they sound identical (or very close to it). The problem is I have also had a Gibson pair that sounded VERY different (muddy, sloppy bass).
badgerbadgerbadgerI consider b-stock to be defective units that was returned to vendor under warranty period, than re-sold. We just had a different understanding of B-Stock.
JeffHuFair enough, that is certainly one definition. I would say it's any product which does not meet A-stock standards. I didn't want to use "potentially defective" as I think people are already hesitant enough to jump on these, and I very much doubt MD would want to list that phrase.
dbzakjI also read that all X2s will be Gibson-made going forward, which totally sucks, but even the good X2s are not the end all to be all for $200 headphones - for $200 I thought the AKG K7XXs are better than even the fully functioning original version of the X2s(at least the ones I had heard). No amp needed for the K7XXs, but they(like all headphones, even low impedance ones) benefit from using a decent amp.
JayDaySo I'm thinking this drop is illustrative of a major opportunity missed, both by Phillips (in pt of fact, Gibson),and Massdrop. In audio and headfi circles, and even Amazon, the QC of these phones was at best, in limbo. Both maker and seller (Massdrop) should have used this as a win-win, and anticipated the issues beforehand and made a successful refutation by using this drop as opportunity to clear up the issues and offer the most pristine units beyond reproach, etc etc...maybe if Massdrop had been following all this on headfi and Amazon closely in real time--ie a few months ago,, and put it to Phillips/Gibson that their products were ON TRIAL--ie, their chance to clear their name and product, or, accept unquestioned, unchallenged returns, perhaps the spirit of this whole affair could have been more productive and confidence boosting. A lost opportunity therefore for Massdrip and Gibson, and unnecessary angst/stress for Massdrop's membership.
IMHO.
JayDayI want to clarify some confusion here.
ALL headphones and other audio electronics and accessories that have been sold under Philips (WOOX) name would be Gibson from now on.
Philips sold their audio business (WOOX) to GIbson in 2014 for $135 million and Gibson licensed Philips name for a transitional period of 7 years to not scare off the consumer. They will be slowly phasing out Philips brand name from audio products during this period.
ShampooCAYou are positive that this is misinformation?? If you are, please share what you know, and where you know it from. Until then, the few "enthusiast" websites are the best source and authority we have on this subject. What is a better source??
JayDayThere are issues as we can see, but Bb2217 is making statements like "missed opportunity" to correct a wrong like ALL of them are bad?
Get their sales info before making terrible statements that may harm a brand's image.
It's just bad karma in my opinion.
I used to work for a major electronics company, and from all the complaints I saw, it's a fraction compared to the number of sales and satisfied customers.
This is likely a very small fraction of bad headphones when compared directly to how many have actually been sold to satisfied consumers.
Most enthusiast groups react the same way. Yeah it's a benefit to have an inside scoop on things, but enthusiasts also are the quickest to knee jerk reactions.