EDIT: 6 months later, I still stand by what I wrote here. One update though is that the strain reliefs on the left side broke at the housing. The plastic was somewhat brittle it seems. Luckily simgot's customer service was amazing - super quick, super friendly. They sent me a replacement cable in black and I have no complaints with that one.

I have not written a full review in a while because I have been quite busy and honestly did not buy any new stuff that got me overly excited. I still mainly use my Philips Fidelio L2; when I needed in-ears, I opted for either the FAD heaven II or Crescendo DS-11, both rather neutral/mid-focused BA's that are accurate and reliable, though they often fail to really... move me.

I thought a dynamic driver might solve this so I got the Trinity Phantom Master 4 in pre-order; these caused quite a stir on this forum - and not entirely a positive one. I have to agree with most people here on the messy highs and overall lack of focus on that model. I traded up for the MASTER model which I liked better (short write-up) but were not perfect either; sometimes they amazed me, sometimes... far from it, no matter what tuning filter I used. I was not quite content, but figured I had spent enough money by now... and then I dropped them into a canal. Oh the joys of living in Venice.

All that is to say that I have been through a fair amount of IEMS both higher priced and lower priced than these Simgot's and none of them really hit the sweet spot. By the reviews online, it sounded like these simgots provided a fun yet balanced sound signature, were comfortable, and sturdy; in short, just what I need. Mostly, I have to agree with these reviews, though not entirely.

Looks, build, and comfort
For photo's and unboxing I refer to the other reviews on this forum. For me personally, I find my red and blue set quite good-looking, though not in a sleek way; more in the way that an old-school chevy can be beautiful: it isn't subtle, but it works. The carrying case is actually a pretty nice one. To proof that I cannot be trusted with nice things I therefore promptly lost it a few weeks in. Luckily I still had two trinity cases laying around still.

The metal housings are soft and feel very sturdy. The excellent braided cable snaps in place very snugly - so snug in fact that it required some force, but I prefer that over constantly fearing the housings will fall off *cough* looking at you MMCX *cough*. The only thing I wished for would be better strain relief at the plug since the plastic tubing now is quite stiff causing the cable to still bend sharply, just above the strain relief now rather than at the plug itself, which forms a possible point of failure in the long-term. An L-shaped plug would have been good too as I find that these last much longer usually, but that's more of a personal preference.

Comfort is decent. I have pretty small ears (small conchas to be more precise), so after about two hours it does get uncomfortable where they touch the antihelix, and somehow they make my ears feel pretty warm. Other than that, they stay in my ears well enough that I do not mind doing exercise with them despite the weight. The supplied silicone tips fit well too. Comply tips (not included) provide a tad bit more isolation, but not much and they make popping them in a bit more of a hassle, so I stuck with the silicone. In general, the earphones are very susceptible to tip rolling -- anything with a somewhat longer and wider bore helps bring out the top-end. The fitted tips do this just fine. Isolation then is not the best, certainly not compared to BA, but better than I was expecting and certainly enough for most users.

Sound
Overall impression is that these are simple but enjoyable, especially with the more neutral tips. No fancy tricks, no massive soundstage, no overbearing details, just good sound with a fun tuning. Bass is a bit on the heavy side and lacks the speed of BAs, but not overbearing. At low volumes or when I am outside, this extra bit of thump is actually quite welcome, and since that is mostly how I use these, I find it to be right for me. Male vocals especially can be a bit far back in the mix - certainly when compared to, say, the Heaven II. Female vocals really shine on these though, and the highs provide quite some sparkle and detail without being sibilant. Extension is not above average though. In short, it has a slight U-shape that is easy on the ears, though technically it is not the best performer at this price point. Pleasant and musical without pretense of being anything more than that.

All songs below are either FLAC or high-quality MP3 (VBR or 320kb/s), played through a HiFi ME DIY Sabre 2 DAC from MusicBee with the WASAPI driver installed.

(Indie-)pop
Cycling through some songs, I found myself enjoying Florence and the machine with these. On Dog Days, the opening cords lack detail, but once Florence starts singing, the smoothness of her voice more than makes up for that. With the claps and high-hat starting in, they shimmer without being obtrusive - perhaps a bit dry if I am being nit-picky. The kick-drum then provide a lot of energy, as the song intended. The backing vocals and all the subtle instrumentation in the back stay, well, in the back. It could do with some more layering, but honestly, the focus these headphones provide is quite pleasant.

Acoustic/singer-songwriter
The Weepies' World Spins Madly On is not a technically very demanding song, so no problems there and the timbre here is just right. The cello sounds warm, the guitar quite airy, and the voices blend into one; beautiful sweet-yet-melancholy. The next song, City Wide Rodeo, once more proofs how excellent female vocals are rendered. Switching to Fink, these earphones again complement the warm acoustic style, but when his songs draw to their crescendo, they struggle to keep up with the frantic pace and lose focus.

Rock & metal
The grandiose but cold mix of post-rock and doom metal on Kauan's Sorni Nai album sounds, if anything, too smooth. It is a record I know intimately, and I felt myself longing for the gritty details as well as for a tighter bass. That does not mean the Simgot's did a bad job: the wide soundstage is reproduced well and the ethereal ponderings are contrasted nicely with the heavier metal outbursts. Throwing some more conventional metal at it in the form of Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone reveals again a slightly sloppy bass, but they convey the very intimately recorded song with an appropriate immediacy (fun experiment: listen to that song and compare it to, say, Iron Maiden's fear of the dark side by side if you want to see how sound/recording preferences have changed). Switching to the grunge rock of Seether I miss some weight in the guitars, but that is to some extent in the recording, because when I switch from Disclaimer II to Karma and Effect, this largely disappears, though Shaun Morgan’s voice here too is drowning a bit compared to the more mid-focussed alternatives; the trinity's actually had similar problems.

Electronic
The electronic drums of Jain - Heads Up are always a good test for bass, and the Simgots prove to be a bit... flabby for lack of a better word, though they have excellent extension and do not bleed much. The decay times simply cannot measure up to their BA counterparts. Moreover, the song does not sound congested, and the toe-tapping potential is very high, especially when the album moves on to the groovy baseline of Mr Johnson. Straight up techno in the form of Infected Mushroom's Vicious Delicious proofs an exceptionally good match, with the bass tightening up somewhat and the high-end sparkle bringing everything to twisting and maddening life.

Rap
On to rap then. Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. album is not an easy one to play. The vocals are a bit too far in the background on some tracks, but not all that often. Again, these Simgot's are nothing if not entertaining, so I found myself turning up the volume, but that made the bass a bit overpowering by comparison. When I did the same the other day walking around the city I did not find this to be so problematic though, feeling the strange mixture of relaxation and unease that Kendrick can provide so well. Run the Jewels's 3rd album ups the sense of immediacy and the simgot's very cohesive sound pairs excellently.

Classical
Erbarme dich from Bach’s St-Mathew’s passion (I own Gardiner’s 1989 period practice performance) sounds lovely with good soundstage for an IEM if a bit hushed, the following choral is much the same, though the depth of the soundstage was lacking – i.e. especially voices sounded like they were coming from the sides rather than the front. The 1st movement of the Brandenburger Concerto (same series I think?) suffers a bit from the same, but honestly IEMs are just not ideal for classical music. Layering really stands out here though, as it should, and it is overall a pretty decent performance.The micro details in Arvo Pärt’s delicate Spiegel im Spiegel are smoothed over a bit, but the piece gets enough space to breath to be its entrancing self – as long as I do not compare it straight after to my Philips Fidelio L2 that is.

Conclusion
This IEM feels well thought out, with attention to detail, a mostly very good build, pretty good comfort, and a clever tuning that will no doubt be liked by many. For critical listening, it lacks the technical prowess of some similarly priced competitors, but it is a very enjoyable and easy pear of headphones that has natural sounding timbre with a slight U sound. Especially if you listen to a lot of female vocals, these are a good match and they pair well with singer/songwriter and acoustic music too. Electronic beats and kick drums especially can feel a bit out of control, though in the case of the former, some people prefer that.

All in all, a solid performer. I like them especially for on-the-go use, and that is what I bought them for mostly anyway. Are they brilliant? No. Are they worth their money? If you like a musical pair of IEMs that is fun yet mature sounding and do not mind sacrificing a bit of male vocals, micro details and bass control then certainly. I for one enjoy them so far.

I've had these Sony MH1C's  for quite a while now - which in itself says something about their durability, and I've grown to like them. 1
First things first though, let's start of by saying that these IEM by no means compare to competitors twice their price; at least not to good offerings in that price range. This might have been true when you could buy them for a lot less, but at their current price I bought them for - 30 euro's - they are very good for their class. If you have more money to spend or want a neutral sound, you can find better options. If you don't, these are solid contenders if you are looking for a sturdy pair of on-the-go headphones that have a "fun" sound

Build and design
The build is probably what I like best about these earbuds; they will not break. I do not know if it just me, but I tend to break my headphones rather quickly. With my full-size headphones this could be helped by buying ones with detachable cables. When trying the same with IEM by buying Xear pure audio ones I was rather disappointed; even with the incredible sale codes they have there always I did not really find them worth my money.
Enter the Sonys. The noodle J-style cord has been the subject of much debate with regards to comfort, but it is certainly quality made.The small angled connector is another plus. Since these are manly used on-the-go, having an angled connector is essential so that insides of the cable will not break so easily when kept in the pocket of my trousers while walking or cycling. The housings and connector are made of the same (in my opinion beautiful) brushed metal basis with rubber top that end in a strain relief with the right amount of rigidity.
The four button remote is too large though. I do have a compatible sony phone, so that I can actually use the fourth button, but the use is very limited since there are not many apps that can use it's input.
 
Comfort and seal
The headphones insert very deeply. Their seal is excellent. Some people have been complaining about a sort of vacuum effect, i.e. when taking the headphones out one can feel a suction because the tips still seal tightly. I have this also, but find it rather pleasant since it also means that the sound isolation is excellent and the headphones do not come out easily. When working in a buzzy environment or commuting I much rather have these in than be wearing one of my full-size headphones that cost 3-7 times as much, simply because I can lock the outside world out and just listen to my music at moderate volume.
For working out these are not so great though since the microphonics are considerable. The supplied clip solves this to some extent, but when taking these for a jog the noise becomes loud enough to be annoying.
Probably the most discussed topic here though is the cable design. As said, the MH1C's have a J-style flat cable. This is especially annoying at the left ear, since it tends to pull. The problem is not as bad though as some described. The cable is namely also very... rough(?). I don't mean to say sticky, but certainly the opposite of slippery. Rubbery might come closest. This is especially so when having the cable directly against the skin. So after putting the earbuds in I pull a bit on the left side so that it has some excess cable and then tuck it in my collar so that it wont slip back. Again, this makes it less ideal for working out, because the cable does not stick so well that it can resist all the jumping around.
 
Sound
With rather recessed and smooth highs, warm mids and very impactfull and present lows, these are certainly not neutral. They are aimed at the general public that values a fun sound over accuracy. It lends itself exceptionally well for electronic music, rock, some types of metal, and some Indie. Soundstage is rather narrow. Separation is reasonable for the price. If you are used to full-size headphones be prepared to be let down here especially - it is a bit inert to IEM's though. I always find the sound best described through some songs, so let's go to that.
All songs in 320 kb/s MP3 or higher from a laptop. Using my Sabre 2 DAC did not really make a difference; the Sony's sound rather the same. Only the soundstage and detail was the tiniest amount better. There are hardly any differences between devices though.
Radical Face - Welcome Home, Son This song sounds very good, plain and simple. The warmness is very nice here which especially makes the guitar shine. The piano gets pushed to the background a bit though, but the overall feeling is very pleasant. In the intro of Let the river in, the next song on the album, the sound stage seems to open up a bit. Not majorly, but the very obviously distant sounds of a kid playing do appear distant. The violin is very smooth sounding - it could do with a little rougher edge.
Pendulum - Slam Did anyone say bass? The low bass extension really shines here, although there is still too much upper bass to make it punchy rather than a bit bloated. I'm almost ashamed to say that I think the music fares well by it though. Again, the highs are a bit too smooth in places, but the drums have just the right amount of dryness. Mids are overwhelmed slightly. If it is your thing, go wild.
Linkin Park - Hands Held High Some of you might be thinking: Linkin Park; more bass? But not in this song. On different IEMs - my Yamaha EPH-20 for exampe - the violins and multi-voice singing can really leave me breathless. Not here though. The highs are too smooth to shine. It can not get enough air. Admittedly, the Yamahas also had a major issue with sibilance, which I have never experienced on these Sonys so there is always the trade off. In the next song, no more sorrow the howling and growling guitars are better suited to the Sony's sound profile. Impact and attack are excellent.
The Black Keys - Waiting on Words I really like the Black Key's latest album. The Sonys hold their ground well with the smooth vocals and sixties-sound, making the vibrating guitars sound very lively. Similar type songs - Pearl Jam, Queens of the Stone age etc. - all sound fun if a bit thin in the upper mids. When listening like I am now, concentrated in a quiet room with the volume a tad loud, the amount of bass in the drums is too much. However, when outside or at lower volumes this adds a sort of natural loudness. When I am in a quiet room I have my full-size headphones anyway.
Ólafur Arnalds - Found songs (album) This album by an immensely talented semi-hidden Icelandic composer shows that the MH1C can produce very decent highs when they are not overwhelmed by the warmer underside. The soundstage on for example Raein opens up somewhat. While I can not even pronounce the title, the Sonys play Allt varð hljótt very acceptably. The violins get a bit sharp, but they are supposed to, and the echoing sounds in the background are very well distinguishable. The combination of cello and violin in Lost Song is excellent. The cello adds a rough and slightly warm but not overly-present touch, and the piano ostinato keeps dripping away in the background. The synthetic drum in my opinon does not add much to the composition, but I can hardly blame the earbuds for that. They sounds rather veiled and have a soft, rumbling quality rather than having impact. But this still holds when I listen to the song with my Philips Fidelio L2, so that is most likely to blame on the mix.
Enter Shikari - Gandhi mate, Gandhi One big bang. The crowded sections of the music - most notably 1:00 'till 1:30 - is too difficult for the tiny buds drivers to accurately represent, but oh my do they make up for it in the other sections. The sound is very dynamic and quite snappy.
Daft Punk - Get Lucky The warmness lends itself better to this song though. The funky base and minimal guitar sound just pop and crackle. Details get lost though, but I am too buzzy enjoying the sound to really mind by now.
 
When I put my Philips L2's back on, I hear how much these buds lack. But it is not fair to compare them to full-size open back headphones that cost a lot more. I do not own them for the same purpose. I have these as a pair of sturdy, reliable, on-the-go earbuds that I can just chuck in my pocket and then use anywhere, and they serve that purpose very well considering their price. They might not be for everyone, and the hype on this forum a while back was only justified because they were a lot cheaper then. The 30 euros I paid for them where well worth it I think, but if prices go a lot higher there might be better options out there.

Update 2: . I've been using these for over 2.5 years now, so an update might be appreciated by some of you. Let me first say some words on the durability, since most tests don't cover such a long period, and then comment on their sound and value for money.
 
The pads were what most people, including me, were most worried about in terms of durability, but the left one is only now showing some wear, and the right one is still completely fine. Moreover, some posts over on the L2 thread suggest that replacement is actually quite doable. The headband is showing some use marks though in two places. The first one is purely cosmetic, with the leather losing it's blackness near the ear cups because this is the contact point when putting the headphones down flat. The second one is a bit more serious: the metal plates on the ends of the headband both have cracked around some of the screws. The other screws are keeping things in place, so no real problems, but it is a point of concern. I noticed a couple of months ago that the screws linking the headband to the cups got a bit loose, giving the cups some room to wiggle. 2 minutes with a small screw driver fixed that problem. All in all, the L2 is holding up great, especially considering the abuse I've put them through. A hard case would sometimes have been a good idea I guess, since the included bag offers only limited protection.
 
As for the sound, I still love them a lot. My overall impressions have not changed much: the L2's confidently walk the line between emotion and analytical capabilities, providing a good to excellent sound for almost any type of music you throw at them. Fairly neutral with some added warmth down low and slightly elevated upper-mids to highs, creating a spacious effortless sound signature. Reading my comments on the sound stage I must admit that I perhaps gave them too high praise. For semi-open headphones it is decent, but not amazing; compared to, say, an open sennheiser HD650, or even their bigger brother, the X2, the L2's are markedly more intimate.
 
The value these headphones represent then is amazing, especially since prices have dropped quite a bit. If these headphones lie within your budget and you are a musical omnivore, I would whole-heartedly recommend them. I would even say that I would recommend them over the X2 simply because the sound signature is much more to my liking (though I cannot comment on the version of that headphone introduced at CES 2017 since I have not heard them). I like these headphones from the first moment I tried them, and that love has transformed over time into a happy marriage, where I know I can depend on them to play me my music in a way that I enjoy. And ultimately, that is what matters most for a headphone.

Update 1: replaced cable, see bottom
 

 
 
As a precautionary remark: this is the first headphone review I have ever written - although I have read a lot of them; moreover these are the first pair of headphones I own in this price class, so I might be overly enthusiastic. I did listen to quite a lot of competitors in stores before deciding to buy the L2 and did some A-B'ing afterwards though. Right, enough gibberish; onwards to the review!
 
 
How I got there - previous headphones and buying the L2's
 
I think it is important to know what I was used to so that one can place this review in perspective. I have had quite a lot of headphones since I used to break the cable pretty soon. My first proper headphones were very bass heavy (I think they even had XB for extra bass on them) Sonys of about 40 euros. They broke after less than half a year and were replaced for the much better Phillips SHP8500 at around the same price. Those held out for little more than a year and were then replaced by AKG k530's - again, good value for money although very ugly and not very exciting. When those broke I had some cheaper headphones to accommodate my student budget and apparent habit of breaking headphones. I really wanted good headphones again though so when I was in New York where the price tags had the same numbers as in my home country of the Netherlands only with the euro-sign replaced with a dollar one, I seized my chance and bought Shure SRH-440's. Their replaceable cables should eliminate most of the durability issues.
Well, they did. However, after a year of very heavy use I started to find them a bit boring. They were just too good at being analytical. Also, there was a sort of bright veil over many songs. I do not know how to better describe it; all the highs seem to blend in and form a layer of highs, especially in rock songs. First I bought a USB DAC to use on my laptop, the asynchronous HiFiMeDIY sabre 2. This did improve the sound, but did not really make them more fun to listen to. My search for a new headphone had begun.
 
I tried a lot of models, and was most taken by the Sennheiser momentum. I did not much like the on-ear model, but the over-ear model is very good indeed, although a bit over my budget. The Beyerdynamic Custom One were also high on my watch-list, especially since I could have a bass heavy sound if I would feel like it. However when trying them in the store I felt that the gap with the momentums in terms of sound quality was too big. Sadly, this difference is also reflected in the price. I couldn't really go over 150 euros, which also ruled out the excellent sounding AKG Q701.
Enter the Philips outlet store. Some two months ago they had a L2 in an opened package for exactly that price. I could not find a store to audition them, but after a lot of reading (check the thread on this forum, this was also helpful) decided it was too good an opportunity to let pass by. And I'm glad I didn't.
 
 
The musical chameleon that is me - music I listen to and gear I use
 
My musical taste is quite broad. It tends to change a lot depending on the mood I am in. I listen a lot of post-rock, indie rock and "regular" rock, but also quite a bit of minimalistic piano music, classical music, pop, various sorts of metal, Drum 'n Bass, techno, grunge, folk, sometimes rap, ambient, and, and... Let's just say that putting my entire music library on shuffle is a contrast rich and very... interesting experience.
Most of my music is 320kb/s mp3, but there is also a considerable amount of WAV (my old CD's) and Flac (one of my friends preferred ripping formats). Lower quality songs are also possible, but I think it suffices to say that with the Philips fidelio L2's one can quite accurately judge the quality of the recording. It is not a forgiving headphone.
I listen to music for hours on end. On the road I use my Sony xperia SP smartphone with a 64 GB sd-card. When I am using my laptop I use that, often with the before mentioned sabre 2 DAC.
 
 
Wearing and looking: a mixed pleasure - Design, comfort and built
 
I really liked the design of the first fidelio line of headphones. The L1 in my opinion was a better looking headphone than the L2, mainly because of the colour of the metal. Philips has changed the aluminium for a gun-metal like finish which just does not provide the same contrast. The orange stitching on the headband tries to make up for this, but does not quite cut it. Philips managed to remove the rather flimsy looking cables going to the ear cups in the L2 though, and, although less beautiful, the new frame should be sturdier. Indeed, build quality seems very good. The 3.5 mm removable cable of course being a big plus. There have been some complaints that the supplied cables would have a negative impact on the sound quality, but they are rather pleasant in use and so far I haven’t broken them so I have not replaced them. The remote is a bit silly looking and only has one button –no volume controls– but works well, and both supplied nylon cables remain quite tangle free.
There are few negative points in terms of build quality, one of them being the orange screws used in the hinges. Not because they are orange, but because they are plastic. I have never heard anyone break this, but it seems like an odd thing to do to me; how expensive can it be to just use quality metal screws? The earpads form another point of concern, since they are not replaceable.
 
The earpads are comfortable though. I have changed the pads on my SRH-440 for 840 pads at some point, and they are very comparable. If anything the fidelio's pads are a bit softer still. Moreover, the openness of these headphones ensures that my ears will not easily overheat. The headphones are not very heavy either and the headband moves in different positions with a reassuring click.
So what is keeping this headphone from getting a very good score in comfort? Well, the headband mainly. The L2 creates a pressure point on top of my head which gets annoying after prolonged use. It is not as bad as with my Shure 440's, especially when wearing the cups a bit lower on my head than I was used to; it is not painful, just somewhat unpleasant. The swivelling mechanism in the cups does put slightly more pressure on the front of the pads than on the back, but this is not in any way bothersome to me.
 
In terms of portability it is a bit of an odd duck. The cups do tilt fully downward, but the headphones are not collapsible. Personally, I think this makes for better around-the-neck-wearing, but these being full-sized headphones does make it harder to pack them into ones bag. The supplied soft case of a pleasant soft velvet-like fabric does not really help either, but does signal that these headphones are designed to do just that.
When walking around outdoors I am certainly not afraid to be wearing these headphones, for one part because I think they are quite beautiful, for another because I can still hear the traffic around me reasonably well - better at least than with my closed-back cans. For commuting these headphones are far from ideal for the exact same reason. I tend to switch to my in-ears in those instances. When you, like me and a lot of other Dutch people commute by bike, the open backs make for a safer option, but the wind makes too much noise over the ear cups to really enjoy the music.
 
All in all the design of these headphones is quite good. They are not very radical looking, but still quite beautiful. The plastic screws and non-removable pads seem to be the only possible issues with these otherwise very well built headphones. The headband can become uncomfortable after some hours, but otherwise comfort is superb. Transportability is not great, and outdoor use limited, so these are desk and relax headphones to me: great when sitting in a (semi-) quiet room, either playing background music, or playing music for the sake of music.
 
 
A very good balance all around - General sound description
 
I will take some songs to highlight specific aspects later on, but first let me make some more general remarks on the sound.
 
As the subtitle already indicates, the fidelio l2 keeps a balance at all fronts, at least to my taste. The sound is quite analytical and can be unforgiving, but it is never dull. Certainly, it is not a boomy, club-like sounding pair of headphones. Bass is controlled, tight, but clearly present. I've heard say that the L1 lacked highs, but this is certainly not the case with the L2. The highs are remarkably well layered, more so than when I compared it to the Sennheiser momentum. Violins, high-hats, cymbals, everything up high is clearly separable and present, but hardly ever sharp. Mids too are good, and especially with acoustic guitars and similar instruments pleasantly warm. Sometimes though I would like it if there would be a bit more warmth coming from the lower-mids to give especially male vocals, piano chords and electric guitar chords a deeper sound.
This should only be a very tiny bit though, because it would most probably also make the sound less clear and snappy. Combined with the open backs their current clarity makes for a very airy yet textured listening experience. Instead of a wall of sound hitting you, now you feel every individual brick without any stone being much more prominent than another. The sound is a bit less aggressive than the momentums, but more refined and detailed, and mostly very enjoyable. The soundstage is sort of comparable to my AKG k530's in terms of wideness, but mostly a bit wider, especially with violins and the likes. For the rest I only have closed backs to compare it to, and the fidelio beats every single one of them although the Shure SRH-440 gives them a good run for their money.
The last remark I would like to make in terms of sound is that the fit of these headphones depends also on it's exact position on my head. The difference is subtle but definitely audible. I am not sure if the drivers are angled, but if they are that might explain this characteristic. It is not particularly bothersome, but I had to get used to wearing my headphones a bit more to the back of my head, with the cushioning almost at the base of my ear for the optimal sound.
 
The sound engineers at Philips are said -by Philips, I should mention- to have worked for a great many hours on tweaking the sound of their headphones to what the general public wants. Well, apparently I have a normal taste, because these headphones just work with most any song I throw at it. It does not specialise in any particular genre -although it does perform better in some, but is just a great all-rounder. For the money I paid for it, I think one would be hard-pressed to find a better pair of headphones.
 
 
Tracklist
 
Mono- ure as Snow Some of the best Japanese post-rock out there. Also a very good track to test headphones with, because the sheer chaos of high-pitched sounds towards the end can obscure the intricate details of the orchestra. When I first listened to this track with the L2, I was surprised to the wideness of the violins especially. The sound of the guitars at the beginning is more.. fluid than at the end, where the notes seem to scream and squeal with high, dry notes. Apart from the cymbals and the soundstage, which are a lot better on the l2, the immediate difference with my 440's is not very large. The 440's sound lighter, less impactfull than the L2's. This makes it easier to sort of see the whole musical piece, rather than focusing on one of the layers of instruments. The difference becomes larger when playing through my DAC. I have to make more of an effort to listen
 
Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart From the same album as the hit "little talks", this isn't a very demanding song. It is very fun to listen to though. Especially the vibrating tones of the guitar gain a lot of depth. The overall sound is rather soft and smooth.
 
Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City This track is great at showing of the L2’s ability for layering. The two guitars can be easily distinguished. When the song comes to an end it gets a bit more messy especially in the high-mids; the wicked bass lines can be heard through it all though. The biggest surprise however is in the introduction. The high-hats seemed a bit tad too sharp, but then the vocals kick in, and I could clearly hear bass vocals that I had never noticed before. Now that I know they are there, I notice them too with my Shures, but their level of detail is just not on par with the L2’s.
 
Seether – Sold Me The open airy sound is something that can make rock songs especially lose some of their direct impact, which is exactly what shows with this song. As the song progresses through towards the chorus the guitars lose their heaviness and fail to really impress. In the much rawer and arguably simpler song love her from the same album this issue is avoided much better; the same goes for the majority of the other songs on this album. In general, the L2 is good at rock music, but the hard-hitting directness is exchanged at least to some extent for a wider soundstage. In some songs this is just a bit more bothersome than others.
 
Infected Mushroom – Becoming Insane Time for some electronics. This track absolutely blows me away, especially with my DAC hooked up. Bass has impact, the sound is very aggressive, the soundstage is enormous, the details are maddening – no doubt as intended.
 
Enter Shikari – Gandhi Mate, Gandhi The intro just begs to turn op the volume, which leads to an ear shattering explosion of synths mixed with metal guitars later on. The vocals here somehow seem to be more recessed when compared to other headphones, which is a bit of a shame. After the second break, the slow pumping seemingly monotonous but very detailed ending makes up for this though. When the shuffle on my computer switches to the song system, the intro on the same album the vocals come across crystal clear, and the violins really add an extra dimension of floating spacious wonder. The L2’s do this nearly every time violins come in. The metal song Mothership shows could do with a bit more attack from the L2’s; I was hoping for more especially from the guitar chords that sometimes seem to miss a bit of weight. The next song I hear is constellations, and with my volume still turned up too far, I get lost for a while. I forget to think about judging the headphones and just feel the music. Absolutely wonderful.
 
Kyteman – Sorry (live) I would prefer it if the headphones could give a bit more warmth to the trumpet, but I think that just is not in the recording. Never the less, this is an amazing song that never fails to have it’s almost nostalgic influence on me, carrying me away in two and a half minute.
 
Valravn – Koder Pa Snor There seems to be so much crawling around under the skin of this song. The supremely dark atmosphere is minorly (not a proper word, I know) affected by the lightness of the L2, making it a bit less immersive than it could have been, but the layering and details again are excellent, which pays off in the second half of the song mainly.
 
Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel (version with cello) Although originally composed for piano and violin, I have always preferred the version with cello. It is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of minimal music that I have ever come across. The fidelo does everything right. Remember me saying that I would sometimes prefer a bit more warmth from the piano chords? Not here. The chords have an excellent timbre, and sound very intimate while the high notes appear fragile, their ostinato falling into the soundscape of my mind like raindrops. The cello adds a layer of rawness and vibrates somewhere between the piano notes. An excellent song to end with I’d say.
 
Update on cables: Although the stock cables still show no sign of breaking, I ordered a procab classic series since they were on sale and I was ordering other cables anyway. I am not sure if the effects are just placebo - A-B'ing is hard when you need to take the time to replace the cable in between, but I think it does improve sound quality. Bass seems to get a tad more impact and especially the updder mids and highs are more textured and dynamic - I did not even know that only highs can sound more dynamic, but that is how it sounds to me. This sound makes it more suitable for rock especially, which is great since that was the only area it was not above par with the competition. I still do not believe in buying very expensive cables since I think that money is better invested in buying a better headphone or DAC or source material, but replacing the cables to something of a decent quality is worthwhile here. 
Take note though that the end that connects to the headphone should be rather slim. The procabs I bought make a dent in the softish black covered foam that extends from the housing. See the picture head-fi has of the L2 if you don't know what I mean by that.