Beyerdynamic Xelento 2 Remote & Wireless - Better than Sennheisers?

[@kchuang17]

I have the original for many years. They are so comfortable for people with small ears. Lot of iems are huge nowadays and hurt my ears after like 5 mins.

[@PassionforSound]

I agree. I haven't used the originals, but always appreciate a compact IEM

[@pdcragin33]

Wonderful review. To the point intro, eye candy b-roll, sharply defined comparisons. Well-done!

[@PassionforSound]

So glad you liked it! 🙂🙂

[@ambientblue-eyedmonkey8849]

Just got it, had IE600, day and night difference between the two, Xelento is unbelievably comfortable, you just practically don't feel it, as if it were just cotton in your ears, music through it is so enveloping, it's music around you, not in your head, like was my experience with IE600, IE 600 is still good, but for my taste Xelento is a musical jewelry, ice cream in the hot day, music sounds so good thought it, so relaxing.

[@PassionforSound]

So glad you're enjoying the Xelento 2s. I completely agree with what you've said about them too - nice description!

[@anasananas9133]

Do you think Xelento v1 is more comfortable than IE600? Cuz i will get one of them, They are same price in my country

[@ambientblue-eyedmonkey8849]

@@anasananas9133 Never had it, so can't comment on that, though it "looks" more comfortable to me. because it strongly resembles gen 2 shape.

[@PassionforSound]

I never spent much time with Xelento 1 either. Sorry.

[@nikolaygramchev]

Had some Qs on my choice - heard a trusted opinion with a clear statement!

[@PassionforSound]

Glad I could help 🙂

[@AdrianSalomo]

I was hoping you would compare them to the 1st gen. Very nice and detailed review though. Regarding the remote controller, I would not have considered buying the Xelentos if they came without it. Thanks!

[@PassionforSound]

That's great to hear another vote for inline remote controls. Thanks. Sorry that I didn't have the original for comparison.

[@suntanglory]

Beautiful looking iem, l am actually surprised they improved on ie600 detail retrieval. Welldone bayern. Thanks for the review mate! Cheers.

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure. I was also a bit surprised that they beat the IE600 on detail too. Didn't really expect that

[@sebanambrus9265]

great review , I have the IE600 and I really like it and I have the mojo2 as my source . You think then the mojo2 can justify the extra resolution of the xelento2 if i buy it ? also you think the resolution is the same as for ie900 but with warmer tonality ?

[@PassionforSound]

The Mojo 2 will definitely give you even more performance with the Xelento 2. With the IE900 vs Xelento 2, I think the resolution is basically the same, but the tonality changes what you notice. The IE900 sounds more textured and detailed because there is less warmth from the bass so the treble is more in focus, but I feel like the Xelento 2 is equally fast/resolving and technically capable

[@Xerpocalypse_]

The real benefit of the 4-pole 3.5mm cable is the mic, not so much the controls. Having a microphone on the cable can be really handy. The mic quality on some of these MEMS mics is superior via wired as opposed to wireless. I wish Sennheiser would make a mic cable more easily available for the IE600/900.

[@PassionforSound]

That's good to know that some people still value the mic in the cable. Thanks for commenting

[@Xerpocalypse_]

@@PassionforSound Thank you for all the great reviews!

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure 🙂🙂

[@anttikauppi7425]

Thanks for an excellent review that focused to the essential points. I have Xelento remote 2nd gen and listen to it through Ifi Gryphon and the balanced 4.4. cable. It is really a treat. Gryphon offers me also a bluetooth connection. It's sometimes more convenient when I'm on the go. So you can also use the remote version saved euros on a dac with a bluetooth connection and enjoy quality sound.

[@PassionforSound]

That sounds like a great setup!! Glad you liked the review :)

[@gertost]

Hi. Greetings from norway 😊 Great review 😁 I just sold my Ie 600. They where good. But maybe technicly good and a little dry/boring sounding. I had the original xelento before. They where very musical, fun and enganging sounding. I ordered the v2 today. Do they have the same sound profile as the original? For me the most important thing, is that iems or headphones, have an sound that just want me to listen more and more. Engaging and musical. 😊

[@PassionforSound]

Hi gertost, I haven't spent significant time with the OG Xelento, but I think you'll be happy with the Xelento 2 if you're looking for engaging and musical. Drop back in and let me know what you think when you try them. :)

[@nixielee]

Never listened to a bad Beyerdynamic in-ear, even their cheaper stuff sounds great for the price

[@EricRosenfield]

I like and use inline controls on IEMs.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for letting me know, Eric!

[@mohamadsalehi3696]

Hi Was the quality of headphones better in wired mode (with iPhone) or in wierless mode? How much difference was there? Was the quality of headphones better in wired mode (with iPhone) or in wierless mode? How much difference was there?

[@PassionforSound]

Earphones like these will always perform better in wired mode because the Bluetooth transmission is lossy so you are losing resolution and quality anytime it's a wireless connection

[@TopDownDC]

I got these two months ago, after watching this, and am just following up to say thanks, it was great advice. For me, the IE 600 had better high end, but the Xelento just sounds more enjoyable across the range and with a wider variety of music.

[@PassionforSound]

I'm so glad that you're enjoying them! Thanks for dropping back in to let me know. 🙂🙂

[@OrcasArePenguins]

I love the remote control with mic on the cable. If you listen to music on the go its much easier to accept a call. Some people dont liketo use the IEMs wireless so they dont have to charge them :)

[@PassionforSound]

I'm with you on not liking wireless IEMs for those reasons (and others)! I'm so used to not having headphone jacks on phones that the controls seemed a bit redundant so thanks for the reminder!

[@MrGutterbunny]

Great detailed review and comparisons. I trusted your opinions enough to blind drop £999 on a pair. I bought and sold some Sennheiser IE900's. Impressive as they are I found them too Pro Audio sounding Vs Enjoyable. First impressions of the Xelento are the polar opposite. Brand new out of the box streaming Standard Res Tidal from my Sony Experia 1iii headphone jack I've given the Beyers very little thought as I'm totally submerged in the Music. Guess I'm hearing them at their lowest performance capabilities right now and, I'm pretty damn happy. I have the Wireless version so I have the AKM Amp DAC to try tomorrow that should substantially better my phone. How exciting!

[@PassionforSound]

That's great news that you're able to immerse yourself with them. That's exactly what I love about them too! So glad I could help 🙂🙂

[@cherrymaison7846]

Remote is for laptop use. Gaming for example everything became wireless and they distrupt each other and it lags. I use iem for gaming so good and immersive. Sadly it has no mic so I switch to cheap headphone with mic if i need to use discord or talk with the team.

[@PassionforSound]

Yes, the combination of wired with mic and wireless is a bit iffy.

[@colt45lmer]

btr7 is the sht

[@PassionforSound]

It's definitely good. I'm not quite THAT enthusiastic about it, but it's an excellent device nonetheless 🙂

[@colt45lmer]

@@PassionforSound to me i like the sound better than the m11. the main thing about it is def the size tough I can still get to enjoy my wired headphones but have them still sound really good

[@PassionforSound]

Yes, that's where it's excellent. I think FiiO just have this slightly blunted sound from all their amps which is why I tend to prefer some other products, but that can also depend on tastes and the headphones/earphones you're using.

[@pauliusb]

Excellent, deep review. Thank you so much for your effort!

[@PassionforSound]

So glad I could help!

[@lewisdavis4429]

Hi, just started to listen to your reviews. I live in Canada and would like to know which one of these three head amps would be the best match for an Audeze LCD X. The Fiio K9 Pro ESS, TOPPING A90 Discrete / A90 or the HIFIMAN X100. Thanks in advance.

[@PassionforSound]

That's a tough set of options because they're all very different. For a pure amp, the A90D is the best choice there because the K9 is also a DAC so you're paying for more than you need. With the X100, I haven't tried it, but based on what you're getting for the price, I wouldn't expect it to get even close to the K9 or A90s

[@lewisdavis4429]

@@PassionforSound thanks so much. They both review well. I would be using it for my desktop system. My main system I have Fostex headphones and amplifier but I don’t use them.

[@dbji88]

I’ve listened to them recently & they sound great , the fit is one of the best I’ve worn Very comfortable Packing & accessories are great . These are solid earphones

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked them and I completely agree!

[@chrisk6474]

A couple of things to consider at least for myself. Driver flex can be annoying. I tend to keep my volume low when inserting headphones so it isn’t that big of a deal. The cable issue isn’t really an issue for me. I like wired over wireless. The hearing software and output results is interesting. I wish reviewers would make public their audiologist hearing test results. But I understand why they don’t. The music source for most folks is a phone without an amp or dongle. Followed up by folks with a phone or laptop with a dongle. And lastly with a desktop amp connected to a amp/dac and or computer or dap. If you can try these with your dongle set and a phone can you post your impressions? Comfort and seal is king and it should be too many folks purchase iems that are uncomfortable or use tips that will lead to fatigue. If you can comfortably have a set of iems on for 3+ hours without you needing a break or your ears hurting. Then regardless how well they sound you shouldn’t purchase them. I’m glad you liked them even though they had some curious accessory decisions and driver flex. Great review. Definitely something to put on the radar.

[@PassionforSound]

I've used these with multiple dongles and they were great. The Questyle M15 wasn't the best match due to its slightly rich sound, but most others were great. Sadly, I don't own a phone with 3.5mm output anymore which is why I wondered about the relevance of inline controls

[@adriansalasan7606]

I'm all onboard with the remote version of the cables. I'm actually considering buying this cable at around 120EUR for use with other MMCX IEM's I own. I also own the IE 400 Pro from Sennheiser and I'm annoyed at them for not offering a separate cable with a microphone on it for that IEM. Bluetooth calls are not comparable quality, the Airpods Pro are the best I've tried for that and even those are not comparable to cheap inline wired microphones. Having to use a separate pair of cheap wired IEM's for longer calls or for laptop Teams/Zoom use when traveling because Sennheiser and other manufacturers can't put a decent microphone on a cable for their good quality in ear monitors strikes me as a missed opportunity. I don't want to carry different IEMS for music listening and for communication when traveling. I want a good quality one for music listening which also allows me to communicate effectively both on a phone and on a laptop!

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your perspective on this, Adrian. Great points

[@bourjuva]

is it good for gaming option or u can suggest another option thnx

[@PassionforSound]

It's a fun choice for gaming, but depends on what you're looking for as it won't suit some people for FPS use, etc. I'd consider the IE900 or IE600 from Sennheiser as a more revealing and accurate gaming IEM, I think.

[@allansh828]

Does BTR7 sound better using LDAC vs BTR7 using APT-X HD? Is the difference really come from bluetooth codecs? Or is the BTR7 simply more capable than the wireless module? From my past experience, LDAC runs on 660kbps most of the time anyway. If you force it to run full speed, the connection would be very unstable unless you put the transmitter and receiver right next to each other. I wonder how APT-X adaptive performs. Despite of its bandwidth limitation, Qualcomm claims the new algorithm allows it to achieve similar sound quality at a much lower latency. I've ordered a USB-C to APTX-adaptive transmitter to test with my Focal Bathys. IMO lossy audio can get rid of that lossy harshness with the help of upsampling. The poly-sinc-mqa/mp3 filter comes with the latest version of HQplayer does make compressed file sound smoother and cleaerer.

[@PassionforSound]

I find LDAC consistently delivers crisper, cleaner details compared to aptX HD (and therefore aptX Adaptive too)

[@allansh828]

@@PassionforSound Focal Bathys really makes me rethink Bluetooth. I knew AptX and AAC has noise floor but I never expected to directly hear that constant nail scratching chalkboard sound in the background. It's a mistake for Focal not to support LDAC, the only codec that might be usable on the Bathys. Maybe it should do UPnP streaming, AirPlay and Roon Ready, and get rid of BT entirely.

[@PassionforSound]

Wow! If Bathys is really that revealing of poorer quality codecs, that's a worry. I've got the Kef Mu7 here now and it doesn't have LDAC either, but sounds great for a wireless headphone.

[@allansh828]

@@PassionforSound I think I've found the optimal solution for Bathys. I bought an Xperia 10 IV to test aptX Adaptive. The newer codec does sound slightly smoother than aptX, but what really makes Bathys listenable via Bluetooth is Sony's DSEE upsampling. Despite of being implemented only before the lossy Bluetooth transmission, it still smooth out the harshness of lossy audio, such as KZbin videos and mp3 files. The USB output of Xperia is also a bit cleaner than that from my iPhone SE 2. Qobuz app on Android seems to do bit-perfect now so that's one more reason for me to ditch iPhone. Bathys really are that revealing. On LPS powered Uptone ISO Regen, background gets a lot darker, soundstage open up a lot, very close to Celestee on very high end desktop source, much better than Elegia could ever be.

[@PassionforSound]

That's great news! I'm glad you found a good solution, Allan

[@guybrushtwood]

I know this is over a year old, but it’s “X-El-Ento” Like “Excellent”

[@PassionforSound]

Yes. I just learned that recently. Oops!

[@guybrushtwood]

@@PassionforSound i don’t think it affected any purchases. You’re all good Lachy 🤘

[@PassionforSound]

😂🙏

[@Midnight..]

Hey , I wanted to switch to IEMs for gaming and daily use as the Sony XM4s that i use have a huge delay while playing competitive games like you hear the gun shot almost a sec after firing it. So just wanted to know if the Beyerdynamic Xelento 2 Remote is good for gaming also? Also which IEM would you prefer for gaming?

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't tested the Xelento Remote for latency, but it will be good from a sonic perspective. Are you only wanting wireless or would you go for wired with a dongle?

[@Midnight..]

@@PassionforSound I prefer wired with a dongle.

[@PassionforSound]

In that case, I'd go for a nice dongle (there are good options at every price level) and then just the best IEMs you can afford that suit your tastes. Of course, imaging accuracy is often important in gaming so you'd want something that does that well and if we're talking Xelento 2 then that's a good option as is the IE900 and even IE600.

[@Midnight..]

@@PassionforSound Thank you so much for the help.

[@jeremiahvangalder5415]

Hey Aarav. I just got these and I've been gaming with them. The wired version has a built in mic and it plays well with the Xbox and PS5 controllers. You'll have to tweak your sound settings, because these can get loud and boomy, but I can hear my opponents a mile away in CoD.

[@jeremiahvangalder5415]

I've been on the fence. I'm coming from owning the Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless and Sennheiser ie800s l. I think the xelentos win over the ie900 for the portability factor, aptxHD and being able to switch between wired and Bluetooth. It also has the EQing and personal sound test onboard the app. The water resistance sounds amazing too. But the price 😭

[@PassionforSound]

They're not cheap, but they are an outstanding IEM that competes well with significantly higher priced options so in some ways they are cheap 😁

[@jeremiahvangalder5415]

@@PassionforSound Just ordered them. I don't think there's another IEM on the market that is wireless like this, and I'm not willing to invest in a portable music player to drive wired headphones when I can just use Tidal on my phone. Hopefully technology will get to the point where we won't need the neckband. I'll fill you in with my experience!

[@PassionforSound]

Hope you love them! Please do let me know how you like them.

[@jeremiahvangalder5415]

@@PassionforSound I've had them for a couple days now. Here's my thoughts while listening on Tidal: they have great soundstaging and sound very warm and "tubelike" and throw you inside of the music. They were a little bit of a shock at first, because I'm used to the bright clinical Sennheiser/Dynaudio sound, whereas these really focus more on the midrange and bass over the treble. Sometimes it feels like the vocals get lost in how bassy and enveloping these make instrumentals sound and the bass sometimes feels overemphasized. Artists like Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Mew and Health really suffer because of how their high tenor vocals get overwhelmed and even de-emphasized by this effect. However, the guitars and acoustic elements sound fantastic and warm, and these excel at instrumental/orchestral reproduction, especially on difficult to reproduce tracks. Austin Wintory's Journey soundtrack is amazing, as is Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings soundtracks and Hans Zimmer's Interstellar. For metal, Underoath's "Lost in the Sound of Separation" is one of the most difficult to reproduce albums I've heard, so I test it on headphones and speakers - and these headphones did a fantastic job reproducing all of those elements. Electronic artists like Plaid, BT, and Imogen Heap sound good, but I do miss the Sennheiser "sizzle" on the upper ranges of those electronic tracks. I did the app MIY audio test a few times, and think I found the balance, and enhancement mode is a must. Not having a proper EQ on the app is pretty inexcusable, instead of presets. The neckband itself doesn't look as dorky as I thought it would and I can barely feel it and even napped in these. Having the wired version is so helpful, especially when I play videogames or switch to my PC, which I don't have Bluetooth installed on. I personally feel these would sound better if we could play with the EQ, but the portability factor is something that the Sennheiser ie900s don't have. Maybe their true strength lies in using an amp with them wired. Overall, I think they're a fine set of IEMs, but I'm not sure they're worth 1200 when I wasn't like "wowed" by them, with a personalized test, comply tips for noise isolation AND enhancement mode. It's possible I just prefer a brighter sound. I think people who like warmer natural music will enjoy these: indie rock, acoustic, folk, orchestral, classic rock, jazz sounds good. Bassheads into hip hop will def like these as well. People who like styles with a lot of detail and pop will probably feel disappointed with these (like electronica, IDM, experimental or modern bands that push the envelope on FX) as I had to do a lot of tweaking and trying to trick the audio test to get some more treble out of these. Still, no one else is really doing this on the market, and it saves me the cost of buying a portable player, and is suitable for walking the treadmill at the gym.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing such a detailed write-up!

[@allansh828]

I just bought a pair. The bluetooth doesn’t work. It’s not the first time I had issue with Beyerdynamic’s QC. Last time I unboxed an A2 amplifier with my own blood sprayed all over it because of its unfinished sharp edges. Handcraft in Germany is a joke.

[@PassionforSound]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that!!

[@26kmh39]

I dont speak english well. There no German Video of this. Can someone Tell me in a few words which is the better one? IE 900 or. Xelento Gen2? Thanks

[@PassionforSound]

IE900 is more detailed and neutral. Xelento 2 is smoother and warmer with more bass emphasis. Both are excellent

[@keithb5612]

Thanks for the review and info Lachlan. When I bought the Xelento wired iem originals years ago I thought they sounded "lush" with my music collection. They were not quite as comfy as the Shure se846 for fit for my ears but still small and pretty good for comfort. As the original iem is from quite a few years back, I doubt I will be seeing many comparisons of the new vs og models but your Sennheíser iem comparisons were very helpful. Cheers

[@PassionforSound]

Glad I could help, Keith! I've owned the SE846 too and they're a lovely IEM, but (if it helps at all) the Xelento 2 are significantly better in almost every way I can think of except maybe vocal richness/quality.

[@maegnificant]

​@@PassionforSound the SE846 is really good as a montoring tool for Musicians. Never heard a better IEM for this purpose

[@PassionforSound]

Yes, for stage monitoring, etc. They would be great!

[@SC-or2zb]

wish someone would compare it to t9ie

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't spent any time with that one - sorry

[@frederf69]

Toooo muuch doouugh 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲

[@jasonweaver3629]

Thank you, very valuable content 🙂

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure! Glad I could help 🙂

[@jasonweaver3629]

@@PassionforSound If you already have the ie600 and ie900 do you think this set is worth purchasing? Happy to do so, just want to be sure there was not too much overlap with the ie900s.

[@PassionforSound]

They're quite different sounding IEM so from that point of view it makes sense, but whether it's worth having them as well is a tough one to say because it will depend on your tastes a lot.

[@jasonweaver3629]

@@PassionforSound I know you are one of the very few reviewers to rate the ie900 highly, it's certainly my favourite, is the Xelento 2 in the same league or does it surpass the Sennheiser?

[@PassionforSound]

I think it's in the same league. I am finding myself reaching for both about equally

[@shkelzengerxhaliu5101]

The only reason buying Bluetooth earphones is because of the ANC. Could you please inform us if these have ANC or not. Thank you for the awesome reviews

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure. These don't have ANC (I'd always discuss it if they did). The wireless functionality is for convenience and being an in-ear, they have passive isolation already so some (like me) don't need ANC on a device like these. 🙂

[@NII-pd4fm]

Maybe a stupid question, but I am interested in trying these and I wonder, how these iem sounds vs the T5 3 gen or the hd 660s2 (because I own and now them, never had iems before). So basicly I am interested in the sound characterstics of iems vs an over ear headphone...if that makes sense.

[@PassionforSound]

Not a stupid question at all. The Xelento 2 is actually quite similar to the T5.3 in many ways. Of course, an in-ear will sound different than a full-size headphone, but there are definite similarities.

[@NII-pd4fm]

@@PassionforSound thanks for the answer, and is there anything that the xelentos can give me, that I won't get from the T5? Maybe more detail, more intimate presentation (even If I think the T5 is...a in your face hp:)) etc? Or is it just about the portability? They are not that cheap, so i wondered why I should buy them instead of a T5 for example (which is about the same price If you buy from Beyer directly).

[@PassionforSound]

The Xelento 2 has a more balanced overall tuning because they're not having to deal with the resonances inside the ear cups of a full sized headphone. They'll also create a different soundstage that happens more inside the head, but is still quite spacious.

[@NII-pd4fm]

@@PassionforSound interesting, the t5 can sound a little boomy in the upper bass region, that is the only thing that bothers me sometimes. Thanks again for the insights.

[@PassionforSound]

I think you'll find the Xelento 2 balances that a little better, but they do sound similar. 🙂