GADGETSLAB: Philips XDJ-X5 BT

Reviewed by Ren Alcantara

There’s a lot to be said for going wireless. I prefer it myself, and have a wireless mouse, keyboard, and headset for my own work setup. This is particularly helpful if, like me, you can’t stay still, cutting down the chances of snagging on something and dragging my work area to the floor, When Philips sent over a pair of wired/ wireless headphones for review, I of course jumped on the opportunity to give them a try.

DESIGN 3.5/5

These headphones are of the usual Philips design, with round earcups, large, strong pivots for durability in its intended purpose. As you might imagine from the name, these are meant to be DJ headphones that are hinged to be able to be pinched between an ear and a shoulder. Set right between a light, industrial design and what one might see in street-oriented cans, this is an exercise in compromise that actually works out. The cups are small enough to be comfortable walking around, but with enough size to cover your ears to make a decent seal when you’re mixing.

The cans features removable cable routed through the right cup, and buttons on the opposite ear for audio controls. This works with the hybrid design, as it is actually meant to be used at the DJ booth, or the street, in wireless mode.

HARDWARE 3.5/5

These cans feature 40mm closed drivers, about standard for the class, and a removable 1.2 m coiled cable that terminates in a threaded 6.3mm stereo plug. There’s also a USB charging cable for the internal battery of unspecified capacity, but with a manufacturer-claimed 20 hours of charge. They’re small, but heavier than one might expect for its size, tipping the scales at 319 g. It does run an older version of Bluetooth (4.2), but it should still be compatible with practically all devices, and is still quite good, all told. It does support aptX, and aptX low latency, so that’s a great little feature. There’s also quite a comfortable headband, though the cups themselves could use a bit more padding. A great additional feature is how these cans can fold into quite a compact package for storage and travel.

USER EXPERIENCE 3.5/5

I am a fan of headphones from Philips. They look great, last a good long while, and offer decent, if bass-heavy sound quality. These cans are quintessentially Philips for the most part. Comfortwise, the headband is quite good, with generous padding, though it does tend to pinch, given the thinner padding in the cups. If you intend to pinch it to your ear with your shoulder, I don’t see a problem, though my large head makes wearing the smallish X5BT a little pinchy after about an hour.

As for sound quality, it was uncharacteristically thin. This isn’t to say that’s a bad thing, as too much bass does drown everything else out, though it might really not have enough punch for even milder bassheads. There wasn’t much distortion, so it’s not lacking in fidelity, it’s just not particularly focused on bass, which is just fine. With my usual test tracks, mids come out more than I am accustomed to from the brand, with a little reedy thinness at points. A trip to the equalizer might be called for to make up for this. Wireless connectivity is a great plus, allowing these unobtrusive headphones to be used out in the world without any fuss. Battery life was about at par with what was on the box, lasting about a workweek with roughly four hours of usage per day. Once you’re done listening, fold it up, toss it in a case, and take it around with you.

As we said earlier, the hinges are solid, though the ones on the review pair were creaky, giving an audible squeak each time I touched the buttons on the left cup to listen to music. Movement does tend to go through and cut past the music, but hopefully some breaking in will sort things out. In any case, I’d rather have squeaky hinges than ones that break easily, and these ones are solid.

VALUE 3.5/5

At a converted price of PHP 7,620, these are a little on the pricey side of its class. Still though, it has solid Philips reliability, wired and wireless capabilities, and more than acceptable sound quality. I’m a believer of the Philips brand, and I think if you give these a chance, you might be one too.

What’s Hot:

• Great looks

• Sturdy construction

What’s Not:

• Thin sound

• Pinches after a while

BOTTOMLINE

If you want cans that will work on the street as well at the DJ booth, this is a candidate.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Form: Over-Ear

Driver size: 40mm

Impedance: 32 Ohms

Frequency Response: 5Hz to 30kHz

Sensitivity: 104dB

Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX LL

Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP

Runtime (Rated): 20 Hours