Dear all,
I’ve been a member for several years now and in that time I have collected a decent amount of headphones. However, I rarely posted a review and kept pretty silent when recommending headphones unless I was pretty sure I understood correctly what the OP was asking.
Today, however, I want to present to you one of the best all-rounders I currently know of - the Philips Fidelio L1: lively, clear and well-balanced.
Please keep in mind that I haven’t actually possessed the usual suspects, e.g. Audio Technica M50 and Shure SRH-840.
Yes, you read correctly. A Philips - the Dutch company that buries you with LED lamp search results when you ask Google. A brand that never was mentioned before in the upper mid-fi region simply because they did not have a single product in that price range. Yet Philips proved to be stylish, flexible and innovative in the past. Now they added musicality and loudly advertise their newest reference headphone targeted at audiophiles.
As always, specifications first (taken from Philips, trimmed and slightly edited):
Product dimensions
Weight: 0.2716 kg, equals 0.599 lb
Sound
Frequency response: 12 - 25 000 Hz
Impedance: 26 Ohm
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Maximum power input: 200 mW
Distortion: < 0.1% THD
Connectivity
Cable Connection: Oxygen free cable (1.1m)
Accessories
Apple in-line remote and microphone
Separate 3.5mm audio cable
Storage pouch
Adapter plug: 3.5 - 6.3 mm
The pouch feels surprisingly high quality but I cannot really tell which fabric Philips used.
Personally, I would have wished for the non-headset cable to be twice as long. BTW, you can use either cable as extension or use the mic/remote with other headphones.
I do not want to waste much space and time on looks. Just refer to the pictures if you think you like the style. Personally, I think there are but few headphones that look better than the L1. However, I’m no wannabe pro basketball player so I can’t speak for everybody.
Worth mentioning in this point is that the L1 actually is counted and numerated during production. It’s hard printed on the inside and only visible when you rotate the cups.
I have edition no. 317. I hope other users will post their numbers in this thread when they pick one up.
Build quality is probably more important.
No concerns have any justification as far as I can tell. The materials used are top notch. All sensitive parts are built with aluminum – the headband is just one large bent piece covered by cushion foam and real leather. The aluminum swivels will most probably last for a very long time.
The cord is covered by some textile. I cannot tell if it’s a design choice, extra protection or used to eliminate cable noises. All I can say right now is that both cables have a great weight, look durable and are relatively flexible without memory. The iPhone control is great, too. Rubber volume controls are worked into the aluminum housing and the buttons have a great pressure point. If it matters to you, I can also tell you that the microphone is very good. My wife says she can understand me better when I’m using the headset function with my iPhone 4 instead of without.
Finally, only time will tell how good the build quality is, but I have absolutely no doubt Philips will not be bringing any bad news or production errors, like other big companies are still trying to overcome. Cracking headbands, materials dissolving or wrong cups used in production are extremely unlikely.
Next up: comfort.
Instead of praising Philips, I rather wonder what other companies do wrong. How hard can it be to build a comfortable headphone? You take a headband and put cushions in the inside. How can it be that AKG, Grado, Ultrasone, Sennheiser, etc. fail in this department? If you like the Beyerdynamic sound, you are lucky - because they are known for high comfort, even though the velour pads are a little itchy.
That our beloved hifi brands are having ridiculous troubles giving us great comfort is the reason Beats and Bose sell like crazy. Now consumers finally have a good alternative.
Even though Philips used a very simplistic design, I do have to give them credit for using extremely soft memory foam and leaving enough space for my big ears in the around-ear design. Easily encapsulated, the Fidelio L1 is the most comfortable headphone I have ever worn.
I fall asleep every second day with the L1 on my head, also thanks to the lightweight design.
In summer, I expect my ears to heat up though.
Isolation
I’ve seen many posts from people who seemed worried about the half-open design. If isolation is a big concern, you must pass on these. However, if you don’t blast your ear canals but listen at moderate volume, you shouldn’t be worried about disturbing others. Sound leakage is very little and the L1 captures the noise much better than the Ultrasone PRO 900.
But the L1 also lets sound inside a bit more than a fully closed design. If you want to hear the door bell or don’t want to miss any calls at work, the Philips might have the perfect balance between isolation and awareness. (Further impressions can be found here.)
Moving on…
At last I get to the sound description.
The Philips Fidelio L1 has a very favorable sound presentation. I notice no dips or ridges that could harm the incredibly smooth and well-balanced frequency response. Put simply – considering the MSRP, the L1 has no flaws.
Of course this is a highly subjective perception that can only be linked to my personal preference, but I find it worth mentioning because it is the only headphone I can attest this feature to. As for universal IEMs, I can only think of the Westone 4 which deserves similar praise. (I’d like to add the FX700, but it’s slightly too v-shaped.)
To emphasize this again, the Philips L1 is so far the only headphone I have tried which made me forget about any sound signature while shuffling through my collection. It is extremely compatible with what my mind expects music to sound like and, thus, pleases me with a genuine performance.
I cannot speak for you or anybody else, but I think it is worth a shot. The L1 is definitely faithful to the recording.
If you’re coming from Beats by Dre, aka the headphones that “sound exactly how the artist intended” (cough), you will very likely find bass quantity lacking. If you’re not, you will likely be pleased about quantity and quality.
I still find the bass to be strong, but also well-controlled. It surely does not have as much weight as a Denon and I never find the bass to be overwhelming. Of course, if you think the K701 has just the right amount, you might perceive bass quantity differently.
There is no way I can describe the bass without using the term punchy. The angled drivers move fast and the half-open design prevents boom. The air movement gives a lot of life to the sound, even without overly emphasizing bass.
Daft Punk hits hard, Hip-Hop beats from Tyler the Creator go low, while bass-guitars adapt nicely to the rest of the instruments. With bass, the Beyerdynamic T1 impressed me a little bit more - but I found it to be a bit too thin for easy-listening or using the shuffle function. My previous main can, the PRO 900, did not prove to be as versatile as the Fidelio. The latter does not have an artificial feel to it.
If you don’t shuffle through different genres often, you might prefer a different approach to bass presentation. But looking at the L1 as a whole, it does extremely well without altering the bass track.
According to a frequency graph that has been posted somewhere, the Fidelio has pronounced highs. I cannot hear the elevation as in that no high tones jump into my face. I rather assume the highs are a little bit more pronounced to balance a slightly warm tilt so that fundamental and overtone are balanced out. The graph that has been posted implies a slightly v-shaped signature but I do not perceive it as such. Voices are definitely in front of the instruments. Soundstage wise, they are up front and personal. The other instruments spread out nicely in a half-circle around the head. Depth is great. Thanks to the angled drivers, the music plays closely but outside the head.
There is really not much to dislike about the tuning. It’s engaging, lively, quick and energetic, without being aggressive or fatiguing. It’s not as flat as my W4, but considering the size I wouldn’t want it to be. Timbre is very fine – I have never thought that any instrument or voice sounded dark or bright. Due to the surrounding and immersive soundstage, the music just sucks me in. With a good recording, like Diana Krall’s Live in Paris, Philips can really show what they are capable of.
It’s difficult for me to rate resolution and detail retrieval as I currently have no other fullsize for A/B comparison. It’s definitely not as good as the W4, but I’d say it’s at least on HA-FX700 level. I eagerly await further impressions from other users on this matter.
Ultimately, the Fidelio questions the price tag of many other headphones, including generally accepted hifi brands within this price range.
Conclusion:
The strongest suit of the Philips Fidelio L1 is that it does nothing wrong. Everything seems to make sense and seems to be well sought out. Starting by the multi-purpose design with iPhone remote and mic, to the half-open design for home use and train rides, all the way to a sleek and unpretentious design, the Fidelio L1 is an incredible all-rounder that is highly welcomed.
Finally, the sound signature should please regular consumers and audiophiles alike. Philips clearly addresses the masses. But unlike with Bose, Monster or B&W, you are not paying for brand name or comfort. You get that for free.
Updated impressions:
It's been over one month that I have these now. Believe me, I used them a lot! I've been on many business trips these past days and I am very happy I got the Philips before. These have been heavily used, but I am a clean person. However, I have taken the pictures this morning and as you can see they still look fabulous. There is absolutely no reason to question the materials or build quality.
As for the sound, my perception hasn't changed one bit. The Fidelio is not a tool, and as you can see with Tyll's measurements, this is a fun headphone. I wouldn't go as far as call this a bass-heavy headphone. A warm tilt with incredible sub-bass fits it better. The Philips is well balanced and thanks to the 2kHz raise the voices stay up front.
All I can say is that I am still amazed.
Sources: I mainly use the iPhone 4. At home, I plug in the extension and run it from a DAC/amp which adds a warmer feel and tiny bit more control. For convenience, I do prefer the iPhone and it makes a great source. The L1 is a good option if you want to save some extra cash and not go for an amp.
Further Impressions:
- by MuppetFace (comparison with Z1000)
- by swbf2cheater (new thread)
More pictures can be found here.
Tags: Fidelio L1, Philips L1/00, review, appreciation, pictures, discussion
Edited by Ultrazino - 4/8/12 at 3:14am
