[Bob24]

Has anyone managed to get hold off these? Any opinion about how thy sound?

There is on user review on Amazon which seem promising: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-NC1-Noise-Cancelling-Headphone/dp/B00CK2P5BU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415225420&sr=8-3&keywords=Fidelity+nc1#customerReviews

 

[marko93101]

Haven't seen anything in stores yet, but keeping tabs. Really hoping they sound good so I can get them for college/commuting.

 

[Bob24]

  Haven't seen anything in stores yet, but keeping tabs. Really hoping they sound good so I can get them for college/commuting.

Would like that as well! They do seem well designed based on the marketting pictures, hopefully they can also deliver in the sound department. 
 
I found a review (in French) which sounds pretty negative here: http://www.tomsguide.fr/article/test-philips-fidelio-nc1,2-1612.html
 
Having said that I am not too worried as it seems to me the reviewer isn't exactly experienced in reviewing headphones as he is not describing the sound or comparing them to any other model. 
 
One thing he is saying which could be annoying if correct: according to him they are sensitive to GSM interferences and there is a hiss noise when they are connecting to a mobile phone which is actively transmitting data. He is saying that it is especially noticeable on the subway when the phone keeps losing signal and reconnecting to the mobile network.

 

[oryan_dunn]

Any word on price or availability of these?  My company recently relocated the software department to the basement, right next to the air handlers, so there is this constant low rumbling sound, not unlike what you'd hear on a plane.  I've used the Bose QC-15 on American flights before, and the seemed to do a very good job at rejecting the monotonous noise of the plane, that I think would work well in my situation.  I like my Fidelio headphones, and would like to give the NC1 a try, that is, if I can find them anywhere.
 
Ps.  Oddly, my time at this company is very much following the story arc of the movie Office Space.  Any day I expect to realize that they fixed the glitch.

 

[Bob24]

Any word on price or availability of these?  My company recently relocated the software department to the basement, right next to the air handlers, so there is this constant low rumbling sound, not unlike what you'd hear on a plane.  I've used the Bose QC-15 on American flights before, and the seemed to do a very good job at rejecting the monotonous noise of the plane, that I think would work well in my situation.  I like my Fidelio headphones, and would like to give the NC1 a try, that is, if I can find them anywhere.

Ps.  Oddly, my time at this company is very much following the story arc of the movie Office Space.  Any day I expect to realize that they fixed the glitch.

Amazon had then in stock fir a bit here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00CK2P5BU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1416470563&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

If you monitor the page they might come back.

 

[Bob24]

Brief review with some pictures here (again in French - I don't seem to find much information in English): http://www.on-mag.fr/index.php/topaudio/tests-auditions/12852-test-philips-fidelio-nc1-casque-antibruit-ultra-compact-pour-audiophile-nomade-et-voyageur
Summary of the review: well built, fairly balanced sound with slight peek in low frequencies, noise cancelling works very well might require adjust your fit to get a better seal, sound quality with noise cancelling turned off is slightly reduced but still very acceptable.
 
Has anyone seem them available for sale?

 

[marko93101]

  Brief review with some pictures here (again in French - I don't seem to find much information in English): http://www.on-mag.fr/index.php/topaudio/tests-auditions/12852-test-philips-fidelio-nc1-casque-antibruit-ultra-compact-pour-audiophile-nomade-et-voyageur
Summary of the review: well built, fairly balanced sound with slight peek in low frequencies, noise cancelling works very well might require adjust your fit to get a better seal, sound quality with noise cancelling turned off is slightly reduced but still very acceptable.
 
Has anyone seem them available for sale?

 
 
This just makes me want them even more.

 

[Bob24]

This just makes me want them even more.

If you see them somewhere in Duvlin let me know

Btw you know where I can give the rest of the Fidelio range a try? I tried a few shops in town - Beats and Sennheiser Momentums seem to be kings of the hill for over 100 euros headphones - and couldn't find any Philips.

 

[Bob24]

Another review, which finds them ok but not great: http://www.lesnumeriques.com/casque-audio/philips-nc1-p21601/test.html
 
Only available in French for now but the websites usually publishes English translations (btw I am not especially looking for French reviews, but even looking at google.com for any language, I still can't find anything in English and not much in other languages either ... strange).
 
They are complaining about noise cancellation not working very well on the subway, bus, or while walking as it is very sensitive any airflow blowing into the headphones or to excessive motion, which they say are picked up by the microphones and getting the NC system to generate unexpected sounds. 
They are also saying that while they sound is OK, the rendering a bit boring compared to other Fidelio headphones, and high frequencies are lacking both in quantity and quality.
 
 
I am really not sure about these now ... really looking forward to a review from ho-fi specialised websites or comments from people here who can compared them to other headphones.

 

[Costanza76]

Norwegian Consumer-site DinSide rated these as best-in-test even ahead of Boses new top-model and PSB M4U2 (my current favorite).
 
Link:  http://www.dinside.no/931885/test-8-hodetelefoner-med-aktiv-stoydemping
 
Short summary:
Balanced sound - best SQ in test
NC does not affect sound quality significantly
Some noice leaking out (note: not in)
NC second only to Bose, but better SQ
 
 
I haven't been able to check them out yet, as availability here in Norway seems Limited at the moment.

 

[Bob24]

Thanks for the link ... reviews seem to be very inconsistent for these, from so-so to best in class. Hopefully a few people here will be able to try these soon and we can have more feedback.

 

[katio]

As you guys, I couldn't find any info on these. However, I have targeted them a few months ago since they seemed to be a good alternative over the QC25. So why not go for the Bose? Basically I find them ugly and bulky for on-the-go headphones. Plus some of the material seem cheap (like the cable) and of course they are more expensive than the NC1. In addition the Bose cable was not working with my mobile phone (Sony XPeria).
 
Anyway, I found the NC1 on the airport in Paris and I couldn't resist, even if I hadn't enough information on them (no reviews, no availability). I couldn't even try the NC feature since the model on the store was out of charge! Price was 225 euros and Philips reimburses you 50 euros but only if you leave in France. Despite all these negative vibes, I wanted a Noice Canceling model for my collection and I love the Fidelio series, so I took the risk.
 
The outcome. These are definitely more convenient for traveling than the Bose model. They are very comfortable, but I don't think any on-ear headphone can beat an over-ear model (like the QC25) in comfort. I think that they are quite comfy though. Build quality is great, materials and cable are better than the more expensive Bose.
 
Sound is decent with NC on and off. No batteries,  you just charge them with a micro-usb cable. I could not do a noise canceling comparison against the Bose, but I was not impressed of the noise cancelling feature of the Philips. Now, that might be because I might had high expectations of the noise cancelling feature. Another positive aspect of the NC1 is that they don't have the sucking-your-ear feeling that the Bose have. Note however that the NC1 have a hissing sound while noise canceling is on (I think I've read that somewhere else as well). But to me, it is not annoying. 
 
I forgot. The hard case is fantastic. Similar, but  a little bigger than my V-Moda XS case.
 
All in all, I think this is a good pair of portable headphones that can be used with and without noise canceling.
 
To be honest I find it very strange that these disappeared after a while. I was starting to feel that there was something wrong with them and they will be discontinued.
 
Time will tell. I might have purchased a collectible model

 

[Bob24]

Thanks for the feedback. I myself ended-up getting QC25s because I couldn't try the Philips anywhere and the reviews were not very conclusive (and my parents knew we would get them a nice Christmas present this year and pressured me a bit to give them a suggestion before Christmas so that they could return the favour ).
 
I saw the Philips in a shop in France but they wouldn't open the box and I was not clear about their return policy. It is a bit stupid, the sales guy told me the brands are paying to get space for demo units (which Bose does), but since Philips doesn't have that they don't want to open the boxes as then they can't sell them as new anymore. I understand their point of view, but in the end while my initial preference was for the NC1s, the reason I got the QC25s is that Bose are paying for demo areas everywhere while Philips isn't ... not always a good sign to buy the brand with the most marketing expenses, but I kind of wanted to know what I was getting.
 
I am also surprised there is no more info coming out about these. You might have seen Philips have recently announced a Lightning version of them which include a DAC and are powered by the iOS device, so they don't seem to be giving up on them.
 
If you get the chance, I would be interested in more comments about the sound quality. Especially if you are a Fidelio person, how to they compare to other headphones of that series?

 

[marko93101]

Well if anyone in UK is tempted...
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-NC1-Noise-Cancelling-Headphone/dp/B00CK2P5BU/ref=cm_rdp_product

 

[Tagjazz]

I've owned these headphones for a couple of months now and they are OK but not amazing.
 
Pros:
- Comfortable - thick ear pads are great and not a strong clamping force.
- Very portable - they fold up to a small size and the case is also small so easy to store in a bag/backpack.
- SQ is pleasurable - not exactly hi-fi (I have AkG and NAD headphones for home), but fun to listen to for commenting.
- Easy to switch the ANC on and off
- Sound is pretty good with ANC off too
- Battery life is amazing
 
Cons:
- ANC - Although it cuts out the lower frequencies well, some upper frequencies are still audible, so you can still hear conversations near you. Also, they are prone to picking up regular interference from other mobiles/devices and also from train signals etc which is really annoying. There are times when I have to switch the ANC off due to this.
 
 
Overall, they do the job, are fun to listen to during travel and I would still pick these over Bose any day.
 
Any other owners found the same issues with ANC?