Review: Philips Fidelio L1 [Updated 5/14]
Jun 12, 2012 at 11:31 PM Post #361 of 756
Good night friends, I would like to know if the headphones are compatible with any fidelio sony erricson, some of you already to use with sony ericcson? thank you very much for your prompt replies ...
 
buenas noches amigos,,,me gustaria saber si los auriculares fidelio son compatibles con algun sony erricson, alguno de ustedes ya lo a utilizado con sony ericcson? muchas gracias por sus prontas respuestas...
 
Jul 7, 2012 at 1:26 PM Post #364 of 756
Probably too much to be frank 
rolleyes.gif

 
Jul 11, 2012 at 3:22 PM Post #365 of 756
Is the L1 as  TECHNICALLY(of course sound signature is always subjective) as good as the "Big 3" ?(HD 650, DT880, K701)
As a classmate got Beats MixR last week^( though he carries them more around the neck than on his ears^^), I´d also like to have a nice portable heady xD
In Germany it´s 190€ , so its a bit more expensive than M50 (which is too big imo for mobile use) but cheaper than dat beats (which are PERFECT size-wise)
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 4:46 PM Post #366 of 756
Call me weird, call me what you like - but today I bought both the L1 and the M1... one for indoors, one for out...
 
Should at least provide consistency throughout the day :)
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 5:04 PM Post #367 of 756
Can you tell us what if any difference in sound there is between the two?  Same driver I believe.
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 5:10 PM Post #368 of 756
nick, from a very brief a/b the L1 is airier than the M1, the M1 sounding muddier / more congested (both running through the Burson) - probably the easiest analogy is quite possibly the actual truth of the matter, that the M1s sound more full on, in your face, whilst the L1 sounds smoother, cleaner - probably as a result of the pads (sat right on your ears with the M, versus around your ears with the L)...
 
Take it with a grain of salt though, as both pairs have less than 1hr on the clock!
 
[edit]
 
Holy screw - The Ms are bass MONSTERS! - just listened to the cannon section at the end of the 1812 Overture, and these things nearly blew themselves off of my head... Wow! - I won't say it is amazingly controlled or anything - however, i wouldn't be surprised if these could give the Beyer DT770 a serious run for their money as being the bass monsters!
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 5:22 PM Post #369 of 756
Hmm... definitely take the first paragraph of my last post with a grain of salt...
 
I actually think I prefer the M tonally (ignoring the bass) - I think I can hear what Beagle was on about a few pages back - will need to sit on these for a few days before making a further comparison...
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 5:38 PM Post #370 of 756
Quote:
Is the L1 as  TECHNICALLY(of course sound signature is always subjective) as good as the "Big 3" ?(HD 650, DT880, K701)
As a classmate got Beats MixR last week^( though he carries them more around the neck than on his ears^^), I´d also like to have a nice portable heady xD
In Germany it´s 190€ , so its a bit more expensive than M50 (which is too big imo for mobile use) but cheaper than dat beats (which are PERFECT size-wise)

 
Personally I found the L1 pretty technically competent compared to my HD600s but I found the bass emphasis distracting and ended up returning them. I suspect that if I had spent more time analyzing them I would likely have concluded that they aren't as detailed as the Sennheisers, but in the week I had them I was never really struck by a lack of detail. So, if they aren't as detailed (which I'm not even fully willing to state either way) it's certainly not a big noticeable flaw.
 
I've also heard the K701s (somewhat briefly) and they're pretty much the opposite sound signature of the L1s. K701s have a good bit more detail, but to my ears go much too far into the land of over-treble-emphasis.
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 5:45 PM Post #371 of 756
Quote:
Hmm... definitely take the first paragraph of my last post with a grain of salt...
 
I actually think I prefer the M tonally (ignoring the bass) - I think I can hear what Beagle was on about a few pages back - will need to sit on these for a few days before making a further comparison...

 
Would be nice if you can further specify what you think about the L1's tonality as I'm still slightly interested in the L1's but my main concern is upper-mid peakiness/resonance as at least some1 pointed out. Most of the time only more experienced listeners picks out these stuff but to me it's also an important factor as I hate unbalanced mids with peaks or resonance which colors the vocals, especially female vocals usually get shouty / "the 80's radio" midrange sound, as a result. 
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 6:01 PM Post #372 of 756
Thanks Duncan looking forward to further as time passes.
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 6:34 PM Post #373 of 756
Quote:
Is the L1 as  TECHNICALLY(of course sound signature is always subjective) as good as the "Big 3" ?(HD 650, DT880, K701)

 
I also have the DT-880 with 600 Ohm. I compared both for over two weeks on a daily basis to see which I prefer. I have to go with the L1.
 
There are a few differences:
 
The bass performance of the L1 is much better. The Philips goes deeper, has more texture, is tighter and has great punch. There were but two Classical recordings in my collection with which I found the bass overpowering - that's pretty good considering 25% of my collection is Classical.
The Beyer just sounds muddy in comparison. There is one thing it does better, though, and that are bass strings.
 
As for the mids, the L1 is almost in your face. They are really upfront and personal. The Beyer has incredible airiness in the upper mids and makes female voices sound like they're floating. But for most genres, I again prefer the Philips although DT-880 has a (brighter but) better timbre.
 
Highs on the L1 are smooth. I don't find them recessed. However, here it feels like some details are missing in comparison. But what's missing with the Philips, is over-presented with the 880: highs can be piercing and fake a higher resolution which can be annoying with modern recordings.
 
So there you go. If you listen to Classical music, take the Beyer. If you also have some Hip-Hop, Electronica, Pop, etc. in your collection, the L1 will be the much better choice. If you use an iPhone, then anyway!
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 9:19 PM Post #374 of 756
Quote:
 
Would be nice if you can further specify what you think about the L1's tonality as I'm still slightly interested in the L1's but my main concern is upper-mid peakiness/resonance as at least some1 pointed out. Most of the time only more experienced listeners picks out these stuff but to me it's also an important factor as I hate unbalanced mids with peaks or resonance which colors the vocals, especially female vocals usually get shouty / "the 80's radio" midrange sound, as a result. 

 
I don't find the L1 to be shouty.
 
Jul 12, 2012 at 3:29 AM Post #375 of 756
The M1 definitely has an upper midrange hump, but I would assume that that is due to the design / fit...
 
I agree with The Monkey - the L1s do not exhibit the same syrupy 'richness'... - I won't say they are as 'crisp' as the Senn HD25s (as example) but certainly nowhere nearly as badly coloured as the B&W P5...
 

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