THE RETURN OF FIDELIO: A FEAST FOR YOUR EARS
How it started to how it’s going – don’t call it a comeback, because Philips’ audio prowess has been here for years
When Philips first established its Fidelio brand, it was with the express intention of doing the ‘premium’ thing a little differently.
And those Fidelio headphones and soundbars certainly stood out from the crowd, thanks to an unbeatable combo of premium materials, premium performance and a most un-premium ease of use – because unlike its competitors, Fidelio never considered complexity or wonky ergonomics to be virtues.
And now the brand is back, ready to build on its reputation and ready (again) to redefine what ‘premium’ really should mean where materials, performance and accessibility are concerned. The new soundbars and headphones embody the whole Fidelio philosophy: they look, feel and sound superb.
X gon’ give it to ya
The X3 open-backed over-ear headphones are a brilliant example of what Fidelio stands for. Their mix of metal, sustainable Muirhead leather and Kvadrat acoustic cloth brings tactility, longevity and sophisticated good looks; and the 50mm neodymium driver in each earcup has multiple polymer layers and a damping gel in order to deliver deep, balanced and accurate sound from any source.
The Fidelio philosophy is even clearer with the extraordinary B97 soundbar – if for no other reason than that there’s plenty more of it. In fact, the description ‘soundbar’ is to understate the Fidelio B97’s capabilities somewhat. Yes, at first glance it’s a good-looking, well made soundbar. But there’s a bit more to it than that.
With speaker drivers facing forwards, angled out from the ends and firing upwards too, the B97 can deliver all the sonic width and height that a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtrack demands. Its discreet wireless subwoofer adds the sort of low-frequency punch every blockbuster needs; and for when only truly full-on surround sound will do, the end modules detach to become wireless rear speakers.
As well as performing brilliantly with movies, the Fidelio B97 is also an accomplished system for music. It has wired and wireless inputs, so any source can be supported – and of course, it’s perfect for the spatial audio that so many streaming services are beginning to offer.
The power of 3
It’s with the Fidelio L3 headphones, though, that Philips has made its biggest statement of intent. At every turn, these wireless noisecancelling over-ears set standards: they’ll run for over 30 hours on one charge and can manage six hours of playback after just a 15-minute top-up, while aptx HD Bluetooth 5 means solid wireless connectivity and superb sound from their triplelayer 40mm drivers.
The four mics monitor external conditions to deliver the most effective noise-cancellation available; and, of course, the Fidelio L3s use a combination of soft, sustainable Muirhead leather, memory foam and aluminium to create a pair of headphones that’s as big a pleasure to look at as it is to wear and listen to.
Fidelio by Philips is back. And if you want an audio device that looks, feels and performs like a premium product but doesn’t have premium-style complexity or cost, Fidelio by Philips has you covered.
Philips Fidelio audio products are available from Currys, Richer Sounds, Ao.com and Amazon.co.uk