End Words
I have to say that Mike has done an excellent job in reproducing our Philips iLab visit and it’s not easy adding extra value to it. We were all genuinely impressed with what Philips showed us and with how serious Philips takes their headphone business. Listening to the new L2 I can see how the results of all these tests influenced the sound of this headphone, and that’s simply impressive and awesome. This of course also means that Philips probably has other great things coming in the future and I really look forward to discovering them.
Below are the pictures of the Fidelio L2 and Fidelio M1BT sneak preview. They made me wear the L2, I didn’t have a choice 😉
A Tour of the iLabs Research Facility
And finally, the wonderful people who hosted us at Philips:
Benoit Burette – Innovation Engineer, Audio (i.e Speakers)
Stefan Hendricx – Function Manager RF/Connectivity (i.e Bluetooth)
Rowan Williams – Innovation Engineer, Audio
Loic Tanghe – Pre-development Manager, Team Leader
Kelvin Griffiths – FEM Analysis
Hugh Cautley – Director Strategy Business Development
Bas Heijens – Senior Manager, Consumer Marketing
From left to right: Me, Benoit, Rowan, Tyll, Bas, Lieven, Jude
George Lai
Very interesting article. I’m just sad I’m one of the 20% of the population that couldn’t wear their Fidelio L1 so I gave it away, and my bigger X1 just fits tightly. Sigh.
L.
X1: me likes! And Thanks!
dalethorn
I would feel a lot better about Philips if they would have their Facebook guy Kevin apologize for ignoring my requests about the M1 before I bought it and reviewed it, and found it to be a bad sound with a shelved treble. I’d like to know that the new M1 has fixed that problem, and it would be good if I could get a sample without having to spend another $250 for it. In the meantime I stand by my review. I’d like to be a happy Philips customer and independent reviewer, but I’m not rich enough to buy if I can’t get some assurance on these things.
L.
I don’t think they changed the driver, just added Bluetooth. I haven’t had time to listen to it that much so far
TheMakhai
Awesome write up guys! It looks like it was a lot of fun! This article definitely put philips on the map for me now when looking for future headphone upgrades. And great job on the pictures you took of the L2 and M1! Just phenomenal. I really feel you were able to capture and communicate their aesthetics in a stunning manner. Keep up the good work!
L.
Thanks man. Nice to hear
Wid
Loves the X1 so much, any rumor for X2? 🙂
Mike, How can I go to your store from Pluit? Any best route you can recommend?
Mike
Haven’t heard anything about the X2. I’d guess they’re working on an upgrade though. Every company is always working on an upgrade.
Ryan C
Yo, do the L2 pads fit entirely around your ears, or do they caress the surfaces?
Mike
They touch your ears a bit, if that’s what you’re asking.
L.
The cups aren’t the biggest so if you have bigger ears, yes they will touch for sure. Doesn’t bother me at all, they’re soft
John123John
Finally got around to reading this (sorry!) and it was a great article. They have a very thorough process that has the potential to deliver great sounding and comfortable product. I wonder if other companies, even the big ones like Sennheiser or even Beats lol, so these sort of surveys and tests.
Its cool seeing you guys get even more global recognition, being there along with Tyll and Jude. Keep networking and maybe you get invites to other headphone developers as well!
P. S. There is a repeated edited paragraph on page 3.
L.
Thanks John, we’ve been invited to Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and Violectric in the mean time 😉
Mike
Well you know what I’ve been listening to the L2 and also getting a lot of the local enthusiasts to listen to it and there is not a single person I know who auditioned who was not impressed with the driver quality/technicalities. Of course sound signature preferences aside..
Right now I do feel that the L2 has a driver quality that’s slightly ahead of the Hifiman HE-500 and just below the Senn HD700 in terms of technicalities. Of course the L2 is much easier to drive than the HE-500 and is also lighter and more comfortable as well. The L2 is really phenomenal and really a class ahead from its competition like the Momentum or the ESW-11.
Thanks, Ill look into the repeated edit.