With the Fidelio T1 in-ear headphones, Philips went all out. It’s uncommon to find wireless headphones with two transducers; most often, just a few audiophile models have them. Better reproduction is the basis for the advantages of two-way headphones because each tiny speaker reproduces a specific frequency range, just like a loudspeaker. The Bluetooth LDAC codec, which can take in Hi-Res Audio streams up to 24 bits / 96 kHz, is also supported by the Philips Fidelio T1s. Numerous titles are available in this format on Tidal or Apple Music. you can read our article on Philips Fidelio T1 review.
Philips Fidelio T1 review: Design
What’s larger than most pairs of true wireless in-ear headphones but smaller than the case for a pair of binoculars? What I mean is the case that houses the Philips Fidelio T1. Yes, the combination of metal and Muirhead leather gives it a great look and feel, but my goodness, there is a lot of it. You’ll need a jacket or bag to conceal it while you’re out and about because at 52 x 85 x 32mm, it will thwart any pants pocket. It must be enormous because the earbuds that charge inside of it are also rather large. They resemble the superb QuietComfort Earbuds from Bose the most because of their lozenge design. Contrary to the gaudy Bose, the Fidelio T1’s dimensions are lessened by being extremely attractively polished in brushed aluminum. Even the large, circular capacitive touch- screen pulls off a stylish appearance. In comparison to other true wireless earphones, the charging case is enormous. It’s not going to fit into a little jeans pocket because it’s about the size and shape of a bar of soap, but you can easily tuck it away in your purse. With magnets, you can quickly and easily snap the earbuds back into the case without having to fumble with it. It feels sturdy and well made. If we had to pick something, it would be the possibility of future damage to the leather strip along the top. You would assume that these earphones wouldn’t be comfy because they are made of metal and are so long in design, but we actually forgot we were wearing them. You can pretty much count on finding the perfect fit because they include three sizes of foam ear tips and four sizes of rubber ear tips in the box. When we put them to the test, we wore them intermittently throughout the day and for nighttime workouts. The entire time, they remained stationary. It took some time before we got sick of having them inside. also you can check our article on Philips Fidelio T1 review. The Philips Fidelio T1 is IPX4 rated, so while it won’t withstand being completely submerged in water, splashes of water shouldn’t harm it. They will be fine to use for sweaty runs or being caught in mild rain, according to that. The touchpads that are located outside of each bud can be used to control the music. Unlike other headphones, you have to press down on the precise bud in order to pause or play the music. Having to hold the press occasionally resulted in us jostling the earbud, which could be annoying.
Comfort
In comparison to other true wireless earphones, the charging case is enormous. It’s not going to fit into a little jeans pocket because it’s about the size and shape of a bar of soap, but you can easily tuck it away in your purse. With magnets, you can quickly and easily snap the earbuds back into the case without having to fumble with it. It feels sturdy and well made. If we had to pick something, it would be the possibility of future damage to the leather strip along the top. You would assume that these earphones wouldn’t be comfy because they are made of metal and are so long in design, but we actually forgot we were wearing them. You can pretty much count on finding the perfect fit because they include three sizes of foam ear tips and four sizes of rubber ear tips in the box. When we put them to the test, we wore them intermittently throughout the day and for nighttime workouts. The entire time, they remained stationary. It took some time before we got sick of having them inside. also you can check our article on Philips Fidelio T1 review. The Philips Fidelio T1 is IPX4 rated, so while it won’t withstand being completely submerged in water, splashes of water shouldn’t harm it. They will be fine to use for sweaty runs or being caught in mild rain, according to that. The touchpads that are located outside of each bud can be used to control the music. Unlike other headphones, you have to press down on the precise bud in order to pause or play the music. Having to hold the press occasionally resulted in us jostling the earbud, which could be annoying.
Philips Fidelio T1 review: Connectivity
The Bluetooth connection held strong throughout the whole test, regardless of the smartphone used. The melody continued almost ten metres distant from the smartphone, through a wooden floor. Likewise in the street and in the centre of a packed place. But it has happened more than once that the headphones cease making sound after a while of inactivity and need to be put away and then taken out of their case to restart. A multipoint Bluetooth connection allows for the simultaneous use of a smartphone and a computer. It is disappointing that connection voice chats are only available in English and that each gadgets is identified by a number rather than by its name. The Philips Fidelio T1 headphones’ latency is obviously pretty significant and causes problems with synchronisation between vision and sound, despite the compensatory latency offered by the majority of mobile streaming applications. Lip desynchronization is obvious and especially perceptible on YouTube and Plex on iOS. Another area where the phenomenon is evident is in video games.
Noise cancelling
You’ll find that these are some of the more adaptable noise-cancelling earphones available. To give consumers complete discretion over how much noise they wish to block out or let in, Philips developed a three-level ANC mode in addition to a powerful Awareness mode. When you choose ANC in the companion app, you are presented with three options: High, Low, and Wind Noise Reduction, each of which is designed to serve a particular function. Low is excellent for shutting out voices, while High is most effective against loud noises. Reduce Wind Noise is self-explanatory. Surprisingly, they all performed well. In order to block out usual distractions like FedEx delivery, iPhone ringtones, loud TVs, and noisy relatives, we spent the most of our testing time with High enabled. our toddler’s happy shrieks and whistles could not be avoided, but the earbuds can tolerate some high-frequency noises, such as bird chirps. We were pleasantly surprised by how well Wind Noise Reduction worked. The music sounded clearer once it was turned on since the whisking effects brought on by wind were less noticeable. Although they could still be heard, the sound of fast cars in front of the house wasn’t bothersome. Four programmable levels of ambient listening are included with awareness. When set to maximum (level 4), the microphones are fully opened so you can hear every sound around you. The buds don’t pick up every peep (you won’t hear a rodent scamper across the floor), but they do pick up incidental noises well enough to increase users’ awareness of their surroundings. The mode was useful for seeing our baby boy while he napped on the monitor and for morning strolls through busy streets. When you want to hear someone speak clearly without pausing or taking out the earbuds, there is a voice mode that emphasizes vocals.
Audio performance
As a headset for calls, the Fidelio T1 performs admirably. Any calls we placed inside were clearly audible. Many of the individuals present outside noted a small muffling when speaking from the backyard. Walking to the house made things worse because there was more traffic and landscaping equipment to contend with. Wind resistance was the main issue, which made it challenging to have a conversation. The performance sounds substantial, but not to the extent that any details are missed or the frequency range seems unbalanced. On vocals like Anette Askvik’s Liberty, where every cadence and variation in pitch of her voice is represented with exquisite accuracy, the mid-range is described in pretty acute terms and with very strong clarity. With a song like the Pharcyde’s Runnin’, the Fidelio T1 make sure the quick rhymes are fluid and understandable, while in Sabotage, we can almost make out what the Beastie Boys are saying. A minor quibble would be that voices might be placed a little further forward to set them apart from other components and give them a little more breathing room. In a manner, the Voice EQ accomplishes this, but the tonality is a touch off. Although that claimed frequency range of 7-40000Hz seems adventurous, the Fidelio T1 are expressive at the high end of the frequency range. The string instruments in Jonny Greenwood’s HW/Hope of New Fields from There Will be Blood are relayed richly and with detail, though we did find the Sony to be more expressive and boasting more finesse. The treble is treated with clarity, but the T1 aren’t the most stand-out in GoGo Penguin’s Raven.
Philips Fidelio T1 review: Call performance
As a headset for calls, the Fidelio T1 performs admirably. Any calls we placed inside were clearly audible. Many of the individuals present outside mentioned a slight muffling when speaking from the backyard. Walking to the house made things worse because there was more traffic and landscaping equipment to contend with. Wind resistance was the main issue, which made it challenging to have a conversation.
Battery and charging
Playtimes are another asset of the Fidelio T1. With ANC on or off, a full charge will keep your device powered for between 9 and 13 hours, which is among the category’s longest battery life. The Sony WF-1000XM4 (8 to 12 hours) is outperformed by this, but it falls short of inexpensive treasures like the $100 JLab Epic Air Sport ANC (11 to 15 hours). These playtimes are reduced by around one to two hours when high volume and LDAC are taken into account. also you will learn our article on Philips Fidelio T1 review. However, you have plenty of listening time at your disposal. The 4 days of moderate use (2.5 hours per day) the buds offered went without any issues. Depending on how you use the headphones, the charging case can last up to 48 hours. 24 hours is essentially twice as long as what the AirPods Pro case provides. A criticism would be that quick charging could be improved: Only an hour’s worth of use results from 15 minutes in the case.
Price and availability
The Philips Fidelio T1 are a high-end pair of earbuds that are currently available for £249 in the UK; we don’t have official pricing data for the US or Australia, where that amount would be approximately $300 or AU$450. You can find out where and how much you can purchase a pair using the widgets on this page.
Conclusion
The Philips Fidelio T1 earphones may be a departure for the company known for its audiophile products, but they go in well with the rest of the lineup. They rank among the best true wireless in-ears available thanks to excellent sound quality across a variety of musical genres. The ANC isn’t the best, but it’s still more than adequate. Those who have smaller ears in particular may be turned off by them simply because of their size. You are still getting a high-quality product that can easily satisfy a more discriminating audience.
