Philips Fidelio M1 review

Best portable on-ears £100-£200, Awards 2013. Never tiring, always pleasant, these are great cans Tested at £160

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Best portable on-ears £100-£200, Awards 2013. Never tiring, always pleasant, these are great cans

Pros

  • +

    Smooth, even tonal balance

  • +

    Weighty bass

  • +

    Comfy to wear

  • +

    Lovely design

Cons

  • -

    Slightly restrained presentation

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Philips has hit a run of good form with its Fidelio range. The bigger brothers to these headphones, the L1s, got a good four stars in May, so we’ve high hopes for here.

The faux-leather pads sit nicely on the ears and grip well. They isolate sound well, too – just what you need for commuting.

MORE: Awards 2013

Video review

Sound quality

Listening to a WAV of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Please Read the Letter running from iTunes through a Chord Chordette headphone amp, there's a terrific amount of detail on offer.

The M1s don’t have the kind of airy zing offered by open-backed cans – but then neither do they demand your complete attention (and nor do they leak like US diplomatic info).

It’s a rounded, refined presentation. Vocals are given room to breathe, while high-frequency sounds are natural and don’t harden up when you crank the volume.

Stereo imaging is impressive too, with instruments sitting explicitly in their own space; it might not be the widest soundstage you’ll ever hear, but it’s tightly marshalled.

Downstairs, the bass is weighty, although some might prefer a touch more punch. It never overwhelms proceedings, stays nice and tight even with complex rhythms.

The M1s don’t grab you by the lapels and force you to listen. But in our view that’s no bad thing – they may not be the most exciting listen, but they excel over long listening sessions and won't wear you out.

MORE: Best on-ear headphones 2014

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test

Latest in Wired Headphones
Sennheiser HD 550 on a blue background
Aimed at gamers and audiophiles alike, Sennheiser's detail-hungry wired cans seek to put you fully in the sonic picture
Activo Volcano wired in-ear headphones
Activo's wired in-ear headphones aim for an explosive sound that won't break the bank
A close-up of the FiiO FT7 headphones' earcups.
FiiO's FT7 flagship headphones take the fight to pricier rivals
Meze Audio Poet
Meze's open-back Poet cans arrive, and they want to bring your music alive
Grado Signature S950 on a black background
Grado's open-back headphones boast upgraded drivers and Brazilian walnut earcups for a "refined, balanced sound"
A woman wearing the Sennheiser HD 505 headphones
Sennheiser looks to lock in its legacy for affordable open-back headphones with the new HD 505
Latest in Reviews
iFi Zen Phono 3 phono stage
iFi Zen Phono 3
Google TV Streamer video streamer
Google TV Streamer
Samsung QN990F on a white media unit with a grey curtain in the behind it and soundbar in front
Samsung QN990F 8K TV
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 standmount speakers
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53
 iFi Zen DAC 3 digital-to-analogue converter
iFi Zen DAC 3
Sennheiser HD 505 open-back headphones
Sennheiser HD 505