Philips Fidelio audio range is making a big comeback in 2020, with a new flagship headphone announced in the Fidelio X3
After re-acquiring the rights to its Fidelio audio range, Philips has set about announcing new products, one of which are the Fidelio X3 over-ears.
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The Fidelio X3 are the latest version of Philips much-liked (and very huge) open-backed Fidelio headsets. Much like their TVs, Philips has built the Fidelio experience around three pillars – sound, design and enhanced user experience.
The Fidelio X3 intend to combine accuracy with generous bass and a warm mid-range, with a focus on delivering a tight, impactful sound that offers “exceptional separation” of instruments and voices. The hope is of a performance that offers the scale of a live performance.
Inside each earcup are multi-layered polymer drivers filled with gel for better damping, as well as a powerful neodymium motor system for extended natural high frequency, accurate spatial reproduction, plus the Fidelio’s signature character of rich bass.
Featuring distinctive double-layered ear-shells, the construction of the earpads is said to reduce vibrations, while the speaker plates have been pre-tilted to a 15-degree angle to more accurately fit the shape of an ear. All this is done to ensure the music is directed straight into the ear canal for an immersive listening experience.
By using a thick felt headband and velour memory foam pads, Philips asserts that the X3s will offer comfort over long listening sessions. Despite its size, the headset is said to be lightweight and strong, the dark satin steel frame covered in responsibly sourced black Muirhead leather.
The Fidelio X3s are capable of producing Hi-res performance via an HRA accredited bandwidth of 5hz to 40Khz. For best performance, the Fidelio X3 can be used in balanced mode to reduce crosstalk and improve stereo separation. Packed in with the Fidelio X3 is a balanced, twisted-pair cable with MMCX connectors.
There’s no word on when they’ll go on sale yet, but we’ll be looking to deliver our hands-on impressions with the Fidelio X3 later this week.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
