Philips Fidelio L1/00 High Fidelity Headband Headphones

Style and Comfort: On first glance philips have designed a pair of cans that look like the offspring of AKGs K550's and Grado's acclaimed 325i's. Its easy to see the outward resemblence. Just like a hybrid of the two these are semi open backed but Ill come to that later.
Philips have taken a considerable amount of time in designing and implementing high quality materials into these. Aluminium has been used for the headband and to connect to the capsules and while bulky, are fairly light. The upper headband cover is of a stiff leather and stitched well while soft padding is utilized on the underside. The large earpads have a soft faux leather covering providing significant comfort for prolonged listening. The clamp is perfect not being too tight but sufficiently secure.
Incremental measurements are etched on the inside of the headband for ease of use as is the unique serial number.Durability and Portability: The earcups can rotate making the headphones fold flat for easier storage and for conveniance while wearing them not in use. While bulky, arent particularly intimidating to wear out and about. Their sturdy construction makes them feel resistent to everyday wear and tear although the hardwired 10cm cable into the earcup and the coiled wires inside the headband look like points of vulnerarbility.
Stated as being semi open, I personally feel they are more closed than open if the base response is anything to go by and as such will only provide a minimal level of sound leakage, something fellow commuters wont hear on a tube train unless the music is ridiculosly loud. They do provide a reasonable amount of sound isolation too thanks to the generously large earpads but on balance I prefer them for home listening. A fabric carry pouch is supplied, while keeping the cans free from dust and contaminants, not being semi rigid provides no physical protection.
Sound Quality: The L1s' sonic presentation is well-balanced. They have a mildly restrained sound that takes a little while to appreciate, and in a straight comparison with class rivals these phones may underwhelm.
The likes of AKG's K550s or Grado's SR325is are more dramatic and certainly more entertaining from the off.
However, give the Fidelios a little bit of time and their talents start to become apparent. These deliver a smooth tonal balance, there's not a hint
of brashness about the high frequencies, yet there's enough bite to satisfy with rough recordings.
These cans have a communicative midrange, but seem to deliver a somewhat blown out and inconsistent bass. A deliberate endeavour on philips part to engage with the majority of casual listeners who consider bass the only benchmark for headphones I suspect. Dynamic shifts could be stated in a stronger way and timing precision isn't quite as pinpoint as it could be, but the overall result is engaging all the same.
Importantly, their sonic character is one that will work well with a wide range of sources and recordings. It's analytical enough to satisfy with top-
quality inputs but forgiving with poorer alternatives.IMO With careful tuning of the bass control via an ipod or alternatively linked up to a headphone amp (Fiios E17 DAC and amp from amazon would be an excellent choice). These L1's value certainly multiplys.....And i think they are amazing

I took a punt on these after reading many reviews and several hours research. Philips were the last name on my list when I started the seach but the more I read the more it made sense to go for a pair of these and so far I am sure I made the correct decision.

The build quality was the first striking thing that I noticed, making an excellent first impression when opening the box for the first time. They feel well made and use both aluminium and real leather in their construction. All feels very well put together. The smell of the leather when I opened the box for the first time was fantastic.

They're comfortable to wear for long periods and not too weighty. After two hours non stop use in a warm environment my ears were not even sweaty.

They are semi-open-backed design which tries to give you the best of both worlds and it works. There is some sound leakage but not that bad compared to some other sets I tried, especially the Beats range.

I found the sound to be well-balanced with a decent amount of bass and all round good performance.

In the box you get a good quality carry pouch and two cables. The 3.5mm cable comes with an in-line remote which controls the volume and is very handy. You also get a cable for the larger phono jack for hi-fi equipment. These are easily interchangeable.

I am very impressed with these and would definitely recommend

Lets start with the basics:
Looks - sublime.
Build quality - Rolls Royce could not have done a better job.
Comfort - fits like a glove but not one of OJ's.
Practicality - has a detachable cable which is great if you want to swap the cable e.g. for a longer/shorter one.
What you get - The headphones; two cables (one with mic and controls one without); a plush pouch.

Sound quality - Superb to my ears. The bass is tight, controlled and powerful but does not drown out the mids. The mids are upfront but not over powering, they seem to make all voices sound delicious, I can even listen to Cindy Lauper without making a face like a lemon. The highs are smooth and creamy - now this is where you want a pair of cans to give you the lemon face and listening to Jimmy's guitar licks on Led Z's lemon song through these does just that. Mesh the three together you have excellent tonality , on the warm side of bright, they're not harsh at all so you can listen to these cans all day without getting fatigued.

The sound stage is good - it's not so wide as open cans, you don't get the impression that you're listening to an open air concert like you do with many open cans which can make the music appear distant and less involving and they're not as narrow and claustrophobic as many closed cans which can sound like the whole band is playing in the middle of your head. To my ears they have hit a near perfect balance - there's a power that hits you between the ears but this is tempered by an airiness where you hear subtle cymbal notes off in the distance - wonderful.

Cons - should have had a hard case at this price point.

If you've got the readies go buy some :)