Philips fidelio L3 review: The most sophisticated Bluetooth headphones on the market

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There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and the regular release of wireless headphones. The market is as saturated as kitchen paper in a swimming pool, with a legion of £100-200 pairs that are perfectly acceptable for the vast majority of listeners as a solid investment in their audio enjoyment.

Once you get to the upper end of that price bracket and above, you’re stepping into serious territory. There are some regular members of the 200+ club: brands like Sony, Bose and Sennheiser produce headphones of such quality that it’s hard to know where to go next in terms of improvement.

One brand that has moved away from its audio roots in recent years is Dutch leviathan Philips. Founded in 1891 as a lightbulb manufacturer, it was a few years later that the company went into radio building, one of the many electronics products the brand was trusted to produce.

However, a change of direction in 2013 saw the word “Electronics” dropped from the name and a refocus on healthcare technology. Luckily, that’s not to say that the audio arm of Philips is lost to time: enter the Philips fidelio L3 Bluetooth ANC headphones. Finding themselves in the rarefied company of the Bluetooth big dogs, the brand’s reputation for sound partly relies on the success of the L3s. Do they manage to live up to the name?

Like all headphones reviews, we made sure to give the L3s a real run out, both in terms of musical versatility and pure wearability. We wore them for most of a working day, including while writing this review, to test their physical comfort along with the vibrancy of their sound: do they begin to get a little boring after a while listening to them? Does the sound start to feel flat, or do they retain your attention?

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On top of that, we tested the active noise cancellation (ANC) capabilities: could we hear external noise when in full ANC mode? Does transparency (or “awareness” to Philips) offer a usable way of speaking to someone while still wearing the headphones? We also used the L3s to call a very patient friend who helps to test each pair we review for their call quality. In a way, we’ve really tested the friendship more than headphones.

The fidelio L3s certainly look the part: they’re a mature, sophisticated pair of headphones that would suit pretty much any situation. You can imagine an advertising campaign starring attractive 30- and 40-somethings that take the headphones "from the boardroom to the basketball court” or a similar punchy tagline (we’re available for ad commissions, Philips).

The cups are quite large, with an exoskeleton that connects the headband to each and serves to add some flexibility to the fit. It looks good and does the trick, helped by the Muirhead Cairngorm leather cushioning on each can that makes wearing the L3s for prolonged periods a doddle. The headband keeps the L3s perfectly in place without straining your head, something that’s not a given even at this level.

Touch controls are intuitive, with simple tapping, cupping and swiping of the right cup being all it takes to do everything you need. We particularly like the swipe up and down for volume control. You can also quick-start “awareness” mode by cupping the right can, thereby letting you quickly have a conversation with a work colleague without having to take your headphones off.

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The Philips Headphones app has a bad rating on the app store, and we’ve heard of software bugs and inconsistencies with product recognition, but our experience was nothing but smooth. It’s pretty streamlined, setting out the three ANC settings, and offers a variety of EQ presets for you to tinker with, so even if you had trouble with the app, you’re not missing much. It’s always nice to know it’s there if you need it.

The battery life comes out at an incredible 32 hours with ANC on (38 with ANC off), and 15 minutes of fast charging provides six hours of listening. The L3s also include an aux input, a really nice touch that opens up their versatility with older tech.

You’d expect so for the price, but the fidelio L3 headphones really are a pleasure to listen to. The high-res aptX HD audio support can be used to full effect to create impressive clear sound that ticks all the boxes when it comes to intricacy, balance and power. They’re as comfortable running through a film soundtrack as they are exploring Ye’s back catalogue or early Arctic Monkeys. The higher frequency ranges are promoted brilliantly, outstripping most competitors with their delicacy and clarity. Like many at this price point, you can’t really ask for more.

The active noise cancelling is also impressive. There are slightly better options out there, but it mops up almost all ambient noise without making you feel like your brain is being sucked out through your ears. Awareness mode, Philips’ slang for transparency, is also hassle-free and works like a charm. Adaptive listening is still a growing art, which shows here: it does a decent job of analysing your settings, but it’s no match for the quality of the other two modes.

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Call quality is higher than many rivals, especially on the other end of the phone. While their voice had the telltale sign of slight muffling, our call partner was impressed by our voice clarity, getting close to having the phone to your ear.