Philips revealed the first pair of headphones to ditch the 3.5mm audio jack in favour of an Apple Lightning connector back in October last year, but the announcement wasn't backed up with an actual product to put to the test. We finally got to pull on a pair of Fidelio M2L Lightning on-ears this week at CES, in order to see whether they can finally bring sound quality up a notch on Apple hardware.
First, the technology. Unlike a 3.5mm audio cable, which transfers analog sound, a Lightning connection sends your music as digital data. The digital to analog conversion that would normally happen on the iPhone's integrated DAC is instead offloaded to a higher quality 24-bit DAC built into the Fidelio M2L's ear cups. There's theoretically also less interference as the converted analog sound doesn't have to travel down a cable in order to reach the headphone drivers.
While the headphones themselves are technically capable of playing 24-bit lossless audio files, Apple limits iTunes to 16-bit files. That means the Fidelio M2Ls aren't automatically a gateway to high resolution audio on an iPhone, but having the DAC in the headphones and not in the phone should in itself mean sound quality is given a boost. It's currently unclear whether a third party media player app would be able to play 24-bit files, so we're trying to get clarification from Philips. We'll be sure to update this article when we know either way.
Aside from the connector, the M2Ls feel almost identical to the Fidelio M1 mkII, itself an update to the fantastic Fidelio M1 on-ears we reviewed last year. They have the same 40mm neodymium drivers with ligher voice coils to improve the sound precision and bass tones over the original model, along with the same leather ear pads filled with memory foam for a comfortable fit. The padded leather headband has a stitched finish that makes the M2L look every bit the premium pair of headphones.
Playback controls are within easy reach on the side of the ear cup and can be used to skip tracks and answer calls as well as play and pause.
We know what to expect from Fidelio in terms of looks and build quality, but more importantly how do they sound? The crowded CES show floor isn't the best place to put any pair of headphones to the test, but we walked away impressed with the fidelity from our test tracks. We tried a pair of Fidelio M1 mkIIs right after the M2ls, and although it was difficult to spot any major differences given the background noise, we would say high-end notes and instruments like cymbals had slightly more presence on the Lightning headphones. It should be pointed out that on an iPhone, we were limited to MP3s - we'll be testing extensively with Apple lossless tracks and 24-bit files (assuming they are supported) when we get a pair in for review.
Otherwise the M2Ls have the same Fidelio signature sound, meaning warm tones, a punchy high-end, powerful but not overwhelming bass. We're big fans of the original M1s and these sound better thanks to the improvements carried over from the mk II, so it bodes well for a full review.
Of course the one major downside with a pair of headphones that use a Lightning connector is that you can't use them with any non-Apple devices. Even MacBook and iMac owners are left out, so you'll have to be fairly committed to iPhone audio to justify €250 (roughly £200) on a pair of these. We'll be giving the Fidelio Lightning on-ears a more thorough review as soon as they land in the UK to see if they can justify that price. Philips expects that to be around the next few weeks, so be sure to check back if you're an iPhone owner that wants the best possible sound quality.