Philips Fidelio S2 - S stands For Smooth

Since the introduction of the new iPhone 5S, gold seems to be all the rage. So it’s a good thing that the Philips Fidelio S2 earphones have gold accents to add a bit of sparkle to its black color scheme. The use of a flat tangle-free cable is also a muted, gold color on one side making sure that the Fidelio S2’s look is current and trendy.

Constructed from copper alloy, the outer housing of the earphones seems to be a bit on the larger side. The enclosures house one 13.5mm neodymium driver each, but the large size of the enclosure also seems to suggest a roomier cabinet for sound to develop. The Fidelio S2 is also designed to be semi-closed. This means the earphones have some degree of “openness” or “venting” for the sound.

Philips Fidelio S2

At first glance, the Fidelio S2 don’t look very comfortable. The enclosure for the earphones seem to be too large for comfort, with the ear-tips off-center, making weight distribution look (visually at least), uneven.

In actual use however, our fears were unfounded, as the fit ended up pretty good. Extremely easy to put on, the weight of the Fidelio S2 is distributed across both the ear-canal and the outer ear via the flange of the enclosure. This is fortuitous seeing that the metal body of the earphones does make them a bit heavier than most earphones on the market. As a further nod to comfort, the S2 comes with silicon tips in five different sizes.

The defining tonal characteristic of the Fidelio S2 were its warm mids. The lush middle frequencies accurately convey the soulful nature of Adele’s Melt My Heart To Stone. The trebles were smooth and clear, especially for the low female vocal register. But the highs lack real extension or shimmer which we noticed when listening to Buckethead’s guitar instrumental Sail On Soothsayer.

For greater functionality when paired with smartphones, the Fidelio S2 comes with a single button, in-line control pod

With regards to bass, the Fidelio S2 performs decently. Low frequencies are fleshed-out and rounded. But on tracks like Elements Of Life, we found the earphones are unable to replicate the lowest frequencies with sufficient impact. A sufficiently wide soundstage does help develop the ambience for more atmospheric compositions. However, noise isolation is an area which suffers due to the “semi-closed” back design and the large size of the enclosures.

The Fidelio S2 has a price-tag of $199, which is reasonable value for money given the metal body, solid construction and warm, smooth tone. But if you desire noise-isolation and heavy bass from your earphones, you may want to look elsewhere.

The Fidelio S2 has a price-tag of $199