Philips Fidelio P9 review

Stylish and portable with a seriously enjoyable sound – there's a lot to like about this Bluetooth speaker Tested at £240

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Stylish and portable with a seriously enjoyable sound – there's a lot to like about this Bluetooth speaker

Pros

  • +

    Great design

  • +

    Premium materials

  • +

    Easy set-up

  • +

    Enjoyable upfront sound

  • +

    Portable

Cons

  • -

    Slightly on the heavy side

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

We've been pretty impressed by the Philips Fidelio range in the past. From headphones to speaker docks, Philips has managed successfully to walk that difficult line between style and performance. And it looks like the company has another hit on its hands with the Philips Fidelio P9 Bluetooth speaker.

Philips Fidelio P9 review: Design

At first glance, the P9 immediately impresses with its classic, unfussy design. Its front is covered with an aluminium grill, while a connected leather cover both protects it and neatly doubles up as a stand.

Close it and it will even turn off the speaker automatically to preserve power. The P9 not just a pretty face.

Philips Fidelio P9 review: Sound quality

Of course, as a portable speaker the P9's size is going to limit the sound it is capable of producing - if you're looking for hi-fi level audio, this isn't the speaker for you.

However what it does produce is an energetic, enjoyable sound. For a minute, we stopped analysing what it was doing and just listened - and that is half its beauty.

It may not be the last word in detail and separation, but you don't really notice its shortcomings because you are simply too busy enjoying the music.

Philips Fidelio P9

Philips Fidelio P9

This enjoyment comes from a sound that is balanced and dynamic, and doesn't feel compromised.

The music is warm and inviting, with a midrange that shines and vocals that invite you to sing along.

It's a wide sound for such a small speaker too, and offers volume that will fill a reasonably sized room without sounding harsh or overdone.

Its portability and simplicity are just more strings to its bow. Bluetooth setup is

a breeze and with eight hours of wire-free playback, it'll easily last you for a day or two if you're away from home - looking the part while it does so.

Philips Fidelio P9 review: Verdict

The Fidelio P9 has to be one of the nicest looking Bluetooth speakers we've seen. With a performance that impresses and a clever design, we've found a whole lot to like in this very portable package.

See all our dock system reviews

Follow whathifi.com on Twitter

Join whathifi.com on Facebook

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test