Skip to main content
What Hifi What Hifi What Hi-Fi? THE WORLD'S #1 TECH BUYER'S GUIDE
Subscribe
RSS
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription
What Hi-Fi Magazine...
Why subscribe?
  • The best home entertainment buying advice
  • In-depth, unbiased, expert reviews
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$21.45
View
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Best Buys
  • Deals
  • Advice
  • Features
  • Awards
  • Forum
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Sound+Image
    • Australian Hi-Fi
    • About Us

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News
Sponsored

How to get full home cinema sound from one compact speaker

By John S

Meet the Philips Fidelio B1, a compact soundbar packed with room-filling sound technology

Received wisdom for fitting your home with cinema sound states that the more speakers you get, the better off you’ll be.

Not only do more speakers let you generate more sound – which, let’s face it, is part of the fun – they can also produce more directionality. And directionality means a more convincing surround effect.

But multiple speakers can occupy a lot of space. Considering how squeezed most of us are these days, that’s a problem. And even if you have the room, lots of speakers will mean lots of wires.

The solution? The Philips Fidelio B1 – a compact soundbar that produces full home cinema sound. Watch the video below to find out how.

The Fidelio B1 might be tiny, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be able to produce a living-room-spanning soundstage.

It’s all down to Microbeam technology. The Fidelio B1 is fitted out with four full-range speakers together with two angled tweeter arrays, plus two tweeter wave-guides on top of the unit to further distribute the sound. The drivers are precisely positioned to bounce sound off your walls, and clever internal digital processing marshals exactly where and when that sound is fired. That’s a lot of driver tech inside something that measures just 5.4cm high and 41cm long.

Philips’ focus on keeping things small in form (but not sound) extends to the subwoofer. The Fidelio B1 works in tandem with an ultra-slim wireless sub that’s been designed to give maximum heft to your movies and TV shows without adding physical heft to your living space.

The whole system is designed to conjure the effect of a room-wide 180-degree soundstage, with a large sweet-spot. And that means it won’t just be you who’s immersed in sound – everyone else in the room will be, too.

Going big on home cinema sound by going small on hardware? That’s a clutter-free future we can get on board with.

To find out more, click here >>

Get the What Hi-Fi? Newsletter

The latest hi-fi, home cinema and tech news, reviews, buying advice and deals, direct to your inbox.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
John S
Social Links Navigation

Get the What Hi-Fi? Newsletter

The latest hi-fi, home cinema and tech news, reviews, buying advice and deals, direct to your inbox.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
  1. Yamaha R-S202D review
    1
    Yamaha R-S202D review
  2. 2
    Best budget hi-fi speakers 2023
  3. 3
    Best PS4 deals 2022
  4. 4
    Best projectors 2023: Full HD, 4K, and short-throw
  5. 5
    Best 50-inch TVs 2023: top sets for every budget
What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription
  • ●
What Hi-Fi Magazine...
  • The best home entertainment buying advice
From$21.45
View

What Hi-Fi? is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Brands
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.