Philips DS9830W Brochure
Obsessed with sound
Contents
Obsessed with sound
Our sound heritage
04 Creatin g the future of sound
06 Radio goes global
09 Making tracks in recording history
1 0 The bir th of por table au dio
The CD revolution
Connect ing audio
13 Fidelio heralds a new era
Fidelio dened
16 Fidelio sound
17 Gold en Ears
19 Fidelio design
Philips Fidelio Headphones
23 NC1
24 X2
27 M2BT
Philips Fidelio Audio
30 Sound towers
32 E2
34 SoundSphere
38 P9X
Philips Fidelio Home cinema sound
42 B5
46 E5
48 XS1
50 SoundSphere DesignLine
Awards and recognition
The journey continues
Philips Golden Ears challenge
Obsessed with sound
In the world of audio, Philips is an innovator best known and regarded for dening the standards
of sound and how it is experienced, through the tests of time and changing trends. Since our
introduction of groundbreaking products – from the portable radio and compact disc to wireless
speakers – it has been our quest to enhance how the world enjoys their favorite music.
The launch of our premium Fidelio range is part of our steadfast obsession with sound: in all its
rich authenticity, just as the artist intended. Join us on our ongoing sound journey as we share our
philosophy and introduce you to the people behind it.
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Our sound heritage
Creating the future of sound
Philips’ quest to revolutionize sound and how it is experienced began in
the early days of radio.
In 1923, we produced the Miniwatt radio valve – a smaller, more powerful
and energy ecient solution to its current counterpart. It allowed radio
listeners to replace their headphones with a loudspeaker. For the rst time,
music could be enjoyed as a shared experience. This was just one of many
innovations to establish Philips as an important leader in audio history.
The Miniwatt’s packaging proudly bore the iconic Philips shield logo,
featuring distinctive waves and stars that reected the signicance of
sound within the company. Together, they symbolized radio waves and
the evening sky because, at the time, families would gather around the
radio set after dinner to listen to news and shows. These were cherished
moments that created lasting memories.
This iconic radio set wa s nicknam ed ‘The L ittle Chapel’.
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Chapel Radio, 1 931.
Speech by Dutch Que en Wihelmina and Pr incess Juli ana
via a Philips short-wave transmitte r, 1927.
Radio goes global
In 1927, Philips’ next major innovation was the ‘penthode’ – a ve-
electrode radio valve. This high-power electron tube minimized signal
distortion and was the rst step toward the sound purity Philips has
always strived for.
That year, the Dutch Queen and Princess addressed compatriots in
the East and West Indies using a Philips short-wave transmitter in a
laboratory setup, generating national acclaim. Encouraged, Philips set
up N.V. Philips Omroep Holland-Indie, a world broadcasting service,
which was greatly received.
Anton Philips, co-found er of Royal Philips N.V., with the
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one millionth radio s et sold in 1932.
This rst-of-its-kind transmitter was more eective than any short-wave
station and was heralded as the world’s most powerful short-wave
transmitter. To demonstrate the sensation of radio’s ‘Voice of the Giant’
to the masses, Philips set up ampliers with numerous loudspeakers at
public events, creating quite a stir.
Philips next developed a compact domestic radio set with a built-in
loudspeaker, which soon found its way into homes all around the world.
By 1932, we produced our one millionth radio set and our hundred
millionth radio valve in 1933. This secured our position as Europe’s
biggest radio valve manufacturer and the world leader in radio sets.
With its long range, the ‘Voice’ of the Giant’ caused a tremendo us stir.
Making tracks in recording history
Philips’ illustrious recording history began in 1942 with the
acquisition of Hollandsche Decca Distributie (HDD), exclusive
distributor of Decca Records and a gramophone producer.
By 1950, the company’s record production and recording
businesses were consolidated under Philips Phonograsche
Industr ie (PPI).
PPI played a signicant role by introducing the long-playing
vinyl (LP) record to Europe. In 1962, PPI merged with
Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG) – owner of
Polydor Records – to form GPG, the largest record company
in Europe. In 1972, GPG became PolyGram and Polydor
Records and acquired renowned American and British
labels, including MGM Records and Decca. The 70s disco
craze marked Polygram’s peak, thanks to multi-million selling
records and soundtracks.
For a time, it was the world’s biggest record company,
bolstered by acquisitions of famous labels including Motown.
In 1998, it was sold to Seagram to become Universal Music.
Today, reissues of music under Polydor Records keeps this
legend alive.
Philips Phonograsche Industrie (PPI) and gramophone records, 1950s.
The world ’s rst compact cass ette recorder, 1963.Brochure image introducing t he rst ‘pocket-sized’ comp act cas sette tape recorde r, 1963.
CD-100 – The world’s rst CD p layer, 1982 (Invented by Philips in
cooperation with Sony).
Compac t discs at their peak – CD factor y in Hannove r, 1985. Streamium MC-i250 – The world’s rs t wireless b roadban d internet
micro Hi-Fi system, 2003.
The birth of portable audio
After World War II, Philips manufactured tape recorders for
magnetic sound and playback. However, the loose reels
made tape-threading a ddly task, restricting them for
professional use only.
In 1963, we presented the world’s rst compact cassette
recorder in Berlin’s International Radio Exhibition. Not only
was this revolutionary product conveniently small, it encased
both tape reels in plastic, overcoming the issue with loose
reels. Although originally conceived for dictation, record
companies recognized its potential. Philips decided to license
the cassette format for free, establishing itself as the founder
of portable audio and a new format that became the world
standard for decades.
In 1966, the rst cassette albums were released under the
Philips-owned Mercury label. Soon after, we launched the
rst car radio/cassette and a portable radio-cassette player.
By the 1970s, the compact cassette was the most popular
format for pre-recorded music.
The CD revolution Connecting audio
With the compact cassette at the peak of its popularity,
Philips was ready to unveil yet another groundbreaking
audio innovation.
In 1974, a Philips research team in Eindhoven developed a
20cm optical audio disc with sound quality far superior to
the large yet fragile vinyl record. What we ultimately revealed
to the world in 1979 was an 11.5cm ‘Compact Disc’. The
team’s objectives: music reproduction of an unprecedented
quality sans interference and noise; and resilience to light
ngerprints, dust and scratches – were successfully achieved.
As international standardization was key to its success, Philips
collaborated with Sony to establish the global Red Book
standard for digital audio discs. From 1980, both companies
granted manufacturing rights to several producers, thus
boosting the prospects of this new standard.
1983 saw the Big Bang of the digital audio revolution, as
CD players and discs were widely released in key markets.
CDs became more aordable, revolutionizing the record
industry and how people enjoyed music at home. Improved
sound quality, durable materials and ability to skip whole
tracks instantly, propelled the success of the CD and rmly
established Philips’ reputation as the undisputed global
leader in audio.
Hot on the heels of the compact disc came the Philips
FW-i1000 – the world’s rst integrated audio device
connecting to over a thousand internet radio stations.
Following this was our Streamium MC-i250 – the world’s
rst wireless broadband internet micro Hi-Fi system and
forerunner of the wireless speakers that we enjoy today.
Oering unlimited access to multiple online music services
and streaming of digital music from multiple devices
on a home network, the MC-i250 was the rst of many
Streamium products that provided integrated home
entertainment functions. ‘Don’t dream it, stream it!’ was its
apt and catchy slogan.
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‘Chapel Radio’
Radio Receiver
Compact
Cassette Recorder
Digital Compact
Cassette Recorder
Streamium Wireless Broadband
Internet Micro Hi-Fi System
Fidelio
Surround On Demand Speaker
1931 199219821955 1963
CD PlayerPhiletta Radio
Super Audio CD Player
Primo Docking Speaker
2000 2003 2010 2012
Fidelio heralds a new era
Building on solid audio credentials, Philips next created the
Fidelio range and began the next chapter in our illustrious
sound journey.
Specially designed for discerning music lovers, the range
is based on the premise that if you truly love sound, every
detail matters. Whether it’s your favorite song or movie
soundtrack, you should experience sound and all its
nuances exactly as the artist intended. The comprehensive
range features premium products – from wireless audio to
headphones and home cinema systems – all characterized
by unparalleled sound quality, craftsmanship and leading
edge connected functionality.
The Fidelio is a testament to our continual obsession with
sound and our unwavering commitment to deliver meaningful
innovations to our consumers.
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13
Fidelio dened
Fidelio sound
Golden Ears
With obsession comes bold creativity, and this is what drives
Philips’ acoustic engineers to think beyond the boundaries
of current technologies to conceive new products and
rene experiences.
Our ability to tune in to the needs and aspirations of our
consumers is fundamental to the success of our product
development. This in-depth understanding is the cornerstone
of our sound engineering philosophy, which is to deliver
sound as it is meant to be heard. Our passion for innovation
is as strong today as ever. Our ambition is simple: to be the
best in sound.
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Working closely with our product designers and marketing
teams, our engineers consider important factors beyond
technological feasibility, taking into account consumers’
expectations and interactions. This is to ensure our new
concepts reect the Fidelio values of best-in-class sound,
iconic design and intuitive connectivity, before allowing ideas
to blossom into full development.
Through ex tensive research and development, we have
clearly dened Fidelio’s unique sound: natural and dynamic;
true to each sound recording; clear and detailed yet rich and
warm, and surprisingly powerful for the product’s size. To
complement its distinct sound experience, Fidelio design is
qualitative and advanced, exceptional in its balance of style
and performance, with exquisite attention to detail.
At the heart and soul of Philips’ audio division are cross-
functional specialists and expert engineers, wholly
committed to creating and rening Fidelio’s signature sound.
No measuring equipment can replace the sensitivity of
the human ear. That is why Philips has its own panel of
distinguished sound professionals to test all our products
and proprietary solutions. Their lineage began in the late 70s
when Philips was developing the revolutionary compact disc
digital audio format. After years of experience, this notable
team has earned the respected ‘Golden Ears’ title.
Today, we have fty Golden Ear specialists – stationed in
four audio innovation sites worldwide – trained to precisely
detect subtle nuances in sound. They dene a listening
standard through stringent tests and measurements to ensure
our product outperforms others in a similar price range.
Based on their recommendations, a functional prototype is
developed with components and design optimized to best
meet consumers’ desires and budgets.
Prior to launch, our product must pass the nal Golden Ear
blind preference test against competitor products. Only
then is it released to enrich the listening experiences of
our consumers.
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