The Philips Fidelio NC1L on-ear headphones are the first ever Active Noise Cancelling headphones to go battery-free with a direct digital connection to your iOS device via the Lightning™ connector. 24-bit Digital to Analog Conversion (DAC), amplification and noise cancellation take place in the headphones themselves.

“The Philips Fidelio NC1L headphones combine advanced Active Noise Cancelling technology with all the advantages of a direct digital connection to your iOS device,” said Wiebo Vaartjes, CEO of WOOX Innovations. “Following the launch of our first Lightning-enabled headphones, the Philips Fidelio M2L, we’re proud to announce another world first. Now you can immerse yourself in authentic sound without distraction, no matter how long your journey.”

The Philips Fidelio NC1L headphones use a hybrid Active Noise Cancellation approach, with four microphones detecting ambient noise before inverting the signal, effectively cancelling it out and converting background noise to silence. Two ‘FeedBackward’ microphones positioned next to the headphone drivers provide noise cancellation at low frequencies, whilst the two ‘FeedForward’ microphones positioned on the outside of the headphone extend the bandwidth of noise cancellation into the mid and high frequencies.

This announcement follows the September 2014 launch of the Philips Fidelio M2L headphones, the first Philips headphones to have a direct digital connection to your iOS device via the Lightning™ connector. The M2L headphones are now commercially available across Western Europe and will launch in North America in Spring.

The Philips Fidelio NC1L headphones will first be available in Western Europe this Spring with a suggested retail price of €299.