Philips looks to take on Sonos with its new Fidelio Wireless AV platform

The Philips Fidelio AV Wireless system in action.
(Image credit: Philips / TP Vision)

Philips has taken the wraps off a new multi-room speaker platform called Fidelio Wireless AV that can act as a control center for your Philips speakers and TVs.

According to Philips, the Fidelio Wireless AV is based on DTS’ popular Play-Fi system and says that once you’re set up with it, it’ll be easy to control playback between compatible TVs, mobile devices, soundbars, and speakers located throughout the home

The first speakers to be included in the platform are the Fidelio FB1 wireless soundbar, the Fidelio FW1 wireless subwoofer, and the Fidelio FS1 bookshelf wireless speaker, all of which should be available in the second half of 2022.

Of course, you won’t need every product in the series to create a system - you can start with one or two of the speakers, and work your way up from there, building your home theater setup bit by bit.

Analysis: This sounds an awful lot like Sonos… 

When any company introduces a new multi-room audio product, it’s hard not to immediately draw some parallels to Sonos - a company that built its entire reputation on wireless multi-room, multi-channel setups that could be built one piece at a time.

The big differentiating factor between Sonos and Fidelio Wireless AV is that the latter will likely include TVs from Philips - an area that Sonos has never expanded into. 

Like Sonos, the Fidelio Wireless AV system won't require a separate bridge for connectivity, as the entire setup sounds like it can be completed using an app on your smartphone.

What Sonos has as its advantage, however, is several decades’ worth of experience and products in this space. It’s been making wireless speakers for years and its soundbars have been lauded with several awards. If Philips wants a piece of that multi-room pie, it must prove it has usability and performance at least equal to Sonos.

We'll save our judgments for the full reviews of the speakers and the Fidelio Wireless AV system when we get it in our own homes, but it'll be an interesting product to keep tabs on in the coming year. 

Nick Pino

Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.

Read more
The Fluance Ri71 speaker in a wood finish, in front of a plant
Fluance's new active stereo speakers look like a dream soundbar alternative, as well as being perfect for turntables or Bluetooth music
The Philips B8200 soundbar in front of a TV in a demo room
I heard Philips' super-small new Dolby Atmos soundbar, and the sound is way bigger than I imagined
Sonos Era 300 close-up of logo
The leaked Sonos streaming box could be a huge hit for custom home theaters, if it adds 2 key missing features from the current line-up
Two record players from Philips Century range in a demo room
I saw Philips' new retro record players and headphones to celebrate its 100 years in audio, and I found them immensely charming
Ultimea Apollo S80 soundbar
This cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar splits into 3 speakers, and has its own Philips Hue-style LED lights too
close-up of soundbar mesh with Sonos branding
New info about Sonos' streaming box sounds like a dream product, apart from the 2 horrendous flaws
Latest in Multi-Room
New Sonos app home screen shown on an iPhone, held in a person's hand
Update your Sonos app on the iPhone and you might cure your battery drain problem
New Sonos app home screen shown on an iPhone, held in a person's hand
Sonos finally apologizes for controversial new app, promises aggressive update plans to fix it
New Sonos app home screen shown on an iPhone, held in a person's hand
The new Sonos app is available as a free update now, but not everyone loves it
An iPhone with the Sonos Controller app on the screen
Sonos' next app update is bad news for hardcore music fans on Android
Sonos Era 300 on a shelf
Sonos officially launches Era 100 and Era 300 speakers – here are the details
A Sonos Roam, Move and Arc on colorful background with TR's Cyber Monday Sonos deals badge
The best Sonos Cyber Monday 2025 deals still live: Arc, Roam, Move, Sub, Beam and more
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con up-close from app store
Nintendo's new app gave us another look at the Switch 2, and there's something different with the Joy-Con
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does