Philips SHP9500/00 Headphone Black

Product Information

It feels like Philips tried to make a product that would appeal to both audiophiles and consumers alike, and I think they did a pretty good job though I still prefer the 9500 at the end of the day. These headphones have no glaring issues or flaws. They do many things well, and I suspect people on a budget would have no complaints with these as their daily drivers. I'm quite impressed with them regardless of how much I paid for them, and I only appreciate them more because of their price.

Then again I've never heard SHP9600 so this is all speculation. However I did own SHP9500 and I didn't like it for music (didn't try gaming). My "bar" was Denon D2000 and I thought it was better on everything. My friend with HD800 and HD650 also didn't like SHP9500 either (we each bought a pair at the same time). The reason why this thing sounds so good is because we don’t have any noise compression characteristics and no noise cancellation built into the microphone capsule and for me that is a positive but let me know what you think in the comments.The only thing Fidelio X2 is better than SHP9500 is in bass department..personally i think X2 need proper amp to shine while SHP9500 doesn't need an amp. Ample adjustment room means that I can wear this on my big head just half-extended. Quite impressive! Thirdly, Low clamp force might create you a lose fit if you move your head too much unnecessarily, otherwise it will just work fine and comfortably. The mids are not recessed, but not boosted either. In terms of frequency response, the mids are remarkably flat and the lower mids are slightly boosted. The problem for some people, which I also have noticed myself but I don't really mind, is that it is a bit grainy. When you put them on, you wouldn't immediately notice that. BUt after listening to another pair of headphones, that shows. By grainy I mean harsh and not smooth. For those that are familiar with the SHP9500 sound, you know that they're probably better suited for playing games and watching movies than listening to music, mostly thanks to their frankly egregious treble response, though still not as bad as some Beyers. The SHP9600s manage to improve on that, albeit in some parts not by a whole lot.

The bass is pretty decent on these, but it is certainly out-classed by my other headphones. It has strong impact and good timbre. It digs deep when it has to and it never bleeds into the midrange, which is one thing I hold personally against the HD 650. Overall, bass is about the same amount as the HD 650 and a bit more pronounced than the LCD-2. However, the LCD-2 digs much deeper and cleaner than both the Philips and the Sennheiser. The SHP9600 doesn't differentiate the different bass notes as well as the HD 650 or LCD-2. Saying that, though, if these were your only headphones, you'd be none the wiser as they still are definitely not one-note in the bass department. The best thing I can say about the bass on these is they don't embarrass themselves in the slightest when playing anything by Les Claypool. It handles "Spirits in the Material World" by the Police without breaking a sweat. It's not as fast as the LCD-2, but it is pleasing for people who require a bit of bass emphasis. Note that I am not a basshead at all, but I do love the sound of the bass guitar. It might be one of your favorite cans if you pay an intense listen to them for a few hours. Really its a steal while you might get it for 60ish or 80ish. I got mine for 75 ish. I still wonder why Phillips is selling this amazing can at such a lower price.The plastic build makes the headphones feel flimsy, which we’d argue is probably the headphones’ biggest flaw, but the silver lining is that they are then ultra-lightweight and don’t feel uncomfortable for long periods of time.

The original SHP9500 comes with a ten foot springy cord, and a cloth carrying bag. The newer SHP9500S comes with a 5 foot cord of decent quality, and no carrying bag. This is also my first review of an over-ear headphone - I've only done one proper IEM review aside this, so feel free to take me with a grain of salt. This hobby is subjective, after all, and I'd like to see differing opinions on a headphone, especially one like this.It is really is, functionally, the same thing with maybe different insides, it works well, with mediocre-to-decent sound quality. Be careful of sound leakage that can reach the mic, I even accidentally outed myself on an Among Us game once. I could notice no difference in sound compared to the original cable.