Philips SHP9600 Wired, Over-Ear, Headphones, Comfort Fit, Open-Back 50 mm Neodymium Drivers (SHP9600/00) - Black

Product Information

The Philips don't suffer from the same "three-headed blob" that the HD 650 does, but they do fall behind in the precise imaging. After being very pleased with the SHP9600 for movies, I decided to plug them into my main headphone rig to evaluate their sound with music. Aside from those aesthetic changes, the build and structural design remain largely unchanged from that of the SHP9500. The inside of the box tells a similar story, with a black-sleeved box concealing the headphones inside a black sort-of plastic bag, which, when I first opened it, hit me with such a strong factory smell I had to vent my room for a solid hour. Only one complain, I noticed the ear pads cannot be replaced which is not a problem now that they are new.

SHP9600 Wired, Over-Ear, Headphones, Comfort Fit New Philips SHP9600 Wired, Over-Ear, Headphones, Comfort Fit

The padding is a cloth material with memory foam on the inside, and while they can wear down over time, I feel like it happens much more gradually than with something like velour. This is in large part why the 9600 sits in the corner of my room in its original box, looking completely brand new.The 9600 also comes with a more rugged-looking and feeling snap-on 1/4″ adapter, with a subtle but still noticeable “grip” towards the bottom. I'll keep this one short as I'm not exactly perfectly versed in this and don't listen to many orchestra recordings.

Philips SHP9500S vs Philips SHP9600: What is the difference? Philips SHP9500S vs Philips SHP9600: What is the difference?

The soundstage on the SHP9600 doesn’t sound to me like it’s necessarily wider than that of headphones like the HD 58X or HD 600, but I did find it to feel a little more spacious. I have had the 9600’s for 3 months and for the last week I have been back to back listening to them and the x2hr. It doesn’t really make much of a difference in practice though as most mobile devices will power either of them just fine. A lot of the sound improvements this headphone has over the HD201(my makeshift headphone while transitioning to another better headphone) were pretty subtle.The 9600 mostly still provides the same great experience as the 9500, but it feels a bit more like a bass-oriented sound for sure. The notes may not have had as much impact on a 9500, but darn if they weren’t incredibly articulate and crystal clear!