Philips SHP9500/00 Headphone Black

Product Information

The sonic character of the SHP9500 is midrange-centric, I would say, but extends quite well to bass and treble ranges. Treble is somewhat uneven and accentuated. If you are a classical music lover, you will be most likely pleased. If you are a bass head, this is not for you. If I am asked to compare the SHP9500 to more expensive, sonically better designed headphones such as Sennheiser HD 600, HD 650, or Sony MDR-MA900 (the Sony is also my favorite due to its outstanding comfort), I would rate the SHP9500 a notch below them in terms of pure sonic balance. However, unless you are an extremely discerning listener of classical music (which I am, unfortunately), I would not like to recommend those higher priced products, whose prices, I think, are somewhat above a common-sense range for most people (except enthusiasts). So, here I am sharing my experience as an enthusiast who does not have common sense

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 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. These remind me a lot of the old PX100s if those were more comfortable and neutral, and less forward/fatiguing. I find that they’re nice and light. The only problem that I have is that the clamping force for my head just isn’t enough. They feel like they’re moving around a little bit too much, and even if I go to the smallest setting, they do feel a little bit like they’re riding on the top of my ears. It sounds fuller and more impactful, while still mostly retaining all of that incredible micro-detail that the original 9500 provided in spades.It’s still numbered like the 9500, and not only is it easier to settle on a number appropriate for your head, but it actually holds its place this time. I am approaching my 50’s. I have owned many ear phones / head phones over the years. I studied and worked a bit in the recording biz, but these days are long gone and I mostly now just enjoy a lot listening to music, mostly during daily activities, and in some too rare moments just listening and enjoying blissfully. I have owned many HP over the years, including some pretty decent AKG for studio work that I remember fondly. I presently own the Fostex TE-05 in ear, the RHA MA-750 (recently deceased by cat, but I still have access to them as my wife has the same), some non descript Sony in ear, some cheap Philips in ear and a pair of Monster Clarity Bluetooth in ear… My stable of gear is obviously a bit sub par. I am probably quite tolerant to many sound, but certainly not all sound. I find quality enough in the above gear to keep using them in certain circonstance, but a quality can be that I can wear a given set in bed or outside without the fear of breaking them because they’re so cheep and readily available. But in any scenario a hp has to have a minimally pleasing sound to me.

If I look up or down and move my head, the 9600 does slide, so that’s something to keep in mind. Now for the moment that you’ve been anticipating.The good news is that the SHP9600 uses 50mm Neodymium dynamic drivers and carries a 32-ohm impedance making them acceptable to use with both headphones and laptops. You’ll still want to power these with high-end AV equipment if you have it, but the low impedance makes it possible for pretty much everyone to use these with their current setup. Cable: It will come along with around 10 feet cable which is not bad at all (a 1/4inch adapter also). As its cable is 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, there is a lot of quality cable which you can use by your budget. (changing cables no SQ change occurs). I use Anker aux cable and V-moda audio only cable. Gamers might be helped by the Great v-moda boom pro. There seems to be a protective measure taken in looking at the greyish-blue cap, a stark contrast to the rubbery, flimsier material inherent in the original 9500.

Being that I bought the 9500 a while ago, I can’t actually remember if the clamp was as tight as the 9600’s straight out of the box.HD7's bass is less in amount but tight and ready to smash with force. thats why it shines in bass department. OTOH SHP blows it away with its majestic clarity of mid and highs. and SHP is more comfortable too. I would recommend these headphones to anyone who listens to a variety of music, wants to wear headphones for hours on end, or for someone who wants extremely great value out of headphones.

Now in a gaming environment like Read Dead 2, it gives me nice environmental expansion to make the sound is open. Effects come through well and have good definition when it comes to raindrops, mosquitoes in the forest, layering of the wind, footsteps and speech. The mid range could be slightly more forward to give you even more definition in the entire spectrum, but this thing is fantastic for competitive genres. I'm not so sure I know what it is. I read it has to do with a full and correct tonality reproduction, allowing one to distinguish otherwise close sounding instruments. Let's just say that the SHP never leaves me confused, not even for a moment, and is for sure on par or better than anything I've heard.

What is a big deal, unfortunately, is the overall assembly quality. These are basically almost the same as the 9500s, and that brings in the same issues. Thankfully, and I'm giving one big pro here, these have clamp! Not enough to matter a lot, unfortunately, but they don't have the same "they only sit on your ears through the power of God" vibe as the 9500s. They still need more, as they fall off quite easily still, but Philips tried to fix that in the Fidelio series. Tried is perhaps a strong word. The earpads pop right off on both models, it just takes a lot of force, you won't break anything, its just a weird design. The HM5 leather or Shure 1540 Alcantara earpad wrap all the way around the headphone, and it stretches perfect, and I found that rotating the hM5 leathers 20-30 degrees so they are like elf ear shaped when they come down on your head increased soundstage a smidge. Because the takes longer to travel or something, no idea. I listen to a lot of chamber music, and it's rare that headphones get the imaging and details right. 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. For sound quality. These have all the sound stage in the world. All of it. I mean IMPOSSIBLE levels of sound stage. Listening to these ruined some of my old favorite cans the moment these went on my head. Imaging is insane, which is yet another reason I use them for movie watching, and best of all they're SUPER easy to drive. The only dig I have is I kinda wish they had more bass, but it's really not a big deal. Vocal clarity is awesome, mids are super clear, and not even a hint of sibilance.