Philips SHP9500/00 Headphone Black

Product Information

Here is my review of the Philips SHP 9500S, a now discontinued but still widely available over ear open headphone. I honestly think it’s a bit of both, and I’ve talked quite a bit about this with folks over the last few months… For competitive gaming, as long as you have the HM5 Leathers and K1 or Fulla 1 over Type C, this baby is better than the famed soundstage of the K7xx or X2 Fidelio (imo). The midrange is pretty darn good at the price point. It is a little recessed as indicative of the 1k-5k scoop, but they don't sound hollow at all. Male voices are nicely rendered. The midrange feels much less congested than the HD 650 or LCD-2. Mid-bass doesn't bleed at all into it, which it does in the HD 650, so naturally the mids sound less congested than the HD 650. I'm not going to get into the Sennheiser veil debate at all, but let's just leave it here that the mids on the Philips are more open than the HD 650. They're not as liquid and luscious, either, but they're tastefully done. If you are specifically looking for a V-shape curve, these should be on your list. You don't need to worry about the comfort or build in these headphones. Though they are constructed primarily with plastic with metal grills only to cover the drivers, they are engineered well and do not feel cheap on your hands. They are large and have huge earcups with super soft pads on them. They are light enough that you'll forget your wearing them after few minutes of listening. Few concerns with these headphones are the non removable ear pads and the ear cups being a bit shallow for some. The material on the pads can make your ears a bit sweaty.

With the 9500, there’s more air and clarity, but at the expense of a somewhat more fatiguing high-end and not as much meat on the bass. 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. Its a 32+/- ohm can. technically you can drive it with any portable device like mobile, mp3 players etc. Laptop or computers will have no issues of driving it. But if you have a DAP or DAC/AMP it will sound well as expected. And also Flac and high quality audio files sounds with much separation and sound stage. This hallmark tradition in the line hasn’t changed, much to my delight and likely yours as well. Genre-wise, the obvious is apparent:

Comparisons Table: Philips SHP9500 vs SHP9500S

Vocals and instruments clearly sound like they're coming from headphones instead of real life. However, it does replicate some detailing and tonality quite nicely. The term my brother used was "dull". His superlux 668b had more "sharpness and bass" to him (and I agree). Both headphones are incredibly comfy, but I feel more secure with a 9600 on my head if that makes sense. The model I received are the shp9500s(newer revision) from the older discontinued shp9500. Prices in India are obviously twice as that of the US retail but still it was quite competitive compared to the other headphones that were offered for similar price range.

This is the word what makes it significantly distinguished than other pairs. It offers an amazing separation. you can feel the lead guitars, vocal, bass and drums are sounding separately. Musical presentation is completely transparent and they reveal everything as it was intended to sound like. They simply do not fool you colouring the music. The sound of these headphones are basically focused well on the mids and the vocal performance in these cans are truly phenomenal.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. More treble forward than the K7XX. I get the impression of more detail and precision, as well. Maybe that impresison will change when I get a proper amp. K7XX are a little smoother, and definitely have more bass presence. For solo instrument recordings, the K7XX have a slight edge, as well as stoner metal where you just need a strong midbass presence. However, the imaging on these, just make them more fun to listen to. 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. 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. Right away you’ll notice that the 9600 is more compact all around, with a slightly tighter clamp force that feels quite incredible on your head.

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. Impressions here are given from listening from an iPhone 6 and a Mac. I did try an headphone amp with these (actually, the headphone out from my 2008 Pioneer living room amp). I find the sound to be much more interesting from my iPhone and my Mac. The amp gave a distracting warmth to the sound, and it sounded much more static, less dynamic to my ear. 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. It’s taken quite a while to find something, but the 9600’s added “meat” seems to really help tame the volatile nature of the genre.Engineered to fit the ear's natural geometry, the ear-shells offer precise and accurate sound. Audio signals are directly channeled into the ears, creating a dynamic and authentic listening experience. The 9500 will also do well with the K3, but I actually like it more with a simple E10K. And even despite that, My previous headphones include the Sennheiser Urbanite XL and the Sennheiser HD598 SE. I mainly listen to pop, EDM, and jazz. 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. Grado has just a bit tightness in bass and highly emphasized treble with sometimes sounds fatiguing and sibilant as well. but shp shines its all roundness and smooth edged highs.

The headband, Its obviously performs well with no issue. the headband is plastic and foam underneath it foam for the comfort of longer listening. Who has bigger head will have no problem as it allows to extend to 1-6 notch. There isn’t as much air around the instruments, which is something you will clearly hear and feel in relation to the breezier, cooler 9500. Compared to Samson sr850/Superlux 668b the SHP9500 are: Cleaner, less bass, less sharp, better soundstage. 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.I am quite the novice in the headphone world, so I shall compare and contrast with only open headphones I have owned; no speculation. These headphones are a real treat for the price. They should sell at a significantly higher price than they do now, but are available at low prices only because they are being discontinued (not official yet, but apparently they are). Compared to Koss ksc75 the SHP9500 are: slightly less open, cleaner, more treble/mid orientation, similar soundstage. It sounds fuller and more impactful, while still mostly retaining all of that incredible micro-detail that the original 9500 provided in spades.