Philips SHE9850 Headphones
- Design: Ear Buds
- Usage: Consumer
- Sound Mode: Stereo
- Connectivity: Cable
- Compatibility: Personal Audio
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solid foray into mid-level in-ear headphones
Pros
Good audio range with excellent build quality and fit to justify the price point
Cons
Fundamental limitations of in-ear design
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Offers a good mid-range option for those looking for well-built headphones offering excellent sound for all but the most picky listeners.
After skillfully managing to lose my last decent pair of headphones (Sennheiser CX 300), I considered buying an exact replacement, but for no particular reason other than variety, I ended up shopping around for a different pair. Around the time I was looking several months ago, these were just coming onto the market and had gotten some decent reviews, seeming at least comparable to my last pair. So here we go...
First, some basic expectations about in-ear headphones:
- they really are not suited for high-intensity activities as there is generally nothing more than friction keeping them in your ears
- all in-ear designs (in my experience, although I would invite contrary evidence) transfer cord noise - sounds that can be generated by the cord brushing against your clothing, wind blowing past the cord, etc.
- by virtue of being jammed in your auditory canal, they inherently offer some degree of passive noise-blocking but the extent may vary from set to set
- size will always limit the range of your drivers, so the true audiophile experience is perhaps limited to the highest-end models (read "OMG expensive") - but perhaps those concerns are misplaced if your most common listening experience is sitting on a subway, piping out 128kbs sampled mp3's (ok, 256 if you're really conscientious)
If any of these concern you, start looking elsewhere. If, however, you have come to terms with these issues and are simply trying to figure out if these headphones are worth the money, read on.
Fit
Critical, right? If it hurts your ear or always falls out, you've blown that hard-earned cash. As with any modestly decent set, these come with a range of silicone sleeves, broad enough to fit just about any ear. These buds are thin enough to ensure a secure, flexible fit but remain resilient to daily abuse. They never really threaten to fall out and passive sound isolation is pretty good. They also feature a set of memory-foam buds that offer slightly better noise exclusion but are not quite practical enough for daily wear - nice for a plane, however. Overall, best fitting set of the headphones of those I have reviewed previously.
Build Quality
Excellent - one of the true shining points. Holding up well over months of near-daily use. Cord connection sites are very well reinforced, and the sleeves seat very securely on the headphones - I have yet to pull them out of my coat pocket with a sleeve missing. I expect these to survive years of abuse. Until I lose them.
Sound
Good audio range and high quality reproduction considering the use of a single driver. Handles bass well in light of their size. Volume range is quite capable of letting you damage your hearing without distortion. Should meet the needs of all but the most picky or delusional of listeners.
Extras
Comes with its own aluminum case which boasts a cleaning tool as well as posts to store an alternate set of sleeves (in my case, the memory foam buds). A definite plus for me. And with their sleek design, they're good-looking to boot.
After several months of ownership, I have been very satisfied, almost to the point of not minding having lost my previous set. Sound quality is probably better than my old Sennheisers, while offering a high level of overall quality for the price.
First, some basic expectations about in-ear headphones:
- they really are not suited for high-intensity activities as there is generally nothing more than friction keeping them in your ears
- all in-ear designs (in my experience, although I would invite contrary evidence) transfer cord noise - sounds that can be generated by the cord brushing against your clothing, wind blowing past the cord, etc.
- by virtue of being jammed in your auditory canal, they inherently offer some degree of passive noise-blocking but the extent may vary from set to set
- size will always limit the range of your drivers, so the true audiophile experience is perhaps limited to the highest-end models (read "OMG expensive") - but perhaps those concerns are misplaced if your most common listening experience is sitting on a subway, piping out 128kbs sampled mp3's (ok, 256 if you're really conscientious)
If any of these concern you, start looking elsewhere. If, however, you have come to terms with these issues and are simply trying to figure out if these headphones are worth the money, read on.
Fit
Critical, right? If it hurts your ear or always falls out, you've blown that hard-earned cash. As with any modestly decent set, these come with a range of silicone sleeves, broad enough to fit just about any ear. These buds are thin enough to ensure a secure, flexible fit but remain resilient to daily abuse. They never really threaten to fall out and passive sound isolation is pretty good. They also feature a set of memory-foam buds that offer slightly better noise exclusion but are not quite practical enough for daily wear - nice for a plane, however. Overall, best fitting set of the headphones of those I have reviewed previously.
Build Quality
Excellent - one of the true shining points. Holding up well over months of near-daily use. Cord connection sites are very well reinforced, and the sleeves seat very securely on the headphones - I have yet to pull them out of my coat pocket with a sleeve missing. I expect these to survive years of abuse. Until I lose them.
Sound
Good audio range and high quality reproduction considering the use of a single driver. Handles bass well in light of their size. Volume range is quite capable of letting you damage your hearing without distortion. Should meet the needs of all but the most picky or delusional of listeners.
Extras
Comes with its own aluminum case which boasts a cleaning tool as well as posts to store an alternate set of sleeves (in my case, the memory foam buds). A definite plus for me. And with their sleek design, they're good-looking to boot.
After several months of ownership, I have been very satisfied, almost to the point of not minding having lost my previous set. Sound quality is probably better than my old Sennheisers, while offering a high level of overall quality for the price.
