PHILIPSSHP9500/00 Headphone

Context :- I'm a reluctant "audiophile", but my reference system is a 55 year old valve amp and Quad Electrostatic speakers (I bet only a handful of people reading this will have even heard of the technology) - and I was an AV technician for nearly 40 years ...I went to a lot of raves in my late 30s (I'm now 63) ... but I stayed away from the speakers and wore earplugs ... raised on Vaughn Williams, Ravel etc - have since embraced everything else from minimal electronica to Mongolian throat singing via Pink Floyd, dub reggae and jazz and Kylie Minogue ...According to Youtube reviewers, apparently these weren't good enough for some people - "not enough bass" so they came up with the 9600 and quite likely spoiled the work of a team of dedicated designers and engineers ... so I was careful to buy these - the originals ..I'm not saying I have "golden ears", but these are lovely headphones and have hardly been off my head since I bought them - in bed .. in the SUPERMARKET ! ...and I've been kicking myself I didn't buy them 5 years ago.I'd forgotten how headphones could sound after many years of daily cycling wearing Koss KSC75 clip-ons which are good in their own way - but I was clearly "filling in the gaps " myself ...I bought these after an unpleasant experience "upgrading" from Panasonic £7 over ear phones to rave-reviewed Koss Portapros ... somewhere out there is a horrible bit of 80s MOR that would "explain" why those dreadful cans are so popular - I tried, but after only minutes they were back in the box and I was happily back to the Panasonics ...These are only twice the price and by all accounts were once a lot cheaper, but these are easily WORTH the £95 I paid - roughly the same as the Philips CD player I bought in 1987 - probably the equivalent of £300 today - they and Sony invented the technology. (ten years later and my electrostatic speakers revealed its limitations and I bought a Naim CD player for ten times the price ...)Based on my experience with these,when I finally settle by the seaside in France, I may upgrade to planar phones and a portable DAC for TEN TIMES the money .. meanwhile I have a lot of music to enjoy..Life is too short. Buy a pair of these lovely phones and if you think they sound terribly "wrong" in some way, take a look at your source material .. maybe listen to a wider range of music ... maybe step away from your games console and go to a place with trees and birds .. maybe try eating fruits and veggies instead of pizza with extra cheese in the crust ... maybe try dancing ... gardening - I heartily recommend gardening if that's available to you - and modern technology means we can have glorious music while we're doing those other things we love to do ... even though I have a background in electronics and have a decent understanding and have easily embraced all this technology, it's still jaw-dropping ..Anyway that's enough lecturing from someone who snuck under the "boomer" wire by 3 years ...

Very good previous review by Dale and we do need regular neutral reviewers who inform us truthfully about headphones in order to help us make an informed choice. It is hard to get demonstrations of most headphones as shops and retail outlets carry only the more well known headphone brands and even then a limited selection only. As such we need accurate reviews. Buying headphones is difficult whether we want one good pair or whether we collect them. I have over time acquired many headphones, the pick of the bunch being the PSB M4U-1, the Yamaha PRO 400, AKG K551, Yamaha HPH-200, and the AKG Y50. Stupid hobby as I can only wear one pair at a time, but that is what I did with my spare cash. Maybe I should have bought just one pair of expensive headphones. Still I have had great fun and can make true comparisons. At the present price of £52.95 these headphones represents the best value of any headphone I have ever bought. The Philips SHP-9500 is as good as any of the other pairs I have mentioned here. To be the equal of the PSB M4U-1 means the SHP-9500 is one heck of a headphone. It is my headphone of choice at the moment. The clarity and soundstage are unbeatable. Bass is well defined and realistic for an open headphone, with no wooliness or bleed whatsoever. It does lack the thump of the open Yamaha HPH-200, the closed Yamaha PRO 400 and PSB's though. Unlike the AKG K551's which have and accurate but comparatively diluted bass, the SHP-9500 has perhaps the most accurate bass I have heard in a headphone, truthful and satisfying which adds something extra that the other headphones cannot. But if you like a really thumping bass these will not be for you. Please remember that. The high end and midrange are just right though. They just sound right. As a whole the accuracy, spaciousness and musicality present the enjoyment factors in abundance. They have an astonishing sound which never sounds harsh at all. If there is one place they cannot match either the PSB's or the Yamaha PRO 400's is in pace. Both are faster than the SHP-9500 and therefore at times more exciting. The other factors make up for this though. The PSB's have 'room feel' technology. This means the bass is adapted to sound as if the headphones were a standing speaker. All recorded music is developed by being played back through speakers, so according to PSB headphones must account for that. Even accounting for that, the SHP-9500's have a profoundly musical sound, that taken overall, present the most enticing and listenable sound of all these headphones. They are also the most comfortable of all these headphones alongside the Yamaha HPH-200's. They, like the AKG K551's, are a VERY large headphone but lightweight and built really well. Most who listen these headphones will agree they are wonderful. Some say they are as good and maybe better than the Philips Fidelio series and that really is an indictment of excellence.Importantly remember these are open back headphones, very open headphones. Other people will hear very loudly what you play through them and they will not stop you hearing the sounds of the world around you, but if you love music and privately sit at home listening, then these headphones are a joy.

Great pair of headphones—ideal for audiophiles. The sound is crisp and clear, but personally, I found the bass a bit lacking for my taste. Keep in mind these are open-back headphones, so you'll hear your surroundings, and others will hear what you're listening to. Still a solid choice depending on your sound preference.