SHP9500 Over-Ear Headphones, HiFi Stereo, 50mm Neodymium Drivers, 101 dB, Breathable Ear Cushion, Steel Headband, Detachable 1.5m Cable, Gold-Plated 3.5mm Jack, Double Layered Cushion (Black)

Great build quality, light on the head, nearest audiophile experience one can get at this price point.

Released way back in 2013, the SHP9500s have a near-legendary status in the audiophile community, having set the benchmark for what a well-tuned open-back headphone can deliver in the $60 - $70/- price segment. Despite being a budget headphone, unfortunately, it was never available in India for its official price. So, it was a no-brainer to pick up a pair when they became available here in India for the price that they were originally intended to be sold at. There has been a consistent criticism that the SHP9500s lack bass, but I can safely say that such criticisms are unwarranted. Yes, they don't have the boosted bass that is typical of mainstream headphones with a V-shaped sound profile, but the bass is done very tastefully, and is very tight & articulate. There is no mid-bass bloat unlike the successor to this - the SHP9600 - and they are still one of the best budget open-back headphones with a near-neutral sound profile that one can get for this money. Reviewers have always called out some graininess and harshness in the treble in certain tracks, but I am yet to experience anything that I can call sibilance. I personally prefer warm-neutral headphones, and also like Harman-tuned ones, so this one sounded refreshingly airy and surprisingly smooth to me. With a modestly powered Earmen Eagle DAC, I was able to hear so much bass in these that I have begun to wonder if Philips have silently tweaked the tuning of this headphone by boosting the bass a bit to make it appeal to a wider audience? Going by all the reviews over the last decade, I had never expected these headphones to have this much bass. My observations are only after a 5-hour burn-in, so I am not sure if the sound profile will change after a longer burn-in. They are surprisingly well-built for the price, and very comfortable on the head. I don't experience any hotspots on the top of my head despite the relatively firm headband pads. The fabric material used on the earpads may not be as plush as velour, but are quite comfortable surprisingly. They also breathe better, and are so much better than the cheap pleather pads that one usually gets on budget headphones. I liked these more than the cheapest Sennheiser 'wannabe-audiophile' open-back headphones that one can get in India - the HD599/SE - because the sound profile is not as V-shaped as that Sennheiser. On the whole, I am convinced that these still hold their own even after 13 years and have justifiable attained their legendary status. These should be a must-have in every audiophile or music enthusiast's collection just for the sheer value that it delivers - now that it is finally available in India for the price that Philips sells it globally. To get any realistically better audio quality than this in a open-back headphone, one has to spend at least 3X of this $60 - $70/- price-point.

These are super effective 50mm open backs with no nonsense. mainly for studio and indoor use. Design and build: Good form factor and head contouring, using stainless steel extenders, but mostly good quality plastic/polymer build and large steel grills on the open back. Muffs do not fold like in some other headphones but that's not a problem, These are for niche set of users doing work in sound which require function over features and universality. Similar to and older Philips headphones, these also have simpler material for cushions and muff. Weight is surprisingly low thanks to its materials and lightweight neodymium core magnets. With 3.5 mm connector jack and a long 1.5 m cable for connecting to the amplifier, and one of the most comfortable on ear muffs I have used. Sound signature: I put these as almost flat neutral, natural, reference category, decent sound stage and imaging, though a bit sharp on upper mids and bit of a taper on the lows. However it punches above it's weight when it comes to price to performance.. For Gaming: Honestly I may not recommend these for gaming at all, especially for online gaming, you would need a cord with mic to compensate since these don't have a mic on the headphones or cable in the box. But if you like a comfortable pair on your ears these will suit your need no matter the application. Overall: These are great for it's sound quality, comfort and long use, especially for studio work and sound referencing on a budget.

Absolute perfect sound quality .

Just get a Tube Amp and all the negative reviews fades away. This is an awesome headphone with mid focused tuning. bass is enough for classical, jazz and country. Bass heads stay away.

Proven capabilities of Philips in delivering a really a quality audio product which deliver neutral full spectrum audio experience which is exceptional 😍superb clarity and covers full wavelength of audio You can hear which never heard yet !!!!

I have had this headphone fr almost a year and its simply the best purchase of my life when it comes to audio. It blows everything believe me everything out of the water like ath m50x, sennheiser series, soundmagic, sony's. Nothing can touch it and if you pair it with a decent amp it just transports you to another world. Simply put they are the best, most comfortable ( albeit a bit sweaty if you wear it for a long time) pair of cans for this price point and would compete with headphones 10x the price.

Look no further if your budget is under 200USD and if you're looking for all-day headphones. The sound quality is phenomenal. Remember it is open-backed design and it leaks all the sound to your surroundings.

J'ai acheté ce casque pour compléter ma collection des Fidelio X2 et X3. Je n'en attendais rien de particulier puisque j'avais déjà ses successeurs a priori plus aboutis... Eh bien, c'est une excellente surprise : ce casque est très léger, très agréable à porter, confortable et le revêtement des coussinets ne m'a jamais irrité (j'ai pu lire ce reproche fait par d'autres acheteurs). J'aime beaucoup le filé de son aigu et la douceur du medium. Il est vrai qu'il est (peut-être) un peu court dans le grave, mais rien de rédhibitoire, et je suppose que ça dépend du genre de musique écoutée ; pas gênant pour le classique (chambre et symphonique) ou le jazz (y compris les bands formations)... Je ne me prononcerai pas pour les autres genres musicaux. Il peut saturer à haut volume, mais il faut y aller fort ! Bref, ses possibles défauts sont amplement rachetés par une couleur musicale que je trouve très agréable. C'est en quelques sortes une version allégée du X2 que j'affectionne particulièrement. C'est, à mon avis, un très bon choix.

For its price it's a one hick of a deal, it sounds so good and it's built firmly and unlike a lot of its competitors it has a detachable cable, my only one minor issue that it slides of my head so easily. Other than that I wouldn't mind daily driving it

Really happy, the audio file YT vids were right, these are perfect for gaming, music, and movies. I have them on most of the day, super comfortable, amazing sound...like really great sound for a normal guy like me, especially in gaming, hearing the directional sound cues has changed my game.

Som equilibrado e nítido. Caramba, é impressionante. Estive muito hesitando em adquirir esse headphone por conta de comentários sobre poucos graves....o que foi uma grande injustiça e me fez adquirir outros inferiores... Esse SHP9500 tem graves SIM! Apesar de um roll off nos sub graves, ele possui uma das assinaturas de sons mais gratificantes que já tive em um headphone. Me lembra o Sennheiser HD555 que possuí décadas atras pela sua abertura, porém com muito mais potencia nos altos graves, médios incrivelmente nítidos e um ótimos agudos que você não precisará mecher. E olha que eu sou sensível a agudos e sempre gostei de graves. Eu quase que já me classifiquei como um 'Bass Head' por gostar da sonoridade potente. Esse headphone está a me abrir um pouco os olhos para o valor de nitidez, especialmente nos graves. Ele possui um sentimento muito bom de "punch" em batidas com graves. Texturas em linhas de contrabaixo, e guitarra com distorção são destaques. Ótimo para ouvir rock, pessoas falando, filmes e games. Apesar de pecar um pouco nos sub graves, ainda é gratificante ouvir Synthwave ou EDM. Tem experiencias sonoras únicas. Vantagens a mais: Não dá a sensação de ouvidos tampados por ser um fone bastante aberto. Quando esta usando ventilador, a estrutura dele não te trará o barulho do vento no ouvido com turbulência, pois alguns Heaphones trazem aquele som de "microfone ao vento". Extremamente confortável. Pode usa-lo por horas e horas. As almofadas devem possuir algum gel térmico pois são geladas ao usa-lo. Posso estar enganado, porém tem almofadas com gel termico para substituição em sites estrangeiros. Grande vazamento sonoro. Não espere que alguem no recinto esteja livre de ouvir emissões de som das laterais do Headphone. Apesar de não ser nítido o vazamento, ele é grande e se torna inadequado caso a outra pessoa deseje 100% de silêncio enquanto você ouve alguma música alta. Desvantagens: o clamping ou pressão na cabeça, por ser bastante confortável, é fraca. Não espere usar esse headphone em exercícios ou na rua. Qualquer movimento brusco pode faze-lo se mover na cabeça. Você não terá toda a região de sub graves onde existe aquele 'rumble' em som, porém a imersão cinemática ainda está presente.

I bought these headphones for critical listening of classical music. I know these aren't really high end phones in terms of price, however I will compare them to phones I've had in the past, the Sony MDR-V900, gold standard for mid-priced closed back phones, and the Sennheiser 600HD which is the gold standard for open back phones (both these phones retail / retailed in the $200-300 price range so bear that in mind). First of all, the SHP9500's are big phones, nothing small about them. They are fairly comfortable to wear, they fit around your ears, not on top of them. My first obvious note of displeasure is my right ear actually rubs on the speaker surface, but my left ear does not. Is my right ear bigger than my left ear? Your ears will be very, very close to the drivers on these phones, which is a little odd to say the least. Comfort wise, these phones are slightly more comfortable than the Sony and Sennheiser gold standard head phones. They have a weak clamp force and are light, so that makes them comfortable. The quality of the cup padding is below the other two headphones, however they are "okay". Build quality, below the two other headphones, but will probably last you 10 to 20 years, so whatever. Sound wise, the Sony closed back phones sound more "musical" to me, everything is in the right proportion. The SH9500 brings out the fine details better, and separates instruments better (aka "sound stage"). I could get used to the SHP9500's however they won't be in the class of the Sony's, even though the Sony's don't have as precise a sound as the SHP9500's. Comparing the SHP9500's to the Sennheiser 600 HD's is most instructive. The Sennheiser 600 HD is known as a "reference" headphone, its response is flat, flat, flat, ie you will hear music exactly as intended with no coloring, no extra emphasis of the low, mids or high tones. The SHP9500 is not flat. It emphasizes the bass more (surprisingly), sounds warmer, while the very highest registers could feel a little "screechy" (rarely) because they are emphasized. If you are looking for an absolutely analytical headphone (hear everything as intended headphone) the Sennheiser is for you. If you are looking to get a step up in sound quality to audiophile level, get the SHP9500 at a fraction of the price. Other than that, the SHP9500's run a little warmer temperature wise on the ear then my Sony closed back phone, which is a little surprising, maybe because the Sony's don't seal around my head as well. So, if you are looking for an audiophile experience on a budget, these phones are for you. You'll get precision, sound stage, its all there for you. If you are expecting the gold standard experience, the SHP9500 are not gold standard. It isn't as flat and analytical as the Sennheiser 600 HD or as "musical" as the Sony MDR-V900's (oldie but goody!) But what the SHP9500 is, is a very very good headphone for the price! UPDATE: Had these headphones a couple of days. Now my "brain" has gotten used to them, they are awesome, for the price, they are the best deal I've ever gotten in electronics / music gear. My ears aren't rubbing the speaker surface any more as maybe I just needed to adjust them. Update: Had these phones for over a year. They are still awesome. Definitely they are a scream of a deal for the money. I use them for my new Mac Mini M4, as no external speakers can compete with these.