Philips SHP 9500 review

krishtrinity

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When you first hear the name philips,bulbs and other household electronic devices comes to mind.I was not even aware that philips even made audiophile headphones untill i saw the review of the fidelio x2.Due to success of the x2 everyone seem to ignore another headphone shp 9500 which they are selling at unbelievably low price right now.


Build quality


Build of SHP 9500 is nothing special,it feels very solidly build for the price.There is a huge L and R markings on the left and right earcups which is also written on inside of headphones for whatever reason.It is an open headphone meaning everyone around you can hear what music you are playing,this headphone is not meant for portable use.What feels very special though is the comfort,this one of the most comfortable headphone i have ever put on my head,the earcups on these are so comfortable i could use them for hours and hours,the headband is also as comfortable and if that wasn't enough the headphones are so light on the head as well.The 3.5 mm cable is detachable which is a huge plus,this means that you can use any cable including the vmoda boompro.

Performance
I was mainly a earphones user until i put the shp 9500 on my head,after i played a led zeppelin song i know this headphone was something special.No matter how good a earphone,it can't recreate the sound of a good open headphone.The sound can be described as neutral,detailed highs,clear mids and tight bass.The soundstage of these is wide which makes it perfect for movie watching and gaming.Hearing piano and vocals on these headphone is amazing experience,the piano sound exactly like it should which for a headphone at this price is unbelievable.Sound is crystal clear,i had never heard a headphone so clear,i always prefer listening to bookshelf speaker instead of the headphones but with the philips shp9500,the listening experience is as enjoyable as listening through the speakers which is the greatest compliment i could give to a headphone of any price.I was going to get the philips fidelio x2 too,but the shp 9500 is so good at everything that i don't feel the need for another headphone.

La valsa d'Amelie-Amelie soundtrack(flac)
The wide soundstage really help to capture the detail of each and every instruments.This is the most detailed i ever heard this track,mids are more detailed than from my monitor audio speakers.The entire album sounds absolutely amazing with the philips

Bang Bang-Nancy Sinatra(mp3)
Imaging is spot on,the vocals come from the right side and the sound from the instrument is coming from the left side,i can picture exactly where the instruments are placed and the singer is standing when the song was recorded.

Sarah Brightman-Glosoli(24 bit flac)
Vocals are absolutely beatiful not even slightly recessed.The song has an orchasteral feel to it,every instrument is clear,the fact that this headphone can capture the scale of this song make me forget that i paid only same amount of money as m40x for these.

Nirvana-Lithium(24 bit flac)
The highs on these is perfect,not at all sibilant at listenable volume,bass may not satisfy bass heads but for neutral heads like me.It can't get any better than these.High resolution music sounds great on these.


One of the best headphone that you can get for any price,people say the philips are selling these at a cheap price because they have discontinued it.If that is the case i highly recommend you buy one of these,i doubt there is a headphone that can give the comfort and sound quality of the philips at this price.
 
have you owned any of the earlier philips models? I have a couple of philips shp 805's - wonder how they compare.

I owned a Philips cheap inear long time ago don't remember it's name.This 9500 makes my takstar sound recessed and bloaty in comparison and they are nearly the same price.These compete with the likes of beyerdynamic dt880 and HD598 or maybe even HD600 although I couldn't check that myself.I read in a review for the price these are definitely a steal
 
Dear Sir

I have the previous version SHP9000 and really enjoyed them

the SHP 9000 spec is better than SHP9500 and they costed only

Rs 3500 apprx, but long discontinued, where did you get your SHP9500

and for how much, I moved on to AKG K712, resolution leaves

Philips behind but can be too much for less well recorded/mastered music

Robert Bose
 
Dear Sir

I have the previous version SHP9000 and really enjoyed them

the SHP 9000 spec is better than SHP9500 and they costed only

Rs 3500 apprx, but long discontinued, where did you get your SHP9500

and for how much, I moved on to AKG K712, resolution leaves

Philips behind but can be too much for less well recorded/mastered music

Robert Bose
I bought one week used pair,I don't think it's available here in India.You can import from amazon.com or eBay.It's upgraded model of Shp 9000 so it should sound better
 
Any suggestions for a budget DAC/AMP that goes well with the 9500? They seem to be efficient headphones, so a very powerful amp in my opinion is not needed, right?

MaSh
 
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