Philips Open Back Wired Headphones - Cushioned Over Ear Headphones with Adjustable Headband for Ultimate Comfort and Superior Sound Quality, Plugs into TV, Stereo or PC, Ideal for Podcasts or Music

TL;DR: These headphones are very good for the price I got them, which was 70 bucks. The build, though it feels rattly in the hands, never does when it's on the head, and they are very comfortable. They sound very warm, from the bass to the mids, everything sounds extra thick, but didn't lose too much in the clarity department for this range of headphone. This is a really chilled out, lay back and enjoy the music/game/movie headphone. Okay, now time to give the full story of why I even tried these headphones. So I wanted to fill a very specific role. I actually have gone through my own audiophile journey for a while now. I got into the hobby about a decade ago, and got into open back headphones with the superlux hd681 evo, so very budget at the time. I think I paid like 35 bucks for those, so even half what I paid for the SHP 9600. Then after having those for a while, I upgraded to the SHP9500 (Yeah, I'll compare them a little later on), and then went to the HD6XX. So pretty standard, but after that I went a little off the beaten path and got the Monolith M1070. And then another couple years down the road got the Arya V3, or the Arya stealth. Couple all this with a few variations on Dacs and Amps, and I've had some experience with many tiers above the SHP9600. So why even bother with them? Well, headphones are just fun to play around with. But really, I started to put together a secondary setup in my home, and wanted a open back headphone that was also easy to drive with a ps5 controller, and one that of course sounded good enough. I didn't want to move the Arya around, and the dac amp set up that I have is not so portable from my main desk. Honestly the SHP9600 fit the bill very well. I ended up returning them in favor of something else that suited my fancy a little better after some thought. But as a guy who has listened to what were originally $1600 headphone(Though the Arya stealth now go for $650, I thought I got them for a good deal at $1000, but damn), the SHP9600 were still fun to listen to. I wouldn't pay more than $100 for them, but anything less and this is a very fine headphone. The bass These are a budget open back headphone, so the sub bass isn't very great, but the bass otherwise is a little elevated and makes the entire headphone feel warm. This bleeds into the mids too, but not in a super offensive way. It's enjoyable. You do lose some forwardness in the clarity department, I wouldn't say the bass is super detailed, but it doesn't feel particularly muddy either. The bass is decently textured. Mids Kind of mentioned it in the bass section, but the mids are very warm. It's relaxed, smoothed out, sounds thick and kind of honey like. This is where the most muddiness comes in, and its not a whole lot, because vocals still are forward. The timbre, the characteristics of the sound, are just fuller. It is not what I would call bloated exactly. I guess I am surprised by how thick sounding these are without having to sacrifice much clarity and not introducing a lot of muddiness is pretty impressive. So, somehow, I think this will be the make or break of this headphone. If you want a very clean sound, like a little more accurate, then the original SHP9500 might be a little better. But if you just want to enjoy without trying to analyze, the SHP9600 is just more fun. If I personally had to choose, I would actually pick the SHP9600, but that's partially because I have the Arya, which are very neutral. Treble: Another factor that changed alot. It's less sibilant than the SHP9600, but that means the imagine suffers a TINY bit. Honestly, I felt the SHP9600 still retrieves details just like the SHP9500, it's just two steps back. The timbre between the SHP9500 and 9600 in this range was basically identical. But the treble is just smoothed out more on the SHP9600. The treble extension is not that far, but good enough. Soundstage: These headphones are pretty darn wide. To my ears, they were actually wider than the SHP9500. The imaging is good on them too. Very solid. I'm honestly not the greatest judge on this honestly. I play games, but not competitively, just a single player game enjoyer. But the imaging sounded correct. Not razer focused, but accurate. Conclusion: For 70 dollars, you could do a lot worse. I liked them a lot, and if I had to choose only one headphone to have within a budget, I would feel good about these. I ended up returning them, because I decided that I wanted to push my budge a tier higher and get something that is just ridiculously fun, and not neutral, because I already have that. So I got the X2HR. Those headphones aren't perfect, and honestly I think some would find the SHP9600 to sound better than the X2HR. But for me, they did enough cool things, while being enough of a departure from the neutral that I already have at my main desk. Oh, I don't have the SHP9500 anymore. After many years of use, one of the drivers got a little weaker, so some channel imbalance. I don't think it is normal for the headphones to do that, but I did have them for like 5 years. Yep, long winded, but if you made it down here, congrats! Hope I offered some insight, or at least some entertainment. Good luck in your audio journey!

When I first did my digging into the great world of audiophile headphones, I thought I'd start my journey on the low-end range of things. The Philips SHP9500 (Predecessor to this model) are sung far and wide as being *the best* headphones, punching above their weight-class, sounding as well as headphones that cost triple or even quadruple its price. However, I soon heard many mixed reviews about it's successor, this here SHP9600 model. Let's get into the nitty gritty. Philips made a followup to once of the most glowing, and might I add, quite unwarranted audiophile headphones for those stepping into the realm of a more "luxurious" listening experience. The only catch being that the legendary SHP9500 had a price of around $80, with the new SHP9600 retailing at $180 originally. From what you'll hear the upgrades (or some say lack of) that this model presents at its increased price point make it a pointless, fruitless endeavor to wear these headphones. Now perhaps I would agree, the SHP9500 is a hard lightweight headphone to beat. Worth $180? It's subjective. However, if you can get these on sale or with a coupon? Oh boy, there ain't nothing to lose. Before I get into the pros and cons I'll give a TL;DR. The sound? Amazing. These offer an incredible crisp, yet slightly warm and rich sound, much unlike typical headphones that kill the mids or up the lows and highs. The build quality is good, the aesthetics are great, I'm particularly fond of the bronze ring on the ears, and the comfort is astounding. Is it enough to warrant a $180 purchase over a $80 purchase, assuming you get these off sale, well, they might just be. If you're unsure which team to swing for, do your research but bear in mind, these are still an amazing pair of headphones for the price. With that out of the way, it's deep dive time. PROS - Sound quality. As with the SHP9500, the audio coming out of this particular model is exquisite. The lows, great, the mids, extremely discernable, the highs, almost always don't become uncomfortable. These are the "flattest" headphones I own to boot. When I listen to a track it almost always sounds like I'm listening to it the way the artist intended, no EQ mixing needed. It's definitely a slightly warm sounding pair of headphones, but they still ring true and can handle any genre I throw at them, be it quiet or noisy. - Build quality. A funny thing to preface this with is that these headphones are quite light. At a quick grab and glance these might not immediately register as particularly sturdy headphones. However, after using these for half a year now I can tell you that their durability is that of a snappy and whippy stick, that bends back into shape if it is ever forced to bear pressure. I've accidentally dropped these a couple times and they have a bit of bounce to them depending on how they fall, yet they have not bent or even scuffed. Furthermore, I've, rather sheepishly, put a little stress on them and purposefully stretched the headphones apart from each other to see if they bend or crack, yet here they remain, in mint condition still. Deceptively strong headphones, they can most certainly withstand reasonable punishment without suffering any failures. - Aesthetics. Subjective, sure, but I must admit, these just *look* like nice headphones. Big ear cups with a bronze ring on them, nice sleek, black finish? Love them, they look just as well in a studio as they do with at home listening. - Comfort. My goodness, I've owned my fair share of "over-ear" headphones and I must say, these truly are "over-ear." The padding is soft and remarkably thick, making it so these truly don't press the drivers up against your ears. I feel it evdn aids in the listening comfort to, the sound doesn't feel as though it's shot straight into your ear, the distance from the drivers plus the open-ear design really helps music sound like it's happening around you than directly in your ear. - Aux adapter. Included with the headphones is a wonderful 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable of impressive length, which even comes with an aux adapter. A very nice addition! - The soundstage. Music truly feels like it's happening around you with these on. The open-ear headphone experience is one I can never go back on. Music is no longer a sterile bit of sound blasted at my ears, it unfolds around me and envelopes me in listening bliss. MIXED - Clamp force. Don't get me wrong, the clamp force is perfectly, perfectly serviceable. Yet it must be noted that I have a rather big noggin, and still these still fall on the more medium, bordering on the medium-light side of clamp force. This could potentially be a problem for people with small heads, but it probably wouldn't hinder wearability to any extreme degree, just don't expect them to hug your head too tight if your head is indeed small when you engage in a bit of overzealous headbanging when listening to your favorite tracks. Light, even medium headbanging with these on and they still do hesitate to move, so this is a "your mileage may vary" point. - The bass. This is more of a headsup than a proper Mixed note on my part. If you're the type to listen to exclusively bass heavy tracks and/or the type to boost the bass on your music be mindful that these are open-ear headphones. These offer a more impressive soundstage than closed-ear but as such bass is less punchy, again, aiding in the more neutral "flat" sound that most audiophiles would prefer. That being said, bass is still very noticeable, but it won't rattle your brain. - Swivel ears. The ears have a fair bit of degrees of swivel to them. This is only a personal gripe, I just am not a big fan of swivel ears on headphones. They do not effect the comfort, but I just prefer a more rigid feel to my headphones, and it's just a nitpick of mine. CONS - Sound leak. This is just a byproduct of being open-ear headphones. Sound *will* leak out of these headphones, people around you will hear what you're listening to, so if you're concerned with interfering with others around you then it could be a problem. However if you've got your own place or room to vibe in or people who don't mind it then it isn't a concern. - The... price? The thing is, these headphones are WELL worth the original retail value of $180. If there didn't exist the SHP9500 these wouldn't even be noted. That being said, in spite of its minor upgrades it just depends on how much you're willing to shill out on your beginner pair of audiophile headphones. The SHP9500 model is fantastic, but these are *just that bit* better to me personally and makes it worth it. Look, when all is said and done, I can't help putting my experiences up front to help punch for this model. I love these headphones so much that I've put off on upgrading to much more expensive audiophile headphones. $180 is more than the $80 model, sure, but these have provided such a listening experience comfort that I've found myself not getting that itch to upgrade, and I think that says a lot about the quality of the SHP9600. They make me truly feel like I'm bopping with $500 headphones on my head, and my personal bit of advice (since you're still reading my review) that you need to pick these up. These are a safe horse to bet on. I unashamedly champion the SHP9600 model, they're my favorite pair of headphones I've ever owned, and I reckon it'll be years before I find a pair of headphones I favor over these.

As a decades long headphones hobbyist, I'm very impressed by the potential of these headphones, but there are some minor issues out of the box. I bought a like-new set for 50 bux, and that's a steal. The standard 3.5mm trs jack for the removable cord is awesome, as it eliminates the most common failure while allowing endless upgrades without soldering or disassembly. The included cord is thin and tangly, but you can get excellent replacements on Amazon for a few bux. My primary goal was to use these with a cheap bluetooth amp, and it's perfect for this. At this time, nobody makes an affordable open backed wireless headphone, so diy is the only choice. This headset, a $20 amp, a $5 8" patch cable, and a rubber band are all you need to upgrade these to some of the best wireless headphones under 100 bux. If you spend more on the amp, you'll be well rewarded, as these really are some premium speakers. Headphone sound quality is getting insanely good these days. Despite the low impedance, the 9600's quality is fantastic with a powerful amplifier, and excellent plugged into most jacks. I've always loved the bass power and clarity of several 250 ohm Beyerdynamic cans, but this Phillips can be more pleasing. With a strong amp and eq, these can pump lots of tight bass, while providing a fun, smooth, honest, detailed overall experience, no matter the genre. See online videos for thorough impressions, but this is very impressive. Comfort is excellent overall on my large head. The headset is lightweight with just the right clamping force to keep them in place while moving without pain or fatigue. I bought them for doing chores, but I've been sitting for hours in them recently. I usually dislike suspension strap designs, but this is a good one, with excellent adjustable range and no silly complications. Build quality feels excellent: good strong plastics and metal where you need it. I'm not afraid to knock them around a little. I agree with others' notes: The pads are a little disappointing, but only because of the scratchy material. The foam is comfortable for long listening, and many people won't mind the fabric. Try it before upgrading, many people will like these. For me, almost all headphones aren't deep enough, as my wide ears hate touching the padding. These are designed so you can stuff foam or cotton padding to increase space, and that works well. If you like to upgrade, you need mounting rings, and the best source is cheap pads. I pulled the fabric off a $6 set, and the remaining mounting ring perfectly fits 110mm circular replacement pads. Probably some oval pads as well, but the 110's are perfect for me. If you made it to the end of this review, you should probably try the SHP9600, it's truly one of the best deals in quality headphones, and might actually become my daily headphone for a while.

For less than $100 bucks there’s not much else out there that can compete with the quality of these. Open backs are NOT for everyone, but if you’re looking to try out your first pair of open backs or even just want a good daily driver that won’t break the bank, again these are unbeatable. I’m not exactly an audiophile, but the soundstage and volume of these make them my preferred choice for listening to music and watching media. The ear cups are nice and big so they put no pressure on my ears. They are comfortable to wear, but because they don’t squeeze the head very much they may slide off if you look down or up too far. Honestly once this pair breaks eventually, I plan to just buy another pair of these. Cannot recommend enough.

The build quality is objectively worse than your local $10 Dollar Store headphones. For reference in pic, The jack is 3.5mm and the connection that holds the headphone to the actual rest of the headset is even smaller, AND it pivots. Thats the highest stress point and it's dependent on the weakest design I've ever seen. And I absolutely baby my equipment. Used for just a couple of months, and they literally fell apart. I took the risk upgrading from the more budget friendly Lyx Pro Has-15 and thx to this failure I'm going back. My last set (Lyx Pros) lasted ~10 years with zero issues for half the price. For reference, these weren't double the audio quality, maybe 10% better because of the "open back" design. While I'm at it we can go over the comfort and fit/adjustibility: 3/10 They pivot to fit your head and ears from the front of the headphones, meaning the pressure being applied feels like its being pushed from the front of the ear muff, rather than evenly distributed around your ear. And also because of the design, the headband leans to the front, pushing the front of the muff even more and lifting it off of the back of your ear. Sliding the band back just a bit, forces even more pressure to the front and lifts more from the back. It's awkward and uncomfortable. I can't even say I could recommend these if you were super delicate on your gear, because I am and this still somehow happened.

Bought these headphones specifically because I wanted a pair that completely covers my ears. I've tried earbuds and on-ear headphones before, but neither is comfortable for long periods of time. Since I work at a desk all day and spend hours wearing headphones, comfort was my top priority. So far, these have been exactly what I was looking for. The ear cups fit around my ears instead of pressing against them, making them much more comfortable for extended use. I also really like the fabric-covered ear cushions. My previous headphones had faux leather pads that eventually peeled and flaked apart, so the fabric feels like a much better long-term solution. I've only had them for a day, but the sound quality has been great for listening to music, and the longer cord doesn't bother me at all. Based on my first impressions, these are comfortable, sound good, and seem like they'll hold up better than my previous pair. If you're looking for headphones for long workdays or extended listening sessions, they're definitely worth considering.

Took a chance on these. I am only really familiar with the brand via their grooming products. Was not expecting to like these as much as I do. Putting these on they cup my ears perfectly and then I forget they're on. There's no squeezing or pressure. I am a fairly average-sized adult male in most measurements. I didn't adjust them out of the box and realizing now that I can make them tighter or looser, so I wouldn't worry. I am not an audiophile and I don't believe that price always, 100%, equals value. I can say that the majority of my audio consumption is via headphones. Whether it's practicing a musical instrument, listening to a podcast or watching movies, headphones are usually on. This is mostly due to not wanting to disturb neighbors but also if there is not at least one other person in the room wanting to listen to something, I really don't need speakers. It's a nice treat once in a while to clean the living room with some great tunes going, but I rarely do this. Blast music that is. I clean ! If you're like me and by default a headphone person but not necessarily an audiophile you probably already have a pair or two of phones for different purposes. I have great, inexpensive Tascam TH-02s which are closed and wonderful for focused listening or guitar playing. But for me hours of closed-back headphone use can be fatiguing. So, that's why I looked into open-ear headphones. I think it's good to change it up between phone types if you're an avid user. I also have the semi-open AKG K240 which are great. These fit into the mix well, and I definitely like them so far. P.S. a good tell is - is the cord detachable? Yes, this one is. All in all great to add to the headphone rotation to save my ears, minimize fatigue, and provide another listening angle.

This will be a Phillips SHP9600 VS SHP9500. I know, I know. I shouldn’t compare, but it's hard not to. Disclosure: I'm a gamer, video/twitch watcher, and music lover, in that order. I do run my 9500's with the Brainwavz HM5 pad mod, though this review still applies despite not having stock pads. The HM5's add more bass to the 9500 btw. Another disclaimer: I returned the Phillips X2hr in favor of my 9500's. The X2's are better sounding and built well, but they're heavy and cost more. I should've kept the X2's to be honest. In the end, the 9500's sounded enjoyable to me and wonderfully close to the X2's sound, so it was an easy return decision to save some cash. Compared to the SHP9500, the SHP9600 has improved: Ear pad depth, clamp, and headband adjustment tension. All good things. ***BUT** I personally don't detect an improvement in bass extension. I do notice mids and highs lacking a tad in comparison to the SHP9500. To me, this is a deal breaker. I'm one who does appreciate the upper mids and highs that were tuned-out of the 9600. Those upper mids and highs are what made the 9500 shine while still having decent mid bass, which was 'enough bass' to get by. Because of this loss in mid-upper frequencies, you could say the 9600 is warmer and has more bass. To me, those frequencies are what make gaming, movies, and R&B/EDM enjoyable for me. The bottom line is, the 9600 doesn't give 'me' deeper bass, yet takes away my mids and treble. The lack of upper mids and highs makes me feel the 9600 is very slightly more closed - not good for gaming, but not absolutely a deal breaker. Imaging is good on both headphones...I would say a tie. Don't get me wrong, the 9600 is a good headphone. It's not the 9500...just as ZeosPantera points out. I don't agree with Zeos that the 9600's are like and X2-light. The X2s' definitely are better than both 9500/9600, if you can stand the weight all day. Really though, Phillips should've kept the 9500's the same (called them the 9600’s), and just improved the clamp, headband adjustment tension, and ear cup depth. Perhaps make the pads interchangeable with Sennheiser HD599 pads, and throw in some cool colored L/R lettering on the ear cups. Final recommendation: I'm going to pick up another pair of SHP9500's when they drop back down to $59. If you have a smaller head and worry that the 9500's will be loose and fall off (which they will), then grab the 9600's when they’re $94. The 9600's are good, yet not good enough to take my 9500's away!

Io provengo dalla disco music anni 70, rock, pop fino ai tempi nostri. 62 anni di musica dall'analogico al digitale, musica calda dei giradischi, amplificatori, equalizzatori, casse e cuffie NON piezo e dinamiche fino ad arrivare ai lettori cd, computer, schede pc audio professionali e software ad hoc per l'audio. E chi più ne ha più ne metta... Per dirvi cosa? SONO FANTASTICHE! Suonano bene e non distorcono mai dagli alti ai bassi puliti e senza ridondanze anche al massimo del volume sopportabile. Non capisco certe recensioni di "esperti....." Forse non sanno che a 20 anni si sentono di più gli alti e meno i bassi. A 40 si sentono di più i medi, alti e bassi si equivalgono in percezione. Per finire a 60 si sentono molto i bassi e meno le frequenze medio e alte, così sapete che a volte non è un difetto del dispositivo audio ma dei vostri timpani. Basta regolare il tutto con l'equalizzatore le varie frequenze con la tua timbratura personale e vedrai che queste cuffie sono perfette. Saluti

With so many bluetooth headsets out there now, from the Sony XB900's which cost slightly more than these, to the XM4's, is there a place for a simple, WIRED over ear open back headphones like these? Absolutely! I've been using the Philips SHP9600 since February as a daily driver for watching movies, playing games and just regular content from YouTube. Its by far my favorite headset when it comes to producing a pleasing, balanced sound. And its ACTUALLY an over-ear size as well, not one of those "hybrid" designs where the over ear cup is so tiny that it might as well be an on ear headset. LOOKING AT YOU SONY PULSE 3D headset. If you have never tried open backed headphones before, these are a great entry point. Bass is solid, with just enough punch without being overpowered at all, and the mids and treble's dont sound overly sharp, but just right. No matter what i throw at it, i'm never disappointed. Orchestral soundtracks? Wonderful soundstage. Kpop? Sounds extremely lively. Rap? Clear voices and rock solid bass. Podcasts? Terrific voice clarity. And comfort? Oh so comfortable, even when i'm wearing glasses on a humid day, the open back design makes sure you dont have sweaty-warm ears easily. I can very happily wear these for a TV binge. After using so many noise cancelling headsets this just feels so much more natural. And as much as i love my XM3 & XM4, after a while the closed in design does have an effect. BUT of course, you give up a ton of modern functionality. So here are a few reasons why you should NOT get these headphones. - Extremely noisy due to the open back nature. So if you are in a public space, everyone can hear you - Wired connection only - Of course, no noise cancellation If those missing features bother you, then you arent in the right place. But if what you want is a good all rounder, that is comfortable, does not overheat your ears, and sounds great, this is it! Its the best sounding headphones i have at this price point.

These are amazing pair of headphones when it comes to quality of the sound. All the music sounds great on it and the spacial sound makes them ideal for gaming. I use them for my Xbox to play bf6 and it's the best experience. Unfortunately the plastic quality is really poor they broke after one month of use... Hence returning them.

Mogę porównać je do Superlux HD681, które 10 lat temu były dla mnie olśnieniem. Philips SHP9600 są dużo bogatsze dźwiękowo, ale co mnie zaskoszyło, to że są ciemniejsze od półotwartych Superlux. Otwarta konstrukcja SHP9600 cechuje się brakiem izolacji, co ma plusy i minusy, np. słyszysz szum chłodzenia laptopa, ale mieszanie muzyki/dźwięku filmowego z dźwiękiem otoczenia może być porządane do wzmocnienia realizmu odsłuchu przy efektach typu dolby headphone. Tu również przydaje się podstawowa cecha otwartych słuchawek, czyli szeroka scena - w modelu Philipsa bez zarzutu. Mocny, wyrazisty bas i bogate średnie tony powodują, że są to świetne słuchawki do filmów i muzyki. Suprluksy brzmią dla mnie teraz dość płasko i "sycząco" więc warto było kupić w promocji za 300 zł. W wyższej cenie warto rozważyć inne opcje, ale do 300 zł nic lepszego nie znajdziecie.

Honestly really good overall, solid build quality, Spatial Audio is good too, but it could use a bit more bass.