Philips SHP9500 - Review 

I stopped listening to you after you said you couldn't find the L and R

In the comments, he mentioned that there is absolutely no redeeming value in these set of cans and that there are headphones that are cheaper than this. He then goes on to say that there are headphones that are $70, or 'cheaper' in his own terms, than the 9500 even though they retail for $50. Man, I'm looking for a negative review about these headphones to get different perspectives on the headphone and this isn't it. It all sounds too contrarian and all over the place.

Wearing the shp9500's listening to a review on the shp9500.

I actually ditched my HD598 for the SHP9500.

I have shp9500 and sennheiser hd598se and I like them both equally

My opinion differs from yours... but I'm not about to call you names over it. Good to hear a different perspective

This video made me truly realize how subjective audio is. I personally love these cans, I prioritize comfort in my headphones. As a content creator I sit at my desk for hours at a time. My current HD6xx are comfortable, I wear them all day and had no discomfort. But the SHP9500 are the only headphone I've worn and legitimately forgot I was wearing. I'd love to see Philips make another variant of the 9500/9600 with a higher quality plastic. As for sound, once again, I love these. Yes there's a lot of detail in the bass and treble that just doesn't come through. But the mids are wonderful especially for the $50 price range. And as for soundstage. I don't have the HD6xx on tubes so I can't speak for that side of the argument but on solid state, the SHP9500 have noticably more soundstage. It's not crazy like the HD800 but it's definitely significant. And the argument (at the time) for saving up for the HD598 seemed a little unnecessary in my opinion as they were more than twice the cost of the 9500. And realistically with the options that are out now I feel like the 598s are obsolete. The 58x provide a more comfortable, resolving, and relaxed sound and the 560s are more analytical and detailed. So if I want something cheaper than those I'd rather drop down to the price bracket of the 9500/9600. But this is all kind of the point, I really enjoyed my time with these headphones and reccomend them to everyone because I had an enjoyable time listening to them, and you can't say the same. That doesn't make either of us wrong, we just have different ears and different preferences.

Just bought the SHP9500, they are certainly great for their price. It might just be quality control but the common issue for them is the slightly loose headband adjuster.

For anyone wondering, these headphone are not nearly as bad he says they are. They're a farcry from Zeos' praise and are a bit pricy for $80 and are more worth it open box eBay. The biggest issue (grain) is very very easy to fix, just boost the EQ in that region. I don't understand why DMS is so negative in this review.

I'm sorry but I can't disagree with you more... I absolutely love this headphones, maybe there's something wrong with the ones you tested, mine don't sound grainy at all...

A long read but I'll try to describe my thoughts as someone who owns and appreciates both. I do think that the SHP9500 and the HD600 are incomparable but not because the HD600 completely destroys the SHP9500 or the other way around but because I do think these two headphones are vastly different(I would even say they go in different directions for a lot of categories) when it comes to their sonic presentation which is why it is so divisive. Starting off with the bass, while these two don't have a lot of sub-bass at all, the the sub-bass of the SHP9500 rolls off like a steep decline so you notice the absence more there. But I do think that the SHP9500 midbass is tighter, has a better quality than the HD600s. The HD600s midbass gives it a warmer and thicker feel than the 9500s. The mids of the 9500s has a slightly neutral presentation. Vocals might seem farther a bit but that only benefits the soundstage rather than giving a recessed midrange feel. The mids of the HD600s are clearly in the forefront. This gives the HD600 that very intimate feel but this also makes it feel like instruments and vocals get packed tightly together in terms of imaging. The treble is where I believe most of the disagreements are. I personally find the 9500 more detailed because of the airy and sparkly presentation in the highs but they can get sibilant in some tracks which is why some people say that they are "grainy" as the treble can get out of control. The HD600 has a treble that's inoffensive yet I never felt it to be "veiled". It's definitely smoother than the 9500s and it just never cuts through some tracks like the sizzly treble of the SHP9500. When it comes to the soundstage, they couldn't be more different too with the HD600 having a very intimate and that feeling of everything is just right there next to you. It does feel tight at times for me. The SHP9500 has a wider soundstage which just gives each instrument some room to breathe. I personally prefer the HD600 as it doesn't have any qualities that makes any tracks that I've tried feel lackluster or overdone. The SHP9500s on the other hand, there are some tracks where it outperforms the HD600 but there are a few tracks where the treble sounds just a tad bit over the top but on the tracks where it beats the HD600, I feel like they bring out a more exciting presentation to these. Another thing to note is value, The HD600 is around $300 plus you definitely need an amp to have it play to its full potential and that's at least another $100. While the SHP9500 is around $70 now with no amp requirement. And to someone who likes the signature of the SHP9500 and is on, that would be incredible value over the HD600. While someone who gets bummed out by the treble, leaner presentation and the less intimate mids of the SHP9500, you'd think that the SHP9500 is a cheap headphone that is just that - cheap. Almost everything in this hobby is subjective. Everybody should realize that by now and you can't really deem someone's opinion on a gear as completely inaccurate. Well maybe except for the fact that it took him a moment to find the Ls and Rs in the SHP9500s LOL

Z says otherwise.

"They're good for Gaming". That is all i had to hear. THX

thanks for making this video, cause now I know who tf to stay away from when it comes to audio... Could not disagree more. They are neutral, detailed, soundstage for miles, and highly resolving while keeping the highs well controlled at all levels. No grain, no fatigue. Bass extension is good, not great, but respond well to eq., and they are dynamic and clear. These are the headphones you wear when you want realism, depth, and want to experience music or movies that make you forget you have headphones on. They aren't good for their price -they are a unique experience on their own, despite it. Maybe the "grain" your hearing is the dust off your vinyl, noise from your motherboard dac, or signal path which the 9500's are actually resolving to audible levels. Cause through my Wolfson dac, all I hear is neutral clarity, controlled highs, with good bass all around and excellent soundstage. I have Fidelio x1's to compare them to, and although they are almost 4 times the price of these, and both have different sound signatures, what they're able to do on their own, they do very, very well. Enough to justify owning both. And if you're someone who already has multiple high end HPs, the shp9500's maybe won't be your endgame, wont be the top shelf pick, but they are truly a gem and run well right alongside other HiFi phones. For many of us, it's not about which gear is the best, but about knowing what each thing has to offer, what experiences they give and what sound you're in the mood for. The shp9500's are a gem and I can't believe they exist at all. They are stellar.

Hey, even RTings by measuring the frequency response and after a very detailed review concluded that they recommend the Philips SHP 9500 over the HD650 (it's in the comments/FAQ section)

Coming from the hd650(one side cut out on volume by 50% :[ will get them repaired), honestly these sound PRETTY FUCKING GOOD. They almost have the same tonality with a bigger emphasis on highs , slightly less warm, and obviously less bass and the mids aren't quite as rich. But the detail is amazing, instrument separation is amazing, maybe even better than the 650 on my current setup. Not bad at all imo.

I recently bought both the HD599 as they were for sale and the SHP9500s. Sorry to say that I had to return my HD599s. They just sound narrower and muddy in comparison. They can bring certain instruments forward more effectively, mostly in classical music. However, in pretty much every other category I would take the SHP9500 any other day. That's just my experience with them so far.

I gotta add to this. This was my first pair of open headphones. I got them because i wanted good quality headphones on a budget. I was sold when i saw the review from Z Reviews. When i first got them, i was not really impressed, but i stuck with them because i started to appreciate them the more i listened to them. Then all of a sudden one day i noticed a big change in sound once they were broken in. I did not like the bass at all when i first got them. It all changed when they were broken in though. Sound stage is pretty good. The highs arent really harsh to me as some would say. I would definitely would recommend them to someone on a budget like me. Right now i just recently bought the Pioneer SE-A1000. Still breaking them in.

Thank you for posting your personal opinion on these.

My guys Color grading still had a long way to go

I watch Z reviews too and I'm sure he'd be disappointed in a lot of these comments, y'all are trolling like a weird mob and it's not cool. There's already too much snobbery in the hifi world let's not add pure toxicity to the mix please.

You need a really low output impedance amp for the SHP9500 to sound good. Preferably under 1 ohm since these are very amp picky and could sound basically lifeless and harsh on the wrong amp and come close to the hd600 on the right amp. Kinda explains the mixed reviews these get.

I usually really enjoy your reviews, but you seemed a little too harsh on these headphones. They're not just "decent". They are one of the best bang for buck deals in audio other than the ve monks and the kz ate. Yes, they are most likely not as good as HD 600s, but the fact that you have to compare them and the Philips are only $50 is a statement in itself.

So pretty much every reviewer claims the SHP9500 to be equal if not better to the HD600, and yet you're the only reviewer that disagrees. I wonder who's right and who's wrong, no offense. I ordered mine two days ago and I'm excited to get them.

Owner of DT770 PRO 80's, AKG K7XX's, HE-400 and SHP9500. I love my DT770 PRO 80 the most but I also really like the SHP9500. I'll have to find headphones that have a similar sound signature. I also used to like my HE-400's but they eventually broke. Maybe the M1060 might be a good thing for me to test out.

from tests I've run and my personal experience, these sound almost identical in sound profile compared to the HD600 and HD598. i will say that the 9500 are most subject to sounding completely different with different dacs and amps, whereas the senn's are more consistent. as an audio snob i think these get some harsh criticism because they are made by Philips, a fuckin toothbrush and medical manufacturing company, and they are so inexpensive. So if you've invested a lot of money into "audiophile" headphones then these come along and match them at a quarter of the price, i think it messes with people's buyer's remorse. you can tell nearly all the cost in producing these went into tuning the audio and making good drivers. the plastic and all the materials are cheap, and they don't have any other features. philips is a massive conglomerate with manufacturing scale, and they don't have the intangible name brand recognition that company's like sennheiser do to inflate the price in any way. so it makes sense why they're so affordable. compared to 300ohm headphones, they don't have quite the resolution, but i would argue they have a better soundstage than the 600 and 598. everyone is subject to their opinions, but this video just sounds a bit biased and pretty off base from my own experience as well as other reputable sources of information.

grainy really come on, i've had a lot of really good headphones over the years, and of course, we are all entitled to our opinions, but these are far from grainy, i decided to subscribe anyway, to the people deciding if there going to pic these up, i would suggest checking out zreviews he has a lot of experience, and of course there only like 60 bucks, so pic up a pier and try them for yourselves, to dms3 tv i don't agree but thanks for the vid, cheers.

Just realized that this is basically the DMS equivalent of Zeos' M50 review. Maybe didn't catch as much views, but it feels really like deja vu.

I just bought one recently and I think I can help the fans and others clarify some stuffs: When he said it's grainy everywhere, I think he meant it's flat everywhere so I do admit it's not a bass fun kind of headphone. However, it's very detailed and clear (maybe this is what he meant by grainy, I don't know) and that's why I love it. Another good thing about flat headphone is that they're easy to EQ so that's an option too Finally, it has sparkly treble so don't get it if it's not for you

I have the SHP9500 and I assume you're listening to them at fairly loud levels... They *may* be grainy at high level but the treble will execute me before I could reach levels that will make it grainy... It may be a defective sample as well. The 3K is missing and it quite clearly shows. I came from the tin t2 and the sound seems like it lacks something... I'd describe it as wide sounding and accurate but quite lifeless and sibilant.

Did you use them with an AMP? the "grainy" you speak of is actually distortion and it could be emphasized with an AMP (which is not at all needed with a sub 40 Ohms headphone like this one). Depending on how treble-focused the song you listen to you might not hear any distortion at all. Honestly, I only noticed something very faintly when listening to some poorly mastered late 90's and early 2000's rock/punk albums. But that could've been just the record itself. To be frank, you can't beat these if you find them for under 70$ (which they are at all the time on Aliexpress and no, as far as I know, they don't sell fake models of the SHP9500).

there is EQ and there is the dfx the headphones really shine once you use it correctly. I love the headphones because they let you take them with dfx to any kind of music I like. even with no amp.

Could not disagree more...these sound great. Anybody who says these are not good just has their feelings hurt because they cant process the cost vs performance. Are there better headphones? Yes. Should you spend 300 dollars for such a tiny incremental improvement not in my opinion. Better advice is to get a good pair of open like these and a good pair of closed with the money you have saved. Sound is subjective so listen for yourself don't let price dictate you taste which which is exactly what he is doing. But he is a little baby wearing a beanie so for god sake buy these listen and make up your own mind.

You probably dissed this product more than any other ever! I am thinking it is because many were comparing it to the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650, and you took it personally, like no way an under $100 headphone can compare. And than you set out to demolish it in every way possible. Congrats you did just that. But because you were overly pissed off by them, your video has had the reverse efx, and many more will try them out for them selves and some will prefer them to your beloved holy Sennheiser's. Which are great by the way.

Ok, you don’t like the Philips but this video was more of a pitch for the HD598 than information on the Philips. Still there isn’t enough info on the HD598 to choose it over the HD 599 or above.

🤗I wish audio people would stop saying how bad an under 100£$ headphones are other, (unless compare to other headphones in Prince random). No all of us have the money to try different set of headphone at one to find best or save up and go to nex 130-150 price range. The best two types of people to review the this headphones are once that only use close back or don't compare it to any above 100 price headphones. (Listen as if staring out, which is the point) Because I fed up of hear try to head people say there good for the price (and beside Philip 5600) say oh these 130 pay are better then then 60 price in this way. And I like that could be up to a few month to save. Special this year and last year.😇

Here's my take on the SHP9500, I'm not an expert, using the GSX 1000 for amp...this is my honest and raw opinion of my experience using these. So I got into open headphone and this is among the first pair I bought beside a HD558....thanks to Z Reviews or Zeos. And yeah at first I was pretty damn excited, because Zeos said SO MUCH good things about the SHP9500...like this is as close as you can get to an expensive audiophile stage headphone like DMS said in this video. My first impression of it and the impression I have of it now (5 years) that I recently acquired the HD560s are the following. Very sad and weak bass (if there's even any) although after breaking them in awhile it get a bit better, but I had the HD558 at the time and I just ended up using that over the SHP9500 because of the lack of bass...and the sound staging range let's talk about that. Yes, for a semi budget tier headphone the soundstage is WIDE, but because it's so wide there is ZERO closeness...things just get pushed out further than they appear so imaging wise it only works if it's things in game that meant to be far away. So things like your own character footsteps will kind of feel like it's floating 2 feet in front of you instead of being where you legs are. Music wise, anything that is not bass is pretty decent, you can make out a lot of instruments and the muddling is very minimal....although that sounds like this is good serious analytic works...lol no it's only good enough for the awareness not signatures. Fast forward to now, comparing to the HD560s.....pffffffftttt LOL it beat the living crap out of the SHP9500 by a mile. That said, not trying to bad mouth....but I don't think Z Reviews was right on hyping these up...because the SHP9500 is not AT ALL like how he described it.

Listening to this review on my shp9500. I completely agree. A bit of a step up on sr80i, which is impressive for the price

Disagree with everything you say. This headphones is ao good in sound that i rather use then my Beyerdamics dt770 250ohm, dt 990. And Sony 600 and 599. Sound is very smooth, lush, detailed. Bass is plenty adds a very nice emphasis to overall sound . Absolutely no grain at all. Wide with good seaperation on sound stage. These now are my main headphone for movies and music. I listening to Pink Floyd's !Dark Side of the Moon and heard details in the music i never heard before. Man this record never sounded so good. Excellent headphone 5/5.

I can't take your opinion seriously with you constantly talking about money. Just because you have more expensive headphones doesn't mean they are "better". Try to leave money out of the equation for the next reviews :)

The different and creative intros are awesome. Please keep it up!

I think you had a problem with either the headphones themselves or with the music files you were playing. The SHP 9500 are among the best and most neutral headphones on the market, in any price category, even outperforming the Sennheiser HD800 and HD820 (both at 20x the price of the SHP 9500). And of course, I bought a pair after returning my HD 600 and DT 1990 Pro. See: www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/compare/philips-shp9500-vs-sennheiser-hd-598-cs/371/409?usage=9280&threshold=0.1

598's are way more expensive though, it's really not fair to compare them

I have some nice sets of headphones but the SHP9500s are the headphones I can fall asleep in without worrying what will happen if I drool or roll onto them

Accurate review. I actually bought the SHP9500 unlike half the haters here. They aren't worth your money. It's like buying a beater car and then trying to convince other people to buy a beater car. It might be a decent beater car, but it still sucks overall. The SH9500 don't stay on your head. The pads are so thin and shallow and the clamping force is so light that they slide off your head if you bend down to pick something off the ground. What's the point of headphones if they fall off? The sound signature is neutral but lacks any sort of depth and detail (like a wheat field in kansas). Using a $100 amp/dac is also counter-inuitive because you might as well just spend the money on better headphones. Again, that would be like putting expensive tires on your beater car. This is where Z Reviews is skewed because he already owns good audio equipment. Overall, these are entry level open back headphones. But they will not match any headphones over $100. Overrated as hell.

this is still your worst take by far lol.

I have to totally disagree with you on this one, on almost everything you said regarding the sound. did you get a defective pair? having said that many had the sen 600-650, beyer 7-8-900's at m50, beats, and nothing will ever let them give those a chance, as brand hate can be emotional placebo efx. Everyone also hears slightly different and will never be able to appreciate the qualities you hear in a headphone or pick up on its flaws to the same extent. We are human, So I always suggest just like amazon reviews read the most glowing, and than the worse from different reviewers and you tubers, look at who sponsors them, which brands they constantly pitch as benchmarks and which ones they dismiss out of hand, the truth uis usually in the middle, than give your ears a cleaning, listen to what you have and take notes, give your ears a break for a weak buy said headphones, give it and your ears time to establish a fair comparison and than keep them or send them back and reply in the comments your finding. Because you know what your opinions are just as important as any youtube or other reviewer, and we need to know to make our decisions better. these are great overall headphones and they definitely compare well to other headphones in the $500 and under range in sound quality, definitely depending on your hearing and biases. i would say these are much better with a good dac and amp and eq, and good competition with the HD600 and HD650 sound wise, its surely not worse, and its surely not better, but different, and just as good, highly moddable also. Works great with MAGNI (I use it in low gain mode) MODI BY SC-HIT OR SABRE BASED DACS LIKE THE HIFYME PORTABLE UNITS, I was amazed when you said it didn't improve much or scale better with dacs amps and eq's, that is totally false, these scale well especially for an easy to drive headphones, and respond better to EQ than any headphone I have yet to try, and have great impact, just make sure the extra large pads seal well at the bottom otherwise you are not getting the full sound and wide sound stage.

This review is good, and people should realize different reviewers are going to have different: needs, uses, and priorities when it comes to sound. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's good, but it might mean it does something that is rare to find. A 25 year old scotch may not be better for you compared to a good 8 year, but it may have a rich complexity to the flavor that is hard to replicate in younger whisky. That may not be better for you depending on your individual taste buds and if you like to sip or shoot the whisky. The HD600 just has a richness that people should abx against the SHP9500 and see their preference. Stop smack talking if you haven't done the comparison yourself. The SHP is great for gaming though! Especially with a V-Moda Boom Pro. Have a great day, and happy listening!

YES! I agree with this video entirely. The sound is very...meh. Empty and bodiless with inexplicably fatiguing highs. It just doesn't make music enjoyable. Just like he said, it sounds grainy without feeling particularly detailed. I enjoyed the Sennheiser 558 so much more, but it's a different signature. The 558 is warmer, darker and smooth AF. But contrary to most people, I'm sensitive to highs and value darker headphones over brighter ones. That said, you can grab a NAD Viso HP50 around $100 and it blows the SHP9500 and Sennheiser 558 and more expensive headphones out of the water. But the neutral sound signature of the HP50 doesn't appeal to most people.

I'm totally lost. Recently I started searching for a headphone and after watching a review about the Fidelio X2HR, I really wanted to buy these. But...almost impossible to buy where I live. So I looked further. I found out that the SHP9500 are real good for gaming and this is what i need. I need a headphone mostly for gaming and a bit less for movies. And if so...you should buy the SHP9500? Right? Or not? Because this review is NOT as positive as the rest of the reviews i've watched and read. So this is confusing for me. Edit: I could have posted this on a lot of other forums etc, but comparisons of the SHP9500 and the opnion of people reacting to this vid, is really what got my priority. And the stuff at the end of my reaction, is all based of watching and reading an unbelievable and weird amount of reviews. comparisons, user experiances and opions from all around the web. First of all, I am not a bass head, but I do appreciate a little more 'oemph and thumb' , then a really neutral headphone delivers. To me it makes games and movies kind of empty and dull. Gun shots, the slamming of a door, a car crash, they need to have the sound impact, which goes with what you see. So what I don't like with games and movies, is this neutral sound where nothing stands out. What I also don't like is when the highs are to clear and crisp. It tires me like crazy. Really really a lot, which also gives me a headache. Little big side note here is, I have a real good hearing, but due to an accident, I always have a headache. On a good day a little. On a bad day a lot. This is also tires me a lot. So I'm really senstive to: Bad comfort (clamping force), Bad directional or surround sound, where everything seems everywhere (instead of this shot is from there, the jeep drives there and the river is over there. If it all blends to 'somewhere in the back', it's like my brain is working to hard to pin point the sound) Crisp and clear high's and 'sssss' in sounds But...bad sound annoys me. Giving me a Beats is like swearing in church. So I did my homework and the headphone I seem to need and want, is the AKG K712 Pro, but where I live, it will cost me $231.77. The SHP9500 will cost me $70. Yeah. That's a diffrence of 160 dollars. But I have also taking in to cosideration: The DT990 pro, but the highs and sharp V shape scares me (open world gaming has a lot of sounds in the mids) Sennheiser Game One, not so much in fact, because of the neutral sound, but it's the praised HD 598 with a mic, so hey...for a good price Sennheiser HD 599. More then the above. The 599's are just a bit less neutral and have a bit more 'oempf' then the 598's. These seem to be everything I want, but with everything just a little bit worse then the AKG K712. Still really good though and cheaper. Phjlips Fidelio X2HR . These are really comfy, have a real good soundstage, if they are considaret neutral, they really are up the boundary, because of the bass and they are tested as a real allrounder. So yay!! But where I live, they don't sell them and the old X2 REFRUBISHED cost $177,44. So they have to come overseas and they become real pricey. Also the Audio Technica Ath-Ad700X and the 900X, but to many different opinions and if they win from an AKG, it's alway because of the lower price. I really can't make head or tail of these. Also they have the same headband/clamp as a pair of Superlux I own and I hate this system. So the Audio Technica Ath-Ad?00X doesn't feel safe for me. And here is where it gets weird. I am researching this for more then 2 weeks now, so you can imagine how many vid's, reviews etc I have watched and read and I forgot why I have taken out the AKG K701, 702 and Q whatever out of the equation :( And then there still is massdrop's line-up. They make the Hifiman HE-400i (which I haven't looked up) also affordable for me. But some of the massdrop's have a cable going to EACH earcup and I gladly pay 50 dollars more for the same headphone, with only one cable. Then there are some which don't have the dual cables, but just as the Ath-Ad's, they make it so hard to form a well balanced outcome of comparsions, it will take me another 4 days to line up the massdrop's with the ones mentioned above. But I did just find out the Massdrop's Sennheiser PC37X wins from the Game One, but that aside. The reviews of the massdrop's are almost always positve, but it seems that if a comparison is won, it's because of 'they are almost the same, but it's lower priced'. I can't buy a massdrop on sale however, but I do can buy one of the above on sale. So the 'lower price' criteria, doesn't go that well for me. Only exception here is the SHP900, because they seem to be THAT good for 70 dollar. So anyone out here who can advice and help me? Buy the SHP9500 or a different set of cans?

The only thing I would add is my AD500x are the best I've heard for distance and directional accuracy while gaming, and I don't think I've ever read any reviews that have said anything thing different (the 700x, 1000x, and 2000x may sound better but are the same this regard). The SHP9500 are just a hair under the AD500x in terms of accuracy for competitive gaming. Add the BoomPro mic and get IMHO the best competitive gaming headset possible for under $100 (if you don't need closed). If you don't care what you sound like to other people you could get an MPOW BT 4.0 Streambot reciever and a BT dongle (with a CSR 8510 chipset) for about $20 more and have a pretty damn good wireless gaming headset (as long as you don't step more than 5 ft from you desk).

well! I don't know about you but the Phillips made me ditch my K712pro and return the he-560v2. I know the phillips are very amp dependent. With my newly purchased Cavalli Liquid Carbon X made the SHP sound incredible.

I'm not surprised that the Z army stormed in to dislike the video. Sound is subjective and people like different things. And Z can't be "right" by expressing his opinion, because everyone has one. For example, his HD518 review puts the cans in the "balanced" category, but the sound is anything but. Muddy and overly bassy. They are easy to listen to for music that has little bass in it, but otherwise they make me want to put them down. I may not have heard the SHP9500, but I already had to sell a pair of headphones, because I listened to someone's opinion blindly. As for the review itself, I agree they are hyped, but I believe you're also used to a specific sound signature with whatever you're comparing them to. I saw your AKG K553 review as well since I have the K551 (which are very close in sound signature) and I got the impression you prefer brighter headphones. Although I like the K551, they are rather "thin", they lack mid-bass and hare a tiny bit harsh at the top. And Z says they are midrange kings or whatever and I can't agree with that. Still, I respect yours (and his) opinion and thank you for the review!

The salt in the comment section is beautiful

Nice review! Would be interested in seeing your thoughts on the VModa M100's with XL pads if you're ever able to get your hands on them.

Only in the audiophile community can something as basic as a pair of headphones can be so polarising.

I just liked this video, thanks to reviews like this the price went down again.

I highly disagre... these do not sound like they cost under $100 they easily compete with headphone in the 150 to 250 dollar price... they do look cheap but are extremely comfortable and my god amps make them sound freaking amazing. I have em hooked up to my evga nu sound card.

Enjoy your reviews and have subscribed. Thank you for being honest about these. Everything you said about them I agree with. Last year I spent a few months testing moderately priced open back headphones for home use. I did not like these at all. Tried the Senn HD558 and liked them, but by a close margin, I preferred the AKG 240's. Impressed with those, I opted to get the AKG K7XX's and I love them.

I think if you can get them for around 50, they're pretty good, but considering that they don't have the benefits of an open back (mostly lacking in clarity, imaging, and soundstage), you're really buying them only for the sound signature (which is like a brighter 598 from what I remember). But for a bit more money, the SRH440, Takstar Pro 80, and AD700x are just better. The SRH440 is a little clearer (though a bit ringy without foam mods), but has similar soundstage while being closed with tighter bass. The Takstars are more fun and has noticably less grain, but not as flat as the 440. The AD700x has the same sound quality as the SHP9500 but with a freaking wide stage.

i really dont see where you are coming from with the grain remark i dont have as much problem with that as i did right out of the box the low-mid sounded muffled and after some research they actually boosted the low-mid range on these headphones to make up for the struggle the bass has in open back headphones. but i tweaked that shit out real fast in my eq and for the price hands down best headphones i have ever used. granted the ones i had before these where the hd419s and those are true budget headphones they sound good but are literally nothing to write home about the 419s where the same price as these when i bought them back in 2014 and still work great so if 4 years down the road i can spend the same money and get a night and day upgrade then hell yea ill shoot for that instead of the 180 dollar 598 opens i just dont feel like that extra 100 dollars isnt going that much further in this situation do they really have double the sound quality?

In Europe they are +120€!!

It’s really shocking how many people find these headphones any better than what DMS described them to be. This headphone is great for the price but it is absolutely a compromise in terms of sound quality for every reason DMS mentions. The two possibilities I can think of are: 1) most of these people never heard anything remotely better or 2) they somehow got a better version of the product.

I know a lot of people love this headphone, I think it looks good. It seems that whatever it was that caused a surge in its popularity really paid off. Is this a headphone worth $190 usd? Because that is how much it costs from Amazon in UK.

You say you would recommend the HD598 over this at over $100, but a lot of people say HD558 sound very similar to the HD598. So, would you recommend the HD558 over SHP9500? What about the HD518?

the grain could be coming from the music files you are listening to

BTW footage is undersaturated on purpose.

I used to be a solid defender of the SHP9500 but ever since I got my hands on a pair of HD6XX with a tube amp...I can't see a reason to defend them anymore...

Your review is very spot on. I also thought the same about my pair. I'm debating sending them back and get the hd660s

Wow... what a snobby way to review headsets! I hope nobody lets this video dissuade them from trying out these great headsets and making their own decision... I rarely leave trollish comments on other peoples channels, but as a musician who plays many instruments this entire review is the exact WRONG way to look at Headsets! Everyone knows that Violins have the best sound... but that does not mean you get rid of pianos and Flutes... Headsets are just like instruments and each one is different and worthy! So when you belittle a headset like this because they are not like your precious 650s... you missed the point... they are not supposed to be... they do different things! Dont get me wrong... There is nothing wrong with not liking these headsets... just like someone may prefer Guitar over Violin music... but dont act like the violin is trash because it isn't a Guitar... You are entitled to your preference, However if you want some constructive criticism from a person who has written, composed and played music for decades your video comes across as snobby because you are comparing headsets in terms of price instead of what really matters... their strengths and weakness ( none of which you mention) ... If the 650s were just like the SHP but just better sounding over all, your video would make sense... but from my ear and the multitude of test and other reviews they clearly serve different purposes... The SHP have a great, spacious sound stage and the mids are put to the front which makes them great for casual music and gaming... They are comparable to the 598 in sound but cheaper and more comfortable. The 650s offer much more bass, clarity, smoothness, warmth, and are great for critical listening and jazz, vocals, classical, etc... both sets are a good buy based on what you want.... but personally I prefer the cheaper superlux hd668b for gaming due to their superior spaciousness and clarity, dispite their lack of base. And for the 650, to my ear the 600s, akg 701s, and dt1990s are better buys for the money.

4:28 Are you really comparing 211 eur headphones with 67 eur headphones........................

I Love Mine

Eh...The grain hyperbole is kinda blown up. But I see where you're coming from. The Philips don't have that smoothness that the Sennheiser 558 has. But it's nowhere near as bad as a Grado. Also, at moderate volumes you won't notice the grain as much. The funny thing is, people online seem to adore having boosted treble and don't notice the grain. So this probably explains the hype. Smoother/warmer/darker headphones don't get nearly as much attention. It's a shame.

I paid $30 for my open box SHP9500S's. I have never regretted it. However, I also never felt like the were worth more then the around $55 asking price.

Good for music but not good for gaming. For some reason when it comes to gaming it's very soft . But hearing music on this , the Audio becomes loud. My gaming headphone till today is Audio Technica AD700X

Very few music and audio professionals know how to test audio equipment. most of these few - are not showing on youtube to begin with, they care less. so we end up with 99.9% armatures that tells us their private story - that is random at best for us. I have both sennheisers and philips: they are both top brands regarding audio equipment. will get my 9500s in a week to compare to the rest of my cans I have and see how realy good they are. dont trust any body else to tell me whats good or not. proved to be fruitless. my 43 years old trained and tired ears know better.

I gotta get a pair of these and the polarising m50x to listen and formulate my own opinion.

If you're going deaf or have some hearing loss then these headphones are for you. They are more comfortable than superlux and sound better on the highs. If you like mids and lows this is not for you.

Im looking into these headphones and the Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK for gaming on my PC. Wich ones do you recommend? Im going to paired them up with the V-MODA BoomPro mic. There is like 100 bucks of difference and want to know if its worth it.

We the delegation of peasants love these, your highness.

Man just a little bit of wider public exposure and your channel would blow up.

In you opinion which open back headphone is best under 100 dollars???

I disagree that the 598 is better than these. I had both and directly compared them and ended up selling the 598. They sounded pretty similar but I preferred the 9500 for both sound and comfort

Why did the price go up so far? They’re a hundred on amazon but i found em for $70 from new egg. $55 would have been insane though

Is that keyboard even custom made bro step up your game

I just got these and yeah you are right but I guess I need a decent amp as I use my PC and phones

for a second I was like, yes he's gonna quote Zeos, yes! then I realised it was Ruckus and I was still happy but not Zeos Happy

Just saw this. I tried these out a couple of years ago when I was doing a shootout of reasonably priced headphones, I completely agree these are grainy and harsh. Preferred the HD 558 and AKG 240 over these. I usually agree with Z, but he was way off on these - and his review is what made the price go up.

Are Sennheiser HD 599 better than this? (if yes, small or large margin?). I already had SHP9500, but planning to get HD599. But i dunno it will be worth upgrade or not, Thanks as always.

Lemme get that ultrawide wallpaper

after 2 weeks with the 9500 they are much better than the sennheiser hd600. much better.

Have you tried the AKG 240 mark2? If yes , which do you prefer betwren the Philips SHP9500 and AKG M2... thanks

you should do a review of the Koss ksc75, really good clip ons for only like $13

I know right it would probably feel bad if your super expensive headphones sound worse than these awesome ones, placebo is one hell of a drug.

I got the same opinion as you. It just seems dull and unlively. Seeing people hyping this is a bit surreal, could there be multiple versions of this and we got the bad one? For the record I bought this directly from China.

headphoens headphoens headphoens headphoens headphoens headphoens Flaming intro as always :)

Any chance we would see reviews of Status Audio's line-up (CB-1 or OB-1)? Perhaps a budget audio (sub$100) shootout needs to happen.

What do recommend if shp9500 + vmoda boom pro retail for $110 or the sennheiser pc37x (game one) for $120 , i do 85% gaming 15% movies and a bit of music listening. I’ll also be pairing either of them with the syba sonic cheepo amp/dac . Please reply am lost lol

Cheap headphones? Try takstar pro 82.love those for on the go and hey you can game and do home audio. Get a short 2.5 to 3.5 and stick on a mpow Bluetooth adapter and you now have a wireless headphone. Hook on a vmoda boom pro and you have a headset

These headphones do have a treble spike. The SHP9500s from newegg apparently have a brighter sound, where the non s version uses a gold connector and apparently has SLIGHTLY less highs. I was able to EQ the treble spike down and boost the lower frequencies (20-40hz) by 3-4 db. Really brought out the neutrality this headphone can achieve. I have not noticed any distortion or grain since. However, I haven't tried the true high ends, like the hd6xx series, saving up for some of those because I want to know for myself how much better they are.