Philips SHP9500 Review: Is The HYPE Real? 

the fact that he is expecting a bass on an open back headphone on a less than a 100 dollar pair of headphone, makes me think that he doesn't know what he is talking about. lol! so many contradicting facts about his review too. like wtf! this dude confuse the hell out of me.

Just something to point out. plenty of open backs do good bass. The K7XX has fantastic bass, especially for open backs, and the HE400i has fantastic bass that reaches down into the deeper sub bass. The lack of bass on these is really a fault only in that it has less bass than even the average open backs. I don't expect DT770 levels of bass, but I do wish it was more in line with other headphones. It seems to have less bass than almost all the open backs that I currently have. It's lack of bass is comparable to the AD700X, but it also falls behind in the quality of highs compared to those.

+MultiSteelking honestly the SHP9500 is pretty much the best thing to use for gaming if you plan on using the V moda boomPRO. Everything else tends to be closed off or just doesn't have a removable cable, and if it does, it has a proprietary connection that makes it impossible to use. If you don't really need a boomPRO, then I always recommend the Superlux series of headphones. The Superlux HD681 has fantastic sound stage and more accurate positioning than the SHP9500, but you need replacement pads for it, since the stock ones are murder. The HD681 also has fantastic bass due to it being semi open as opposed to being fully open. I haven't tried the Superlux 668B yet, but they're also very recommended for gaming. those two are both under 50 dollars. if you're willing to spend more, the Audio Technica AD series of headphones are also fantastic for gaming. I usually use my AD-700X for gaming. I managed to get those on amazon on sale for 75 dollars, which is around the price of the AD-500X. both are great for gaming since the soundstage is amazing but the cable is very long and not removable.

hd598 but u need a adapter for your boom stick

+45eno you pretty much picked them up at the perfect price for them. I personally don't enjoy dubstep or edm music on these as I like the deeper, punchier bass for that type of music. I do enjoy these for almost everything but I don't feel like they excel at anything, and I think that's OK, because they don't do anything inherently wrong. That's pretty much the best that can be done for under 100 dollars. It's not offensive, and it seems to be just an all around good performer. You definitely made the right choice, in my opinion, in getting these over the m40x. I personally don't enjoy the sound of the M series of Audio techincas. While they probably would have been better for dubstep as the bass response is better, I think as all around headphones, the SHP9500 is leagues ahead. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you like them, and you're happy with your purchase. Doesn't really matter what anyone else says.

+Muhammad Kashif Depends on the music you like. Neither has any bass to speak of. If you want to know which ones I'd use right now for any random song, It would probably be the AD700X. I enjoy how vocals sound on them more than I do on the SHP9500. that being said, the winged design of the AD700X can be annoying so if you haven't tried it and liked it, you're pretty much gambling on the comfort. the SHP9500 is a lot more comfortable and has a warmer sound. It makes music fun to listen to but it isn't as clear as the AD700X. If you're looking at them on amazon, get the open box AD700X since it's 85 dollars. at that price, it pretty much beats the SHP9500 in almost every way but comfort. I feel like the SHP9500 is more of a secondary headphone, while the AD700X is a primary headphone.

+TheEdTech Appreciate your detailed response. I've ordered SHP9500 and it cost me USD 49.

+Muhammad Kashif that's a fantastic price for them.

Soundstage is very small on ATH, but it has very precise sound. Some songs have sounds more easy picked up by SHP9500. SHP9500 have a very relaxed sound like hi-fi speakers and they still sound boring to me. ATH have sound similar to studio monitors which is detailed but a little too sharp/bright so they may not be comfortable to listen.

If you're in the US, get these if you want soundstage www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009S332TQ/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used. Amazon warehouse deals are fantastic. If not in the US, look into the AD500X. The AD series is fantastic for soundstage and airy sound.

Which headphones would you recommend if i want to precisely hear where people are in CSGO?

The ATH AIR series is has amazing soundstage but you will miss out on some bass

No. SHP are fucking awsome for gaming

Are you sure those are legit 598s? Because I have never heard anyone say the bass on the 598 is boomy if anything people say it's underwhelming

+Spike45 alright I'll do that. Thanks for the feedback

+Spike45 alright I'll do that. Thanks for the feedback

+Paige W some people love of, some people hate. Me personally, I think they do their job, but there are better options for the price. they're supposed to be monitors but they're pertty v shaped in sound signature so they don't do to well on giving you a neutral sound signature. I don't recommend them for mixing or anything like that. That being said, they're fun to listen to. for the price of 140 and up, i think people can do better. the DT770 pro is a better mixing headphones and even better fun cans. that being said, for 100 dollars, they're pretty competitive. They do a lot of things well but aren't the perfect cans. I'd recommend them if you just want some closed cans for fun and isolation, and if can find them for 100 dollars.

+TheEdTech Would you recommend them over the SPH9500 for listening to music?

Paige W The M50X? not unless you just want bass. The SHP9500 does everything else better. The M50X isn't great either, but it's more present than the SHP9500. I'd listen to music on the SHP9500 before I used the M50 or M50X, and I really like bass. I prefer the sound overall on the SHP9500 comapred to the M50X, even if the SHP9500 is lacking the bass.

+Paige W m50x treble is too hot to be considered audiophile. And the treble actually gets worse over time, at least from my perspective. I'd avoid the m50x and just get the m-100 if you need portability. If you just want to use them indoors, then there are a lot of options for closed headphones that are going to make you happier than the m50x. I'd just get the HyperX Cloud gaming headset. The mic is detachable and can be used like a regular pair of headphones.

+ThoseWhoStayUofM I tried the m50x about a week ago and I thought they sounded pretty good, however, I'm upgrading from skullcandy hesh 2, so I'm pretty sure that any "good" headphones will sound nice. And even though they did sound better than hesh 2, it really wasn't that much better. M50x was more precise and had more bass, but the bass wasn't as muddy as hesh 2. Anyway, right now I'm leading toward Seinnheiser hd 558. I'm just going to use them at home, so I might as well get open back. I'm just a little hesitant because I've never experienced what open backs sound like before, and I'm worried I might not like it.

the treble on the the EVO is much more tame than the regular 681 but still seems to have a spike. the shp9500 is much better all around as it has a much more tame treble making them much less fatiguing. over all a much more enjoyable sound on these. they have less bass than the 681 or EVO. vocals are much smoother tho, making them overall more pleasant.

+TheEdTech do you consider they're worth the extra 40 bucks? Thnx for your reply, much appreciated :)

ANGRYmuffin9000 I would say so. the 681 is great when you want to spend the minimum.

I would say nay if bass matters to you at all. these just don't cut it when it comes to that. While I enjoy how most metal sounds on them, I feel like it misses out on the liveliness that good bass can bring the music. Bass boosting the signal with the FiiO E10K also produces a very unnatural and unpleasant bass response with most of the tracks that I tested. Bass just isn't a strong point on these cans.

Fair enough, thank you for the advice. I am now currently pondering on getting the HyperX Cloud II headphones. People are saying the bass on those are pretty good. Though, I haven't decided just yet. I want a good pair of headphones that I can use for both gaming AND listening to music, to where both sound good.

kornfreak78 I would say they're fine for the price. They're pretty much re-branded takstar 80 pros. not a bad pair of budget headphones.

+Vitalij Vitalij that's like forcing Stockholm syndrome. It shouldn't take exclusively using headphones for 1-2 months for them to be great. I enjoy them for what they are but I wouldn't say they're amazing. They're amazing for their price point, I'll give them that.

wow this actually looks interesting. the only other mod for the SHP9500 I've really seen has been the 3d printed cup attachments that make the headphones look godawful. I might actually pick up a second pair of SHP9500 to do a side by side if I get around to doing this mod.

Explain how the AKG K7XX manages to have much deeper and more impactful bass than these, then? I'm not expecting TH-X00 levels of bass, but having more impact than this is totally possible, or am I to believe that the k7xx somehow defies physics?There's no evidence that suggests that burn is is real, and even if it does exist, this was made after weeks of use. I really wonder how I managed to listen to so many duds out there then. Unless I'm surrounded by the most unlucky people in the world, I can pretty much tell you these are legit. A headphone can in fact sound amazing with a particular song and and then sound awful for others. It's why there's a large variety of headphones with different sound signatures in the first place. Do you think something very treble focused like the K612 Pro would handle EDM or Hip-Hop as well as it handles classical music? Certain songs and genres respond better to different sound signatures on headphones. I don't claim these only sound amazing with one particular song and everything else I listened to was hot garbage. What I'm saying is they aren't the be all end all that many people claim them to be. They aren't flagship killers. they have their faults just like most headphones do. For their price they're an absolute steal but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how good a deal is if it doesn't fit your listening tastes. I don't hate them or dislike them. I simply am pointing out the flaws in the sound based on my opinion. Your example of the AD-700X is perfect. you don't like the sound signature of them, but does that mean everyone that does like it is a moron or their opinion is just wrong? of course not.

TheEdTech "deeper and more impactful bass"... I hate to be rude, but what are you using for your reference for "good bass", because the k7xx is not really phenomonal for bass...

**coff** Fidelio X2 **coff**

+Th3 Drizzl3 Yeah probably gonna pick up a second pair for modding soon. I really wanna try the cup mod.

Hmm? What do I search for on ebay to find the cups you're talking about? And is there a tutorial for that particular mod?

Tim check out this video, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ET9TWgel7ec.html

+VxO4fame Well, I think you've just confirmed that your ears are broken.

Well my Sennheiser HD650, AKG K712 and ATH-m50 sound much better, yep my ears are broken then

VxO4fame HD650 and AKG K712 sound equally good to the Fidelio X2, the real difference being emphasis placed on particular frequencies, but not in how even the response is nor the fidelity. The m50 is not even in the same league as the above mentioned headphones... So yeah, your ears are actually broken.

+VxO4fame im surprised you enjoy the m50 over the x2. I haven't spent too much time with the x2, but from what I've heard, I liked and I found to be enjoyable. Much more enjoyable than my m50, but I do prefer open and semi open headphones more than closed. Haven't heard the k712, but if it's anything like the k7xx (which would make sense since it's just a "rerelease" made of cheaper materials), I can see why the x2 wouldn't impress you. The k7xx seems to do a lot of what the x2 does and sometimes it does it better, but this is all going from memory so I could totally be miss representing how the x2 sounded. As for the 650, I'd love to try them, but the price is too steep, especially compared to the 600.

TheEdTech You're surprised that he likes the m50x over the x2 because it's unreasonable. The m50x treble is so hot it sounds unnatural. For the price, the m50x is fantastic though. Right now you can get the m50x for about $115 USD. That's amazing. No headphone comes close for that price. I used to recommend the Gemini HSR-1000 (Takstar Pro-80 clone) when it was $50. Now it's about double that price. So yeah, the m50x is probably the best headphone on the market for a price that is affordable to most consumers, so I'm not a hater or anything. But to say it's better than the x2 is beyond absurd. It's an opinion that is so out in left field that it should be ignored entirely.

+nevid972 how could you tell ;)

+TheEdTech I dunno, I had a hunch. I like the headphones too. I use them primarily for gaming. The only problem I have is I tend to get a pressure point on top of my head after awhile.

nevid972 You know, I had the same problem with pressure for the first few times, but I haven't felt it ever since. Don't really know how it went away.

+Michael Yohanes What DAC/AMP set up are you using? The E10K should be more than enough for these headphones. The DAC on the FiiO E10K is more than enough for almost everything. If you're talking about the Amp, then I'm still confused because the SHP9500's are not hard to drive and don't require much power. the Difference between the FiiO E10K and the Schiit Magni 2 Uber or the ODac for these headphones would be almost indistinguishable. Unless you're talking about using a tube amp, which maybe I can see it changing the audio enough to make them very interesting, but that's altering the audio, not really showing what the headphones truly sound like.

+TheEdTech Is fiio e10k only DAC/AMP you tried?

Andrew Chung Nope, I've used a friends JDS Labs Odac/amp combo quite a few times. Gonna be borrowing it for a while too. Also tried a Micca Origen and a Monoprice Dac/Amp for a bit. not long enough to make a sound judgement on both. As for the Odac/amp, I found that it really only brought out better sound from more power hungry headphones like the T50rp Mk3, DT770 PRO, K612 PRO, ect. Even then, the sound difference I found to not be too drastic. Just a tad bit better. Would need to do more A/B testing for it. For something like the SHP9500s, I didn't notice any sound difference.