Philips SHP9600 Over-Ear Headphones

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.