Customer Reviews

Philips HS500 Behind-the-Head Sport Headphones with Neckband

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I bought these headphones at Wal-Mart because all my other headphones were old and dying. I wasn't expecting great things from them because they were so cheap (I usually never buy headphones under $20) and Wal-Mart was selling them (they're not exactly the electronics experts, if you know what I mean). But I was shocked by how good they sounded! They were even better than my $25 Sony headphones (a lot better actually). They're very comfortable and the sound is crystal clear. Excellent bass (no annoying crackles even on Ashanti's "Down For You" which has crackled every one of my headphones, even on a very low volume.) Another excellent feature--a little yellow thingy to prevent what nearly every headphone dies of--a pulled cord resulting in a short. It keeps the first half inch or so (the most vulnerable part) from being accidently pulled. I've had these things for over a year and there have been no problems with them yet.

Those of you not used to behind-the-head headphones will find them a little awkward at first, but whoever invented them was a genius. First, you don't have to constantly adjust them because they're slipping off your head. Also, if you're a girl you will love them. If you sometimes wear a pony tail high on your head like I do, they are wonderful. With conventional headphones, if you had a high ponytail, you had to put the headphones in an awkward position, because your ponytail is usually where the headphones are placed. Either they were slipping off the back of your head or the front. Such a pain! With these, having a pony tail is no problem. Just slip them on (with the headband part at the back of your head) pull your pony tail out and you're ready to go! It's also an absolute miracle for joggers and walkers (like I am) and guys who wore conventional headphones behind their head anyway (now they won't look like weirdos anymore!)

If you're looking for a cheap pair of headphones with excellent sound, these are definitely for you. I like them so much that I might just order myself another pair!

I bought these headphones to use with my Panasonic (SL-SX290) portable cd player and these headphones are a million times better than the ones the came with! First of all, these headphones have a really cool look to them. It is light blue around the ear pieces and the rest of the headphones are black. Next, the sound on these headphones is unbelieveable! The bass is real deep without any distortion, the treble is super clear and not to high, and the mids are also very good. The headphones that came with my cd player were not so good. They had a [bad] fit (they were way to big for even my head, lol) and the sound was just average, and when I bought these, I felt like I was in heaven. Anyway, the design is also really cool on these headphones. They go behind your neck (I like them because they don't mess up your hair!) They are also very comfortable (a lot more comfortable than Sony's Behind the neck ones with the stupid flap) I could wear these headphones for hours without any discomfort. These also have one wire instead of two to reduce the wires from getting all tangled up. They even put in a feature called Pull Relief. That works good so when something pulls on the headphones, the wire dosen't get ripped out. Anyway, I all I am very happy with these headphones and would reccomend them to anyone

Yup, these headphones are cheap. Yup, these headphones are better than what came with your iPod or other portable music device. But then again, that bar is REALLY low: The headphones they toss in the box with most portable music devices are trash.

Given the current sale, for less than $10 you can buy these headphones and get an appreciable upgrade in sound quality.

That said, these are FAR from the best low cost portable headphones on the market. There's probably nothing better sounding for less money, but if you're willing to spend a few dollars more, ANY of the low end Koss headphones are MUCH superior sounding to these--it's not even a competition. The difference: The Koss headphones are more accurate, the high end of the Koss headphones is less fatiguing and the bass of the Koss headphones is tighter.

OK, now for specifics...

Sticking to $20 or under, I'd recommend the following Koss headphones, all available at Amazon (or at other fine retailers!): The Koss KCS75 (behind the ear model, similar to these Philips HS500s, not much more expensive than the Philips headphones, and SO much better sounding), The Koss KTXPRO1, The Koss PortaPro2 (ugly but good sounding) or The Koss SportaPro.

If you simply cannot spend another penny beyond what these HS500s cost, well, then, buy them and at least you'll be getting an improvement on the junk they tossed into the box with your portable player before they shipped it. But if sound quality matters to you, add about what it costs for one Big Mac to your purchase price and get a SERIOUS improvement in sound quality by getting the Koss...

Here's the story on the headphones that come with any portable audio player you buy: they stink. Apple, Cowon and all the other companies have to keep their pricepoint down to remain competitive in the market and to them that means produce the best player you can for "X" amount of dollars, and, oh yeah, throw in the cheapest headphones you can find since no one wants to buy an MP3 player with no way to listen to it. My own Cowon iAudio U2 earbuds are the most uncomfortable, un-ergonomic things ever to come out of Korea (and you thought your Kia sucked). Basically, they are "throwaways" as are the iPod earbuds. I get the feeling that all of the people giving these Philips HS 500s a "five star, best thing since sliced bread" review have been listening to their iPod headphones for way too long. Compared to manufacturer included phones they are a world apart but there are better choices depending on your needs. Here's how to choose a replacement set:

Ideally, everyone would own three pairs of headphones: One for working out that stays put and blocks out exterior noise, one for listening at home where fidelity is the strength but they must also be comfortable for hours on end, and one that's easily portable for commuting on a plane, train or bus and again, long-wear comfort is important here.

For the gym, you want to look at sport headphones. You can get them banded over the head though I don't recommend it, instead go for behind the neck models like the Philips HS 500s. Some models (like Sony's) have sweatguards or other bells and whistles. But these Philips HS 500s are the best sport headphones I have found. Well, let me rephrase that: they are just as good as any Sony or other sports phones but they are cheaper. A lot of value here people: they're durable; the bungee thing on the cord is decent at preventing them from flying off of your head when you accidentally catch them on something; they stay on great; and again, they are priced right. Yes, there are better sounding sport headphones such as the Sennheiser PMX60s but when I'm working out, fidelity is not that important. I usually hear my heart pounding and my mouth panting so I'm mainly looking for decent (not great) sound, comfort, wearability and decent isolation (blocks out exterior gym/road noise as well as my own heavy breathing). I can't see anyone paying for better sound from the Senns when the difference is not discernable during a workout. These Phillips do all that I need and the fact that they are a steal makes them the best bet.

Now, for listening at home for long periods of time, walking around town or plugging into your PC speakers so that your wife/mom/roomies/whatever don't hear the moaning from your porno MPEGs late into the night, you want over the head earpads (not over the head full-sized headphones which are big-ass 1970s looking things that fully enclose the ear and are not easily stashed around your neck or in a bookbag/purse). While bulk is not necessarily better, in the case of "at home" or "around town" phones, you're usually getting much better components inside the phone by going with something "non-sporty". Many full-sized headphones and some earpads are $100+ and well worth it if you are into your music. But you're going to want to shoot yourself when you accidentally lose them or sit on them. For the best bang-for-the-buck in earpads look at Koss or Sennheiser. The Sennheiser PX 100s sound like you spent a c-note on them but they won't break the bank (right now about $40 here on Amazon). The fidelity is superb--far better than these Phillips HS500s or the sporty Sennheiser PMX 60s. But...I wouldn't wear the PX 100s to the gym; the weight of the over the head band is going to bounce the phones out of position when you're going down to do a bench press or even jogging. That's just annoying. And don't go for the PX 200s. For some reason, they are a newer model but the sound is not as good as the PX 100s in my opinion and they are bulkier.

For portability, go with earbuds. Yeah, you'll get that familiar ear burn after a few hours no matter how comfortable they are, but sometimes it's not convenient to lug around over the head earpads. If you're going to a wedding or funeral you want your tunes but you can't show up with a set of headphones straddling your neck. You need something that you can wrap around your MP3 and shove into your breast pocket or purse. Also great for summer when you're wearing shorts and a t-shirt and pocket space is limited. So anyway, you can spend hundreds here too but in all honesty, even the best earbud is not as good as a good earpad headphone or full-sized headphone. And again, it sucks to lose a pair of $300 Shure's. So my advice is, go with the Sony MDR-EX71SL. They are comfortable, have great fidelity for an earbud and will make your wallet very happy at $35 or so. An extra $20 will get your Sennheiser earbuds and an extra $20 on top of that will get you Shure's bargain model but I can't see paying more money when you know the sound will never be as good as an earpad/earphone.

If you're cheap and you plan to have only one pair then you have some thinking to do. Will you be mostly working out with fidelity and portability as secondary considerations? Get the Sennheiser PMX 60s. Is portability most important but you work out and listen at home occasionally? Then get the Sony buds or step up to any Shure model. Do you do all your listening at home, don't work out, and don't care if you look like a retard with big-ass earbuds or full-sized headphones? Get the Sennheiser PX 100s or spend a little more for Sennheiser full-sized headphone. But don't blame me if someone laughs at you and calls you Princess Leia with those big muffins on the side of your head.

Anyway, getting back to the Philips HS500s review (that was the point, right?). No, they are not superb--far from it. They are good but not great. Surprisingly good. I got these as a replacement for busted Sony sports phones figuring I can't go wrong at $8 and change and boy was I surprised. Average in the bass and other lows (don't believe people who say the bass is great--it is compared to iPod earbuds but not if you know what a clean bassline sounds like). Above average on the highs. And I was really pleased at how extremely crisp and clear it is in the midrange (where most of the sounds from your music come from). They turned out to be exactly what I wanted. A good workout phone that stays on comfortably and won't make my cry when they inevitably short out from my sweat. 3.5 out of 5.

BOTTOM LINE
If price is an issue, or, if you do most of your listening while working out, these are great phones. If you can spend more money, buy two or three sets of phones depending on your needs and my recommendations. If you can spend more money but think it's stupid to own different headphones for different situations, get the Sennheiser PMX-60s. They are great for the gym (and lighter than these), and you can come home and get great hi-fi sound out of them.

A FINAL WORD ABOUT BASS
Your bass sounds are going to be muddled in any earpad whether it's a sports model or over the head model. Some earbuds handle bass better than others, but as you might imagine, the best and truest bass reproduction is only going to be found in those ugly full-sized headphones that fully cover the ear and have a bass enclosure inside all that bulk. So if you love your music, use my recommendations above. If you're a weirdo who loves your basslines and could care less about vocals, instrumentals and things like that, and you rush home every day to sit in your basement listening to your speakers thump, then you might be better off with a full-sized phone. But for 99.9% of people out there, the recommendations above will give you all of the clarity you need or expect in a bassline.

I've been looking for a good headset for working out and have been disappointed until I bought these.

I bought and returned 5 other headsets at various stores (5 of which were more expensive) and finally lucked out and found these at Target. They have excellent sound (especially the bass response), are fairly comfortable (little discomfort over the ear after about 1.5 hours of continuous wear), and they are great for running (light weight and secure fit).

I actually run the cord (5ft long) behind my back to my MP3 player so it's out of the way (if you try this with ear buds they usually pull too much and loosen in your ear or fall out). Also found they work great and stay out of the way when behind the back when I'm mountain biking.

If you plan to use these while sitting back in a high back chair where your head touches the seat (i.e., airplane, car, etc.) you'll have to minipulate the band behind your neck up or down to keep the speakers comfortably on your ears. Sooo, don't get these if you do a lot of traveling and want to listen to music), ear buds or over the head models are a better choice for this.

Can't give it a full 5 stars only because of the long-term wear issue mentioned above.

Overall, definately worth the money. Like I said, they were much better than many more expensive models.

You can't go wrong for the price (I paid $15). I have long hair so they are virtually invisible. I was cautious buying them because I have a large head and I wear glasses. But I think they are very comfortable. They fit snugly against my head without pressure. I can barely feel them on at all. I think the sound quality is excellant for such a cheaply priced set of headphones. Can you get better quality sound? Sure, but these get a lot of bang for the buck. I hear all ranges fine. I could not get earbuds to stay on if I even remotely moved my head. These don't go anywhere. If you are looking for headphones that totally eliminate anyone else from hearing your music, you are looking at the wrong headphones. After all, they are open. But if you are looking for a reasonably priced lightweight headphone that is comfortable and slick looking, I don't think you can go wrong with these.

I was looking into buying either these or the sony street headphones. I noticed that these have a larger freq. response and greater sensitivity when looking at the specs. They were also cheaper than the sony's so I thought I'd give them a shot. I think they are WELL worth the price. The sound is awesome and I do not find them uncomfortable at all. They also look really cool. I would recommend these to anyone.

These headphones are the best I've found since getting the iPod. I was amazed at how low the volume is on the iPod, and the 'phones included with it are major irritating, they fell out all the time, and no bass response to speak of, and quiet, no way to rock out. (I'm a mountain biker and it's always on '10'; if there was an '11' setting, I'd set the volume there.)

Anyways. I started trying headphones. And I am talking about one heck of a lot of headphones, both phones I had laying around and also many, many new ones: Sony, Seinheiser, everybody else - I was particularly annoyed at the Sony Fontopia, rated so highly by so many; I found them to be garbage, NO bass response to speak of, and because of the way they tried to get bass, the treble was wiped out also. Garbage.

These are the absolute best I could find. For any money. They are LOUD, the loudest phones I could find, the bass is just great - not boomy, not dull, punchy and right there - the treble is also great, as good as any and better than most, a very wide range and all of it clean and clear and punchy as all get-out. I'm buying another set because I don't want to be without if I lose the ones I've got, or trash them on a hard ride, whatever.

Forget the Fontopias, forget any other phones, drop nine bucks here and get the very best to be found.

I absolutely LOVE these headphones. I bought mine in 2002 at a CVS for 13 bucks to replace a cheap Sony pair that came with my Walkman. As soon as I put them on I was in love. I used them on my commute, on my PC at work, on the plane... EVERYWHERE... Then this year I bought an iPod. I tried to use the buds that came with, but they hurt like hell! So I went back to my trusty Philips... They recently died on me in a weird accidental fall that sent the earphones and my iPod flying. The iPod still works, but my headphones (may they rest in peace) are gone... And with as much as they got beat up (by me :/), they deserve a rest, LOL! I'm gonna buy another pair.

The small elastic tether piece keeps the cord from being pulled on, which killed the cheap Sony pair. This REALLY extends the life of the product since we are all prone to pulling on the cord. I lso love that you cant see them when I have them on (I have long hair). I just run the cord under my coat with my iPod on my pants, and no one HAS to know I have an expensive music player on me.

At the time I am writing this, these are only $7.49. I rated it the four stars because the sound and comfort are pretty darn good for that price. However, I have been able to compare them to the KOSS KSC75's that I bought this week, too. The sound and comfort on the Koss far surpasses these for only $5-6 more. I recommend the upgrade if you are a heavy ear phone user like myself.

To those who have had problems with the sound, I hope I'm not insulting you by asking if you've adjusted your equilizer's? I have found that adjustments were required with both these and the Koss' to achieve even good sound. Even the Koss' sounded awful with my MP3 player's factory default settings.