Customer Reviews

Philips SHE5920 Virtual Surround Sound In-Ear Headphones

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

These earphones first caught my eye at a Target. I was shopping for a pair of decent 15$ to $20 earphones because the ones that came with my mp3 player finally busted and I was tired of buying cheap earphones that didn't last. What initially attracted me to these earphones were the unique design and the sticker on the package saying that they won some award.

At first, I didn't really know what "virtual surround sound" meant. When I popped these earphones on, I happened to play a song on my mp3 player that actually utilized surround sound. I was suddenly surprised by the fact that my ears could detect sound direction and sound depth as if I was really in a room with surround sound speakers. I later tested the earphones on my computer while playing Half Life. To my surprise, the "surround sound effect" took place again. This time, I was able to hear the direction and sound of certain in game sounds. So, for example, there was an alarm going off in the distance. As expected, the sound got louder as I moved towards the object. But the earphones also allowed for direction. This means that when I turned away from the alarm, I could tell which direction I was facing relative to the alarm just from the sound.

These are probably some of the nicest sounding earphones I've ever had. I do, however, have some complaints in terms of durability. They fit in my ears well because they came with small, medium, and large replacement tips. However, the tips came off very easily. One of the main reasons I had to stop using these was because I lost all the tips that fit my ear. Even if it came with three replacements, only the medium ones allowed for a perfect fit. Also, the tips ripped pretty easily so even if I didn't lose them they would still rip and be rendered useless.

In terms of design, these don't look too bad. Because of the design however, these are slightly larger than the average ear bud earphone. This is just a minor compromise for the excellent sound quality. I recommend these earphones to anyone looking for great sound quality at a reasonable price. However, these earphones (specifically the ear bud tips) can't really hold up against everyday abuse so these earphones are probably best for people who know how to take care good care of electronics.

I purchased these because a coworker suggested them. I really like them, I have tiny ears apparently and most other ear buds fall out. The sound is great, way better than the ones that came with my iPod.

I also like the asymmetrical design of the cord, it took me a bit to figure out why one side was longer than the other, but now that I am used to it I don't think I will ever go back. The little rubber ends didn't fall off for me and the package contained 2 extra ones.

Mine just died today after being worn every single workday. They were thrown around my desk and run over by my desk chair.

I'm going to go pick up another set tonight.

These are the best. Put up with the dinky earbuds that came with my MP3 player.
They were not only uncomfortable but they hurt my ears and kept falling out and the wires were ALWAYS tangled.
These Philips are 110% better and the sound...!!!

I needed a replacement for my iPod earbuds after blowing them out (the second pair, by the way), and I didn't want to spend a lot of money right now. I bought these, and I'm more than slightly impressed. Decent bass, decent clarity, better than I expected for the $15 I paid. However, one caveat: The only reason this is not a five-star review is that they're not very good for physical activity. I use them primarily for work, where I sit at a desk all day, and they're fine. But I tried to wear them on a treadmill at the gym today and had a hard time keeping them in. Depending on where you intend to use them, you may want to factor that into your decision.

Alright, so as far as I know this product has been discontinued, but I hope Phillips reads the good reviews and reintroduce the product.

When I first started buying these about 4 years ago, they were only around $15. I don't know how much people expect earphone's to go for... but that was pretty good in my book, and certainly not overpriced.
The audio sound in these earphones is great. I don't know how much people expect surround sound to work in earphones, but for me they definitely do the job. For example, there is a song that I listen to that has the sound of a particular instrument move from the left bud to the right bud continuously, to make you feel like the sound is supposed to be moving around you. That's what's supposed to happen right? Okay, well that's what it does. I see other people complaining on here like it's supposed to be "grade A best surround sound I ever heard" when you paid less than $20 for it. Seriously?

Bass: Alright, so the bass here isn't incredible. But it's definitely better than some earphones I use where the bass is nonexistent. Just so folks understand where I'm coming from... I'm all about bass. Some folks here are "wow the bass on these sucks" or some dumb comment like that. In my car I have 2 12" Kickers that I bump everywhere I go. Nothing impressive, but I know what bass is supposed to sound like, and these get the job done. There is a little bass in there that you can hear, nothing spectacular, but for less than $20, it's good.

Okay, so many people are complaining about cable length. Yes, the cable is asymmetrical. The left cable is shorter than the right, which is a little longer. People complain that this causes the bud to come off... Newsflash - that's because you're wearing it wrong. It shouldn't be difficult for people to figure out that you put the left bud in your left ear, wrap the right bud AROUND the back of your head so it fits in the right ear. In fact, I feel that this is much better than the typical cable layout. Why? Let's say that you're at the gym and you're working out. By the way, these buds stay in my ear ALL DAY when I'm running, jumping, doing whatever. It's great. Okay so we're at the gym and we're working out. Oh wow, I know that person. Let's go talk to her. So you take out one of your buds so you can have a conversation. Because of the cable layout, if you take out your right bud, it will simply rest by your neck since it's wrapped around the back of your head. Easy access to get to later, and it's not falling out everywhere. Typical cable layouts (at least for me) - if I take one out of my ear, the weight of one bud will pull the other one right out with it.

I hope you could understand that, and what I was trying to say.

In terms of durability, I never expected these to last very long. They're less than $20 (at least they were), so what was everyone else expecting. But I could get away with 8 or 9 months on one set. Thats pretty damn good for me.

Last thing I suppose are these little rubber parts that go on the buds. Yes, you need these so they will fit in your ear. When you buy them, they come in 2 sizes, one pair for each size. Yes, they are also easy to lose - this only starts really happening after a few months tho, since they come a little loose. At first it was frustrating, but once you understand that they only come loose if they hit a snag, they every time you snag something, you'll check. It's not very difficult. I don't lose them at all anymore! It's not like they're sitting on the earphone and "Whoops!" just fall off. And really it's a small tradeoff for the great quality of these buds.

Anywayyyyyys... This is the only review I've written, which is why it sucks, but at the same time I just wanted people to know how great these were for me, and that they're the only phones I've every used that don't fall out EVER when I'm exercising. Everyone's ears are different, but I hope people have the same experience as me.

While I love the sound provided by these earphones, durability is extremely disappointing. Since I use them a lot - at least 8 hours a day at my desk, I go through 4 sets a year. I only pay $20 bucks for them at CVS Pharmacy or Walmart, but that's still getting pretty pricey. The wire at the base of either one of the headphones, ususally the left, or the wire where they split into two sides breaks after a relatively short time. Impossible to repair. The other downside is that the silicone ear fittings are not replaceable and easily lost. Not a problem for me as I have many spares from broken sets.

I bought these over two years ago from one of those vending machines at the airport. Since then, they have travelled on a multitude of business trips, in the bottom of my purse and in my computer-programmer-husband's backpack. They sound as great as they did the first time I used them.

The wires are somewhat asymmetrical which I like because it makes it easy to share(sometimes my kids like to crawl up on my lap and listen in to whatever is playing on my computer: music on iTunes or YouTube, etc.).

The sound quality is excellent. I sometimes prefer to listen to my music with these plugged into my iPod rather than with my iPod plugged into our very expensive Bose player.

Most impressive to me has been the fact that these have endured *years* of use when I usually have to purchase a new iPhone headset once every couple of months(I use the headset/earphone kind and not bluetooth) usually because the sound become inconsistent as the wires wear, until they stop working entirely.

A nice plus is that these are very comfortable, especially compared to the earbuds that came with my iPods. These have a very soft silcone ring that fits over each of the earpieces and comes with a couple different sizes so they are more customizeable.

Finally, as if all that weren't enough in a pair of relatively inexpensive earphones... they come with a case!! The case I got is perfect- just a couple inches long. You wind up the earphones and then can vecro them to one side of the case. The other side of the case has a pocket for the additional silicone earpieces. The entire thing zips up, protecting the headphones in a tidy little package.

I seem to always have something stuck in my ear- no, not my finger- so comfort and reliability are important to me. These do just the right trick!

I have tried many ear buds and these cannot be beat for sound quality, fit and durability. I wear them every day in a gym where they are subject to lots of sweat and occasional abuse (tugging, getting caught in equipment etc). The first set lasted a long time until I finally loosened a wire and lost sound on one side- I bought another highly respected brand but the sound just wasn't there. Now I am on my second set and will go back to this model when I need a third set.

These ear buds perform better than others I've tried at 4 times the price. The sound quality is good, and though they're not listed as "noise cancelling," they do almost completely stifle the noise from the bus engine during my commute. Will definitely buy again.

I have read through some of the bad reviews and yes it is probably true that these are not for everyone's ears. The ear pieces are very strange and the rubber that fits on them does fall off easily, and the only want to get more of those rubber pieces is if you buy a new set of earphones at least so far as I can find.

As for the one cord longer than the other.. HERE IS THE REASON!

THE REASON TO WHY ONE CORD IS LONGER ON ANY EARBUD IS SO THAT YOU CAN PUT THEM AROUND YOUR NECK. THIS PREVENTS THE EAR PHONES FALLING TO THE FLOOR EVERYTHING THEY FALL OFF.
I really can't believe no one figures out to that is why they are made that way. Once you have them around your neck in the correct way the cords look the same length.
Ok that is my lesson on that for the day.
I use these at work to ignore everyone around me. And it is great for that, since the only way they get my attention is by either walking up next to me and tapping me on my shoulder or actually pulling on ear bud out. So (Cowork ignoring system) CHECK

The price isn't so bad, and I am really hard on them and my first pair lasted a year before I broke them. I am now on my second pair and still going strong.