Customer Reviews

Philips SHE9850 In-Ear Headphones with Advanced Acoustics

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm always on a search for the best headphones and have tried many with varying results, all the way up to premium $300 sets. I cannot tolerate at all any type of in-ear headphone that is simply a plastic, hard ear bud, they are all far too large and uncomfortable (and generally lacking in sound quality as well) but I'm also not enough of an audiophile to really need the premium ones. My previous favorite set of headphones was the Shure E3C, which gave a great balance of comfort, sound quality and price. These go one better by offering even better comfort, stability and a lower price to boot.

Opening the box was a nice surprise...if like me you are tried of plastic that requires box cutters to get into you will appreciate the professional, quality packaging of the Philips SHE9850 which comes in a solid cardboard box that is easy to open and remove the components from. In addition to the headphones, you get 3 sizes of silicon ear buds and one set of memory foam sleeves. Also a clip for the cord, basic instructions and a nice metal carrying case. The case is a bit larger and heavier than most, but it is well designed, slides open easily and includes a spot to carry an extra set of ear buds. This is a welcome feature if like me you change them according to use. I prefer silicon for basic use, but the memory foam for more active use to stay in place better.

I was very pleased with the comfort and stability of these headphones. They are slightly angled to better insert into the ear canal and once in, I found they stayed very solidly in place when I moved around. I have very small ears, and often have comfort issues, these were some of the best I've tried so far.

Sound quality I found to be excellent. A little more response at the lower ranges would have improved it a bit, but overall I would rate them at least as good as the Shure's, and better for a lot of my music. The sound is very full and rich, and could compare with some headphones in the $200+ range. Noise reduction as well was excellent. These definitely are not headphones to wear if you need to hear any peripheral noise! I could barely hear my very noisy clothes washer while wearing these, which is the best test I could do without going on a plane trip.

Overall, these are the best headphones I've used at this price, and I'd recommend them highly. The only thing I wish it had was a mute button, but I've not yet seen a decent set of headphones that has one, so have just come to accept that it's not something easy to do reliably.

Pros: Sound excellent, clear and detail, bass could be better but expected from reading other reviews. It comes with nice little metal case. The silicon plug are so air tight you actually can feel air pressure in you ear (this could be a cons), and that acts like a passive noise cancelling, blocks about 80% of high freq noise. Personally I like the included memeory foam plug which feels much better, yet still blocks some noise. Price at sub-$100 is not bad for the quality

Cons: Not a lot of places sell them, I can only find Amazon. Because of that I am not sure where I can find replacement for the memory foam attachment plugs that phillips recommendss to replace every 3 months! It could use a softer wire, but I have seen worse in much more expensive brand. Softer wire == less noise when the wire is moved around with the silicon attachment. Foam doesn't seem to have that problem.

Almost two years ago, I reviewed a great pair of ear buds made by Philips, the Philips HE591 Surround Sound Earbuds (Black), and for two years I've haven't found a better pair anywhere... until now. Phllips SHE9850 are the best in-ear headphones I have ever used. They are equal to, if not better than, Koss Pro-4AA Studio Quality Headphones which, to me, are one of the clearest and best sounding headphones ever made. Unfortunately, the PRO/4AA's were so tight around your ears, the blood circulation to your ears was cut-off after 15 minutes use.

As soon as you open the package and see the metal exterior of the case, the metal housing of the ear pieces, and the four different pairs of sleeves, you know you are going to experience something totally different. These are not "ear buds" by any stretch of the imagination. The four pairs of sleeves, three different size pairs made with soft flexigrip silicon and one pair made of memory foam, make it easier to have better sound at a lower volume, no matter how large or small you ear canal is. For me, the larger flexigrip silicon totally sealed-out all external noise. Wearing the memory foam ones allowed you to hear conversations of those around you along with what you are listening.

I have a drawer littered with earbuds/earphones ranging in price from $12.00 to over $150.00, and made by xTreme, Shure, Koss, Sony, Jensen, and, of course, my trusty Phillips HE591's. Most of these sound "tinny," without much bass tonal qualities. As with the Philips HE591's, I have found a great test for earphones is to hear the differences in sound when you change the equalizer setting on ones iPOD. With this one set of in-ear headphones you have at your disposal a different tonal quality for each setting, it can even duplicate the "tinny" sound of those higher priced brands I have tried, just in case that is your "cup of tea."

Other features of the SHE9850 are the heavier cord and the metal case housing. One thing different about the SHE9850's from the other Phillips model is that the cords for each channel are the same length, which I find easier to manage the cords, especially if you use the included cord "clip."

Are these in-ear headphones by Philips worth their price? Yes! I only wish I had a pair of these years ago. How much do I like them? I've bought a second pair already just in case I ever misplace the first pair.

Some people prefer their headphones outside of their ears, with comfortable ear cushions and other features, such as the Koss KTXPRO1 Titanium Portable Headphones with Volume Control. Others prefer wearing their headphones in the privacy of their own ears, with the added bonus of noise isolation.

There are good reasons for choosing either type depending on your personal preferences, such as comfort levels, where and when you're using them, what you're listening to, and whether or not you have to share with other people.

For general use at home, I use the regular "outie", especially for movies or music with inappropriate language that I'd rather not play in surround sound in the presence of young `uns. I also let my son use it when I'd rather not hear another note from the Jonas Brothers. However, in the wee hours of the morning when the only creature stirring is me, I prefer to use in-ear headphones, which shut out everything except the music.

At work, I hardly ever use headphones due to the telephone ringing off the hook, but at lunchtime I sometimes use the in-ear headphones for peace and quiet. I drive to work, so no headphones are needed for the daily commute.

This is a fairly expensive model, but it's worth every cent if you can safely use headphones that cut out most external noise.

Pros:

1. Really nice packaging, easy to open, simple instruction manual
2. Cool, sleek and compact black metal carrying case included, with a cleaning tool and cable clip as accessories.
3. It comes with three different sizes of rubber caps, and as Goldilocks might say, one is for ears that are big, one's for smaller ears, and one will no doubt be just right. Changing caps is simple too.
4. It also includes a pair of memory foam sleeves that fit so snugly in your ears that you may think they belong there.
5. The caps are washable, once you dry them properly before using them again.
6. The sound is marvelous, clear and true, and there's no need to raise the volume to sonic boom levels.
7. The headphones are clearly marked left and right, and are at an angle for easy insertion and a tight seal
8. Drastically cuts down on external noise

Cons:

1. Unless you're using it for an IPod or other portable device, the cord is too short.
2. May feel a bit weird for some people due to the superior noise isolation.
3. You may experience "ewwwwwwwwwww" moments when your friends grab them and try them on. These aren't for sharing.
4. Try saying "in-ear headphones" out loud six times


If you're looking for an excellent pair of (deep breath) in-ear headphones, I think you'll be pleased with this one.





Amanda Richards, July 2, 2008

I haven't had a good pair of earbuds (or even headphones) since I was a child. Most of the time I used whatever came with the portable electronic product (which was usually very low-end), and it was adequate for my usage. A few years ago I started to travel more and used noise cancelling headphones (NOT Bose, JVC and a few others). I was very happy with the quality of the sound as well as the quietness which these offered. However, the bulk is quite annoying-I travel frequently by train for day trips to Washington DC, and the NC headphones took up too much of my briefcase space. Then along came the Philips SHE9850 in-ear headphones. Again, I don't have much else to judge it by, but the Philips have both excellent sound reproduction as well as (because of their earbud nature) noise deadening abilities. I can use these on a train or plane and as long as some music or sound is being played these function as well as bulky NC headphones for sleeping on overnight flights, or deadening out the low-level, constant humming.

I usually listen to opera, Abba and language instruction tapes.

Around our home you could probably find at least 15 pairs of in-ear headphones. We've tried a few!

Used for noise reduction (i.e. 'screaming baby symphony') on planes or other crowded places, and also when we ride motorcycles, comfort and sound are very important to us.

After a long search a few years ago, I ended up with the Etymotic ER6, which we have 3 pairs of. These phones fit comfortably in my ears, are tiny enough to fit inside a helmet without creating pressure points, and (until now) I thought they had awesome sound quality.

Not anymore!

The new winner in our stash of 'phones are these Philips SHE9850's.

The first thing I did after receiving these is get out the MP3 Player and my ER6 'phones. I started by listening to a complex song on the ER6's, then switched out to the SHE9850's.

The 9850's fit my ear comfortably, no excess pressure, but enough tension to hold them in place inside my motorcycle helmet (nothing more frustrating than riding 100 miles with one headphone bouncing around inside your helmet!).

The sound quality is simply astonishing. The ER6 gives good sound, but the 9850's not only have better and more nuanced tones, they make you feel like the sound is coming from all around you - The only thing I could compare it to is 2D versus 3D. The ER6 'phones sound flat in comparison to the 9850's.

External noise reduction is excellent - on par with the ER6. This is important in noisy areas, where you'd have to crank up a normal set of headphones to hear the music, these in-ear 'phones cancel noise like earplugs, so your listening volume can be extremely low. Much safer for the ears!

Fit is good, with options for 3 different silicone-style buds, and also foam. The design of the 'phones is a bit different, left and right buds are each angled for the best fit in their particular ear - so you'll know it if you've got them switched around.

The headphones come with a very nice aluminum (!!) holder which will keep the cords from tangling, and keep the headphones from being damaged. Also inside the holder is a tool for removing earwax (yuck!) from the 'phones. My only complaint about the holder is that the slide access doesn't clip into place, so there's nothing to keep it from opening up whenever it feels like it.

Our only problem with the 9850's is who gets to use them. We're now fighting over them every time we go out riding!

I did not associate Philips with quality headphones so I was pleasantly surprised by these headphones as they are the best headphones I've used till now.They are in-ear headphones that provide a sound isolating listening experience, so much lighter, more comfortable and convenient to carry when compared to the large noise canceling headphones.

The sound is great with clear highs and lows, the bass is better than the Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones I have used in the past. Although I liked the sound quality of the Shure earphones especially for classical vocal performances, I missed the bass when listening to rock music. These earphones provide a good balance between the highs and the lows for a great sound. I have been enjoying my music so much more since I got these as I am constantly discovering notes that sounded muffled earlier.

As far as comfort goes, the Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphonesare ok but despite the many foams and sleeves provided, I could not find any that felt really comfortable. Not so with these Philips earphones. The black flex rubber sleeves provided with these headphones feel really comfortable but the best option is the memory foam sleeve. You pinch these to a thin shape and then insert them into your ear canal and the memory foam expands to fit your ears. It's supremely comfortable and I don't experience any discomfort even if I wear these buds for hours. The buds also don't fall out, this is probably the best fitting pair of headphones I have used, EVER!

The metal case is sleek but I don't use it much as storing these headphones inside the case and getting them out takes too much time. I prefer the case of my Sony MDR-E828LP Fontopia Earbuds with Winding Case which is well designed and more convenient to use. The cord of these headphones is thick enough so it doesn't get tangled easily but not as thick as the Shure E2C earbuds. These headphones are partly constructed with a metal and seem very sturdy. Great product that seems well worth the price.

I'm not a big time A/V geek, but I was a musician back when CDs first came on the market (and yes, there is a point to this tangent).

For the perspective of you younger folks who have known nothing but digital sound, the greatest thing about CDs, and later DVDs was not that you could hear and see electronic media with crystal clarity, but rather what it did for accoustic sound. Suddenly, when you heard an acoustic instrument, you heard not only the notes but the overtones as well; you heard it like you were really there. Suddenly we could hear music at the quality that previously could only be experienced at a live show.

Sure, there are overtones coming from electronic instruments, it just doesn't matter as much when you're listening to an electric guitar. Drums and cymbals, the piano, and vocals on the other hand, absolute glory with the advent of digital recordings in the common market. Many of us who had hundreds of albums on vinyl and high grade tape tossed our entire collections and replaced them with CDs.

Anyway, when it comes to digital recordings, a cheap CD player is as good as an expensive one--literally no difference--but the speakers or headphones matter a lot.

These headphones certainly provide the level of sound quality that I'm familiar with in the ultra expensive studio headsets I used to use--only in the studio of course, as they were too expensive to own for myself. Now, not only can I afford to own that quality of headset, but it fits in my pocket!

Again, these may seem unremarkable to someone born in the mid-80s, but to anyone even a bit older, this is huge.

COMFORT: These truly cancel ambient noise, and the rubber earpieces block out most other surrounding sounds--so no need to blast the volume and cause yourself nerve damage just so you can "shut out the world" with your MP3 player. No need to disturb everyone in the elevator or subway car just so you can be alone in a crowd.

With these on, I can clearly hear the music even at a whisper quiet setting, and yet not hear my wife nagging me much at all--awesome.

One significant CON: How is it that the makers of such fine audio equipment can make such an increadibly crappy case.

Sure, it looks good on the outside, the surface is extremely abrasion resistant, but putting your headphones back in--well, you would be better off putting them loose in a large matchbox.

There's also no place in the case for the multiple ear bud/in-ear/rubber thingamajiggs that come with it, or even adaquate room for the accessories that are made to go in there--yet there's a lot of space.

My advice is don't use the case, because you might just end up damaging the headset as a result. One crimped cord, and they're toast.

BOTTOM LINE: Awesome headphones, but be aware that the case sucks and you might feel the need to come up with your own option for it.

You already know the one thing we've been instructed not to leave home without. For me, on international business trips, there's a second non-negotiable travel companion: my Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones.

So it was with some trepidation that I embarked on last week's six-flight itinerary to Beirut and back with these tiny Philips SHE9850 in-ear headphones in my pocket. Yes, in my pocket. The space savings over the comparatively massive headphones and their nifty-but also space-consuming carrying case--was formidable. I prepared myself for making the sacrifice on the quality-of-sound side.

After many hours of mostly classical music, I had gained newfound respect for the capabilities of this ear-bud approach. The bass and soprano qualities were remarkable. Volume was superb on the upper end. There was even a moment when I suspected I was hearing some kind of low-level interference until it dawned on me that it was the solo cellist breathing. I had never heard that on many listenings to the same recording.

This was looking to be a surprise four-star recommendation.

Then, on my next-to-last flight, homeward-bound now, my iPod cycled onto a very different kind of music, kicking in with my son's (I hasten to clarify ...) recording of Metallica's 'Exit Sandman'. Good grief, but it sounded good! Crisp drumming, driving bass. The Philips product was now performing on an entirely different stage and, in doing so, showing a whole packet of primary colors I had not heard on the gentler genres.

This is one very fine product. The Sennheisers may have to be hung from the rafters like Larry Bird's retired jersey. Like the Bird-man, the big headphone set was a champion in its day but now looks just a trifle dorky next to what just strolled onto the court.

There is more than just great sound and very convenient size here.

Over many hours of in-ear contact, my ears did not grow irritated as has happened before with ear-buds. The slight 'give' in the angle helps as does the very soft surface material of the bud itself.

The brushed aluminum carrying case is a nifty idea but a little too small for convenient stowage of the product itself. I'll probably carry it loose in a shirtpocket instead.

The highest praise I can give the Philips SHE9850 in-ear headphones is to comment that this product has converted me for travel purposes from the cave-like serenity of full-sized headphones to the convenience of earbuds by simple dint of exceptional performance.

These are perhaps the best in ear earphones I've ever used. They are lightweight, comfortable, stay in your ear, and offer great sound.

I've long ago ditched most earbud style earphones. They offer horrible sound, are uncomfortable, and never stay in your ear. These earphones address those issues with style, comfort, and great sound reproduction.

The mid and high range reproduction is crisp and clean without any noticeable distortion. Low range is somewhat lacking but is proberly above what most small earbud style headphones are.

They feature many great design features such as replaceable buds for the earpiece. There is small, medium, and large. There is also a set of memory foam that you can choose. This is good because as everyone's ears are different, most earpieces are not. This allows you to choose the fit of the earbuds to suit your own needs.

The part of the cable that plugs into your walkman, diskman, iPod or whatever is steel reinforced, which is nice as that is what usually breaks first on headphones. They also come with a steel carrying case to protect your headphones when not in use. They also have a cleaning tool to clean any nasty bits that may get into the canal of the phones.

All-in-all a great set of phones for the audiophile. They are lightweight, sound great, and most importantly, stay in your ear and are comfortable.