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Philips SHE9000 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £23
inc VAT

Philips' SHE9000 earphones sound decent, but they're a little disappointing at this price

Philips excels when it comes to mid-priced earphones and it has previously produced several award winners. The SHE9000s are remarkably small and light wired headphones, despite their metal bodies, but they felt a little insecure in the ear canal even when we used the correct size of rubber ear tip. They aren’t designed to be hooked around the back of your ears, but nonetheless they sat comfortably during all but the most intense activity. If you want a closer fit and a greater sense of isolation from the outside world, the earphones come with a set of foam ear tips, and are compatible with Comply’s T-400 size fittings.

Philips SHE9000

With or without foam ear tips the earphones sounded fairly good, without any unnatural emphasis on either bass or treble tones. The mid-range in particular was warm and well-rounded and bass was similarly natural-sounding. Although they look like a pair of closed-driver earphones, each earpiece actually has a tiny bass port, intended to produce a bigger sound. Despite this, there wasn’t much bass, nor was there the expansive sound stage we’d expect from open drivers.

Philips SHE9000

Although they come with three sizes of silicon dome tips and one foam set, Philips doesn’t supply a carry case of any sort. The 1.2m cable is fabric-wrapped for part of its length in an attempt to prevent tangling, while the individual sections leading to each ear are standard coated wire linked with a sliding grip that keeps them from becoming too badly knotted up in your pocket.

The SHE9000s aren’t a bad set of earphones – we liked their balanced sound and they’re a major improvement on anything you’ll find bundled with an MP3 player – but the Maxell Metallics are better value, with a lower price and greater clarity of sound. If you can afford the extra money, our current Best Buy, the Soundmagic E10 earphones, are an even better alternative.

Details

Price £23
Details www.philips.co.uk
Rating ***

Specifications

Type earplugs
Driver closed
Active noise-cancelling no
Power source none
Sensitivity 102dB
Frequency response 6-23,500Hz
Impedence 16 ohms
Plug type 3.5mm stereo jack plug
Inline volume No
Weight 12g
Cable length 1.20m
Extras S/M/L silicone ear tips, foam ear tips

Buying Information

Price £23
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.philips.co.uk

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