Philips SHQ3000 review

The Philips SHQ3000 wired headphones immediately stand out thanks to their rubberised, black and bright orange design. They’re the latest set of earphones we’ve seen aimed specifically at fitness enthusiasts.

Standard earphones may fall out of your ears during vigorous exercise, but the SHQ3000 are designed to prevent this from happening. The over-the-ear hook design ensures they stayed securely in place, even during strenuous activities. Although they feel well-made, we did manage to snap part of the black plastic casing on one of the hooks, although this didn’t affect audio quality in any way.

A clip is included to secure the 1.2m cable to your clothing so it doesn’t get in the way when exercising. Philips also claims that the earphones have an antibacterial coating and are water and sweat proof. Although we have no way of verifying the latter, the earphones can indeed be safely dipped in running tap water to wash off any grim and sweat.

Although not marketed specifically as a noise isolation set of earphones, the earplugs do come with three interchangeable set of rubber sleeves. This ensures a snug fit, blocking out some background noise. They’re reasonably effective, but they’re not as good as dedicated noise isolation earphones. If you run near busy roads then perhaps this is just as well.

Audio quality was a bit of a let-down unfortunately. Vigorous rock, pop and R&B tracks, which are natural musical accompaniments to many exercise regimens, sounded especially disappointing. The high end in tracks from these musical genres sounded bright and harsh.

Although the bass wasn’t completely lacking in punch, it sounded flat and unconvincing compared to other earphones we’ve heard. Oddly, the SHQ3000 fared better with more sedate music that you’re less likely to listen to while exercising. Jazz, blues and classical music sounded clear and detailed, although not especially warm.

Despite the disappointing audio quality of the SHQ3000 earphones, it may be possible to overlook this flaw if you exercise regularly and find that regular earphones just can’t keep up with you, especially if used as a supplementary pair of earphones rather than your main set.