Philips SHN9500 Active Noise-Canceling Headphone

I have been using these for a few weeks and most of all I like how comfortable they are to wear. Other headphones of this size give me headaches after a half-hour of wear, but the Philips, though they fit snugly, don’t press too hard and I can wear them for hours. The headphone covering is nice and soft and doesn’t hurt my ears.

The noise canceling is decent. I’ve never tried the Bose, so I can’t compare to that, but the Philips cancels most (maybe 60-70%) of the noise I was bothered by.

As headphones for sound, as other reviewers noted, the quality isn’t outstanding. Sound is very bass-heavy and, to my ears, a bit muddy. But I didn’t buy them to be my primary sound-headphones, so I’m not bothered by this.

The zipper case is nice and has a removable zipper pouch inside for the cord and plug adapter. I wish the cord were a bit longer so I could use the headphones with my TV, but it’s fine for using with my laptop and desktop, and will be good for airplane use.

Overall, I give this product 4 stars, and, especially at the price [...] sells it for, I think it was worth it. I’m glad I bought it.

I’ve been looking for a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I’m a student so I can’t afford the Bose. After a great deal of searching I found my perfect pair. The sound quality is very good, though admittedly not the best. The ear cushions are comfortable. The noise cancelling is very effective. And the materials are of good quality. They come with a carrying case that will help durability in my back pack.

They’re an excellent buy. This is perfect for budget conscious individuals and/or students who simultaneously expect quality craftsmanship.

These headphones are a truly increadible deal. I’ve had two other noise canceling pairs in the past, and neither could hold a finger to these. These are incredibly comfortable. The foam pads feel like pillows, and seal out almost all of the mid-range ambient noise. The interior of the earcups are tilted, angling away from the back of the ear for extra comfort. The sound quality is awesome in passive mode, and once the noise cancelation is turned on, it becomes unbelievable. The highs are solid but not screaming, the bass is tight and responsive, with minute to no distortion or speaker crackle, and the mids are well-balanced and realistic. None of the frequencies overpower the others, resulting in ultra-realistic sound, even from my average-sounding iPod Nano. The noise cancelation is purely active, no white noise used, so if the room is already quiet, you can experience what true silence sounds like. The extras Philips throws in, like the detacheable cord, are nice as luxuries. One bit of advice: when the battery starts dying (you’ll be able to tell, there’s an increase in speaker crackle with the cancelation on) replace it immediately. Overall, long plane and car rides are now enjoyable.

I had no previous experience with noise canceling headphones
and after reading several reviews on Amazon.com I decided to purchase
the Philips SHN9500. Normally, I do not write any reviews b/c have no time
for things like that, but in this case I thought I owe it to other potential
buyers. This pair of headphones really saved me on a long trip from
Detroit to Taipei. THey really do a good job isolating the noise and,
which is equally important are very comfortable, and I kept them on my
head for the most of the ~16 hours in flight.

My initial impression of the SHN9500 is very positive. I have owned various noise cancelling (NC) headphones over the years.

Phillips SHN9500 – Initial Review Summary:
Pros: Comfort, Cost, Passive sound isolation, mute button, internal controls.
Cons: None so far. Need to be put to the airplane/train test.

In low level noise (home & office) they perform very well with no hiss or minimal change with NC on or off. I agree with the other reviews that these are not as good at sound reproduction as Bose – but, they are 20-25% of the cost! They are very comfortable. Another plus, is the electronics and controls are internal on the headphone cups. A nice feature is a “mute” button on the left headphone cup – you don’t have to take them off to communicate with the “outside” world! The on-off switch for the NC is on the other cup. The firmside case is an excellent accessory with an internal pouch for the cord, adapters, and spare battery. The form factor is very close to the Bose QC2.

I will also use them on several domestic trips in April. The major test will be in May – a trip to Japan. I will update the review upon my return.

Sets owned in chronological order and my overall rating:
Panasonice PR-HC70 Open On-ear (Fair) **
Bose QC1^ Closed Over-ear (Very Good)****
Bose QC2^ Closed Over-ear (Excellent)*****
Phillips HN060 Earbud (Poor) *
JBL 510 Closed On-ear (Good) ***
Phillips SHN9500 Closed Over-ear (Very Good)****
^No longer in my possession

The type of music I listen to is classic rock. The MP3 player I have used with all of the headphones (with the exception of the Pansonic and QC1) is a Sandisk C140. The first set two sets were used with a Sharp minidisk player.

Panasonic RP-HC70 (open on-ear design):
Pros – Cheap, comfortable, good sound reproduction, longevity, volume control on-cord, work without power (no NC though).
Cons – No passive NC, NC narrow band, on-cord controls, volume level is lower than others.

I purchased these in Japan on my first trip there 6 years ago. They were an improvement over basic headphones. They are open-ear, so no passive NC. Very narrow frequency band for NC. But, it matched the frequency of wind noise on a jet. Watching movies and music listening was a much improved experience. Primarily, the volume level could be lower. I still use these in my office as a backup or give to the kids during trips. These were my introduction to the promise of noise cancelling technology!

On another note, if you ever want to know what the atmosphere for an American in Japan on business, just watch the movie “Lost in Translation”.

Bose QC1 and QC2:
Negatives – Cost, Need battery to operate – No juice, no sound! QC1 on cord controls.
Positives- Comfort, sound reproduction, and NC efficacy.

No surprise, the Bose take the top two spots. I won’t go into great detail. Many others have! My first set (QC1)was stolen during a european trip (be careful of the Midi train station in Brussels!) after two years of use. I was hearbroken! I replaced them with the QC2 and left that set on the plane during a trip to South America after one year of use – GRRRRR. One of the hidden costs of business travel. I travel 125,000 miles per year for business. But I digress…. They are the benchmark, as stated by everyone else who have owned a set.

So, due to my inability to keep my hands on expensive headphones I decided to try less expensive alternatives. I am not an audiophile – I am looking for value.

Phillips HN060 – Earbud Design
Pros: Small space
Cons: Uncomfortable, poor sealing in ear, no passive isolation, Poor value.

I was VERY disappointed in this set. They were very uncomfortable! The three different silicone earbuds did not fit my ears, so passive NC was poor. To get a good seal, they were uncomfortable. Active NC was mediocre at best. Used for only one year and one earbud was non-functional. I was so disappointed in the comfort I actually made my own earbud exterior by hollowing out foam earplugs and using them – this was they only way I could make them usable. I would avoid these!

They had one positive, being an earbud they took very little space. I had to think of something positive.

JBL 510
I went back to a headphone for my next set. However, this was an on-ear design to help in minimizing space in my luggage. I was happy with the performance. I have used them for 6 months. Cost was good. NC is pretty good and sound reproduction is good. The negative, they become uncomfortable after several hours of wear. It took some time to learn where to position them effectively on the ear. (I don’t know if its the products fault or mine!) This was reported in reviews I read prior to the purchase. I can confirm it. The other negative are the cords and external control box. Wrestling with wires can be a pain!

Hence, I decided that over-ear is what I needed for international flights, so the purchase of the PHillips SHN9500.

Pros: Good sound reproduction. Acceptable passive and active NC. Cost. Small packing footprint.
Cons: Comfort in extended wear situations, external control/electronics

I will update the review in May.

I recently bought these headphones and made a round trip between Atlanta and Las Vegas on a noisy aircraft. As other reviewers have said, the noise cancellation is not perfect. It made a big difference on bass frequencies in the music, which is good because I was listening to new recordings of a jazz trio where I play the string bass. Without the noise cancellation, the bass was hard to pick out. With noise cancellation on, the bass was clear. But, I could still hear some airplane hum and it had little or no effect on the guy snoring behind me. I also didn’t need to push the “mute” button to hear conversation.

The life from the battery that came with the headphones was poor. I used the headphones for about seven hours before the battery began to fade. The headphones begin to sound scratchy when the battery goes, and the scratchiness was distracting for the music I was listening to.

When I got home I measured the amount of current the headphones draw from the battery. They draw about 45mA on average. That means that a standard AAA alkaline battery, which is 1000mAh, should last 22 hours. So I am guessing that the battery they included was either old or had a smaller capacity. Alternatively, in loud environments the headphones might draw more current. I am flying to Japan tomorrow and will see if a Duracell 1175mAh battery lasts significantly longer.

Otherwise, they are very comfortable and nicely designed. The round carrying case is small enough to slip into my briefcase next to my computer.

UPDATE: I just returned from Japan, and the Duracell AAA has far outlasted the one that came with the headphones. I used the headphones for 12 hours outbound and 10 hours inbound (for a total of 22 hours, coincidentally) and the Duracell battery is still doing fine.

These headphones work quite well and the battery life is quite good. I have used JVC headphones in the past which had static in one side (esp. when the battery was low). Nice packaging which allows you to keep the unit protected during non-use…

The mute button is especially nice…there are aircraft (A340 is one) which do not adjust the volume of the PA at the same level as the audio stream you are listening to…this translates to someone yelling directly into your ear…the mute will save you a headache and your eardrums.

I’m not sure the NC technology is as good as Bose or others, but it does kill white noise pretty good…you will still hear the baby in row 33

Overall, the comfort is good, not too much pressure on your head or ears…many do not have deep enough pockets for your ears and push excessively on the ears causing pain, esp on long flights. I wore these for nearly 18 straight hours to India and back…no issues.

The fact that the wire disconnects from the headphones is actually a good thing…you dont need a wire all the time, esp when you’re sleeping.