These are now up on Amazon for pre-order:
Philips X3
Philips SHP9600
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Detachable Balanced and Unbalanced 3 m oxygen-free cables included
Very interesting, so the aliexpress one was the same thing after all. $350 seems to be a more reasonable price, now to see if they put as much attention to the sound as they did to the aesthetic and material design.
And… pre-ordered…
Still love my X2HR, was my first headphone that opened me up to what else is out there. Figured I would give them a try and if it doesn’t work out, just return them.
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349 whew. Quite the stiff competition it will have there. And considering that the x2 was considered a “beginners” headphone to enter the hi fidelity headphones it’s quite the price difference. Curious as to how they will do in the market
It’s not that much higher than the original MSRP of the X2, that used to retail for $299. It wasn’t always a budget headphone, regardless of the performance. SHP9500 used to cost more than X2 can be had for now.
anyone know if you pre order this on amazon can you still return them?
Screw it. Shp9600 is already on the way as it is… should be here this week actually. x3 ordered.
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Hmmm… well I guess it doesn’t specify that we can, but I would assume since this is a new product that we will be able to. However I know it can depend on the vendor that is selling the product.
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To anyone who has either of these two can give some first impressions? I ordered the 9600 and will be receiving them tomorrow so I’ll be able to give my first impressions by then as well as compare to the 9500.
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Looks like I will get the X3 on Wednesday
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If the 9600 do nothing but increase the clamp force compared to the 9500, I’m in. I loved the feel and comfort but had to basically bend the headband supports on each side just to get them to the point where I felt like they wouldn’t fall off.
The clamp is one of my biggest complaints as well. It has been clarified by those who already have the headphone available over in China that the clamping force is indeed more but there also appeared to be more bass to the sound(hopefully not too much) so perhaps not so “boring” to some people or it could just be due to the extra clamp.
I am actually more curious on whether the modhouse adapters fit the shp9600 as the pads I would assume are still gonna be snapped on and glued as annoying as hell as that is. I did have it in house but decided to just return it and wait till amazon gets my shipment as that way I have an appropriate return policy and I don’t have to concern myself with selling it.
I have both these headphones on order, amazon states Wednesday delivery
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So I caved and bought the shp9600 and they just arrived today. I’ve only used them for a few hours but my first impressions are positive. Now I got these after missing out on the bandwagon that was the 9500 so sadly I don’t have one of thosr to compare to but I’ll do my best to tell my first impressions. First: The comfort. I think they’re super comfy for me. They appear to have the same size and style ear cups to the 9500 and I really enjoy it so far. I’ve been told about the lack of clamp in the 9500 but this does not feel like that AT ALL. There is definitely clamp but it’s not intense. I tested by trying to shake my head to fling them off like I’ve seen in videos with the 9500 and I can say that’s not going to be much of an issue this time around. Now this may vary depending on head size. I have a slightly larger than average head so that could be a factor. We’ll have to hear from others on that. Overall I think they found a sweet spot for clamping forcd this time around. Not too tight but it still felt secure. Second: Sound. After listening to multiple genres for a couple of hours, I’m really enjoying them. Are they the best I’ve heard? No, but I feel like I could relax for casual listening easily with these. They are not power hungry at all so plugging them in your phone/laptop/controller will do just fine. They have alot of detail, especially for instruments in the music I listened to. Bass has been a big criticism for the 9500, and I do think these are probably an improvement. It’s definitely NOT their strong suit but it’s there and with some EQ I’m sure you could bring it out even more. They seem to focus mainly on detailed highs and mids. Another complaint I’ve heard about the 9500 was a certain grainy sound to them. After listening to the 9600 I think there is some of that as well. At least in certain songs. It’s by no means a deal breaker, and it’s not very noticeable. However, I decided to plug these into a portable amp and I noticed any sign of grainy sound was completely gone. Obviously this requires further testing, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I’m going to take some time to listen to them for a few more days and try them out with some casual gaming. If anyone has any other questions about them, let me know! I’ll do my best to answer with my amateur ears lol so far I’m really liking the 9600 and I’m interested to hear what other people’s impressions are.
hmm, sounds like a potential good upgrade to the shp9500. Good to hear can’t wait to try it for myself.
seems to be a proper amp or amp/dac improves the treble and fixes the grain Im glad the bass did improve on them hopefully the treble is more pleasant than the 9500s weirdly enough my 990 loving ears couldnt really stand the 9500s for long persiods of time for some reason
@Falenkor when you get them both, please do a comparison vs 9500 + x2hr + tygr as you owned them all if its not much of a hassle.
I will see what I can do but with such a large comparison it may take me a bit of time.
Those look pretty nice 
still can’t find them available in Canada though.
hmm, kind of wish this time around they actually came in a carrying case… just a bag is a bit of a disappointment especially considering the price jump least in my opinion. Seems the padding is all there are the pads changeable easily this time around?
Gotta wait till tomorrow to get both of mine.