Alright, so while the time I had with the burn in and sitting down with the x3 the shp9600 has been on a backburner just casually being burnt in with time on my other system. Needless to say it’s had longer time to burn in than the x3 had during this little review but I think I have a good general idea of this headphone now. As mentioned earlier… I use Flac and lossless as much as possible but I also test gaming use case.
Note: the more I sat and thought about this, comparing the two, the more I grew a bit irritated. Keep in mind that I don’t believe the x3 or 9600 are bad but like anything in this world there can be improvements
Games use: Soma, Far Cry 5, Nier Automata, Escape from Tarkov, Counter Strike, Valorant, Planetside, Halo 3
Headphone compared to SHP9500
Build Quality: The build quality on the shp9600 is rather questionable. It does look better but if you study it a bit it’s a ever so slightly changed alternative to the original shp9500 there really isn’t much in terms of difference here… It does look better but I wouldn’t say build quality wise it feels better in fact they feel pretty much the same. The pads and band strap are the same as well as the cable that comes with it. Clamp force has been improved but not enough in my opinion and could possibly loosen up with time all considering… there just isn’t ample enough clamp to keep me properly invested once again… it quite seriously seems like Philips doesn’t pay attention to the big complaints on their gear as the clamping force was a consistent issue for a lot of people. Build wise it just looks nice but it doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence at it’s price point considering it’s damn near the same as the 9500 is. though I give it props for looking that much better it’s much nicer in my opinion.
Cables: These are quite literally the same cables as the 9500 except now the silver connector has 9600 written on it. Same length same material and the more I look the more I question how does philips justify this price point considering both the build and cables are essentially the same. Surely they couldn’t possibly expect 3 times the price point of the 9500 for just a slight retune, prettier aesthetic, and some slightly better clamp could they? So the cables still terminate at 3.5mm to 3.5mm detachable same long lengths between one another
Soundstage: I really can’t tell much of a difference here the staging sounds so incredibly similar it could very well be the exact same size as the 9500.I picked up the x3 and x2hr and they are definitely still larger than this I am left wondering how they figure to advertise “spacious sound” on the shp9600 box if it’s the same headphone in this regard as the 9500? Size and width wise it’s still relatively large but in this price bracket there’s still quite a bit bigger
Imaging: the imaging seems to be slightly sharper but this could also be a placebo effect. While the shp series doesn’t have real image issues they aren’t laser accurate and could definitely have improvements. The imaging is fine in most cases for this price point depending on whats available to you
Seperation: no surprise here but it’s on the same level as the 9500… while the seperation is good the imaging and soundstage doesn’t particularly make me think it’s all that grand in this regard either it doesn’t sound differently here than my 9500 at stock.
Pad Swaps: before I get into the sound signature I wanted to address this. The original 9500 can use modhouse adapters to change out the pads. Now, for some unknown and very stupid reason the 9600 cannot make use of this due to the fact the clips are now inverted… it’s as though philips saw people using the adapters and flipped everyone off with this subtle yet extremely annoying change. This change absolutely destroys a lot of worth I see in this headphone as I am sorry but the pads aren’t anything special, they are sub par velour that feel rather grainy just like the headband. The 9500 you can change the pads as you can just also pop off the headband’s padding and change it out… you can still change the headband on the 9600 but you just can’t change their pads less you fight with the adapters. If there was actual proper adapters for purchase or alternative pads, which is extremely common for the 9500 to use different pads, I wouldn’t say anything. This dramatically changes my perspective on the 9600 and makes me think that philips truly just pays no attention to the issues with their equipment. The adapters can of course still be removed by themselves but I think they may have used even more adhesive this time around and the adapters themselves have a form fitting factor this time around so it has to be very particular or it won’t fit. Granted we can still tape the hell out of the modhouse 9500 adapters to it but it may not seal properly giving an off sound.
Sound Signature: hit or miss but better than 9500 more refined.
Bass: One of the things one will notice when getting to the shp9600 from the 9500 is the difference in bass is rather drastic… there is a lot more impact, more rumble, more quantity, the headphone definitely no longer sounds so boring. While the bass doesn’t extend very deep the bass can still be found very satisfying it can be compared to placing a thicker pad fabric on the shp9500. Rather quick, detailed, and punchy I think this is definitely an improvement over the bass of the 9500 however, the question I have is that is this just the extent from the change in clamp force or really a different in tuning? I sat with the 9500 and pushed them harder to my ears and I heard what appears to be a very similar result so I am concerned here that it’s primarily the clamp in this regard doing this if so upon further use that clamp force may deteoriate and the headphone will be essentially another 9500. Take this as you will as the bass is extremely enjoyable… I do feel it has been retuned as the quality overall here has been improved the correct word would be refined.
Mids: Clean, clear, the added punch seems to push some vocality slightly back but nothing too severe. No complaints but the mids sound to be on the same level as the 9500 and if anything slightly cleaner. Again, I feel this may suffer a bit from slight boredom due to lack of warmth however, outside of the potential of using a tube amp I can’t currently see a way to help this one. Good tube amps are expensive if you feel you want that more engaging rich warm sound from an shp it’s better to stay the 9500 until you can change the pads on the 9600 at the very least as a swap to a thicker pad can add more warmth and a deeper tone to the sound on both headphones.
Highs: smoother, there appears to be more detail across the frequencies but not by a whole lot, the highs don’t appear grainy or sharp just raised and satisfying. The added bass I noticed makes the treble appear not as bright but upon further look it appears to be on the same level as a 9500. The sound changes are very positive here and I really appreciate them.
Sound Signature is a subtle V signature while the 9500 is straight up a bright signature
Competitive Gaming: Pretty sure I have had quite the few questions on this one even to my inbox so let’s get to this one. The added bass is quite nice, adding immersion, and a sense of more fun to your sound. There wasn’t a lot of rumble added to the sound experience so while using this it just felt like a slight change to the 9500 while competitive gaming. While this is fine, I would recommend the shp9500 for someone just looking for a cheap entry level for competitive gaming this is because they are damn near the same headphone and the shp9600 is 3 times more expensive for little reasoning
Casual Gaming: quite nice and relaxing. I like the changes done to the sound signature. The clamp force keeps it on my head. No real complaints here well rounded and enjoyable. Soma scared the hell out of me while playing with this. The added impact and bass I felt brought this game alive much more… as well as games like far cry and other rpgs… I feel the 9600 is just more engaging and exciting.
Price Point: Currently the price tag is at $130 plus shipping, unless you have amazon prime or something, as well as taxes. The Total comes out to $139.09 after tax not including any shipping costs… this can potentially place the headphone at $150 or slightly higher if you have to pay for shipment fees. You can find Shp9500 for practically right at $50 and they are virtually the exact same headphone with what I can only say is really just a Retune in sound with a bit more clamp everything else is practically the same but for 3x more. The pads are currently unswappable outside of tearing into the adapters, no carrying case, no big differences, the same cheap material used as the 9500, no offense but this is rather embaressing to see especially considering just how drastically different the x3 is from the x2hr in terms of build quality and quality material used. I say this is a toss up depending on how much you see is worth it to you personally.
Will I be keeping this headphone? Debatable but the more I sat with it the more I realized probably not. I own multiple headphones including Subtle V signatures. I already own the shp9500 and the pads I have on it creative borderline the same sound signature yet for much cheaper. The cost to modify a shp9500 to the degree I have done lets see. SHP9500($50), V moda($30), Dekoni beyerdynamic Suedes($40), Modhouse adapters($10) or rather $130 plus tax may as well call it closer to $140 essentially the exact same price as the stock 9600 your going to end up spending more than $200 to fully modify this headphone if you wanted the same result and keep in mind I didn’t include the like $20 extra custom fabric I used to change my 9500 headband piece as that grainy velour was bugging the hell out of me. The 9600 is not worth more than a Beyerdynamic DT series headphone or post $200 headphones I will give it the benefit of saying maybe $200 max is the worth… so unless you appreciate it in stock I can’t say I see the 9600 as a worthy keeper. Stocks alright, just as I thought about it… not for me.
How did it response to equalization? Bout the same as a shp9500 so quite well honestly… Though why you would feel the need to equalize it is beyond me the sound is tuned to what I would call just right not boring yet smooth and good detail… it’s good for what it is in stock. The headphone is the same power demand as the 9500 so you don’t need a lot of power backing it at all… a cheapo Syba Sonic amp/dac can bring this thing up to speed honestly.
Do you think this is better than the Tygr 300R for gaming? 100% No, Absolutely not. The tygrs have more detail in their sound, better clamp, more comfort, the ability to change their pads easily, higher build material, more soundstage, laser imaging. The two have a different signature. Tygr is a warm headphone with similar bass to the 9600 however the 9600 has more brightness. You can brighten up the Tygr by use of certain amps and some equalization it’s just a little picky honestly. SHP9600 responds better to equalizers and different amp setups. However, Tygr is more expensive and a bit misleading for gamers… In reality it’s more than $200 as it’s a headphone so it does not have a mic.
Should I buy the 9500 or 9600? Honestly, I would wait it out. I see a potential hard price drop on both the 9600 as well as the x3 as more people get to them and time causes depreciation. The headphone SHP9600 don’t hold their own against their competition appropriately, as you can even get a dt 880 for around $125 at 250 ohms. If the price drops hard for the 9600 I see this being more worth while but not at it’s current price point. Otherwise I still think the shp9500 is a fantastic item out of the gate… the only issue is like I mentioned earlier modifications add up fast. However, I actually prefer my SHP9500 modified usually more than my dt 880 despite the differences. I would tell someone to grab the 9500 before I say the 9600 though I would only say grab the 9600 if you prefer the stock as outside of that the price point to me just isn’t quite worth it. If price wasn’t a factor and you wanted a subtle V yeah I could see it being more worthwhile but theres the current pad issue in the way causing me to just say wait this one out.
This was a toss up for me the more I sat and thought on this and considering the fact that shp9500 is one hell of a budget headphone… This doesn’t feel like an ample upgrade… it just seems like a slight upgrade but more of a sidegrade… while they improved things other areas they took steps backwards. The build quality, the cables, the soundstage, the imaging, the pads, the lack of a case all of which went without approperiate improvements that really should have been better addressed. It just looks prettier with more clamp force and a better sound quality.
Sale wise, I assume the headphones will land on a christmas sale… if you want them… Suggest you wait till then.
