This is the official thread for the Philips SHP9600
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
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- Type: Over Ear
- Amp recommended: No
- Open Back
Hifiguides Amazon Link[Reviews]
Z Reviews
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could buy SHP anything in the EU?
Can import SHP9500’s from the US, for freaking 172€
need new 3d printed adapters that can fit this headphone…
I heard that there are some people according to them, is only like a minor upgrade than a huge jump from the Philips SHP9500s. Also it is interesting that there are some still prefer the sounds of the 9500 rather than the 9600s, some said that the issues of the 9500s have, have been fixed. While the others are disappointed by the sounds of the 9600s and prefer the 9500s more. This one is quite polarizing and I am not sure what should I feel since I currently have the 9500s and not the 9600s.
They’re definitely different. It’s more like a baby x2hr rather than an upgraded shp9500. The 9600 still has the slightly grainy treble response but it is less noticeable because it is not as forward as the 9500. The bass will also meld into the mids a bit causing it to sound slightly muddy with some songs. Not too bad tbh.
Once the 9600 drops to around $75 then I’d say it’ll be worth buying. If you already own the 9500, just pad swap them with ZMF, Dekoni, or Brainwavz suedes and you’ll get the same sound signature as the 9600 and it’ll only cost you about $50 to do that.
Give my two cents on this one, sounds a bit rant-y but needless to say not the happiest with how Phillips has approached this because I personally see it as quite lazy among other negative remarks I could say.
You could do as Zeos says and look it at like a completely different headphone sure. However, this has the 9xxx series labelling on it and its tuned more like an x2hr without the big bass bleed issue(granted its still there).
To be quite honest, as someone who now currently owns both 9500 and 9600… it isn’t really difficult to replicate the sound of the 9600 with the 9500 with a simple pad swap to suedes and maybe some more finite tuning from an equalizer least in my opinion with them. Granted the new signature is nice and more forgiving on the treble, I still by no means think its worth $130 considering just how fantastic 9500 is at $50 margin in mint condition on the used market. I managed to snag my now current copy of the 9600 off somebody at $80 after he decided it was not worth it over the 9500. He’s not the only one either I have two other friends who sent theirs back after owning the 9500.
The issues “fixed” are minimal at best.
*The design is “better” subjectively as people stated they hated the big L and R like zeos mentions.
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The clamp is “better” subjectively
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That pads are slightly deeper
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The bright peak has settled down by a big margin and the bass and its impact brought up by a good margin it just sounds like a Warm headphone now
Infact I will go ahead and post the frequency response that was in the other thread discussing the 2 new phillips headphones.
Your paying close to 3 times the price for what’s essentially just a retuned driver and some head clamp. Least in my opinion. Aesthetics don’t mean much to me when it’s just thin plastic. 3x the price yet the cons are…
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The pad material is the exact same grittier material alongside the headband.
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no carry case your given essentially everything you get from the 9500
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build quality doesn’t actually feel different it’s all aesthetic and the shell itself is practically the same as the 9500 with some very slight alterations around the headphone
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the adapters are now changed as the clips inside are backwards making the old modhouse adapters incompatible so now were back to having to rip off the still glued on pads off their respective adapters if we want to modify the pads.
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Despite the extra clamp force it’s not enough and with time the headphone is going to loosen up. Even by the simplest stretch from zeos in the video he remarks that it loosened up further and my current copy has already loosened up with regular use which just makes it annoying.
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They flipped the signature around. Drained the treble and put that treble in the bass. This isn’t hard to gain from the shp9500 at all with a slight amount of tinkering.
just for further sake… heres a quick post over on Amazon for the shp9500 price before anyone thinks you can’t get it at $50 margin in mint condition.
The price you spend on that Shp9600 you can spend that same value on the 9500 and have an aesthetically different similar sounding headphone but with moddability and in my opinion more signature variety as the 9600 doesn’t respond as well to pad swaps from my experience with just throwing tape on the adapters and forcefully pad swapping it. Difference is that the shp9600 is $130 + $30 for a v-moda if you wanted the mic meanwhile 9500 is $50 + 10(adapter cost optional) + $40(dekoni pad) + $30 (V-moda).
@JJPablo over here about to post as well I see lol.
I am sure people will love this headphone. That isn’t the issue I see as the headphone itself is by no means -bad-.
+1
Again, this is another +1 I get the same thing out of mine and this shouldn’t be an issue. with how the signature is tuned in my opinion.
I do get this but its slight and nowhere near as bad as the x2hr is with this issue. You can dial in the bass slightly with an equalizer but again, this should not be an issue out the gate.
Said this as well above, so most definite +1. This is by no means a proper successor to the 9500 but if you really want a warm headphone instead of the brighter signature of the 9500 wait this one out.
Post this here since it was in the other thread. Joshuas review of this headphone.
and DMS’s unboxing and first impression
and headphone show’s review
So long story short, if you already own a set of 9500s just stick to it for a while for you do not have to force yourself to get the 9600s for the current price point of it is not worth it. To be honest, with you evaluating all of the important things like minor changes and of course a bit of a disappointment when you can get the sound signature of the 9600s by just changing pads of the 9500s, it is safe to say that I dodged the bullet and I saved up a lot more money. I wouldn’t buy the 9600s with that current price point.
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DMS’s Rather straight laced yet short review… he really didn’t get a lot into it. Still, I think it’s a respectable review on it.
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Saw these on Amazon for $90.00 (USD), and I’m thinking about purchasing them as my first “real” set of headphones. Had a few questions before I finalized the decision, though.
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First, I will primarily be listening to music with these. I listen to several genres, so the variety in bass/treble levels will be fairly high. Do these headphones sound fine for all music, or are they more suited for a specific type?
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I’m not planning on buying an amp for this (unless I can find one for very cheap, as I’m on a limited budget). Will these sound fine on a laptop and phone without one? Worth noting that my frame of reference for sound thus far has been limited to the Jabra Evolve 75 headset I’ve been borrowing and the cheap earbuds that come with phones. As a result, my expectations aren’t too high. Also, I do realize that this thread lists them as “Amp recommended: No”; however, there is another thread on this site where people were discussing using an amp. It seems like there are mixed opinions on this, so I figured I’d ask.
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Finally, If the headphones are too loose, is there an inexpensive way to increase the clamp? Not sure if the headband part is replaceable, or if there’s some sort of DIY bending modification that can be performed.
Thanks!
Would sooner recommend a modified shp9500 over this as you can get that one cheaper and post pad swap sounds very close to the same depending on the pad. The two are flexible enough in sound to fit many preferences
Depends on the audio codecs power… in some cases you will need an amp.
Unfortunately, the only way is pad swapping this but theres no 3d adapters for this to my knowledge. You’d have to tear off the glued pads from the plastic adapter and throw some pads on from there. Shp9500 does have adapters you can get but they wont fit on the 9600 due to a really stupid change on Phillips part which they inverted the snap on clips
Is this the sound file type I use? Usually, I’ll just listen to Spotify, which sets sound quality automatically. Also will use the headphones for general computer stuff, but I don’t use an amp for my cheap headphones either, so I’d imagine the sound quality couldn’t be worse than those.
So it’s just a gamble on whether they fit out of the box, then. I see. Do other headphones tend to have easy adjustments and replacements, or are most all of them like this?
No, your audio codec is essentially what powers the device… if it’s too weak it’s not going to work out.
Most cheap headphones are designed to run off anything. While these headphones are low impedance I have ran into some issues with quite a few setups involving this and shp9500 where they just weren’t getting enough power. You may be fine, however it’s something worth noting. I cant speak for laptops or phones as I lack knowledge when it comes to which ones are strong in that area but I know my samsung a10e cannot drive these
Most headphones will be able to be easily pad swapped despite sometimes having their own adapters and in many cases the headband can be replaced as you get those with a few easy to reach screws hold it in place
Hmm, I’m not sure then. Searched around a bit, and this is what’s listed under “Audio Codecs Installed”, but I don’t know which one runs my audio.
Ah, so it’s the pads more than the headband that alter the fit. Good to know, and probably another point against the SHP9600. Might end up going with the 9500s then, or I’ll just keep searching. In the event that I purchase the 9500s, what pad would I be looking for that produces sound quality similar to the 9600?
(If this is getting too off-topic, I can open up a new thread)
I personally think suedes… @JJPablo may be able to help more in this regard more.
Not sure like I said, its one of those try it and see or see if someone here is quite tech savvy with ampless and this impedance
Alright, thanks for the help! I suppose I might have to rethink my budget a bit. Will probably end up purchasing an amp, and maybe finding a more adjustable set of headphones.
The brainwavz xl hybrids are identical sounding to the 9600 but Imo the xl perforated pads sound the best on the 9500. Has the most balanced sound. The more closed off the pads are, the warmer and bassier the sound gets.
i was gifted a pair of 9600s recently, and while i’m really happy with them, I find the material of the earcups irritating and scratchy. I know they don’t fit pads that fit the 9500s, but is there ANY way to get replacements? has anyone found any replacement pads for the 9600s that are nicer than the factory ones?
If they are like the 9500, then you can 3d print some rings that allow you to adapt oval Brainwavz pads. I’m not sure if the 9600 is set up the same way or not. A quick google search would probably sort that out though.