Philips SHE9800 Review

[sreenisatish]

Hello Everyone,

After the review of my headphones here:
Review of all my Headphones
I am now back with review of another earphone, the SHE9800 from Philips.

I had promised myself not to buy another headphone in 2008, but well, you know

So, what are we waiting for: Here's the review!



Type
====
Basically, these are in-ear earphones, also known as canal earphones and more popularly known among audiophiles as IEMs (In Ear Monitors). IEMs are getting very popular these days and every company manufactures at least one IEM model.

I am no Audiophile – but I love my music. If I say I have audiophile quality stuff with me, real audiophiles will probably fold me up, pack me in a box and send me to Abu Dhabi or something.

The good old Creative EP 630s are my in-ear companions during travelling and in the office. At home, I use the Sennheiser PX 100 – which is just about awesome. But, the PX 100 is a headphone and they are open too – so they leak sound in and out and so, they are not suited for office use/while in a noisy train.

OK.. so I had the EP630 for mobile/office uses, PX 100 for home music listening, Philips SHP8900 for movies and several others which I don’t use at all. Now, why did I want another one? Well, I use the EP 630 extensively in office and they were not pleasing me – the sound was too harsh for my liking – especially the high frequencies – they could become a little annoying at times (I was also spoiled by the quality offered by the PX 100 . So, I needed better in-ear earphones for daily use. So, one fine day, I was just lazily browsing through Planet M store – I came to my favorite section – the headphones section. They always have some cheap stuff over there – but at times, they stock good phones (I got my SHP8900 here – they are awesome). So, here is a new model from Philips – SHE9800. Philips is not really a favorite among audiophiles – though it holds its head high among the competition with decent phones.

So.. onto the topic – the SHE9800.

Some Specs
==========
Impedance – 16 ohm at 1Khz
Sensitivity – 106 dB
Maximum Power Input – 50mW
Diaphragm – Mylar Dome
Frequency Response – 12hz – 22 khz
Cable length – 1.2m

Features (as specified on the box):
Sound stage enhancer designed for spacious sound experience
Powerful microdrivers deliver the widest frequency range
Philips iLab acoustic tuning yields deep and powerful sound
Angled Acoustics design provides exceptional noise isolation

We’ll see if it lives up to these claims

Packaging and Accessories
=========================
The packaging is one of the best I have seen – it is very sturdy and it looks and feels solid. Not like the packaging of the SHP8900 – that was very bad packaging. This is certainly better. The pack comes with 3 sets of silicon ear buds (caps) – of 3 different sizes – which is usual with IEMs. It also comes with a handy carry case – which looks excellent. The build quality of the case is very good and it looks real ‘premium’. Inside the case, you have a small container around which you can wind the earphone and keep it secure. I liked this case very much – but as soon as I opened it, I ripped the inside container off – cause the case is just PERFECT for my Cowon D2. It fits snugly inside the case – I’ll carry the earphones in my old box


That’s about it about the accessories.

Look and Feel
=============
Half of the earphone is metallic and the other half is some material that I don’t know what it is I think it is some kind of plastic – or some hybrid material – Philips site says it as durable Fexi-grip (OK.. whatever). The earphone has an angled driver – so, the driver sticks out at an angle out of the earphone base – this may look odd for some people – but it is a quite common design – you can see it in Sony MDR EX90LP. The earphone base also has 2-3 vents – I think these are air outlets – which help them to get more sound stage. We’ll come to that later. Anyway, they sure feel sturdy and sleek. I like.

The fit
=======
IEMs should fit properly in your ear to perform well and to isolate well – you should try all the 3 ear buds and find out which one has the best fit. But, the sad part is, none of them fit my ears properly. The fit is not at all good and I finally had to be happy with the smallest one. Now I have been using them for some days and I am getting used to the fit it provides. But, I still like the fit that the EP 630 provides. As the fit is not proper – the isolation suffers. These phones do not isolate as well as advertised – sound does creep in – not a lot, but certainly more than the EP 630. Sad

The Sound
=========
The Sound Quality is the part where these phones really shine. Even though the fit was not good, the sound quality does not suffer. These are much more warmer than the EP 630 – much more balanced across the spectrum. The lows (bass) are just right for me – sadly the bass is not much on my D2 – the D2 has some bass rolloff with low impedance phones *sniff* *sniff* But, I am working on it – gotta get an impedance adapter – or an amp – anyway that’s a whole different topic. The bass is not too boomy, but not very tight either. The highs are quick (I can’t find another word for this – they are precise – they don’t spread), detailed and less harsh. Overall, good balanced sound. Remember, you may have to burn them in for some hours before they perform at their peak sound signature.

The best part about these earphones is the soundstage – this one has the best soundstage I have ever heard in an earphone – actually, I think it has a better sound stage than many good headphones – yes, I think it has a better sound stage than the PX 100 - well it comes close.

Sound stage is the virtual room that you create around you when you listen to music. When the sound stage is good, you can actually feel the distance of each instrument from your ear – it will be like hearing the music performance in front of you – live.

I simply could not believe that in-ear phones could have such wide sound stage. I just love hearing A.R. Rahman’s music on this. He is one guy who gives importance to things like staging in his music. Tracks from Kandukondein Kandukondein – especially Konjum Mainakkale are brilliant – the stereo separation – the sound stage is simply brilliant. Tracks from Radiohead sound real awesome – again the soundstage comes into play. This is the one feature I liked the most – the advertisement is true to its word in this area – full marks to Philips. Some songs may seem a little laid back, but for the sound stage it provides, I don’t mind the laid back sound. They do get energetic when needed – Tool (genere: metal) is awesome on these phones – and hearing Rosetta Stoned (Tool – 10000 days) is a pleasure.

Coming to the sad part – as I said earlier, the earphone base has some vents on it - they leak sound - that too significant amounts. I have to listen to them at moderate volumes in the office – or colleagues are going to complain. So, it is an IEM, but it is kinda semi open. Don’t get me wrong – these do isolate decently and they don’t leak massive amount of music like say the PX 100 or anything, but they do leak.

Conclusion
==========
At an MRP of Rs. 1990, are they worth? I say it is absolutely worth if you can live with the few disadvantages. These are the best in-ear phones I have used until now – well balanced sound with an awesome sound stage. Definitely better than the EP 630 (Rs. 700 odd mind you) – I think it is going to replace the EP 630 as my preferred IEMs. As they leak sound, I may have to listen to them at lower volumes in the office, but I’ll live with it – just for the better sound quality and the sound stage. For the last few days, I found myself reaching out for these over the Sennheiser PX 100 several times even when I am at home. That tells something right?

Next question: Will I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an IEM? Well, no. Because, people look for fit, isolation, less sound leakage in an IEM than Sound quality and Sound Stage. But for me - I just love em.

Pros
====
Well balanced sound
Excellent Sound Quality
Wide Sound Stage – the best I have heard
Comes with an excellent Carry Case
Overall Build Quality – both for the phones and the case

Cons
====
I would have liked a better fit
Leaks Sound
Isolation could have been better

Rating: 8/10


Sidenote:
One of my friends asked me if the sound stage plays that important a role. Well, the answer is Yes - provided that the music director/artist has given importance to things like staging. I listen to music in different ways. Sometimes, I listen to each instrument separately - sometimes I listen to the song as a single unit - this way, each time you hear the song, it presents a different experience. I dont know how to explain the importance of sound stage - you have to experience it.

Some more rants:

So, am I going to get more headphones? Probably, yes. The quest for good music doesn’t end with these – but I am quite happy with my current arsenal.

Current wishlist includes Shure SE530 ($499), Sennheiser HD 595 (Rs. 12500) (or HD650 – way out of league). A Denon model is also in my wishlist – AH-D5000 – full sized closed headphones which sound as good as open ones – is what Headroom (www.headphone.com<http://www.headphone.com/>) says. VModa Vibes is another interesting IEM. Ultimate Ears (UE 11 Pro is $1100 ) will probably remain a dream – they are way way way way way out of my reach. Maybe when I become the CEO of my company I’ll post about Ultimate ears some time later.


Pics courtesy Philips website : http://www.consumer.philips.com/cons...nes+SHE9800-97

[1235Sam]

very nice review!
Currently i am using EP-630 paired with ipod touch 2g.I get very good seal with small tips.But honestly i cannot feel any effect of soundstage.I tried many songs with high beat rates.So is it limitation of EP-630 or my ears are not trained?

[skippednote]

^
Nice review. But still find ep630 better.

[sreenisatish]

@^
Have you heard the Philips SHE9800? If not, then how can you say that EP-630 is better? If you have, then maybe our tastes differ. But, I doubt if you have - because it is hard not to like the SHE9800 over the EP 630 - in the Sound Quality department.

@^^
The EP630 has very little sound stage, not your problem
As far as songs go, try songs by A.R. Rahman, Radiohead, Tool, and some by Ilayaraja for experiencing sound stage - but I doubt if you will enjoy it thoroughly on the EP 630.

[1235Sam]

i will try and let you know..
i am interested to buy SHE9800.But your review and other reviews suggests that SHE9800 lacks bass.I cannot use equalizer for tweaking bass as it suck on ipod(lot of distortion).I mainly listen to trance which requires good bass.EP's give decent bass with equalizer off.But i doubt about SHE9800.

another concern is comfort.They look really odd.

[hahahari]

nice one m8

[ratedrsuperstar]

decent review should have been more about the earphone than ur personal liking and adjustment to them.


me and my friend have both had the problem of one side dying on our ep-630's.now i
have 2 ep-630's both with very low sound on one side and they have removed the warranty offered on them.

any way i can make them work?

or just suggest me a new earphone(not headphone) for around 1k

[Ramakrishnan]

I also have EP 630 and it seems the above one is a lit bit high on the pocket, don't you feel?

[sreenisatish]

@^^^

It may seem a bit heavy on the pocket, but where do you draw the line?

I bought the EP 630 for Rs. 1350 (long time back). Why? Because I thought it was worth Rs. 1350 and it was. I still think it is worth Rs. 1350. But, if I can pay Rs. 1350 for the EP 630, I can most certainly pay Rs. 1990 for the SHE9800 for the quality it provides.

There are earphones costing more than 10000 rupees (Shure SE530 for instance) - and people do buy them. Why? Because they think it is worth! So, draw the line somewhere. The line varies from person to person. I am crazy about headphones and already I have spent a significant amount of money on headphones - the costliest being the Philips SHP8900 - my favorite movie headphones. And.. I am not going to stop buying - read the rants section (last section) in the post