I’d like to share my experience with the latest mid level headphones SHP1900.
I own SHP2700. It’s a great headphone. But I needed medium range headphones that are not too bulky for enjoying some good music from my desktop PC. Having had GREAT experience with PHILIPS headphones prior to this, I decided to go for no brand other than PHILIPS. Nothing can beat the quality of sound that PHILIPS headphones offer for the money.
On the Philips India website there are three headphone models listed. All of them had positive reviews online. An audio dealer showed SHP-1900 and SHP-2500 models. Though SHP-2500 had better sound quality, I discarded it because it has a 6 meter long cable which obviously can’t be folded and kept in a pocket. So, I thought of giving SHP-1900 a test by playing some MP3 tracks. I didn’t have lot of expectations from these since the power output is only 500 mW compared to other high end PHILIPS headphones. But I was surprised to hear bass that these headphones produced. Being impressed, I bought it.
Specs:
Acoustic system: Open
Magnet type: Neodymium
Frequency response: 20 - 20 000 Hz
Impedance: 32 ohm
Sensitivity: 98 dB
Speaker diameter: 40 mm
Cable Connection: One-sided
Cable length: 2 m
Finishing of connector: Chrome-plated
Type of cable: Copper(Normal)
Connector: 3.5 mm
Packing:
Housed in a medium sized box, the headphones are placed on a red colored paper. The 2 m wires and 3.5 mm jack are folded and packed towards the back of the paper. Not bad for this price, I think.
Looks:
These headphones are very good looking. The beauty of these headphones is the pair of grayish black colored dome shaped ear-cups in contrast to the faded white PHILIPS logo. The headband is designed so that it splits into two, runs separately and joins near the earcups. This provides better support to the headphones on top of the head.
Construction:
SHP-1900 is a very simple headphone. But it looks very good and is also lightweight. These Headphones come with a pair of 40 mm speakers and 2 metre long cables. These cables are thinner than in other Philips Headphones. The ear cushions are shaped in such a way that they perfectly align with the area around a person’s ear: the generous leather padding all around the ear-cups ensures a snug fit. The special shape and luxurious materials used for the ear cushions ensure a perfect fit for maximum comfort. Philips claims it prevents audio leakage and enhances bass performance too. And the adjustable headband means no more slipping-off, no more headaches from tightness, but a perfect fit. But just as in other headphones, I find the rexin material used for the contact areas of the headphones a little unpleasant. When weather’s hot, the material may be unpleasant to wear for a prolonged period of time. This could be a problem for users living in places like New Delhi where the temperature is high. But it is easy to wipe clean and keep clean, so it is more of a personal preference than anything else. Another gripe I find is that there is no volume control as in the lower priced headphones.
Sound Quality:
The Philips Web page for this model says: Lightweight yet Big Sound. Usable For PC, TV and Music.
Well, initially, these headphones’ bass was booming and the mids were high without treble. So I had to obviously burn-in them for many hours and the sound quality improved a lot. These headphones’ earcups are dome shaped. I feel this improves bass as there is depth for its speakers while firing sounds. I can really hear every single beat distinctly. In SMACK THAT.mp3, there is a certain bass sound that traverses from one channel to another. This headphone reproduces this sound amazingly. Watching movies and games is a blissful experience too. The drum-beats in music and the booms and the thuds in movies are really POWERFUL. Yet there’s no distortion @ maximum volume. All in all, its sound quality is truly GREAT for this price as it pumps powerful sound into the ears.
Forget the’industry standard’ SONY(which is a money puller) and other brands. Go for Philips. Philips audio products are lesser in cost but have better build quality, long life and superb sound. Philips system MCi 900 with the’SoundSphere’ technology has won the award for the best European Music System for 2010. I’ve used three Philips headphones and from my experience, I can blindly say that Philips is an’Audio Specialist’. Shame on the Philips marketing team that failed to promote the brand in this era of SONY and Samsung products.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for basic budget headphones in the price range of 500 to 600 Rupees to enjoy music, games and movies, check these out. You’ll enjoy the MEGA BASS for sure!