Home > Consumer Reviews > Philips SHE9850 In-Ear Headphones with Advanced Acoustics

I'm always on a search for the best headphones and have tried many with varying results, all the way up to premium $300 sets. I cannot tolerate at all any type of in-ear headphone that is simply a plastic, hard ear bud, they are all far too large and uncomfortable (and generally lacking in sound quality as well) but I'm also not enough of an audiophile to really need the premium ones. My previous favorite set of headphones was the Shure E3C, which gave a great balance of comfort, sound quality and price. These go one better by offering even better comfort, stability and a lower price to boot.

Opening the box was a nice surprise...if like me you are tried of plastic that requires box cutters to get into you will appreciate the professional, quality packaging of the Philips SHE9850 which comes in a solid cardboard box that is easy to open and remove the components from. In addition to the headphones, you get 3 sizes of silicon ear buds and one set of memory foam sleeves. Also a clip for the cord, basic instructions and a nice metal carrying case. The case is a bit larger and heavier than most, but it is well designed, slides open easily and includes a spot to carry an extra set of ear buds. This is a welcome feature if like me you change them according to use. I prefer silicon for basic use, but the memory foam for more active use to stay in place better.

I was very pleased with the comfort and stability of these headphones. They are slightly angled to better insert into the ear canal and once in, I found they stayed very solidly in place when I moved around. I have very small ears, and often have comfort issues, these were some of the best I've tried so far.

Sound quality I found to be excellent. A little more response at the lower ranges would have improved it a bit, but overall I would rate them at least as good as the Shure's, and better for a lot of my music. The sound is very full and rich, and could compare with some headphones in the $200+ range. Noise reduction as well was excellent. These definitely are not headphones to wear if you need to hear any peripheral noise! I could barely hear my very noisy clothes washer while wearing these, which is the best test I could do without going on a plane trip.

Overall, these are the best headphones I've used at this price, and I'd recommend them highly. The only thing I wish it had was a mute button, but I've not yet seen a decent set of headphones that has one, so have just come to accept that it's not something easy to do reliably.

Pros: Sound excellent, clear and detail, bass could be better but expected from reading other reviews. It comes with nice little metal case. The silicon plug are so air tight you actually can feel air pressure in you ear (this could be a cons), and that acts like a passive noise cancelling, blocks about 80% of high freq noise. Personally I like the included memeory foam plug which feels much better, yet still blocks some noise. Price at sub-$100 is not bad for the quality

Cons: Not a lot of places sell them, I can only find Amazon. Because of that I am not sure where I can find replacement for the memory foam attachment plugs that phillips recommendss to replace every 3 months! It could use a softer wire, but I have seen worse in much more expensive brand. Softer wire == less noise when the wire is moved around with the silicon attachment. Foam doesn't seem to have that problem.

I'm not a big time A/V geek, but I was a musician back when CDs first came on the market (and yes, there is a point to this tangent).

For the perspective of you younger folks who have known nothing but digital sound, the greatest thing about CDs, and later DVDs was not that you could hear and see electronic media with crystal clarity, but rather what it did for accoustic sound. Suddenly, when you heard an acoustic instrument, you heard not only the notes but the overtones as well; you heard it like you were really there. Suddenly we could hear music at the quality that previously could only be experienced at a live show.

Sure, there are overtones coming from electronic instruments, it just doesn't matter as much when you're listening to an electric guitar. Drums and cymbals, the piano, and vocals on the other hand, absolute glory with the advent of digital recordings in the common market. Many of us who had hundreds of albums on vinyl and high grade tape tossed our entire collections and replaced them with CDs.

Anyway, when it comes to digital recordings, a cheap CD player is as good as an expensive one--literally no difference--but the speakers or headphones matter a lot.

These headphones certainly provide the level of sound quality that I'm familiar with in the ultra expensive studio headsets I used to use--only in the studio of course, as they were too expensive to own for myself. Now, not only can I afford to own that quality of headset, but it fits in my pocket!

Again, these may seem unremarkable to someone born in the mid-80s, but to anyone even a bit older, this is huge.

COMFORT: These truly cancel ambient noise, and the rubber earpieces block out most other surrounding sounds--so no need to blast the volume and cause yourself nerve damage just so you can "shut out the world" with your MP3 player. No need to disturb everyone in the elevator or subway car just so you can be alone in a crowd.

With these on, I can clearly hear the music even at a whisper quiet setting, and yet not hear my wife nagging me much at all--awesome.

One significant CON: How is it that the makers of such fine audio equipment can make such an increadibly crappy case.

Sure, it looks good on the outside, the surface is extremely abrasion resistant, but putting your headphones back in--well, you would be better off putting them loose in a large matchbox.

There's also no place in the case for the multiple ear bud/in-ear/rubber thingamajiggs that come with it, or even adaquate room for the accessories that are made to go in there--yet there's a lot of space.

My advice is don't use the case, because you might just end up damaging the headset as a result. One crimped cord, and they're toast.

BOTTOM LINE: Awesome headphones, but be aware that the case sucks and you might feel the need to come up with your own option for it.

Almost two years ago, I reviewed a great pair of ear buds made by Philips, the Philips HE591 Surround Sound Earbuds (Black), and for two years I've haven't found a better pair anywhere... until now. Phllips SHE9850 are the best in-ear headphones I have ever used. They are equal to, if not better than, Koss Pro-4AA Studio Quality Headphones which, to me, are one of the clearest and best sounding headphones ever made. Unfortunately, the PRO/4AA's were so tight around your ears, the blood circulation to your ears was cut-off after 15 minutes use.

As soon as you open the package and see the metal exterior of the case, the metal housing of the ear pieces, and the four different pairs of sleeves, you know you are going to experience something totally different. These are not "ear buds" by any stretch of the imagination. The four pairs of sleeves, three different size pairs made with soft flexigrip silicon and one pair made of memory foam, make it easier to have better sound at a lower volume, no matter how large or small you ear canal is. For me, the larger flexigrip silicon totally sealed-out all external noise. Wearing the memory foam ones allowed you to hear conversations of those around you along with what you are listening.

I have a drawer littered with earbuds/earphones ranging in price from $12.00 to over $150.00, and made by xTreme, Shure, Koss, Sony, Jensen, and, of course, my trusty Phillips HE591's. Most of these sound "tinny," without much bass tonal qualities. As with the Philips HE591's, I have found a great test for earphones is to hear the differences in sound when you change the equalizer setting on ones iPOD. With this one set of in-ear headphones you have at your disposal a different tonal quality for each setting, it can even duplicate the "tinny" sound of those higher priced brands I have tried, just in case that is your "cup of tea."

Other features of the SHE9850 are the heavier cord and the metal case housing. One thing different about the SHE9850's from the other Phillips model is that the cords for each channel are the same length, which I find easier to manage the cords, especially if you use the included cord "clip."

Are these in-ear headphones by Philips worth their price? Yes! I only wish I had a pair of these years ago. How much do I like them? I've bought a second pair already just in case I ever misplace the first pair.

I haven't had a good pair of earbuds (or even headphones) since I was a child. Most of the time I used whatever came with the portable electronic product (which was usually very low-end), and it was adequate for my usage. A few years ago I started to travel more and used noise cancelling headphones (NOT Bose, JVC and a few others). I was very happy with the quality of the sound as well as the quietness which these offered. However, the bulk is quite annoying-I travel frequently by train for day trips to Washington DC, and the NC headphones took up too much of my briefcase space. Then along came the Philips SHE9850 in-ear headphones. Again, I don't have much else to judge it by, but the Philips have both excellent sound reproduction as well as (because of their earbud nature) noise deadening abilities. I can use these on a train or plane and as long as some music or sound is being played these function as well as bulky NC headphones for sleeping on overnight flights, or deadening out the low-level, constant humming.

I usually listen to opera, Abba and language instruction tapes.