I just bought this SHP9500 on ebay a few weeks ago and I can say that it's worth every dollar. I usually read and I'm not good at describing sounds, so please excuse me if I can't write well
I have this headphones and it's really good I feel I need to write and share since I also couldn't find much info about the SHP9500 on the internet.
I also have the old Philips SHP9000 and Philips X1 so I can give some comparisons between the 3 of them.
SHP9500 is supposedly the upgraded version of SHP9000 and I must say that its performance is really an "upgrade". It takes SHP9000 beyond. The 9000 is known for it's spacious sound and the detailed high while the bass isn't quite impressive. The bass amount is lacking and not solid. SHP9500 bass is very tight and solid. Not only the quality but 9500 has more quantity of bass. This is the major area where 9500 outperforms 9000 in my opinion. The high notes of 9000 is a bit soft sounding. The 9500 has more sparking details which can be good or bad, depending on your music. The sparkling high of 9500 makes it sounds more alive than 9000 and it's so good with Jazz and Classical, while it can sound harsh with pop and rocks. In my opinion, 9500 is the ultimate Jazz/Classical headphones. It presents the music that's punchier, more alive, than the SHP9000, while sounds less spacious and is harsher in the high notes on modern pop/rock genres. If I have to describe in 1 word to compare between 9500 and 9000, I'd say 9500 is punchy, while 9000 is laid back.
Comparing 9500 to X1 is like comparing apples and oranges. X1 is warm, while 9500 is more lively. X1 bass is more boomy, although well controlled. The 9500 bass is much tighter. People who don't like X1 boomy bass would love the tight bass of 9500. And 9500 is more sparkling than X1. In my opinion, X1 is an all rounder and easy to listen to with all music genres, the highs are soft and not harsh to the ears and can listen to for a long time without pain. The 9500 is as if it's tuned for Jazz, classical, those audiophile genre in mind which is the kind of music I like. I find myself listening to 9500 more than X1 lately. However for the modern pop, rock, hip-hop, 9500 can sound painful in the high notes and dry and I'd prefer the X1 sounds more.
If Jazz, classical, audiophile recordings are your type, I can't recommend enough to try the 9500. The music is so alive and realistic. It can't stop making me smile. SHP9500 is like a dream come true for people who love the discontinued SHP9000.
For wearing comfort: SHP9500 is as comfortable to wear as SHP9000, and is more comfortable than X1 which has more pressure on bigger heads.
Amp: SHP9500 is easiest to drive. It sounds loudest on my phone out of the 3. So SHP9500 > X1 > SHP9000.