Philips SHE3570BK/10 Black In-Ear Headphones

While browsing through my local electronic store I came upon these Philips IEMs. G reviews on the forums persuaded me to pick this one up at €14,95
I stopped buying cheap headphones years ago when high quality portable audio became more portable and affordable. Before that time I was a Philips fan, back then I thought that Philips had an honest sound in their cheap earbuds (I hated IEMs).
But that ws then, this is now.

The buds come in a blister packaging and are available in three colours. Black, red and white. I doubted about the red, but went for the black. A safe choice.
I decided to trie them immideately and got rid of the packaging in the store (after paying that is ^_~). I got a bit scared. Exept two different sizes silicone tips and the IEMs curled into a ball the packaging was empty. Not even an how to use leaflet. Which brings me to:

Build quality:
The cable of the IEM is wound to some sort of ball to conserve space. When I untangled the cable it resembled an old telephone cord. It's a thin cable, but not super thin (like those super thin Koss cables) and is rubberised. It get's stuck in my pocket.
The IEMs itself are made from hard plastic and are SMALL. The silicone tips are soft and look good. The tips fit tight onto the IEM. It has a strait 3,5mm TRS plug with a little bit of flex on the end. There is no such protection on the IEM side of the cable.

Fit:
I'm used to Klipsch S2's and bigger Sony IEMs so these little M&M sized IEMs get lost in my ear. Putting them in took some getting used to, and when removing them I had to fight the temptation to pull them out using the cable. Apart from this the IEMs are quite comfortable, yet I always feel them.

Isolation / Microphonics:
Sound isolation is average. I used them in a mall, a train and a car today. They isolate enough to block out some sound, but I had no trouble hearing what was going on.
Microphonics are present but not a nuicance.

Sound:
Ah, this is what it's all about! Sound! At first I was blown away, amazing for such a price! I had a moment of doubting my other IEMs... However, these are not hi(gher)-end IEMs.
The sound is complete and they go low, very low, without being having a 'fat' sound.
I played them on a iPod Classic 6th with a Fiio E6 amp. When the battery of my E6 died I played it on the iPod and was a bit dissapointed. The mids must have decided to thake a break because the detail went away.
So despite being 16Ohm they sound better with an amp.
After listening in the quite of my home I came to the following conclusion: The bass detail is very good, the highs are well defined. They lack however the speed and the brilliance to really impress. The soundstage is average. This is based on playing amped, unamped has less detail.
EDIT: treble is clear, but gets tiresome at longer listening.

It might seem that I burn these IEMs in this review, I'm not. These are gread headphones. They beat Skullcandy And UrbanEars IEMs an cost less than a third of the price. They have an 'honest' sound, however slightley to warm for my tastes.
You might not look as hip with these IEMs as someone with bold coloured Skullcandies (thinks) does but you get a better sound.

So in the end I'm content with these Philips IEMs and they have restored my faith in Philips.
These are fun IEMs for the price and are great for popular mausic, might also be great for gaming.

 
The earphones, to be precise, are quite overrated.
 
Build [3/5] - as delicate as delicate can be, the SHE3570s build is light as a feather, with a flimsy, curled up wire bound to remain one no matter how you might straighten it. The ear buds are fine enough with ample noise cancellation and are comfortable to say the least.
 
Audio [2.5/5] - Without glorifying it, the audio output is decent as you'd expect from a product of this class. However, there are a lotta downers..
 
First, with low impedance the earphone is loud as Loud it can be, to the point of excruciatingly removing them after a li'l while.
 
The bass is effective if not formidable, which is not so bad if you are not an audiophile. The treble, however, is a big pain. A constant jabber with hints of tear in audio as if it was made for the same purpose.
A "burn in" test would not suffice as the highs and lows would not affect the overall outcome.
 
Testing these with a bit of music, from Sinatra to even Nicki Minaj, the output was admissible with enough clarity. Blues sound fine but No Death Metal or Grunge!
My old Nokia N900 headphones sound way better with a good amount of bass and treble that does not, and should not, scar the ears!
 
Value for Money [4.5/5] - A product such as Philips In Ear, it's worth its price. You cannot compare it with a Sony mid-range Fontopia or an EX Monitor let alone a Skullcandy Riot. Comparatively, the SHE3570 is way out of its league but priced half as much as any top brand out there!
 
 
Verdict [3/5] - With many expectations the Philips SHE3570 does not stand true to its words. They look 'cute' enough, but let us leave it at that!