Walk into any Target,store, anywhere, and head to Electronics. Hidden among the low-end Sonys and Skullcandys, overshadowed by the $198 Jaybirds and sprawling areas dedicated to Bose or Beats by Dre (who even knows what they charge for those things), is a little IEM from Philips marketed with the words "Rich Bass." They might easily be confused with the similar looking "Beats n' Bass" packaging. The latter are the lower-end SHE3595, which are widely acclaimed for their price/performance, but to me have several glaring flaws in the sound (most notably the dry, sibalant treble), preventing them from wearing the Giant Killer mantle. Rich Bass, a.k.a. Philips SHE3905, while not a different animal altogether, is different enough. More on that later.
Pricing and Availability
$20 at any Target store, $10 shipped on amazon (not Prime though)
Build, Ergonomics, Comfort, Style
They aren't the toughest, most substantial in-ears, but they're tough enough as long as you don't step on them with your boots on. YMMV of course, but their small size and light weight equals a supremely comfortable earphone, without being so small they're difficult to get a good seal. In fact they are a breeze to put in and take out of your ears (well my ears anyway). Compare to the Ostry KC06a, another very comfortable earphone deserving of the Giant Killer moniker.
They do look undeniably premium, thanks to the mirrlred metallic finish. They could pass for a poor man's GR8e, i think, in looks as well as sound.
Rolling: tips and sources and synergy
Like most canalphones, I feel the best tips for them are JVC Spiral Dots. If you're not a millionaire and don't have dozens of those, expensive things laying about, try something similar: thin, plyable silicon, with the widest mouth you can find. The stock tips, while feeling a bit cheap, are actually very good, sound-wise. One thing to note is the sound tube isn't cylindrical like most. Instead Philips built them with an elliptical sound hole, with an aspect ratio greater than Klipsch (and without the patented oval tips). In effect, this means they may permanently stretch any tips left on them for enough time. Either store your tips seperately, or accept that they aren't going to be used with anything else anymore.
The 3905s fall in that sweet spot of being easy to drive, without being too easy and inviting hiss or tonal inaccuracies with high output impedance sources. An average smartphone is plenty powerful, but as usual a better sounding source will deliver a much better experience. I've taken them as far up as GOV2+ and Mojo, and these Philips certainly prove they belong in such company. I expect they would continue to improve as you take them higher up the source ladder (like most quality headphones will). I've never heard them sound bad, or at least any worst than a bad source might be expected to sound.
Sound Sig.
Slight v-shape, a lowercase v. They're nothing like as extreme as the M50x Capital-V; the mids are only the slightest bit recessed. Warm, dark, except for when it's bright.
Bass-about in line with the M50x in quantity as well as quality. They have about as much as possible while avoiding bass bleed wrecking the midrange. They accentuate bass, extending as low as 25 or 30hz, but never invent it when it's not in the music. I don't know who or what a "basshead" is, but I can't imagine wanting more on already bass heavy genres like trance or other EDM. It becomes a nonissue for more acoustic, more organic styles like jazz or classical and some rock.
Mids- slightly recessed, but very well rendered, full and rich sounding. Vocals are lush and realistic, off the charts for the price, but it will surprise no-one they won't stand up to the better Shures of the world.
Treble-to be honest, unless I'm listening to a track with a treble emphasis, I don't really notice them as being distinct from the midrange. Obviously this suggests a smooth transition from upper mids on up. Squeezing in more and more hertz by the thousands, there's certain point where the upper mids have been left far behind, in the unmistakably treble zone, notes begin taking on that desirable sparkle. Sibalance is as good as nonexistent.
Misc.--
If these are so great, how come you're the only one lauding them?
That is a very good question. Ultimately, you'll have to ask each individual reviewer. Its not unreasonable to ask if maybe they hadn't heard any true top-end talent to contrast, at the time, or were too influenced by the price tag to believe their ears, so they didn't. Maybe a million reasons. I do not believe I'm overstating their worth, however. I've owned upwards of a half dozen pairs over the last couple of years, because I keep giving my pair to friends and then replacing them, or loaning them to someone who doesn't want to give them back. And each pair sounded identical to me. I've listened to them enough to grok the sound. And while that's getting mighty close to acclimating to the sound (and surely there is some truth to that too). But also within that time, I'm sure i would notice if they weren't living up to the esteem i have for them. At some point some flaw would grow unignorable
Besides, there are unexpected downsides to getting a Giant Killer as basically your first IEM. Upgrading is nearly impossible, since I already had the best sounding pair stocked by the major department stores, then the first few pairs I ordered sounded at best equal to the Philips. Then I wasn't a part the larger, more aware community like we are today. I didn't know what "normal" was, or that subjective taste matters more than objective performance, if objective/subjective were even in my vocabulary then.
My point is I've given them ample opportunity to disappoint. They haven't.
Who are you to declare what a Giant killer is?
I'm nobody, of course. I just want to put the idea out there, because I believe in these little guys. You all will have to decide for yourselves, and with,enough exposure, a consensus will form, leaning one way or the other. I can't control that process, but you can.
Summary
The Philips SHE3905 is the mainstay of the budget IEM field. They won't take down the biggest of the big, but then nothing will do that without being a giant itself. Sleek, comfortable, and performing on Broadway for Branson prices, they come as close as anything. Inexpensive and ubiquitous, available any day in any small to moderately sized town in North America if not the world, the 3905 should be the go-to reccomendation for anybody on a budget, admitted audiophile or not.
--Rocket
Pricing and Availability
$20 at any Target store, $10 shipped on amazon (not Prime though)
Build, Ergonomics, Comfort, Style
They aren't the toughest, most substantial in-ears, but they're tough enough as long as you don't step on them with your boots on. YMMV of course, but their small size and light weight equals a supremely comfortable earphone, without being so small they're difficult to get a good seal. In fact they are a breeze to put in and take out of your ears (well my ears anyway). Compare to the Ostry KC06a, another very comfortable earphone deserving of the Giant Killer moniker.
They do look undeniably premium, thanks to the mirrlred metallic finish. They could pass for a poor man's GR8e, i think, in looks as well as sound.
Rolling: tips and sources and synergy
Like most canalphones, I feel the best tips for them are JVC Spiral Dots. If you're not a millionaire and don't have dozens of those, expensive things laying about, try something similar: thin, plyable silicon, with the widest mouth you can find. The stock tips, while feeling a bit cheap, are actually very good, sound-wise. One thing to note is the sound tube isn't cylindrical like most. Instead Philips built them with an elliptical sound hole, with an aspect ratio greater than Klipsch (and without the patented oval tips). In effect, this means they may permanently stretch any tips left on them for enough time. Either store your tips seperately, or accept that they aren't going to be used with anything else anymore.
The 3905s fall in that sweet spot of being easy to drive, without being too easy and inviting hiss or tonal inaccuracies with high output impedance sources. An average smartphone is plenty powerful, but as usual a better sounding source will deliver a much better experience. I've taken them as far up as GOV2+ and Mojo, and these Philips certainly prove they belong in such company. I expect they would continue to improve as you take them higher up the source ladder (like most quality headphones will). I've never heard them sound bad, or at least any worst than a bad source might be expected to sound.
Sound Sig.
Slight v-shape, a lowercase v. They're nothing like as extreme as the M50x Capital-V; the mids are only the slightest bit recessed. Warm, dark, except for when it's bright.
Bass-about in line with the M50x in quantity as well as quality. They have about as much as possible while avoiding bass bleed wrecking the midrange. They accentuate bass, extending as low as 25 or 30hz, but never invent it when it's not in the music. I don't know who or what a "basshead" is, but I can't imagine wanting more on already bass heavy genres like trance or other EDM. It becomes a nonissue for more acoustic, more organic styles like jazz or classical and some rock.
Mids- slightly recessed, but very well rendered, full and rich sounding. Vocals are lush and realistic, off the charts for the price, but it will surprise no-one they won't stand up to the better Shures of the world.
Treble-to be honest, unless I'm listening to a track with a treble emphasis, I don't really notice them as being distinct from the midrange. Obviously this suggests a smooth transition from upper mids on up. Squeezing in more and more hertz by the thousands, there's certain point where the upper mids have been left far behind, in the unmistakably treble zone, notes begin taking on that desirable sparkle. Sibalance is as good as nonexistent.
Misc.--
If these are so great, how come you're the only one lauding them?
That is a very good question. Ultimately, you'll have to ask each individual reviewer. Its not unreasonable to ask if maybe they hadn't heard any true top-end talent to contrast, at the time, or were too influenced by the price tag to believe their ears, so they didn't. Maybe a million reasons. I do not believe I'm overstating their worth, however. I've owned upwards of a half dozen pairs over the last couple of years, because I keep giving my pair to friends and then replacing them, or loaning them to someone who doesn't want to give them back. And each pair sounded identical to me. I've listened to them enough to grok the sound. And while that's getting mighty close to acclimating to the sound (and surely there is some truth to that too). But also within that time, I'm sure i would notice if they weren't living up to the esteem i have for them. At some point some flaw would grow unignorable
Besides, there are unexpected downsides to getting a Giant Killer as basically your first IEM. Upgrading is nearly impossible, since I already had the best sounding pair stocked by the major department stores, then the first few pairs I ordered sounded at best equal to the Philips. Then I wasn't a part the larger, more aware community like we are today. I didn't know what "normal" was, or that subjective taste matters more than objective performance, if objective/subjective were even in my vocabulary then.
My point is I've given them ample opportunity to disappoint. They haven't.
Who are you to declare what a Giant killer is?
I'm nobody, of course. I just want to put the idea out there, because I believe in these little guys. You all will have to decide for yourselves, and with,enough exposure, a consensus will form, leaning one way or the other. I can't control that process, but you can.
Summary
The Philips SHE3905 is the mainstay of the budget IEM field. They won't take down the biggest of the big, but then nothing will do that without being a giant itself. Sleek, comfortable, and performing on Broadway for Branson prices, they come as close as anything. Inexpensive and ubiquitous, available any day in any small to moderately sized town in North America if not the world, the 3905 should be the go-to reccomendation for anybody on a budget, admitted audiophile or not.
--Rocket
It might be possible to tame the highs of the 3900 if you take off the filters and replace foam into the nozzle, though I am not sure whether the 3900 has foam in the nozzle already (the 3590 does, but the more recent 8100 does not).