qazwsx
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2007
- Posts
- 814
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- 10
I love my KSC75. I enjoy its crisp highs, its relaxed mids, and its punchy bass, all around its a solid headphone. And it can be found for what, $20? Truth be told, though, I am a headband type of person, and don't really enjoy the KSC75's design all that much. I need some sort of headband or the clips fall off.
So, I decided to do a short comparison review of the three most popular Philips behind the head headphones, the HS820, the HS520, and the SHS391. (Also note the SHS390 and 391's are the same headphone in different colors.) I already owned the 520's, the other two I bought solely for comparison and to see which or if any would please me. I also threw in the MDRG42LP by Sony. Just know this is all based on my ear's opinions, yours may vary slightly, maybe more.
Lows:
HS820: The lows on this headphone were nice and neutral. They were far from boomy. The main problem is at higher volumes, bass break-up happens rather quickly. It only took about 60% volume of an iPod to hear the drivers "rattle" a bit.
HS520: The lows on this headphone were not quite "boomy". but sounded too blotty, at least to my ears. The upper-bass was pushed a lot yet the lower-bass was unheard. Bass doesn't break-up very easily, though.
SHS391: Decent bass, more bass than the HS820 and not as easy to break-up. Well extended, punchy, and never boomy. Good mid and upper bass impact. I actually liked the bass better on these than the KSC75.
MDRG42LP: Same as HS520, only boomy.
Overall: The SHS391 is the clear winner when it came to impact and the quality of bass. The HS820 would've been a close second or arguably first if it weren't for the rattling.
Mids:
HS820: The mids on this headphone were mediocre. I found them very nasaly and recessed at the same time. By nasaly, they don't seem to hit the lower mids yet have too much peaking in the upper mids. More obvious at higher volumes than lower.
HS520: The mids of this headphone were the 820's on steroids. Too nasaly at most common volumes. Totally unnatural and bad.
SHS391: Best of the bunch by far, and mids were average to good. At very high volumes they seemed to break up, otherwise they just sounded fairly smooth. Liked the KSC's mids a bit better though.
MDRG42LP: Worst of the bunch by far. The midrange sounded fake and unnatural, and saying they were nasaly is a bit of an understatement. These headphones were just plain unlistenable.
Overall: Simple, the SHS391 wins.
Highs:
HS820: The shining point of this headphone. Very clear highs and overall a good, clean sound comes alive. They didn't seem to overpower anything, either.
HS520: The highs of this headphone were mediocre. They seemed "there", but drowned, or underwater-sounding. I wonder if taking off the pads would help, but the pads are glued to the surface, so they aren't replaceable.
SHS391: Overall a good clean sound, not quite as engaging and vibrant as the HS820 though. Well extended, but not glowing. Somewhat of a Grado sound.
MDRG42LP: Couldn't find them.
Overall: HS820 wins in this department, although the SHS391 is a close second.
Other thoughts:
HS820: I liked how they folded up and were very nice looking.
HS520: Very, very comfortable. The cord attachment on the speaker keeps you from pulling the cord out of the headphone side. The cord is made of yarn, not very good for excercising if you are a heavy sweater, they'd smell rather quickly. Pads are glued to the surface, so they are hard to tear or break yet hard to replace.
SHS391: Comfortable yet odd-feeling on the ears. Liked the white/gray color that matches nicely with the iPod. The pads are inserted all the way into the back, therefore the pads are very secure and will be difficult to tear off.
MDRG42LP: The plastic seems durable. In general I found them tight and uncomfortable. Looks fairly decent. Cord could take a nice beating.
IN GENERAL:
None of the four sounded better than my KSC75, though I thought the Philips SHS391 was on par with it, which is most suprising since it was the cheapest of the four. Not quite better, but in the same league IMHO. The suckiest of the bunch goes to the MDRG42LP, which in my opinion, sounds absoultely terrible with its boomy bass, nasal mids, and unclear sound. These headphones run at $14.99, and it ain't worth it in my opinion. The other pair that I don't think is worth the cash is the HS520. I think these are rather a clone of the MDRG42LP without the boominess. In general it sounds like I'm listening to music underwater. I bought them on-sale for under $10, so if I took that into consideration, I'm not deeply unimpressed, but they are not worth the retail price of $17.99, unless your specific source has little bass or mids with exaggerated highs. The HS820 is borderline recommendation. I don't know, I just wasn't too thrilled about the bass or mids of the headphone. The bass seems to rattle too much and break-up too easily, and the mids were too nasaly for me to give this a 100% recommendation. I might recommend them for someone who is listening at lower volumes and likes that they have a folding action. They retail at $19.99, to me its not worth it, but for some it might be. Then the only headphone I'd recommend from the bunch comes in, the SHS391 by Philips has good, punchy yet not boomy bass, and a clear, crisp sound. The mids can get a bit overpowered at higher volumes, but they are on par with the KSC75 in my opinion and are only $12.99! Maybe someone could go pick up a Philips SHS390 or SHS391 to make sure I'm not dreaming or...just hearing things.....but I think I like them more than my KSC75...
So, I decided to do a short comparison review of the three most popular Philips behind the head headphones, the HS820, the HS520, and the SHS391. (Also note the SHS390 and 391's are the same headphone in different colors.) I already owned the 520's, the other two I bought solely for comparison and to see which or if any would please me. I also threw in the MDRG42LP by Sony. Just know this is all based on my ear's opinions, yours may vary slightly, maybe more.
Lows:
HS820: The lows on this headphone were nice and neutral. They were far from boomy. The main problem is at higher volumes, bass break-up happens rather quickly. It only took about 60% volume of an iPod to hear the drivers "rattle" a bit.
HS520: The lows on this headphone were not quite "boomy". but sounded too blotty, at least to my ears. The upper-bass was pushed a lot yet the lower-bass was unheard. Bass doesn't break-up very easily, though.
SHS391: Decent bass, more bass than the HS820 and not as easy to break-up. Well extended, punchy, and never boomy. Good mid and upper bass impact. I actually liked the bass better on these than the KSC75.
MDRG42LP: Same as HS520, only boomy.
Overall: The SHS391 is the clear winner when it came to impact and the quality of bass. The HS820 would've been a close second or arguably first if it weren't for the rattling.
Mids:
HS820: The mids on this headphone were mediocre. I found them very nasaly and recessed at the same time. By nasaly, they don't seem to hit the lower mids yet have too much peaking in the upper mids. More obvious at higher volumes than lower.
HS520: The mids of this headphone were the 820's on steroids. Too nasaly at most common volumes. Totally unnatural and bad.
SHS391: Best of the bunch by far, and mids were average to good. At very high volumes they seemed to break up, otherwise they just sounded fairly smooth. Liked the KSC's mids a bit better though.
MDRG42LP: Worst of the bunch by far. The midrange sounded fake and unnatural, and saying they were nasaly is a bit of an understatement. These headphones were just plain unlistenable.
Overall: Simple, the SHS391 wins.
Highs:
HS820: The shining point of this headphone. Very clear highs and overall a good, clean sound comes alive. They didn't seem to overpower anything, either.
HS520: The highs of this headphone were mediocre. They seemed "there", but drowned, or underwater-sounding. I wonder if taking off the pads would help, but the pads are glued to the surface, so they aren't replaceable.
SHS391: Overall a good clean sound, not quite as engaging and vibrant as the HS820 though. Well extended, but not glowing. Somewhat of a Grado sound.
MDRG42LP: Couldn't find them.
Overall: HS820 wins in this department, although the SHS391 is a close second.
Other thoughts:
HS820: I liked how they folded up and were very nice looking.
HS520: Very, very comfortable. The cord attachment on the speaker keeps you from pulling the cord out of the headphone side. The cord is made of yarn, not very good for excercising if you are a heavy sweater, they'd smell rather quickly. Pads are glued to the surface, so they are hard to tear or break yet hard to replace.
SHS391: Comfortable yet odd-feeling on the ears. Liked the white/gray color that matches nicely with the iPod. The pads are inserted all the way into the back, therefore the pads are very secure and will be difficult to tear off.
MDRG42LP: The plastic seems durable. In general I found them tight and uncomfortable. Looks fairly decent. Cord could take a nice beating.
IN GENERAL:
None of the four sounded better than my KSC75, though I thought the Philips SHS391 was on par with it, which is most suprising since it was the cheapest of the four. Not quite better, but in the same league IMHO. The suckiest of the bunch goes to the MDRG42LP, which in my opinion, sounds absoultely terrible with its boomy bass, nasal mids, and unclear sound. These headphones run at $14.99, and it ain't worth it in my opinion. The other pair that I don't think is worth the cash is the HS520. I think these are rather a clone of the MDRG42LP without the boominess. In general it sounds like I'm listening to music underwater. I bought them on-sale for under $10, so if I took that into consideration, I'm not deeply unimpressed, but they are not worth the retail price of $17.99, unless your specific source has little bass or mids with exaggerated highs. The HS820 is borderline recommendation. I don't know, I just wasn't too thrilled about the bass or mids of the headphone. The bass seems to rattle too much and break-up too easily, and the mids were too nasaly for me to give this a 100% recommendation. I might recommend them for someone who is listening at lower volumes and likes that they have a folding action. They retail at $19.99, to me its not worth it, but for some it might be. Then the only headphone I'd recommend from the bunch comes in, the SHS391 by Philips has good, punchy yet not boomy bass, and a clear, crisp sound. The mids can get a bit overpowered at higher volumes, but they are on par with the KSC75 in my opinion and are only $12.99! Maybe someone could go pick up a Philips SHS390 or SHS391 to make sure I'm not dreaming or...just hearing things.....but I think I like them more than my KSC75...
