[rajatsharma]

Hello Head-Fi,
 
I came to know about this incredible forum only a few days back, and I must say, this place is a storehouse of information for everyone, from casual music lovers to hardcore audiophiles. Great work indeed.
 
As you guys must have guessed by the title of the thread, I want some advice. I want to buy a pair of entry level In-Ear Monitors to be used with my iPhone 4S, as the standard Apple ones suck.
 
When I say entry level, I mean in the range of $10-$15. So I was researching about my potential choices, and stumbled on this thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/561951/philips-she3580-iem-review-how-can-something-sound-so-good-for-10/60
 
As almost everyone might be aware here, the Philips SHE3580 has garnered a lot of praise as being an excellent value for money IEM for its price range. But I can't get it since I want microphone functionality too.
 
I currently live in India, and the Philips SHE3595 is available here through an online retailer, for approximately $9.58. If I am right, the SHE3595 is the microphone toting variant of the SHE3580.
 
I am really inclined towards getting the SHE3595. However, I believe it would be great to seek the opinions of the Head-Fi community. Hence, I request you guys to tell me what do you think of the SHE3595, especially at the price point of $9.58?
 
PS: I wouldn't classify myself as a hardcore audiophile, but I do love music a lot. As much as I would love to go for the likes of Klipsch, V-Moda, Shure and things like that, but I'm currently a student, and don't want to splurge money on audio accessories that cost more than my phone. Hence, I decided to go for Philips SHE3595.
 
I would also like to mention, that I've not used a whole array of earphones/headphones, but I am currently using Creative's EP630, and if the Philips SHE3595 sounds as good as that, I believe it's a perfect choice.
 
Lastly, my apologies for being a bit verbose. I'm sure I'll get the best opinions here.
 
 
Thanks & Regards,
 
Rajat Sharma.

 

[sztomi90]

Hey Sharma!

I actually made an account here to respond to you....
 
I was in the same situation as you a few months ago! I had an iPhone 4s with an old Creative EP-830 (which came with my old xfi player). I used that headphone a lot I really liked it sounded good with the iphone but eventually the jack broke inside......I could not repair it because it needed some special jack.....I eventually found one but it was too big and bulky so I gave it to my friend and he repaired it and kept it.

So anyways I was researching A LOT after a new in-ear bud to use when on the move....I was leaning toward Soundmagic (e10, mp21) but in my country they are a bit expensive to me (i am a student too )

So I found that thread with the Philips and it was convincing enough for me. I also read the amazon reviews and the first three comments there convinced me even more  
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHE3590BK-10-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B007TRUTZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391577525&sr=8-1&keywords=philips+she3590

I only had to find somewhere to buy....but then I saw the SHE3595 headset which, they said, is just a rebranded 3580 with some cosmetic change and a microphone and control button so I eventually went for a black one.
First out of the box I was a bit dissapointed with the bass response. (I am a basshead btw) It did not had that energy to it what I like (I have a Sennheiser hd212 pro which is famous for that)
Even that famous "sub bass" was a bit hard to hear at first though I have good ears. So I figured it needed some burn in time. I used burn in apps and alike and just listened to music. I used the Audioforge parametric Equalizer app to help compensate a bit......anyway after some time the bass became more powerful and pronounced and punchy even without eq. What amazed me always was the detail they produce and the overall balance and instrument separation. Isolation and comfort is very good too. And the headset button is VERY handy you can control your phone without taking out of your pocket. So I don't think I could buy a better one for the price.....
Maybe now there is new stuff out there (some Soundmagic) or whatever but if you are still thinking about it and you are short on money then go for it....if you want a bit more quality build and sort of the same SQ then I would go for the Soundmagic E10M I guess......which costs more but the construction is better.
 
So I hope it was helpful and I am curious what will you choose. 
 
Cheers,
Thomas

 

[rajatsharma]

Hey Thomas,
 
Thanks a lot for your response. I must say, your post has definitely convinced me to go for the SHE3595. But I think I'll have to probably wait a little while before I get it. That's because it's very much possible that I might trade my iPhone 4S for a Lumia WP powered smartphone, and I'm not sure whether the SHE3595 is compatible with Nokia devices or not. But if it is, I see no reason not to go for it.
 
I'd like to ask you, have you tried the SHE3595 with any other smartphone (particularly any of the Nokia Lumias) except iPhone 4s? If yes, are they compatible?
 
 
In any case, thanks a lot
 
 
 
Cheers,
 
Rajat S.

 

[sztomi90]

Well on the box it says: "Compatible with iPhone, Blackberry, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Sony,Samsung" So theoretically it should work with new lumia phones. I mean I tried with old nokias and I use it now with my old Android phone which is an Orange Boston (rebranded Gigabyte handset) and it works. The microphone works too so I can use it while taking calls, but the button only works as Play/Pause. On the iphone it worked as Next song (double click) and Previous song (triple click) and Siri (long click)..... so these extra options might not work....
 
I would be more concerned about the sound quality of the Windows Phone you want to buy. I respect Nokia maybe my next smartphone will be a Nokia but I tried my friend's Lumia 800 with my old Creative in-ear and it sounded disappointing if not awful as I can remember...... I don't know about the new ones you should read what others say about the SQ...... but if I would be you I would not trade my Iphone for a wp phone..... okay maybe for a Nokia 1020 because of the camera
 
Iphones as I know are praised for their good flat, noise free SQ and I can testify to that!!

 

[spol]

I've read that the new models in the market are nowhere as good as the old ones.  Is this true?

 

[TrantaLocked]

The sibilance on my pair from 2017 is insane, but proper EQ reveals the drivers aren't that bad.