[bzzt]

Hello Audiophiles,
 
    I skimmed through the threads and the different reviews here, but I strongly think my Philips she9550 "Rich Bass" is not living up to it's reviews I just bought it like 3 days ago. I'm dismayed with it's performance when I finally compared it to it's sibling she9700 "High Definition" which performed way better, the bass was way better. What surprises me is that according to all the reviews I've read, the she9700's bass is not that great and the she9550 (my model) has definitely good bass. To quote
 
"The bass is almost overwhelming" from the thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/456494/30-iem-review-philips-she-9550-ultimate-ears-metrofi-170-sennheiser-cx-300-ii-precision
 
Well to my dismay it is the other way around, the she9700 has better bass than my not so overwhelming she9550 :/ I'm a bass player and it's almost all that matters to me.
 
I only hope that this performance is just 'initial', same as my friend's car audiosystem that has an initial "break-in" performance but over a short time will get better. I also notice my rubber plugs is not the same as my friend's she9700, mine is like stiffer and medium sized plugs is hurting my left ear while his same medium sized plugs isnt. -_-
 
I can't further explain how good or bad the bass is but you get the picture, I have to increase volume to get the kick that I want but then it would be too loud. It's like the treble is louder than the bass? Anyway, your opinions will be appreciated. Thanks guys! Happy new year!

 

[ipumuk]

hi bzzt,
i have not heared the she9700 so i can not really tell you whether you got broken she9550 or if the she9700 do even have more exaggerated bass.
 
first of all 30€ headphones never have "good bass". but they play back different frequencies with a different loudness or lets say dominance. the she9550 plays back its low frequencies the loudest often drowning the other frequencies. that does not make the headphone any good but extremely fun for me - also the 9550 can not play back really low frequencies like those of electro minimal tracks or other really low frequencies in general. so the bass I am talking about is more or the less the typical pop song bass you would listen on the radio.
 
I never tested it, but if you would listen to a bass-test-tape (or mp3) with your 9550 you probably would not listen anything up to a point where the headphone was able to play back the frequency!
 
I would suggest you get such a bass-test tape/mp3/file and compare both headphones. or you download the sinegen generator found in the following link and compare their performance:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/wiki/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial
 
 
(personal note: I do not believe in break in and equalizing your headphones is pretty stupid too )

 

[bzzt]

hi ipumuk,
thanks for replying, I know its entry level IEM but I just cant live with the fact that she9700, same manufacturer and only more expensive by a fraction, has significantly better bass than something made specifically for it's supposed 'rich bass'. Plus, I will stress this yet again, many people are commenting that it's bass is more than enough, some even says the bass might be too loud for others.
 
I did tested it with a bass test I found in youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH_sUK7hJxE
it's lowest bass frequency that I can hear is around 20hz and it's highest is 10khz.
 
And oh its my first time hearing about equalizing headphones and I'm skeptical about it. I just hope that burn-ins is not a myth, it's my only chance or I would have to go back to the store and test some other she9550's and find out for myself if this one's defective.

 

[kjk1281]

I don't own the SHE9550 so unfortunately I can't give any specific advice, but it sounds like you're having some issues with fit, particularly when you say that the treble is louder than the bass.  Have you tried your friend's SHE9700 tips on your 9550 (assuming they fit)?  Try to see if you can experiment with different tips to get a better seal, which should then give you at least a bit more bass.

 

[ershad]

I firmly believe that your SHE9550 is defective... i am a bass freak too and I purchased these yesterday and totally loving the bass not that i am an audiophile but I definitely know to differentiate between the three frequencies that matter...my only grouse is the treble which sounds a little shrill for now again it has not been through the adequate burn-in time (don't know how much it matters to you though!)...loving the sound as of now! cheers!