GREQ
Headphoneus Supremus
I wouldn't normally start a whole new thread about a headphone I've only just auditioned, but I think some people would appreciate being made aware of these.
The Philips SHB7000 surprised me because it sounds good. Plain and simple.
It can be had for a very reasonable price (around $40 in U.S.A. and around 40 euros in Europe) but puts up a few very good arguments against similarly priced headphones in it's category (street-fashion headphones).
Most importantly, the FR response is just excellent. The guys at Philips seem to have taken a small leaf out of it's 'Fidelio' books, because it's just a very pleasant v-shaped FR curve that, most critically, doesn't have a bloated mid-bass but a satisfying deep grunt vaguely similar in FR to the B+W P7 bass, but more bloated.
Mids are slightly scooped, but nothing outrageous or unacceptable. The way it plays with the accentuated low-treble is very similar to many low-end ($100) IEM's or studio Beyerdynamic cans.
The overall resolution and sound presentation could easily play with some of the bigger boys in the $80-100 range, if it wasn't for the lower than average isolation and fit. I'm assuming these are the results of lower standards in build quality.
So if you're thinking about getting something like the Panasonic RP-HTX7 (which has some of the best isolation in this category) or the AKG K518 (which has the best overall sound but hurts your ears with too much pressure), you can add the Philips SBH7000 to your list for consideration.
Incidentally I also auditioned the Marshall Monitor headphone today alongside this. Which at more than double the price of the Philips, was a massive muddy disappointment. I've owned marshall footpedals and played on Marshall amps in the past, so I was ready to expect what can only be described as 'crunch' and 'tone'.
Instead I received lots and lots of bloated muddy mid-bass that bled into the mids that ruined everything.
An important disclaimer is that I only tried these headphones WIRED. I did not test out the bluetooth functionality at all (which seems to be a cause of grief to a number of reviews I discovered on the interwebs).
The Philips SHB7000 surprised me because it sounds good. Plain and simple.
It can be had for a very reasonable price (around $40 in U.S.A. and around 40 euros in Europe) but puts up a few very good arguments against similarly priced headphones in it's category (street-fashion headphones).
Most importantly, the FR response is just excellent. The guys at Philips seem to have taken a small leaf out of it's 'Fidelio' books, because it's just a very pleasant v-shaped FR curve that, most critically, doesn't have a bloated mid-bass but a satisfying deep grunt vaguely similar in FR to the B+W P7 bass, but more bloated.
Mids are slightly scooped, but nothing outrageous or unacceptable. The way it plays with the accentuated low-treble is very similar to many low-end ($100) IEM's or studio Beyerdynamic cans.
The overall resolution and sound presentation could easily play with some of the bigger boys in the $80-100 range, if it wasn't for the lower than average isolation and fit. I'm assuming these are the results of lower standards in build quality.
So if you're thinking about getting something like the Panasonic RP-HTX7 (which has some of the best isolation in this category) or the AKG K518 (which has the best overall sound but hurts your ears with too much pressure), you can add the Philips SBH7000 to your list for consideration.
Incidentally I also auditioned the Marshall Monitor headphone today alongside this. Which at more than double the price of the Philips, was a massive muddy disappointment. I've owned marshall footpedals and played on Marshall amps in the past, so I was ready to expect what can only be described as 'crunch' and 'tone'.
Instead I received lots and lots of bloated muddy mid-bass that bled into the mids that ruined everything.
An important disclaimer is that I only tried these headphones WIRED. I did not test out the bluetooth functionality at all (which seems to be a cause of grief to a number of reviews I discovered on the interwebs).
