[BenF]

So I just bought another pair of these. Is it just me, or are the new batches of SHE3590s a lot more bass-light than before? Sure the level of detail and sub-bass is there but the mid-bass seems to have been toned down. My pair is sibilant as well. A very different signature from my first pair. I can't compare directly though, since my old pair is busted, so I'm speaking from memory.. Does the pair need burn-in or something?

Burn-in will help

 

[Spoetnik]

I've tried to like these and i just can't
There is nothing i like about them..
I for example listen to an album "Heartwork" from Carcass to test it them out and i hear what sounds like
a chamber effect almost is the best way i can explain it or some kind of oscilation.
I don't know if i got a bad set of of earbuds or what but i think they sound quality on these are crap and are unusable.
 
I wanted to say all this to warn people they *may not like them, regardless of the huge amount of positive feedback.
I don't like the oval opening or how it's covered in metal mesh. I don't like the shape and size of these either..
It's hard to handle they feel to small and are a bit tricky to line up in your ears i think.
They also have no marker like a raised bump of plastic to help identify what side is which
and the printing on them is ultra small and hard to read and printed on the wrong side of both earbuds.
I also really don't like the soft rubber cable, it tends to hold on to the bend from packaging for ages
and worst because the rubber is so soft it feels like it snags on everything super easy, after all why do electronics
like your cell phone or computer mouse get coated in soft rubber ? Grip..
Touch the cable and it makes vibration / noise in your ears.
There is no cord splitter on the cable.
 
In comparison to Sony's competing cheap earbuds i think the Philips cheap earbuds suck.. Sony seems too have thought it all out well with features
AND most important of all i find the sound quality of Sony to be far superior to Philips but Sony's manufacturing quality is hit and miss though.
 
Anyway i know its always a matter of taste so if you like what you got then just ignore me and i hope you enjoy your Philips buds
I just want to warn people and suggest the Sony MDREX cheapo earbuds to people as an alternative, some people may just want to buy both to test out
considering how cheap they both are it may not hurt to see which you like better
 
My summary is even with different eartips, eq'ing or burn-in i don;t think these Philips earbuds have good enough sound quality for me.. they just sound cheap and hollow kinda

 

[bubsdaddy]

I know how you feel. I hated the Monoprice IEM that has an unbelievable following. Tinny sound, garish large plastic housing, horrible cord, extremely difficult fit and yet they have become the darling go head-fi. That being said, I like the Philips especially at low volume and as going to sleep in ears.

I've tried to like these and i just can't
There is nothing i like about them..
I for example listen to an album "Heartwork" from Carcass to test it them out and i hear what sounds like
a chamber effect almost is the best way i can explain it or some kind of oscilation.
I don't know if i got a bad set of of earbuds or what but i think they sound quality on these are crap and are unusable.

I wanted to say all this to warn people they *may not like them, regardless of the huge amount of positive feedback.
I don't like the oval opening or how it's covered in metal mesh. I don't like the shape and size of these either..
It's hard to handle they feel to small and are a bit tricky to line up in your ears i think.
They also have no marker like a raised bump of plastic to help identify what side is which
and the printing on them is ultra small and hard to read and printed on the wrong side of both earbuds.
I also really don't like the soft rubber cable, it tends to hold on to the bend from packaging for ages
and worst because the rubber is so soft it feels like it snags on everything super easy, after all why do electronics
like your cell phone or computer mouse get coated in soft rubber ? Grip..
Touch the cable and it makes vibration / noise in your ears.
There is no cord splitter on the cable.

In comparison to Sony's competing cheap earbuds i think the Philips cheap earbuds suck.. Sony seems too have thought it all out well with features
AND most important of all i find the sound quality of Sony to be far superior to Philips but Sony's manufacturing quality is hit and miss though.

Anyway i know its always a matter of taste so if you like what you got then just ignore me and i hope you enjoy your Philips buds
I just want to warn people and suggest the Sony MDREX cheapo earbuds to people as an alternative, some people may just want to buy both to test out
considering how cheap they both are it may not hurt to see which you like better

My summary is even with different eartips, eq'ing or burn-in i don;t think these Philips earbuds have good enough sound quality for me.. they just sound cheap and hollow kinda

 

[BenF]

I know how you feel. I hated the Monoprice IEM that has an unbelievable following. Tinny sound, garish large plastic housing, horrible cord, extremely difficult fit and yet they have become the darling go head-fi. That being said, I like the Philips especially at low volume and as going to sleep in ears.

I feel the same way about Philips vs. Monoprice.
3590 should be far more popular than it is.

 

[Saoshyant]

I've never been willing to try sleeping with IEMs. I've had sleeping issues all my life, and toss and turn constantly. I worry I might accidentally strangle myself in my sleep

 

[Spoetnik]

I just got back from the store and i got what i think is the alternative to these on store shelves all over.. the Sony MDREXLP's
and ya i love em
Who is picking these Philips over the Sony's ?
I strongly urge people to check out both.
I had to return these new Sony MDREXLP already a couple weeks ago because was one side was louder than the other.
But the ones i got now from a different store for $9.99 can sound perfect.
I also remembered right away how i liked the bent plug on the Sony's vs Philip's straight plug.
And the cord material did not feel sticky and the Sony wiring seemed to straighten out easier.
 
What can i say i usually by Sony earbuds and have had a variety of them over the years.
And they sound good to me out of the box pretty much but the Philips i got mentioned here will never be used again..i really don't like them.
 
If the manufacturer reads this (which i doubt) i hope they heard my criticism's.
Sony put a lot of attention to detail in the cheapo earbuds.. Philips don't seem very well thought out at all.
 
Anyway sorry people i don't mean to rain on your parade lol
Choice is great and if you like what you got that who cares what people think.. just my 2 cents
At least with these earbuds that are 10 bucks est you can afford to grab a bunch and try them out etc

 

[bubsdaddy]

You aren't raining on our parade. You are offering up an opinion. Isn't that what this forum is about?

 

[oMalakai]

I had a Sony MDR cheap IEM´s before the SHE-3590 and the Philips were a direct upgrade, to me. The cable and plug is better in the Sony, but, SQ, is waaay better with the Philips. Also, listening to Carcass maybe with the Philips is not that good...I think the 3590 shine more with electronic and bass heavy genres, but they are pretty good. I liked the Philips also because they were so small and pretty comfy to wear, but, whatever... Also, worth to try the 3500, quite different signature. I have a pair of Braiwnwavz M3 now, and the difference between them, and the 3500 wasn´t huge, and that´s pretty good to say about the Philips, of course they are more refined, better soundstage, and less "peaky", but, it didn´t feel like a new whole universe of sound

 

[Saoshyant]

Sitting down and listening to mine for the first time in awhile, I must admit its a better sound than I remembered. The bass is more prevalent than I remembered, the mids are certainly audible, but the album I'm listening to is not the best measure, nor is it with treble.

The comfort is solid, something I typically have issue with when it comes to IEMs. The isolation isn't so much that I can't hear a timer going off, but other extraneous noises aren't noticed, including my cat.

All in all, for a cheap item picked up in target, its worth the cost, although something I ordered last night will probably outperform

 

[ZV3]

The Philips are really awesome for the price, or almost any price, so much so that I will probably cut down my stable of IEM's in favor of just a few for now. I have most of the cheap but good IEM's (Philips SHE3580, JVC HAFX101, Monoprice 109927's, Panasonic RPHJE120K and other JVC models and the Philips always sound better to me, and are more versatile.
 
 
They are so small and comfortable that I can wear then all day, and thats a big plus to me! I have to keep fidgeting with my GR07's so much that I spend little time actually listening to them, more time trying to get a good seal, but with the Philips I just stick 'em in and go! All I do at work is compare my IEM's, switching them out between my Fuze and Ipod 5.5g to see what sounds best, and the Philips always come out on top. The quality sound these things put out is worth 10 times their price!

 

[Hutnicks]

  The Philips are really awesome for the price, or almost any price, so much so that I will probably cut down my stable of IEM's in favor of just a few for now. I have most of the cheap but good IEM's (Philips SHE3580, JVC HAFX101, Monoprice 109927's, Panasonic RPHJE120K and other JVC models and the Philips always sound better to me, and are more versatile.
 
 
They are so small and comfortable that I can wear then all day, and thats a big plus to me! I have to keep fidgeting with my GR07's so much that I spend little time actually listening to them, more time trying to get a good seal, but with the Philips I just stick 'em in and go! All I do at work is compare my IEM's, switching them out between my Fuze and Ipod 5.5g to see what sounds best, and the Philips always come out on top. The quality sound these things put out is worth 10 times their price!

Treat yourself to a pair of Monoprice 9396's and I'll bet your Phillips 3580's stay in the drawer from then on

 

[Tom22]

 
Treat yourself to a pair of Monoprice 9396's and I'll bet your Phillips 3580's stay in the drawer from then on

i don't know about that... its like comparing apples and oranges
 
the monoprice is basically neutral (rin choi even showed that its one of the most linear iems on the market) 
 
the philips is more v shape
 
both have their strengths, i can't really say which sq is better, i can say i enjoy the philips more though its just more practical (wearing over the ear) the cable is less annoying)
 
plus the size of the housing on the philips would work for more people, the monoprice wouldn't work well with those with small ears

 

[Hutnicks]

  i don't know about that... its like comparing apples and oranges
 
the monoprice is basically neutral (rin choi even showed that its one of the most linear iems on the market) 
 
the philips is more v shape
 
both have their strengths, i can't really say which sq is better, i can say i enjoy the philips more though its just more practical (wearing over the ear) the cable is less annoying)
 
plus the size of the housing on the philips would work for more people, the monoprice wouldn't work well with those with small ears

The 9396's are vastly different from the nautilus shelled predecessors. The fit is light years better as well. For the 7 buck price it's really foolish not to try them if you have any liking for the Phillips at all.

 

[Tom22]

 
The 9396's are vastly different from the nautilus shelled predecessors. The fit is light years better as well. For the 7 buck price it's really foolish not to try them if you have any liking for the Phillips at all.

 
oh my mistake, i thought the 9396 was the black monoprice 8320s haha sorry no experience there then haha but wow that is dirt cheap, but living in canada the shipping is probably the same amount of not more than the iems 
 
unless i grab some more stuff from monoprice there no way haha (order maybe 3 weeks ago so prob not for a long time)

 

[Saoshyant]

That 9396 looks like an inexpensive take on the chord & major iem