After reading the reviews, I ran out and bought a pair of the Philips at a retail store for the grand sum of $15. I have been comparing them for the past couple of hours to (1) some cheap Mee IEMs with in-line microphone, (2) Sure E2c IEMs (old $100), (3) my big Audio Technica AD700s full size headphones, and (4) my Koss KSC-75s.
The Philips are quite a bit better than the Mees, which sound very muffled in comparison.
They are not as good as the E2cs (which were quite a bit more expensive). E2cs have better instrument separation, are quieter, and sound more natural and less bright. E2cs are less comfortable and bigger.
All three of the IEMs sound worse with my amp than straight through - lots of hiss. For some reason the MEEs sound especially terrible through the amp. The Philips sound less worse through the amp than the others, but I'll use them without an amp.
The AD700s crush them in every respect without an amp, and absolutely demolish them with an amp. Totally unfair and irrelevant comparison, of course.
The philips are definitely bright sounding, and sound a bit better in some respects with EQ, but EQ always loses something for me. It smudges the sound - this is out of an Android tablet using poweramp's eq. Also, on quiet classical passages when an instrument enters, you hear noise rising with the instrument with EQ on. I'll post some impressions later using my Sandisk Sansa Clip+ rockboxed player, which sounds significantly better than my android tablet.
One thing I really don't like about the Philips is how monophonic the cables are. Any movement of the cables or touching the cables and you really hear it through the ear speakers. This would be a problem with workouts or walking I would think. They are pretty comfortable for IEMs - more so than the others -- but I'm just not crazy about having things in my ears.
The most relevant comparison is to my Koss KSC-75, which are about the same price. Obviously, a very different headphone - not IEM, clip on the ear, external open earspeakers But sound from the KSC-75 is far superior IMO. Much more open, less colored, and I find them more comfortable for long listening. Of course, they don't block out any external sound. The KSC-75's Cable is not monophonic. And the KSC-75 sounds even better through my tiny FIIO E3 amp (no hiss, more open). The KSC-75s are so neutral that there is no need for EQ to tone down an overbright treble. The KSC-75s are still the best cheap (under $20) phones I've heard. Hope that helps someone.