[vegetaleb]

My RE2 are half dead now and I am searching for new earphones in the 48h coming, I would have buy from Hifiman again but I would wait a whole week because I am in Lebanon.
I have found near my home Philips SHE9800 for 66$ and the SHE9620 for 42$, Senhheiser are overpriced with 90$ for the CX300 II !!
Sony brought only very cheap earphones while I was exepecting some mdr-ex77 and more...
So obviously my choice is limited to Philips SHE9800 and SHE9620,they also have she9600.
So what to buy??

 

[kova4a]

Well, I have philips she9800 and for that money they are pretty good (though I think that online you can get them cheaper). In the beginning they sounded kinda dark and sibilant and with bloated bass but after about 50-100 hours of burn-in they became way better and brighter. Overall, they have awesome soundstage (just amazing), the bass is a little bit bloated but is super punchy, deep and powerful (actually extends down to 10hz), so if you like bass it is there and it is good. The mids though are a little bit recessed (though better after burn-in), so the vocals can be drowned by the strong bass (I don't think the bass is bloated just the mids are laid back), this can be a problem without EQ if you listen to a lot of metal or hard rock music that has lots of bass. The highs aren't that bad just kinda rolling-off too early but nothing too bad. So for the money you get super soundstage, awesome bass, laid back mids and so-so kinda limited highs. Well, that's just my 2 cents - you can get something better for that money online but if those are you options she9800 is very capable and sounds pretty good overall, it sounds amazing with hip-hop and rap music or with instrumental music because of the soundstage, well at least if you don't want to listen to it analytically. I haven't listened to the other philips, but the cx300 isn't better and the soundstage isn't that great, so I don't think paying 25$ more is justified. And if you decide to get she9800 don't give up on them without burning them in for at least 50 hours. 

 

[vegetaleb]

What about the cord sound when moving?
The Re2 were exellent but the cord sound when running was irritating!
I am a fan of Trance,psytrance,rock and little bit of metal(when pissed off)

 

[kova4a]

well, because of the bigger driver they are designed to be worn down, so over the ear is no go but the microphonics are very tolerable - I wear them under my shirt and while listening to music I don't hear any cord sound at all, so I don't think that's a problem. I think that they will be good for your music preferences and as far as metal goes I guess that you will prefer the punchy deep bass when you are pissed off and the laid back vocals won't bother you but some EQ won't do them bad. Again I can't guarantee that you will like them but I think they sound pretty warm and fun, which I like because I'm not always in the mood for listening to the colder sound of armature iems.

 

[vegetaleb]

Btw I have a Samsung P3

 

[kova4a]

Well, I don't know how they sound on samsung p3 but I listen to them on my Samsung Galaxy S and they sound good for the money. Actually, I never ran with them and just did to see how the microphonics are while jogging and they aren't very much or irritating - I have heard way worse though you may be irritated by even little microphonics. 
 
EDIT: actually, there is a small rubber slider on the cord for length management and if you pull it up to under your chin it eliminates almost all microphonics while running. And again even without pulling it they aren't irritating to me - more like a thumping sound from the cord pulling on the drivers.

 

[vegetaleb]

Thank you for the details
I have read elsewhere that the mids and highs are muffled by the bass just like the CX300 II, I hope the guy who said was saying nonsense

 

[vegetaleb]

Thank you for the details
I have read elsewhere that the mids and highs are muffled by the bass just like the CX300 II, I hope the guy who said was saying nonsense

 

[kova4a]

Well, at the beginning when I got them that was exactly the same thing I though - "damn this is muffled!!!". But after the first 20-50 of burn-in with a playlist with lots of brown and white noise the bass was tamed very much, so it wasn't that bloated but still dark sounding. And just when after around 60 hours I thought that's the the sound has settled I decided to burn them some more with lots of pink and white noise and frequency sweeps and the became much brighter. Also, it will be good to try different tip because I found that the sound changes quite a lot depending on the tips. But still the vocals are kinda laid back - not generally muffled with any kind of music, just can be drowned by the bass sometimes on really bass heavy music, so some EQ helps and of course, you cannot expect ultra crisp and detailed sound for this money, they are dynamic drivers after all, but I think that the soundstage makes up for the "drawbacks". Overall, I found all instruments to sound very good with very good positioning just the vocals are a little bit laid back and sound quieter. Also, on my Samsung Galaxy S I have a Music Clarity effect which makes the soundstage just phenomenal and all of the instruments pop up really nice but still the vocals can sound quieter without EQ if you are used to really forward mids as I was. Still cannot be compared to cx300 which I found awfully muffled with all kinds of music.

 

[vegetaleb]

I have found a pair of CX200 street 2 for 40$
They are the cheapest Senheizer in-ear in my country
Does the she9800 easily beat them?

 

[kova4a]

With ease! Actually I thought headphones were expensive in my country but they are just ripping you off for those sennheisers - 40$ is like double the price and the same goes for the CX 300 II (90 $ ???). I wouldn't suggest you buying Sennheisers as they seam to cost more than double in your country and the low-end sennheisers suck pretty much anyway. If you can't order online or you don't have other options I suggest she9800 - they may not be the most detailed sounding but I don't think there are many in-ears (if any) under 100$ or even more which can rival the soundstage of the she9800.

 

[maniac2003]

Can't say much about the low-end Sennheiser, but I can say that I like the Philips SHE9800. I agree with the sound description of kova4a, also the microphonics are very low. The only draw-back I find the sound leaking to the outside world.
$66 is not cheap but when I bought them they were more than €60, I never had regret that I paid that much as I think they are very nice and give a great sound.

 

[vegetaleb]

I tried the old she9500 of my sister, I would say that soundstage is equal to my Re2 which is very good but the bass is too heavy in some songs (though I can decrease it via the equaliser), the treble is good but strong  lacking details I had with the RE2!
If the She9800 is better in terms of treble details I will buy them.
They are selling it in two packs,one in a relative big paperboard box and the other one in a plastic pack. What's the difference?

 

[maniac2003]

Don't know, but mine came in a cardboard box. Does the plastic pack includes a carrying/storage case?

 

[kova4a]

Well I can't remember the pack but I had 3 pairs of silicone tips and carrying case. The soundstage of she9800 is due to the deaign, so the otjer philips are not the same - I doubt that re2 is even close. I can't say how the treble is compared to re2 - they are not super detailed but after burn in the treble is pretty good