[srozi]

I think all of these are nice dac/amps, but maybe a little overkill for shp9500. I recommend you to save and get a Sabaj DA3. You can spend the rest on some different gear.

Google the sabaj, it is stellar for the price, better than dragonfly..

i can only get those dac/amp in my place...

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

hi, i wanted to buy dac/amp for the shp9500, i want to choose between the following, i am advised to hear the ultimate quality of these headphone,
- ifi nano idsd black label
- Topping nx4 idsd
- xdoou xd-05
- dragonfly red / black

thanks

fiio k1 - $39 and pairs perfect imo

 

[CKT1138]

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring the gospel to you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/653c4w/shp9500_owners_get_these_pads_screw_hm5s/
I got curious and tried these pads, I liked the increased low end and the dynamic tendencies definitely improved as well, but was dissatisfied with the decreased treble response.
SoI removed the tuning sponge from the Shure pads, and immediately I struck gold!
You see, Philips didn't really have a tuning sponge on the original SHP pads anyway, which when combined with the bizzare dimensions of the original pads and their highly pourous stitched material, resulted in a lot of treble with unusual peaks in the sibilance region but a loss of low bass frequencies. The shure pads fix up the acoustic issues by providing better insulation to the underside of the pads and providing a better seal with a more focused opening, however the 940 pads are equipped with an adhered tuning sponge. I carefully peeled it off of the nylon protective sheet and put them back on the SHPs and my God, it's exceptional. They sound as good as they feel and look, and that's really impressive. I highly recommend this modification!

Note: the 940 pads will NOT go onto the ring adapters easily, so take your time stretching them over

 

[Slater]

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring the gospel to you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/653c4w/shp9500_owners_get_these_pads_screw_hm5s/
I got curious and tried these pads, I liked the increased low end and the dynamic tendencies definitely improved as well, but was dissatisfied with the decreased treble response.
SoI removed the tuning sponge from the Shure pads, and immediately I struck gold!
You see, Philips didn't really have a tuning sponge on the original SHP pads anyway, which when combined with the bizzare dimensions of the original pads and their highly pourous stitched material, resulted in a lot of treble with unusual peaks in the sibilance region but a loss of low bass frequencies. The shure pads fix up the acoustic issues by providing better insulation to the underside of the pads and providing a better seal with a more focused opening, however the 940 pads are equipped with an adhered tuning sponge. I carefully peeled it off of the nylon protective sheet and put them back on the SHPs and my God, it's exceptional. They sound as good as they feel and look, and that's really impressive. I highly recommend this modification!

Note: the 940 pads will NOT go onto the ring adapters easily, so take your time stretching them over

Whenever I get pads with that extra foam, off it goes! Good call on that.

I ordered a set and will try them out.

Also, when you say “adapter rings”, what are you referring to? The 3D printed ones people sell? Or separating the stock pad from its mounting ring and streathing the new pad over that? Or what?

 

[CKT1138]

Whenever I get pads with that extra foam, off it goes! Good call on that.

I ordered a set and will try them out.

Also, when you say “adapter rings”, what are you referring to? The 3D printed ones people sell? Or separating the stock pad from its mounting ring and streathing the new pad over that? Or what?

Yeah, the 3D printed ones ModHouse sells, I kept the stock pads intact because I do like them despite their few issues.
The issue is that the SHP9500 has HUUUUGE pads from stock, so pretty much everything short of the brainwavz oversized pads will need to stretch...
I usually ditch the sponges myself, however the stock sponges included with the headphones should always be kept around, especially for cans like the MDR-V6, where without the tuning sponges, transform treble into little ear icepicks.

 

[Slater]

Yeah, the 3D printed ones ModHouse sells, I kept the stock pads intact because I do like them despite their few issues.
The issue is that the SHP9500 has HUUUUGE pads from stock, so pretty much everything short of the brainwavz oversized pads will need to stretch...
I usually ditch the sponges myself, however the stock sponges included with the headphones should always be kept around, especially for cans like the MDR-V6, where without the tuning sponges, transform treble into little ear icepicks.

Got it.

I don’t use the 3D rings. I just stretch pads over the cup and it’s all ready to go.

 

[CKT1138]

Got it.

I don’t use the 3D rings. I just stretch pads over the cup and it’s all ready to go.

Yeah they should work fine like that.

Do mind that they'll definitely have slightly more elevated bass than stock, the trade-off is that they'll have any sub bass at all!

 

[Slater]

...the trade-off is that they'll have any sub bass at all!

Not sure I followed that last line. I think autocorrect jacked up some words or something. What about the sub bass and trade off?

 

[CKT1138]

Not sure I followed that last line. I think autocorrect jacked up some words or something. What about the sub bass and trade off?

Basically, you'll be increasing the bass of the headphones a bit, which may be a bit strange at first, but there is a benefit in that now, the SHP9500's will produce audible sub bass in any appreciable quantity. The SHP's are somewhat infamous for lacking bass, especially below 80Hz.

 

[jimmers]

Yeah they should work fine like that.

Do mind that they'll definitely have slightly more elevated bass than stock, the trade-off is that they'll have any sub bass at all!

Not sure I followed that last line. I think autocorrect jacked up some words or something. What about the sub bass and trade off?

Basically, you'll be increasing the bass of the headphones a bit, which may be a bit strange at first, but there is a benefit in that now, the SHP9500's will produce audible sub bass in any appreciable quantity. The SHP's are somewhat infamous for lacking bass, especially below 80Hz.

Now I'm more confused, seems there are some negations that need adding or removing

 

[CKT1138]

Now I'm more confused, seems there are some negations that need adding or removing

What I mean is:
-bass overall will increase in volume somewhat
-sub bass will finally be of an acceptable quantity

I think my phrasing was a bit strange, my apologies

 

[Slater]

What I mean is:
-bass overall will increase in volume somewhat
-sub bass will finally be of an acceptable quantity

I think my phrasing was a bit strange, my apologies

Gotcha. Makes sense now.

Although I currently have the increased low end you mentioned, as I use currently angled pleather Brainwavz pads on my 9500.

I did order the ones you posted, because it’s always fun to pad roll. There can always be a better pad out there. If the 940 makes them even better, then I’m all for it. If it’s not my cup of tea, I’ll add them to my spare pad collection, as I’m sure I’ll use the pads on something else.

 

[Pahani]

I see. Well, I guess if they work with pleathers, velours and hybrids, having options is good. It's like an eq. But for your head. That makes no sense...

I can't focus more on the not soaking part. I once tried to wash a pair of filthy AKG cloth pads, so I used warm water and soaked them in. Within 15 minutes the glue holding them together had dissolved and I was left with the inside foam and the outer cloth seperated. Didn't mourn much for them, but I learned my lesson.

Well, when it comes to gaming, I'd prefer the X2, altough I mainly play games that would benefit from the SHP9500's sound. Thing is, my MSR7 are damn near perfect for shooters. Their soundstage is decently wide for a closed back, but the imaging is excellent and I can pinpoint footsteps' location in a 3D space. However, they aren't the greatest when one wants an immersive experience, say for games like the Witcher. And I suppose neither are the SHP9500. They're not bad, sure, not even close, but standing in the middle of Novigrad's square in the Witcher sounds like I'm in a big room rather than a square. Maybe that's an issue with them being closed, but I doubt that the SHPs would be better in this regard. The X2 sound like they'd fit the role perfectly.

Speaking of the X2, I was watching/reading some reviews online. One one hand, there's Tyll and Zeos, who both praise the X2, each in their own way. Tyll basically says they're in the better side of non-neutrality, while Zeos says they're the widest sounding headphones and have great bass and whatever. One the other hand there's DMS. I don't know if that guy is a troll that just ****s on most popular headphones just to be polarizing, or if he's just the most harsh reviewer among the bunch. Maybe a little bit of both, I guess? Anyway, in his review, he says the X2's bass distorts after a certain volume, that their midrange is lacking and that their highs are peaky and grainy. Needless to say, that was a bit of a shocker because, well, what if he's right? After all, his hearing ought to be in the best condition among the aforementioned reviewers. He's young, unlike Tyll, and seems to be able to hear highs, unlike Zeos (or rather, he doesn't tolerate it as much? I dunno).

Damn...

I was initially surprised by that review from DMS too. He didn't like the SHP9500 either. But, it seems to me that DMS really values mid frequencies, and the X2 is V shaped while the SHP9500 is know for its detailed highs (not the most refined highs - but still fantastic for its price). It seems like DMS reviewed them after he had heard the massive hype of both of the Phillips headphones, and how these my be giant killers... which they are not. Sometimes very high expectations of something can ruin the experience, versus little or no expectation of a product. If i had already heard many high end headphones and was told that the Phillips headphones would blow me away, I may have been disappointed too. But, I can tell you that I frequently think to myself (regarding the 9500) dang, i cant believe these were $50.

Also, there are now several other headphones on the market that have raised they bar for budget HiFi cans. It seems like a couple years ago, the X2 and 9500 hit way above the price tag compared to competitors. And again... these headphones became popular among the Gaming community... not the audiophile music listening community. If you judge this in the hifi music audio world.. there are now many many better options. But, both of these blow away almost ANY "gaming headset" - $300 for a Astro A50 or an X2 - the X2 wins!
I rarely listen to music with these headphones because I have other headphones that do that better for me. Its not that they play music badly - they are extremely better for music compared to an Astro headset. But, I do grab either of my Philips when I play a game or watch a movie (that is until my Mobius arrives ).

So with these speculative possibilities, I can kinda see where DMS is coming from, even though he was a little harsh. I think Zeos over emphasized the size of the soundstage of the X2 in his video.. at least with my experience with them. If you compare them to the HD600, the X2s do have a much wider soundstage. But there are bigger soundstages to be found in headphones.

Sorry, I know that this is a SHP9500 Thread. It sounds like the X2 would fit your purposes more so than the SHP9500s.

Edit: Oh, I also have noticed a difference in sound between my two SHP9500. One is a SHP9500 while the other is the SHP9500s. This difference may be that one is never used and is basically brand new while the other has burned in. But there is a significant difference. The ones I use more often are warmer sounding. This may also play a role in differences of reviews.

I agree with your assessment of dmz's reviews. I Think he was way to harsh in his assessment of the shp9500 and the FIDELIO x2.
He seems to use the hd600 and hd650 as his benchmarks. The extra brightness of the shp 9500 would probably be a turn off for him. As for the graininess he describes for the 9500, To my ears It's not that extreme. I think his ears are highly treble sensitive.
If mid range is very important to him, then It's understandable the x2's wouldn't ,as compared to the hd 600, be his cup of tea. But just as his description of the 9500's graininess, is not as extreme to my ears as to his; his description of the x2' treble, isn't how I hear it., either.
I also wonder if the extra mid bass hump of the x2's also threw him off kilter. I mean compared to the hd 600, the bass may have sounded bloaty to him.

Another example of different people's hearig perceptions.

LOL those were my pairs of SHP's and X2's that DMS reviewed. And my HD600, HD6XX, T50's, K7XX, etc......I sent him damn near my whole collection to jump-start his channel. I think every video in that 2-month or so period was of my HPs. And my ears agree with most (not all) of his findings, though I wouldn't have been so harsh. His ears are definitely newer than mine, I make no claims to having perfect hearing

(Zeos also had my Stax L700 during this same timeframe *shakefist*)

Where I disagreed quite a bit was his overly harsh review of my X00 Purplehearts. I dunno if he was listening at ear-splitting volumes, or what........but yeah, of all the reviews of my headphones, I disagreed with THAT one the most. My Purplehearts are my go-to cans besides my Stax, and most everything else gathers dust. Fatiguing? Not to my ears they're not, not in the slightest They're juuuuust right.

I started with the SHP's. They were my only HP for about...3 or 4 months. After that, I received K7XX and X2 in quick succession (both in the same week!) K7XX only lasted a couple days and then X2 completely took over my head time. As someone else here has said, I likened them as the SHP's bigger brother.

I used X2 daily for around 6 months, and then ran across a deal on a (barely) used pair of HD600. And yeah, as much as I loved my X2's up to that point, it was undeniable that they have almost zero midrange compared to the Senns. It was then that I started "marrying" a bass-heavy HP with a neutral-ish HP, and simply switched between the 2 when I desired a different sound signature.

When I got my first pair of Stax, they beat the pants off HD600 and have been my go-to Neutral cans, and likely will remain so. Period. From there, there is only better Stax. As already stated, my bass-heavy pick to compliment them is my modded X00 PH. And I'm probably done buying Dynamic HPs (Stax are too expensive!), so this is likely where my journey ends.

 

[CKT1138]

My opinion on the 940 pads may have lessened somewhat, I feel as though they over pronounce the lower bass frequencies, to a sometimes problematic degree, I'm currently trying to find tuning solutions to remedy this. I'm torn between the ideas of bass port modification for the stock pads, diy attenuators for the Shures, and reducing the amount of bass by blocking some of the existing back of driver opening(s)...

 

[omegaorgun]

Just got my shp's, they sound good. The imaging was nice, I like the open sound as I usually run closed back. Bass was adequate.
I had no stock cable so bought this and thought it was a bargain, very well made. https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Housi...d=1536760364&sr=8-19&keywords=ugreen+3.5&th=1