[Llloyd]

 
Quote:

 
 
Actually it is pretty special for the price.  Depends on your priorities though.  My priority is not soundstage.  My priority is clean decay with minimal resonances and even balanced FR.

 
Well I disagree that it's special for the price of 150 USD.  I don't think it's fair to say that because you don't prioritize soundstage, that makes it a great value.  It might for you, but I think generally speaking at the 150 price point most cans have to sacrifice something to do another thing well.  I think it's clear that the M50 definitely makes some sacrifices to produce it's great sound.  The value of the M50 is average.  It's not bad, but it's not a very special headphone in my mind.  I'm glad that you can enjoy it though.  I suppose for those whom it suits perfectly it must seem like a phenomenal value.  I think at that point you can get the FR and signature close the M50 and a better stage though.  Either way I still recommend them to some people if I know their tastes well enough.  It's not like I don't enjoy music when I use them.
 
 
 

A very good review, indeed. But Quinn seems a little bit wishy-washy about some factors. For instance, he reviewed the M50 and stated that he thought they were very balanced and neutral sounding. However, in this review, he changed his mind and talked about it having a V-shaped sound signature. I guess his mind changed after hearing more neutral headphones.

 
I see what you are saying, but since I guess I've seen nearly most of the videos, it's easy for me to understand because I believe the m50 is an older review when he had experienced less quantity of headphones.  Less reference material.  I mean in the beginning he started out saying he thought beats by dre sounded great, and then did a complete reverse into "do not buy beats, do not buy monster products"  because he educated himself.  This is much better than being stubborn, and of course everyone has to start from something.  The m50 review is still helpful for newbies and I doubt his initial impressions warrant a re review or removing the video all together.  I'd say they're good enough for his general audience, and presented in a much more pleasant and not overwhelming like head fi can be.  Probably not as well suited to very informed head fi members since I think nearly everyone here is too familiar with the M50 more than nearly any other headphone.  I'm sure if he's around he's much more informed on his own material than me though

 

[e_resolu]

 
Just thought I'd give you a little background on the reviewer in this video and the website owner, who just happen to be the same person. HeadphoneMecca is a one man show setup by the YouTube reviewer  "ThatSnazzyiPhoneGuy" or Quinn (TSIG on head-fi), who primarily set up the site to answer the never ending question of "what are the best headphones under $XXX" or "what are the best headphones for X genre" from his viewers. He is a self proclaimed audiophile and has what seems like enough experience to back that up (just search his channel for many of his headphone and audio product reviews). Unfortunately, being 1 of 1 and managing a website that covers a subject with endless possibilities means that lots of things will have to be excluded/delayed, not to mention that's at 2 months old, HM is a relatively new website. I'm not surprised that there are no $300+ listings. 
 
That said, I'm going to go ahead and pick these up tomorrow at Best Buy and I'll see if he's right about them being better than the M50s. 

Jshaw6000, what do you mean with ' He is a self proclaimed audiophile ' ?
You've probably been appointed 'audiophile' by the '1000$ heaphones' secret society. Lucky Guy !

TSIG thanks for your review. I really appreciate it.

 

[TokyoRound]

Hi, new guy to the site here 

.
 
I've been using the Uptowns since last Friday and was having a little Google to see what people were saying about them and trying to confirm I had made the right decision. I am by no means an Audiophile, and probably fall into TSIG's target audience. 
 
I love the headphones and have been very happy with my purchase. I've used them virtually non-stop since Friday and listened to a variety of genres. Initially they sounded a bit too quiet but that seems to have vanished now. They are pretty warm sounding tbh and generally just good for easy listening on the go (which I believe, is what Philips were aiming for). 
 
Someone mentioned concerns about the in-line controls and cable. The controls aren't too fidly tbh, I leave it on full-volume, never touch it again and just control the volume using my iPod/iPad/phone/laptop. The "spaghetti cable" as you guys seem to call it, is a little weird, but seems to work. I have had no issues with the cable tangling but do wish it was slightly longer. The build quality is pretty good for the price, i'm not too worried about anything snapping or falling off. 

 

[Rezound Sound]

 
Quote:

Lol he said in the review that they clamp more tightly than other headphones. Hmmm....

I have experienced no such clamping.... My head's circumference is ~23".
 

 

[Daniel2579]

I would like to know how do the uptowns/downtowns compare to the v moda m80's, and which pair would you recommend?

 

[Noned]

 
Quote:

The video review is for the Philips Uptown. The Downtown's the smaller, portable, supra-aural phone.

 

I don' t see the Downtown in Philips web site. Downtown=Metro?

 

[Rezound Sound]

 
Quote:

 
 

I don' t see the Downtown in Philips web site. Downtown=Metro?

http://www.usa.philips.com/c/Headphones/citiscape-collection-downtown-shl5605bk_28/prd/en/
 

 

[Acreo Aeneas]

Quote:

 
http://www.usa.philips.com/c/Headphones/citiscape-collection-downtown-shl5605bk_28/prd/en/
 

  Woah, those look really comfy, elegant, and classy! 

 

[TSIG]

Quote:

Lol he said in the review that they clamp more tightly than other headphones. Hmmm....

 
Too be fair, my head's shape is beyond bizarre.  I have a martian head.  Haha.

 

[NotSoSerious]

Quote:

Again, my audience is not an audiophile audience. They're mostly low-level consumers just beginning to enter the higher audio quality market, and I feel like the Uptown's sound would be more fitting for more people in more genres on more playback devices. Not to mention the build quality and comfort of the M50 is surpassed by the Uptown (other than that stupid spaghetti cable).

 
Nowadays people think Bass > All.
I don't know why, but people are just obsessed with mind-rattling bass.
When young, teenage customers randomly asks me for any headphone reccomendations ( at the shop I work at ) I ask what genre they listen to. Almost 95% of the time it's rap, hip-hop, dubstep, or pop. Assuming they have little to no audiophile experience ( they probably wouldn't be asking me if they were ) I assume that just like any other teenager, they love mind-rattling bass above everything. I tend to reccomend the Crossfade LP's often. While it really doesn't sound that good, with a serious lack of treble, I feel it is one of the best Beats by Dr. Dre alternatives. 
If I reccomend them something like the M-50 they will either say:
1. "There is no bass." - Even though something like the M50 already has quite a bit of bass, their soiled ears are used to the ridiculous bass of the Dre line. Since people prefer bass of everything... The LP's offer intense bass, but atleast sounds much better than the Dre line overall.. 
2. "It's ugly." or "It doesn't look as cool as the Dr. Dre's!" - The M50 or the Uptown really doesn't look that stunning or flashy. The LP's do look very flashy and stunning, with a removable cable just like the Dre line. 

 

[eortizr]

Quote:

 
 The M50 or the Uptown really doesn't look that stunning or flashy. The LP's do look very flashy and stunning, with a removable cable just like the Dre line. 

 
Dude that'll be just your preference, the Uptowns look way nicer than the Dre's

 

[Rezound Sound]

Quote:

 
Dude that'll be just your preference, the Uptowns look way nicer than the Dre's

Feel nicer and sound nicer too!

 

[jgray91]

Quote:

Quote:

 
 The M50 or the Uptown really doesn't look that stunning or flashy. The LP's do look very flashy and stunning, with a removable cable just like the Dre line. 

 
Dude that'll be just your preference, the Uptowns look way nicer than the Dre's

He's talking in the eyes of the unwashed masses. He works in retail where unwashed masses goes to anyway. 

 

[TSIG]

Quote:

1. "There is no bass." - Even though something like the M50 already has quite a bit of bass, their soiled ears are used to the ridiculous bass of the Dre line. Since people prefer bass of everything... The LP's offer intense bass, but atleast sounds much better than the Dre line overall.. 

I love the people that say the M50 have no bass—it just proves zero knowledge about headphones or audio as a whole.  I almost can't comfortably listen to the M50 because there is way too much bass.  Not to mention something like the PRO700MKII.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

I just purchased the uptowns.... I'll settle this by writing a review. I have my Apogee duet, and my Pico to test it on as well as the Iphone 4s.... recently got some award money so I can get back into the hobby. I have had the M50's as well as many other headphone around that price range (my favorite is still The ESW9's). 
 
As for TSIG, I have been watching his reviews. I think his biggest problem is that hes young audiophile, despite his wealth of equipment. Young people are always wishy washy (me being young myself I should know). For example, when i first got the FiiO e5 i thought it was amazing.... yet now I would never suggest anyone waste 20 bucks.  That being said I think he overall does a good job, though I really can't stand to watch his amp reviews, mostly because his language is inaccurate. He's a force of good in this community, that much is obvious. 
 
 
Anyway, they are out of stock at amazon, so i'll be waiting... not sure how long they will get there (they are only 135 on amazon plus free prime shipping).