When Music Matters, Invest in Philips SHS3200 Headphones

After having a lot of really crappy headphones over the past year or so I decided to step things up a little and try two newer styles. It was a toss up between the JVC Gummy or the Philips SHS3200. I ended up getting a pair of both of them and I have to be honest here, the Philips are kicking some major butt so far. I am hard on headphones so I usually go with the cheaper ones for the gym and running or walking on the treadmill, springing ten dollars on a pair of headphones usually only happens when I am in dire need of them and they are the only thing available. The guy admitted he didn't know much about either pair so I had to give him points for being honest. If you aren't into reading long reviews here is the nitty gritty. These deliver excellent sound, have tremendous volume, feel exceptional and are worth a hell of a lot more than $9.99

Philips SHS3200 Over-The-Ear Headphones

How do I judge headphones? Comfort, sound, durability, volume and price. The SHS3200's really impressed me and I am going to go out on a huge limb here and say that they are one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones I have ever worn. They have the usual over-the-ear style but the pod that goes in your ear is a little different; its attached to the rubber coated ear loop with a rivet and while you can't position the actual pod you can adjust it thanks to the flexible loop. The package says that the cord length is 1.2 meters [47.2440945 inches] and I found that number to be a little hard to believe. When I measured the cord it was a little over 46 inches so they are a few inches longer than most headphones. Another great thing about them is there are no silly foam covers for the ear pieces. I hate them with a passion because they always rip or fall off.

Of course the true test of any set of headphones is how they sound and how long they last. I have to preface this be saying that I got stuck in an extremely heavy downpour three days ago and fully expected my MP3 player and these headphones to be ruined. Imagine my surprise when both of them worked perfectly. These get used mostly with the Philips SA4010 1 Gig MP3 Player; maybe because they are both Philips products they works so great together but I have used this on CD players and with the computer and they sound excellent. These have a stereo 3.5mm plug so they will fit into most consumer electronic products.

Since I am a creature of habit and rarely deviate from my norm when I am at the gym or out walking I tested these out with my usual favorites. Why these three? They all have distinct sounds and styles of music that really lets you judge the quality of headphones and the sound that you are getting from them. Cradle of Filth's Nymphetamine has a rich combination of high pitched vocals and growls and scowls from Dani to Jezebel Diva's angelic vocals. Listening to the CD with these was great but when I listened to the same tracks on the MP3 player they seemed a little 'fuller' [for lack of a better word]. They keyboards really came through and the bass was throbbing.

Type O Negative's October Rust has almost the same results. There are certain songs like "Druidess" and "Love You To Death" that are best listened to with headphones. I hate to say it but these sounded almost exactly like the higher priced Skull Candy LINK Headphones. What stood out the most were the almost hidden sound effects and Josh's keyboard work; that's something that you just can't pick up on with the cheaper headphones. As far as spoken word, Henry Rollins - Eric The Pilot was a great pick and I was able to hear the entire recording in crystal clear fashion. Every laugh of the ground, step and movement Henry made on stage and all the little noises that come from an 'on stage' performance were completely clear.

Volume. Wow, it takes a lot for me to admit that I don't have to crank the volume to the highest level to get a lot of sound. On the MP3 player I usually have the volume up all the way, with these I have to take it down four or five clicks so that my ears aren’t killing me. Yes, that is exactly how loud these are. Not only are they loud but they have a great sound to them; none of that washed out sound or tinnyness [not a real word] to them. There aren't many songs that I can listen to with the volume all the way up and I like my music loud. Again, for me to admit that means that these are some of the best headphones I have come across in years.

Now, if they were well made and had great sound and were still affordable that would be awesome but they are super comfortable too. I can wear these for hours, take them off and not have any ringing in my ears or soreness from having them on for so long. All this without an auxiliary / additional volume control. The only thing I would do to improve these would be to have some type of case for them because you will get knots and tangles from them, especially where the headphone line splits for the individual ear loops. Tangles and knots can happen to any pair of headphones so I can't list that as a con for these. One last huge perk these have over almost all the other headphones I have owned, the lead out from the jack has a straight body to it instead of the "L" shape. I am sure that this will increase the life of the headphones as the wires inside it won't get kinked or bent unnecessarily.

The Bottom Line

I love the fact that I don't have to shove ear buds into my ears and have them pop out when I am moving around. These are extremely comfortable to wear and I have actually fallen asleep with them on; that's not the best idea in the world because you could easily find yourself wound up in them and end up choking yourself. The headphone cord is thick and long so I can wear my cargo shorts and have my MP3 player in one of the deep pockets without worrying about there not being enough cord or the cord getting yanked out of the MP3 player because there isn't enough slack.

These make for an excellent pair of replacement headphones and the ten dollars you will spend on them is more than worth it. The first time you wear these and hear the sound quality that you get from them you will forget about the price you paid and start enjoying the real sounds of your music. Regardless of what you listen to, it's going to sound great with these headphones. I've had everything from Hinder to Lamb of God, Ministry to Kid Rock playing on these since I got hem and I haven't been disappointed once.


As always, thanks for the visit ...

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2008 Freak369



Sony MDR Series
Vertical - Ear Buds - W20G - A30G - MDR J10

Maxell Headphones
NB10 Head Buds - EB-125 - Light Beats

Koss P/4 Ear Bud Headphones and P/5
RCA HP230 and RCA HP240
Panasonic RP HS-5 - Philips HS800
Skull Candy LINK Headphones