Digital Trends

Phillips’ most recent entry into the earbud market touts an expert tuned and angled acoustic design, which reportedly provides remarkably “crisp, detailed and transparent” audio with “extended precision highs delivering the ultimate in pure sound.” But seriously – are the headphones really all that? Read on to find out.

Features and Design

The Philips SHE9850 features a straightforward aesthetic design with a twist. Specifically, the kind of industrial design that allows them to fit more comfortably into one’s ear and hopefully enhance your listening experience. And with four different earbud options featured in the box, you’re more than likely to find one that fits the bill.

Included in the package are three soft, silicone canal tips and one set of shape-changing foam tips. The foam tips are designed to fit into your ear and adjust by expanding into your ear canal, providing a seal to keep out annoying distractions and background noise. Also included in the package is a surprisingly cool, usable metal box for storage and an earbud cleaner. There is a clip to hold the cord to your shirt provided too, and the cable on the SHE9850 measures about four feet in length.

Sound

Designed with a high-definition transducer, sound quality proves about what can be expected, which is to say reasonably good. During testing, we utilized our trusty 8GP iPod Nano, armed with lossless audio files covering several different genres of music. The SHE9850 produces consistent mids, nice crisp highs and surprising bass response. With the correct earbuds chosen, it’s safe to say you’ll be pleased with the unit’s overall sound caliber and noise isolation performance.

Conclusion

At $89.99US, most buyers will find the SHE9850’s audio quality and comfort welcome – and that the headphones’ deliver as promised in terms of pure ergonomics. For those seeking superior sound though, we would suggest you instead check out the AudioTechnica QuietPoint ATH-ANC7, which provides a true noise canceling feature. Or, for a little more money, try the Shure SE310 which received a coveted Editor’s Choice award. Overall, however, Philips’ most recent model makes a solid choice for an affordable upgrade over your current set of clumsy, less enjoyable cans.

Pros:

• Extremely comfortable
• High sound quality
• Nice carrying case
• Thick cord

Cons: 

• Single driver design
• No built-in noise-canceling feature
• Pricey