Philips - SHP9500

Shp 9500, old classics and still sound good

Most gaming headphones are just cheap headphones sold at a higher price due to rgb or branding. Even cheap studio headphones would be far better. The old HyperX products like Cloud 2 and Alpha are based on studio headphones so they're not bad. Their new stuff is awful, though. And Razer in particular has the most overpriced headphones I've ever seen. SHP9500 would be far better than all of these and probably cheaper, too

I'd look in audio stores that specialize in that sort of thing. SHP 9500 and 9600 are very good. Hard to say if they'll have them in store, though

That's just the truth. Same thing with keyboards, if someone has ever tried a good mechanical one and a membrane one, they'll know right away which is better. It's the same with headphones. This is coming from someone that has tried half the headphones on this list and only Cloud Alpha is decent, at most. A 20 dollar IEM will beat all of these, and I'm being completely serious here.

shp9600. Spare parts are easy to find, build quality is great for the price. I love my shp9500 and it's still in good condition even after 7 years. I bet the 9600 is better since the treble isn't as piercing as the 9500

Yes.. I use a philips shp 9500 for years, never want to go back to a "gaming headset" they make my ears vomit every time I compare to my Philips 🎧 but I haven't try gaming headset nowadays, the one I'm comparing and I still have it for occasional usage is steelseries arctis 1 wireless.. just because it's wireless and it can produce sound and bass that's it.

My Philips SHP9500 is beauty and didn't break the bank.

Was looking at R70x previous but upon seeing a reviewing video from Youtube where he show a chart of the ear pad sizing.. and realize it is gonna be uncomfortable as the pads are definitely gonna rest on my ear than over it. So far I find Sennheiser HD599SE, or Philips SHP9500 (need change thicker ear pads as the OG is too thin and ears will touch the hard interior) or Philips Fidelio X3, these have gigantic earpads.. and fit better.

Oh boy, I am going to get downvoted to **hell** for this, but... • [Razer BlackShark V2 X](https://a.co/d/3iVvLHa) Was recommended to be from a friend's brother that claimed to have played in PSL for R6. They recommended them to me, because I played R6, Hunt: Showdown, and a few other games that required good Audio Cue reactions with those friends. I've enjoyed them for the better part of the last 5 years. Excellent bass, the Dolby Sound Card, and 7.1 Channel Audio would be the selling points for these. As they have aged, I have noticed that there is "scratching" or "static" that occurs while you are turning the Volume Knob, but only **while** turning; the other thing is that one of the Ear Cup Pads is coming off, but it's been "coming off" for like a year and hasn't been an issue so, ymmv but for the price I'm not upset. Some people have told me, regarding my own headset, that it's too tight and is uncomfortable to use for more than one or two songs. I really enjoy this amount of pressure I guess, I'm willing to put this information out there and admit I might be the odd one out. At least you know up front. I will run it for 4+ hours at a time and my only complaint, personally, is that they can get pretty sweaty after a long session. $38 isn't a bad price, most Storefronts will have them priced at $50-$60 brand new. I just grabbed the first Amazon Link though, I'm sure you could shop around and find a better deal if you tried. Alternatively, if you're willing to spend a bit more coin, you could opt for a pair of [Philips SHP9500](https://a.co/d/gLDAGqa) open-back headphones. The sound profile is significantly better for your average audiophile, but in order to achieve certain clarity you do give up some of the Bass *thump*-iness; hence the open-back design. And these, I doubt will get me in trouble with the informed buyers of r/BIFL and the folks over at r/audiophile.

SHP9500 was definitely the most comfortable headphones I've ever owned.

Philips SHP9500. They're efficient and so will work well with or without an amp, and their 3.5mm ear cup jack can be removed and replaced with a gooseneck mic conversion if you need a headset. Some sellers actually furnish these headphones, or the SHP9600 with a gooseneck mic, but you'd have to access the mic quality yourself. They're not very expensive anywhere, under your budget, and the best prices I've seen are on ebay. Surround sound is a gimmick and sound gimmicks won't improve your game play. Audiophile quality with great soundstage will, and that these Philips headphones will provide. If you want to use your full budget, look for open box, refurbished or used values on the Sennheiser HD 550 or HD 560S. They're not quite as efficient as the Philips headphones but they can be powered sufficiently by most equipment. If you have a headphone amp, you could also consider the HiFiMan Sundara. Outlet pricing direct from [HiFiMan.com](http://HiFiMan.com) might be within your budget.

Get some Philips shp9500, they are easy to drive, and will sound good on most things 😅

Philips SHP-9500 with a V-Moda Boom Pro. Both of mine have been going strong for several years now. Just got a 3rd set of pads for them, only thing that's worn out.

The Philips X2HR are good for people who feel more immersed with more bass, they're kinda like better Beyerdynamic DT 990 with a bit of extra bass. The Philips SPH 9500 are closer to the Sennheiser HD 560S, they're aiming for a more balanced/flat tuning though they can seem slightly bright. I'll give them an extra kudos for comfort. There was a time when the SPH 9500 were perceived as budget bargains because they were like less refined Sennheiser HD 600 for less money. I have the Sennheiser HD 560S. They're also aiming for a signature that balances the different frequencies with similar weight, but I think they achieve that a bit better than the SPH 9500: better L/R channel matching, tighter tolerance, less sub bass roll off (actually surprisingly good sub ballads for an open-back headphone). The drivers are also set at an angle in the earcups, so you get a more natural sound due to greater sound wave interaction with the outer ear. The large earpads are oval, so they stick out towards the front of your face less and feel a bit better. It does have to be said they come with a firm clamp: you might get sore at first, but there is a comfort in headphones that don't slip around on your head, and with some light headband stretching and time they break in like a favorite pair of jeans. It's also easy to replace the pads and cable, if they wear out or you feel like accessorizing.

The Phillips SHP 9500. Get a nice dac + amp combo and save the rest of the money for something else nice.

No one here said Hexa is endgame or flagship-tier. What I did say and still stand by is that it delivers audiophile-level sound quality (i.e., high-fidelity, neutral tuning, detailed mids) for under $100, especially when compared to the bloated, muddy tuning of most gaming headsets. And that's objectively true unless you're redefining "audiophile" as "$300+ only," which is just gatekeeping and uninformed like i stated earlier. Also, mocking gear as "Chinese" as if that disqualifies performance is just lazy. You realize brands like Hifiman, SMSL, Topping, and Moondrop are all Chinese and respected across audiophile communities? Price-to-performance from Chi-Fi is why the landscape has shifted so hard the past five years. OP has a Rode mic great, so that already frees him from needing a headset mic. The question was headphones or headset under $100 with audiophile sound for gaming, and yeah, Truthear Hexa or Moondrop Aria absolutely check that box. Just because something isn't your preferred form factor or price tier doesn't mean it's "trash." If you've actually listened to Hexa or Zero Red with a proper DAC and still feel that way, fair enough. But if you're just dismissing it from the spec sheet and origin country, that says more about you than the gear.

I pulled out my SHP9500s the other day after finding an EQ over at r/oratory1990. Hadn't used them in a long while, damn they sound great.

My Philips SHP9500 is beauty and didn't break the bank.

My under $100 picks: Koss KPH30i and KPH40i, Philips SHP9500 and SHP9600, Audio-Technica ATH-M40's (on sale) Sennheiser HD 599's (also on sale)

Everyone recommends Sennheiser 560s. I play Hell Let Loose with Philips fidelio x2hr and Philips SPH 9500. I would go with the Sennheiser.

Sennheiser HD599SE - open back over ear, if you can shop on Amazon, they go on promo for under $100. They are quite good in all the aspects, but the bloated upper bass can interfere with hearing some sounds when there are a lot of explosions going on Philips SHP9500 - open back over ear (big, but shallow), $50 or even less on AliExpress promos, they feel probably the most spacious of the headphones I'm listing, they are quite decent, but I've sometimes struggled with front image in Warzone, so when looking at a wall behind which enemy was running I was sometimes losing the sense of the exact spot he is at, but honestly Warzone just has bad audio, and I feel like you even have to set it differently depending on headphones, so I can't say if that is a weak point in every game Samson SR850 - open back, oversized on-ears, $30, very nice roundness to the soundstage for a nice and crisp 360, depth I felt not as good as top headphones, but hard to tell because those are so uncomfortable for me I can't use them for long enough to test properly. The treble are very sharp, to the point where it can be painful in games with some rather metallic sounds (like firing with silencer on). Also the construction is microphonic. Koss KSC75 - open back, clip-on, on-ear, about $22, does 360 without issues, depth is not perfect, and the image of the enemy is not as crisp, but all in all they are decent, and you can track what happens around you well. My main issue would be some specific lower sounds might not be standing out much, so again using Warzone, the chests are harder to hear. I have them now on a headband, and I feel like they worked better for me as clip-on - a bit sharper image and those few sounds like the chests were a bit more audible. The headband is down to $2 on AliExpress, so it is worth checking which way of wearing KSC75 would work better for you. Qigom S300 White Lotus - flathead earphone, $15-20, good 360, crispier image than KSC75, but even more low end audibility issue, and so the current chests in Warzone are genuinely hard to hear :P Out of those HD599SE and SHP9500 have detachable cable, while SR850 and particularly KSC75 can have cable failures. Bad headphones in the price range - Koss Porta Pro ($40 open back on-ears, worst headphones for competitive fps I've tried), Creative Aurvana Live SE ($30-50 closed back on-ears, can't do a proper 360, only cardinal directions), Superlux HD562 ($15 closed back on-ears, hardly any direction to the sound). Neither of those is as good as some older under $100 Sennheisers I've or used, but all of those prime recommendations were unfortunately discontinued. If you would be interested in getting used headphones, then look for open back HD558. Unfortunately I'm completely unaware of good closed backs in $100, sorry.

You specify open back but you are coming from closed back. Under USD $100 the only good open back headphones I know of are the Philips SHP9500 and SHP9600. On ebay with name your price they might sell for as little as USD $40 and should still be abundant at $60. They have good bass, but to get them to hit as hard as you seem to desire, you'd have to use EQ to further boost the bass: [https://equalizerapo.com/](https://equalizerapo.com/) Closed back, under $100 the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x used to be a great bargain and was often open box priced at $25 on [Adorama.com](http://Adorama.com) Now I see them at $60 to $70 and think they'd still be a great value if they could be found at $40 or less. Instead of purchasing them at $60, for $130 on ebay, the FiiO FT1 are a far greater value, and absolutely deliver the punch you seek. Spend the $30 more and stick with a closed back, use EQ with the Philips, or budget $300 and get the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro open backs, used or open box. They're not as punchy as the FiiO FT1, but they do have great low bass extension and everything else a great pair of open backs can provide. I've never listened to Superlux. They make a hybrid semi open back HD 681 headphone that's supposed to be nice. It's also pretty cheap, maybe $40. Because it's only partially open it might have a bit more low frequency impact than the Philips. I'd still pick either of the Philips over Superlux, with or even without available bass boost for movies. You'd like their open soundstage for how that transports you into the scene and you'd get used to the bass level and swear you never missed a beat. Open backs are my favortite and I'm glad you specified that type. The HD 490 Pro are my favorite movie headphones but out of your range. The FiiO FT1 are my second favorite and for low rumble, nothing else I own can beat them, so you should add $30 and get the FT1, for now, and then if you spot the Philips at a great price, add them and use them as trainers for the day you do want headphones like the HD 490 Pro. The FT1 are also the most efficient headphones in this bunch, so if you don't have a headphone amp, they have the best shot of making your earphone jack still seem awesome.

Koss Porta Pro, KSC75 and SHP9500 are the OG affordable audiophile grade gear. Even these seem overpriced in comparison.

SHP9500, absolute comfort, light, and can take a beating. Can also pair it with Vmoda boom mic if you need for online gaming

Wired: Philips SHP9500, HIFIMAN HE400SE, FIIO JT1 WIRELESS: Edifier W820NB, Baseus H1 Tbf, the wired headphones are more value for money if you're just using them on your desk

I can vouch for shp 9500. At first I didn't like them, But after adjusting and also thickening the earpads with some mods, they are great

My usual recommendation, the Sennheiser PC38x aren't on sale currently but a good budget alternative is the Drop + EPOS H3X. https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-h3x-gaming-headset?utm_source=linkshare Otherwise, I also heavily recommend the SHP9500 with a standalone mic like the V-Moda boompro. https://a.co/d/4rfCj3j https://a.co/d/fqkO2do

Here's my list of recommendations Headphones Audio technica ATH M30 or M40x AKG K240 Phillips SPH9500 Sennheiser HD 599 on sale you can get these around 100$ If your open to IEMs there is a ton for under 100$ that are leagues ahead of most gaming headsets.

I have zero experience in Bose. I'm in the Hifiman/Phillips/B&O camp mainly. I daily drive my Phillips SHP9500s for work and go home to my X2HRs for gaming in the evenings. All I know is once you get the 9500s bent and comfy you'll forget they're on. I wear mine 4-6 hours straight almost every day.

Rapaz, tem alguns fatores subjetivos ai para indicar um fone como o tipo de assinatura sonora que você gosta ou gêneros de música que ouve e mesmo o uso que faz deles, em casa, fora, usa por várias horas, etc.. Você e o pessoal comentaram dos HiFiMan, Kuba e AKG, por coincidência tenho eles e o Edifier WB800 também 😅 , todos eles possuem drivers dinâmicos, exceto o HiFiMan... vou falar um pouco das minhas impressões pessoais de cada um. HiFiMan 400 SE: É um colosso pelo que custa, sendo o mais técnico, seria o melhor custo benefício se não fosse a questão que ele requer amplificação de um DAC/AMP para poder ser utilizado bem. Ele tem drivers planares, que tem um som mais detalhado e resoluto, sendo mais analítico. Não espere graves muito potentes e o conforto não é para longas audições 😅 Kuba Disco 2 Pro: Um ótimo fone, com um som bem natural. Possui ajuste mecânico de graves que permite agradar uma boa faixa de ouvintes, indo de um som mais neutro para um som com graves cavernosos 😅. O pessoal às vezes reclama que o arco de madeira aperta, mas no Pro o arco é de aço, não tive muito problemas. AKG 712: Um monstro para quem gosta de uma sonoridade mais em V, com graves e agudos elevados, muito competente e muito confortável comparado aos outros. Porém, como dizem, ele é um beberrão, também precisa de um DAC/AMP parrudo para mostrar tudo que é capaz. Ainda tenho um Philips SHP9500, um clássico para quem é hobbysta, extremamente confortável e tem uma sonoridade bem agradável e honesta. É mais confortável que o AKG pois é muito leve. Como 1.500 não é pouco dinheiro, recomendo assistir uns reviews no YouTube. Comentaram sobre usados, se tiver interesse em algum, eles estão disponíveis.Eu viajo muito a trabalho e de um tempo para cá tenho usado somente fones intra auriculares pela portabilidade 😅

SHP9600 are a very large headphones, they are supposed to have more clamp force than my SHP9500 which are a very clamp force light, but the diameter of the ear cups is huge and so I would still worry they will be just too big to be worn comfortably on a small head. There are a lot of complains by adults with small heads, particularly women, for whom SHP9500 was too big, and hence uncomfortable to wear (if it even stayed on their heads). Unfortunately I don't think I have used anything good for less. I have Samson SR850, comfort is hit and miss (might be fine for small heads, but not for large ones), but the treble are very sharp and harsh I would say it is not worth wearing out they hearing, and also the headphone's whole construction is very microphonic to the point you hear various noises when moving your head, There are also Koss headphones (I have clip on KSC75 which I like, and headband one Koss Porta Pro which I don't as I find them too muddy), but I would worry about the reliability. There are sometimes some leftovers/refurbishes of various discontinued Sennheisers on-ears from PX and PMX series available on local markets so I would perhaps look if there are any. ISK has $40 open backed model called HF2010 which is roughly based on Beyerdynamics headphones construction, it has good reviews, so maybe it is something to check.

I have a Phillips shp 9500 It was cheap. It's super comfortable. The sound is incredible (and its open back). I have been using it for 8 FUCKING YEARS. And it's not even hinted at a problem.

Philips SHP 9500 or 9600 and a v-moda boompro microphone

Sennheiser HD700/800/800S AKG K612/702/712 Phillips SHP9500/SHP9600

I use a V-moda mic boom with a Philips brand open back headphones (forgot the model name). Open back headphones will give you a more natural ooen sound as sound pases into your ears and out of the headphones and radiates all around you like real.sound does. Doesn't come at you in 1 direction but all around. A caveat is open backs aren't good to use for people sleeping around you, for edsmple, as they'll hear the game/music too if your volume is high enough but it'll sound amazing if you're only use to closed back headphones. People who produce, play, and mix music nearly always use open backs to get that detailed natural sound. Works great in games too 👍

I have both these headphones and I find that my ears do get quite toasty after a while, more so with the X2HR's - for a few years I've been meaning to see if I can get any gel based pads so my ears don't overheat as I'm not a fan of the velour finish of the stock pads.

Shp9500 is a little over your budget but is amazing for gaming

Not sure about the precise definition of comfort you are looking for and neither am I an audiophile, but SHP9500 are working out quite well for me as an esports caster. I sometimes have to spend 8+ hours on air in headphones (and I play dota for 6+ hours daily to keep up with the meta) so I needed something that would breathe and stay relatively cool during long sessions. These headphones are that, though they probably won't wow you with sound and not sure about how well they express directions for competitive shooters. So far, roughly three months in, zero inflammations of the ear that were plaguing me last year.

Phillips SHP9500. The headband is soft and they are light. They disappear after a couple of minutes. If you don't mind on-ear the Koss KPH40 are super light and comfy.

Philips SHP9500. You won't find anything as cheap, reliable with excellent sound quality like those.

I had these for a while and my ears touched the drivers

I think the Philips SHP9500 (70€, 10 year ago) are the perfect middle ground between the Sennheiser HD 599 SE (80€ on sale) (more bass, unique warm signature, slightly inferior soundstage) and the Fidelio X2HR (80€ on sale) (same bass but lacking in the mids). All driven by a humble FiiO E10. For me, the SHP9500 are superior to the Fidelio X2HR. And lighter on the head

I would recommend staying away from 'gaming' headphones. Here's a great set from drop [https://drop.com/buy/drop-pc38x-gaming-headset](https://drop.com/buy/drop-pc38x-gaming-headset) Another great option is the Philips SHP9500. Has a removable cable, so you can add an in line mic. Philips SHP9500 [https://a.co/d/ebIXMha](https://a.co/d/ebIXMha) Mic [https://a.co/d/hmFfSws](https://a.co/d/hmFfSws) A set like this will give you decent communication, and a very solid entry level audiophile headphone.

my shp9500 been going strong for long time, and that's with kids using them for years

I have old SHP9500, tbh, still yet to find better headphones for casual usage

Agreed! Got mine 8 years ago for 50 dollars, paired it with a vmoda boom pro mic and replaced the ear cups with leather ones and a 3D printed bracket. Sound and mic quality is amazing, super lightweight. I don't know where to get the 3D bracket anymore, but I printed it out myself a long time ago when I had access to one.

Personally I use Phillips 9500. In class I believe we use AKG K240.