Philips SHS 390

.../> I’ve only had these Philips Headphones for around a month, but I’ve been more than impressed. I needed a pair to use with my MP3 player whilst in the gym, as the player only came with a little pair of ear-plug ones which kept falling out my ears (ruddy pain!)

I was first attracted to the headphones through the packaging, it was very quirky and the full headphones could be seen without the need to open it. The second thing I was ...
...sets of these headphones for the price of some Sony ones of similar spec!!

The SHS 390 headphones are designed to clip over the top of your ears, and are connected with a neck band which goes round the back of your head.

The headphones have a standard 3.5mm plug to use with all types of MP3 players, stereos, and laptops.

The cable length is 1.2m, a comfortable length from my pocket were I keep my MP3. ... more

~~~~ Overview ~~~~
I’ve only had these Philips Headphones for around a month, but I’ve been more than impressed. I needed a pair to use with my MP3 player whilst in the gym, as the player only came with a little pair of ear-plug ones which kept falling out my ears (ruddy pain!)

I was first attracted to the headphones through the packaging, it was very quirky and the full headphones could be seen without the need to open it. The second thing I was impressed by was the price; I could have bought four sets of these headphones for the price of some Sony ones of similar spec!!

The SHS 390 headphones are designed to clip over the top of your ears, and are connected with a neck band which goes round the back of your head.

The headphones have a standard 3.5mm plug to use with all types of MP3 players, stereos, and laptops.

The cable length is 1.2m, a comfortable length from my pocket were I keep my MP3.

~~~~ Pros ~~~~
The sound quality is impressive, for the price I paid I wasn’t expecting a symphony in my ears, but the depth and accuracy is not all that bad. As mentioned earlier I mainly use them for in the gym, but they’re also good for gaming as they provide greater depth and sound direction than that of tinny laptop speakers. Further to this the bass and levels are well balanced, with impressive volume capabilities.

The headphones are very lightweight and grip your head very well, which is great if you’re doing sports and moving around a lot, as they don’t tend to fall off your head. Furthermore, as they are proper headphones, you don’t have to jam them into your ear to get them to stay there!!

Even though the headphones do grip your head well, they are still very comfortable; the cushions sit on your ears very well and don’t include any pressure points. After wearing them for a good hour or so I hardly notice I’ve still got them on.

The build quality of the headphones is also impressive, I usually try pulling things off products when I first buy them, just to see how durable they are, nothing to report here though.

The headphones are wired to one ear piece, so the cable only runs from one side of the headphones, which is handy as you don’t have a loop around your neck which can sometimes get caught in things. In-addition winding the cable up following use is made much easier, with little chance of tangling and knots occurring.

Extremely cheap (£9.99 from Currys), which I thought was good for a pair of Philips.

~~~~ Cons ~~~~
Although I was impressed by the sound quality, the headphones do not include Dolby, so they’re not the Elite as far as audio performance is concerned.

A volume control / track selector is not included, some headphones I’ve previously owned came with a little control panel on the cable to change the volume or select a different track, unfortunately the SHS 390 headphones don’t have such a feature, which can be a little annoying if you just want to turn the volume down or change a track. But I suppose the price can justify the exclusion of such a feature.

Does not include noise cancellation, so that if the gym is playing their own music or someone shouts across from you, chances are you will hear them, somewhat annoying especially if the best part of a track is coming up!!

~~~~ Technical Spec ~~~~
~ Acoustic system: Open
~ Diaphragm: Mylar dome
~ Frequency response: 12 - 22 000 Hz
~ Impedance: 24 Ohm
~ Magnet type: Neodymium
~ Maximum power input: 100mW
~ Sensitivity: 102 dB
~ Speaker diameter: 32 mm
~ Type: Dynamic
~ Voice coil: Copper
~ Cable Connection: Two-parallel, asymmetric
~ Cable length: 1.2 m
~ Connector: 3.5 mm stereo
~ Finishing of connector: Nickel plated
~ Type of cable: Copper

No, I didn’t understand much of that either!!

~~~~ Conclusion ~~~~
In conclusion, a great pair of headphones, much more than what you would expect for the price. However, don’t expect the most impressive sound experience, as explained earlier; I purchased the headphone mainly to use in the gym with my MP3 player, so I didn’t need the Full Monty in my ears!!

I would recommend this product to anyone who wishes to comfortably listen to their music or enhance their gaming experience, that doesn’t require the ultimate in audio performance, and doesn’t want to break the bank for a pair of headphones.

All in all a chuffed customer!! 

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