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Philips SHN9500 Active Noise-Canceling Headphone Review
I have the original Bose QuietComfort (QC1) noise canceling headphone since 2002. After five years of heavy usage, the unit is now literally falling apart. It is held together by an assortment of Scotch tape, rubber band, crazy glue, plus its willpower to live. Time to look for a replacement...After some research, I finally decided to try the Philips SHN9500/37 Noise Canceling Headphone because:
1. It is a full-size headphone that covers the ears completely just like the Bose QC1 & QC2. This design is more comfortable to wear over extended period.
2. On paper, its noise-canceling capability (up to 85%) and frequency response (20Hz - 22KHz) are equal to that for the QC1.
3. Its price is only about one third that of the new QC2 or QC3.
In terms of construction, the Philips SHN9500 is very similar to the Bose QC2 (unlike the original QC1 which requires an external box for batteries and electronics). It is also equally comfortable to wear. But when it comes to noise cancellation and music quality, this headphone pales in comparison with my five-year-old QC1.
In a series of A/B tests, music from the Philips feels lacking in depth, while the Bose QC1 does a much better job in immersing me in music. Like other reviewers, I noticed that bass produced by the Philips headphone is very weak. This just doesn't make sense to me, because both Philips and Bose headphones are supposed to have frequency response down to 20Hz.
After much experimentation, I found out that if I switch OFF the power of the Philips headphone (and crank up the music level a few notches), it can actually deliver a rich bass similar to that from the QC1. But once I turn ON its power, the bass is attenuated together with background noises. Appearently, the noise canceling feature cancels out part of the the low frequency sound from the music as well!
So basically, I can either use the Philips SHN9500 as an un-powered HiFi headphone without noise-cancelation, or I can use it as a noise-canceling headphone without listening to music. But if I want to do both at the same time, I just have to endure the poor sound quality it delivers.
Maybe Bose is justified in charging $300 for the QuietComfort series, after all.
[Update on Sep 24, 2007]
During a recent trip to California, I brought both my new Philips SHN9500 and my old Bose QC1 for an in-flight comparison test. The old QC1 still performed better in reducing plane noises, even though its ear cups are in very poor shape and cannot offer proper sealing. I attribute that to a more aggressive DSP algorithm used by Bose.
I guess I'll just keep the Philips as a standby until the day my QC1 finally kicks the bucket.
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