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Philips SHP9500 are the best budget headphones
- Thread starter BobZmuda
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I never understood this way of engagement. I blame my age. Every time I see someone tweet something like this, I always think worship cream cheese if you want why do I care. But people do seem to engage with this kind of stuff. Is this a way of bringing different opinion in a single thread for them to share their views or sth? If it is then I like it. Wording can be improved to sound a tad bit less self-important though.
Oh yes, on the topic.
Absolutely.
Where I live when the parliament is reviewing the government budget, all MPs wear SHP9500 because they are the best budget headphones.
Oh yes, on the topic.
Absolutely.
Where I live when the parliament is reviewing the government budget, all MPs wear SHP9500 because they are the best budget headphones.
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solderdude
Grand Contributor
A bit on the 'lean' side (lacking bass impact) and having elevated treble (sharpness) but of good quality once EQ'ed. Lacking in clarity a bit.
Distortion in the bass at 92dB SPL is a bit on the high side.
Decent headphone for €100 to €150.- range when one considers that 'budget'.
Non replaceable pads but EQ (adding some bass and clarity and lowering treble) makes it a nice sounding headphone at normal to somewhat loud listening levels.
Good comfort and looks (to me). It wasn't a keeper.
- Thread Starter
- #4
A person on the audiophile subreddit did EQs for tons of headphones. People there swear by them. Here's the one for these headphones.
I once tried out his curve in E-APO and it sounded pretty good but volume was low. So I made the adjustment as written by turning off the first filter (sub-bass), then raised the pre-amp gain. It was better, but I vastly prefer my usual curve which I also use with speakers. Try it out and tell me what you think. Mine was made playing around with graphic EQ as I don't understand what parametric filters are or how they work. Is my curve comparable to the Harman curve?
Preamp: -5.1 dB
GraphicEQ: 25 -2.6; 40 -0.5; 63 1.3; 100 1.6; 160 1.6; 250 1.9; 400 2.2; 630 2.6; 1000 2.9; 1600 3.8; 2500 4.8; 4000 5.1; 6300 3.8; 10000 0; 16000 -3.5
I once tried out his curve in E-APO and it sounded pretty good but volume was low. So I made the adjustment as written by turning off the first filter (sub-bass), then raised the pre-amp gain. It was better, but I vastly prefer my usual curve which I also use with speakers. Try it out and tell me what you think. Mine was made playing around with graphic EQ as I don't understand what parametric filters are or how they work. Is my curve comparable to the Harman curve?
Preamp: -5.1 dB
GraphicEQ: 25 -2.6; 40 -0.5; 63 1.3; 100 1.6; 160 1.6; 250 1.9; 400 2.2; 630 2.6; 1000 2.9; 1600 3.8; 2500 4.8; 4000 5.1; 6300 3.8; 10000 0; 16000 -3.5
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You could also play with EQ settings and visualise them with Crinicle's tool. He has measured the SHP9500. https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,SHP9500
In that price range better consider AKG k371.
solderdude
Grand Contributor
There are people that swear by a lot of headphones, even the DT48
Preference....
EQ above 6kHz based on HATS measurements is pointless as a target to EQ to and for certain headphones (not this one) it also applies to bass response.
Fortunately for the, no longer available, SHP9500 seal has very little effect so bass corrections will work well for most (depends on preference though) and so will a shelf in the treble for this particular headphone. Only lacking a bit in clarity, which can be a blessing with pop recordings.
The K371 is closed and has other issues but is in the same price range.
- Thread Starter
- #8
There are people that swear by a lot of headphones, even the DT48
Preference....
I meant the people in the headphones/audiophile subreddits I referred to swear by this user's EQs: https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets/
Oratory1990 is a well respected measurer of headphones. I usually base my own EQ on his measurements and his suggested PEQ settings. Note that the PEQ settings are not the same as the measurements. You will find PEQ settings generated based on Oratory1990's measurements that differ widely from his own...
index/faq - oratory1990
r/oratory1990: Mostly covering topics like headphones, in-ear headphones, acoustics, electroacoustics, acoustic tuning, headphone design …
www.reddit.com
Also note that Oratory1990 provides suggests to tweak his settings for your own preference on the bottom right of the page...
Also, you really need to read up on PEQ, it is not the same as a Graphic Equalizer (GEQ) and has far more capabilities for adjusting the sound. In Oratory1990's own words...
How you implement PEQ will depend on your listening setup, but there are many options...
EQ Software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android.
Any suggestions are welcome. Post suggestions here. I will gather the details and add them. Thanks. :D This will be organized as results come in. @sweetchaos made a guide for PEQ filter data input and operation. For crossover software go here. Windows: AutoEQ four easy steps to make your...
www.audiosciencereview.com
I use PEACE+eAPO on Windows...
And my Qudelix 5K portable DAC/Amp has it built-in (this is the Chome plug-in on my PC)...
I can also apply PEQ using PowerAmp or USB Audio Player Pro on my Android phone.
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RTINGS which also does mainly measurement based reviews also recommends them as "Best Audiophile Over-Ear Headphones Under $100"
www.rtings.com
The 6 Best Over-Ear Headphones Under $100 - Spring 2024: Reviews
The best over-ear headphones under $100 that we've tested are the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless. These lightweight, well-built headphones are a good option if you're looking for all-around casual use.
www.rtings.com
You mean quality issues? Like built quality, driver mismatching etc?
As for the sound, for the price it's almost flawless IMO and easy to drive. I was really impressed.
ps. left driver in my k371 failed after like month of usage or so, my unit was exchanged for new one on warranty so...
- Thread Starter
- #12
As I said before, I applied his PEQ settings in Equalizer APO...took several minutes because you have to do each filter one by one. I then tried making adjustments based on his suggestions but it still didn't sound as good as my curve.
With regards to PEQ, is there a "dummies" book that covers things like that and all the other technical audio stuff?
LearningToSmile
Senior Member
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It's one of these headphones that were widely available and recommended everywhere few years ago when the selection was more limited and measurements scarce, so I'm not surprised it's popular. Always liked the way they looked myself, the L/R indicators painted on the mesh are cool.
These days you can get Phillips X2HR for similar money if you look around and can still find them, so I'd probably go with those instead.
These days you can get Phillips X2HR for similar money if you look around and can still find them, so I'd probably go with those instead.
The PEACE GUI for eAPO can Import filters from a text file or directly from AutoEQ...
I found this guide to PEQ which may be helpful... https://audiouniversityonline.com/how-to-use-a-parametric-eq/
Finally, if you prefer your curve over Oratory1990's then great. This is all about getting a frequency response that matches your own preference (but doing it in a scientific way).
- Thread Starter
- #15
The main issue I had with his curve was the much lowered volume, even when I switched off the subbass filter and raised the pre-amp gain, which helped a little. It's odd because my curve also registers at 0.0 peak gain, yet sounds much louder.
Would getting an external headphone amp be the only way to solve the volume issue with his curve?
You do need head room to apply PEQ, how much you need will depend on your equipment and how much you want (or need) to correct. For example, I used slightly modified Oratory1990 settings for my Sennheiser HS 660 S. I have to apply -8.4 pre-amp gain to keep the response at 34Hz under 0dB...
If I didn't need (or want) to boost the response as much at 34Hz, then I could reduce the negative gain on the pre-amp. Personally, I feel the 660's need this boost, so that's what i'm stuck with (if want to avoid digital clipping which could be very noticable)
Incidentally, how loud something actually sounds is complicated by the way our ears and brain works. Take a look at Fletcher-Munson curves: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour
Dazerdoreal
Active Member
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You are new and cannot new this - I am also rather new - but this is forum is full of hardcore EQ nerds.
(I feel home here.) You can expect most people to know him in this forum.
PurpaSmart
Member
A couple of years ago I managed to buy the shp9500 for 50 USD, for that money they are pretty much unbeatable IMO. Very bass light though.
Fallconaft
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Its gandfather of all Grado's
Dont you think that the effect of angled driver compensate that gap in the ear-gain region? To my ears there's any gap thereView attachment 273969
A bit on the 'lean' side (lacking bass impact) and having elevated treble (sharpness) but of good quality once EQ'ed. Lacking in clarity a bit.
View attachment 273970
Distortion in the bass at 92dB SPL is a bit on the high side.
Decent headphone for €100 to €150.- range when one considers that 'budget'.
Non replaceable pads but EQ (adding some bass and clarity and lowering treble) makes it a nice sounding headphone at normal to somewhat loud listening levels.
Good comfort and looks (to me). It wasn't a keeper.
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