Philips HS-500 Headphones - Cheap Way To Improve Sound Of iPod Or Other MP3 Player
Written: Apr 11 '06 (Updated Nov 16 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Low price, sounds better than stock headphones of iPod and other MP3 players, comfortable, sturdy
Cons: Does not sound as good as 15-dollar Koss KSC75
The Bottom Line: The Philips HS500 is a good inexpensive way to get better sound from your portable music player (be it MP3 or CD) and even get good sound from your...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Philips HS-500 Headphones |
The first thing one should do after getting an iPod or another MP3 or CD player is replace the stock headphones with something better. Although the headphones that come with iPods are not terrible, you can improve the sound significantly by spending less than $20 on decent headphones.
A while ago I bought a couple of headphones to upgrade both my home headphones and the ones that came with my iPod Nano. I have bought the Sennheiser HD202, mostly for home use and I got the Koss KSC75 for use with my iPod. They cost about $22 and $15 respectively. Both sound much better than the stock iPod headphones let alone headphones that come with other MP3 players.
But what about cheaper headphones? Can you get decent sound for less than $10? I decided to find out and bought Philips HS500 Behind-the-Head Sport Headphones with Neckband. They cost me $7.50 but reviews on Amazon were glowing. Some people claimed these are the best headphones they have ever had. Some even went as far as to state that these are the best headphones, period. Regardless of price.
Not only I wanted to see if you can get decent sound for such a low price, but I also needed headphones that are convenient for jogging. Koss KSC75 are slightly inconvenient in this regard.
About Philips HS500
The Philips HS500 are headphones that fit over your ear and have a so-called neckband that goes around your neck. The headphones and the neckband are made of plastic. The headphones themselves are relatively large and cover the entire ear. They are slightly smaller than the Koss KSC75 and sell for less than $10 (I got mine for $7.50). They feature a 5-foot cord, 3.5mm gold-plated plug for portable devices and a pull-relief system, which is a rubber string that absorbs shocks from hard pulling on the cable.
The headphones have nominal impedance of 24 Ohm and advertised to produce 12-24,000 Hz frequency response. The sensitivity is 106 dB. The marketing materials cite "Acoustic reflector system for powerful bass performance".
My HS500 are made of dark plastic with felt pads and fit my ears well. They also seem to be durable. The 5-feet cable is attached to the left headphone only (a plus) and terminates with a compact 3.5-mm headphone plug that works well with portable devices (in fact it may be too long for some uses).
About Koss KSC75
I compared the HS500 to the Koss KSC75. The Koss KSC75 (click here for its review) is a headphone that fits over your ear and has braces that fit around the ear and hold them in place. The braces are made of metal enclosed in plastic. The headphones themselves are rather large and cover the entire ear. The KSC75 sell for about $15 (I got mine for $13). They feature a 4-foot Y-style cord, 3.5mm gold-coated plug for portable devices.
The headphones have nominal impedance of 60 Ohm and advertised to produce 15-15,000 Hz frequency response.
Usage
The HS500 are easy to put on and take off, unlike the KSC75. The HS500 are rather light and do not create much pressure on my ears or the areas around my ears. The padded areas over the drivers are soft enough and the comfort level is great.
I use the headphones with my receiver as well as with my iPod, mostly outdoors or on the train. The HS500 are great for jogging since the neckband holds them in place well. After break-in period, I compared their sound to the Koss KSC75.
Sound Quality
The most important quality of the headphones is the sound quality. The HS500 produces pretty good sound (for the price), which is definitely better than the stock headphones that come with iPod and many other portable MP3 players as well as CD players. The HS500 have good bass, well-defined treble and decent instrument separation. The treble seems to be slightly exaggerated however. Overall, from the standpoint of improving the sound of your iPod or other portable audio equipment for less than $10, the HS500 is a good choice.
I definitely get the feeling of being able to hear instruments that I have not heard with the lesser headphones, e.g. stock iPod headphones or, worse yet, the stock headphones of the Philips HDD077 MP3 player that I had before.
But if your budget is over $10, you can get Koss KSC75. The KSC75 has well-defined bass, smooth frequency response and good treble. The instrument separation and placement is excellent and the overall sound quality is amazing at this price. Comparing with the Koss KSC75, the Philips HS500 has harsher treble, less smooth frequency response and lacks lower midrange. Also, the bass is not as well defined.
The HS500 plays louder than the KSC75 at the same volume settings. The HS500 can play pretty loud too.
Sound Insulation
The sound insulation is not as good as you would get with enclosed headphones. The amount of sound that comes out is not high and should not concern your fellow passengers in public transport if you do not play your music too loud. And the amount of outside noise that enters the headphones is not too high, but not too low either. I plan on using these when jogging and expect to be able to hear what is happening around me.
Impedance
The HS500 have impedance of 24 Ohms, which should suit most portable as well as home gear (provided you use the adaptor to fit larger jacks of home receivers).
Bottom Line
The Philips HS500 is a good inexpensive way to get better sound from your portable music player (be it MP3 or CD) and even get good sound from your PC or home gear without disturbing your family members or neighbors. For less than $10, it is a good choice. But if you can spend more, you will get better sound from the Koss KSC75, which sell for about $15.
Recommended:
Yes
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dkozin
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 in Electronics |
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Location: California
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I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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