Bruguru's Full Review: Philips HE-592 Consumer Headphones
If you own a portable music player, whether it be digital-MP3, ipod , CD, or even cassette, do yourself a favor. Get rid of whatever headphones you’re using and run out and buy a pair of Philips HE-592 in-ear phones. I know that’s a rather bold recommendation but trust me, in this case (and in my opinion), it’s warranted.
Why do I say this? I just love the sound that comes out of these little gems, that’s why. I’ve gone through more sets of phones over the years than you can imagine, plugged in to a never ending parade of portable audio devices. None have ever sounded as good as the Philips HE-592.
What makes them so different? The biggest thing that stands out to my ears is the patented “reflected speaker design” which Philips says “creates a virtual surround sound effect”. And it really does. To my mind, this is nothing really new, and smacks a bit of Amar Bose’s direct reflecting technology is featured in the astounding Bose 901 speaker system.
Be that as it may, you can’t argue with results, and the results here are incredible. Basically, each earbud speaker has an exterior port that allows escaping sound to re-enter the ear canal and create an additional reflected “layer” of music. The minute delay of the reflected sound gives a truly “three dimensional” quality to your music. It also provides bass, as you’ll quickly see if you cover the ports with your fingertips.
And it is truly impressive. More than just headphones, the HE-592s truly recreate the live listening experience, and closing my eyes, I can easily believe myself in the midst of a concert hall. Stereo separation is excellent, and the sound truly seems to come at you from multiple angles.
What’s more, the bass is deep and booming, the treble high and clear. When I’m out walking with my ipod, Beethoven seems to be walking right along with me, coming alive with the sounds of the Ninth Symphony or Egmont Overture. If I prefer, a Chicago concert has me right in the middle of the concert hall. If I’m not careful, the Phantom of the Opera may leap out from the shadows.
Apparently I’m not the only one impressed: the Philips HE-592 headphones won an award at the 2004 International Consumer Electronic Show for innovation. And I can see why. The headphones that came along with my ipod were good enough, but they pale in comparison to the HE-592s. In fact, they did me a favor when one speaker died because of the poor design of the jack that plugs into the player. My ipod sounds better than ever now.
Have I mentioned the clever “plug” design of the in ear inserts? They’re uniquely fashioned with edged plastic tips to hold onto the inside of your ears. Quite simply, they won’t fall out of your ears as the pair that came with my ipod so often did, much to my chagrin.
The cord is plenty long enough for on the go use. The jack and plug are designed at a 90 degree angle, and the solid protector construction at the joint ensures that the wire won’t fray inside with use. This is exactly what happened with the pair that came with my ipod.
A small circular case is included to pack up your headphones when not in use. What more can I say? This is one of the most amazing products I have come across in a long, long time, and for $20 they sound better than sets costing two to three times the price. And they sound fantastic with my Microsoft Zune .
Technical specifications:
Frequency Range: 16-22,000 Hz
Sensitivity 106 db
Impedance: 16 ohms
Maximum Power Input: 50 mW
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