I must acknowledge that the Philips SHP2700 marks my first purchase of a Philips brand device or gadget. Up until now, I have consistently relied on Samsung for displays, Sony for audio equipment, and Apple, Nokia, or Sony Ericsson for cell phones. Philips had never been among my preferred choices.
However, this time, I decided to explore Philips as I shopped for audio headphones. Given my preference for Sony in this category, I visited a reputable Sony retailer seeking a full-size audio PC headphone. The only model available was the Sony MDR-XB300, touted as an extra bass headphone. I had the opportunity to demo the headphones, but I found the sound clarity to be crystal clear, with bass response almost negligible, and the maximum volume far from satisfying. It was somewhat disappointing, considering my high expectations from Sony’s headphones. Regrettably, there was only one model available for full-size headphones, prompting me to search elsewhere.
I attempted to find other options at various shops in Chandigarh, but it seemed that Sony was predominantly shipping the MDR-XB300 model to this region. My hopes for finding a good set of headphones were nearly extinguished until I stumbled upon Music World. To my delight, I discovered a dedicated section solely for headphones, featuring brands such as Sony, Philips, Microsoft, and others that are not worth mentioning. At first glance, the Philips SHP2700 caught my eye, and I was impressed with its design. Unfortunately, no demo was available, which is often the case in such stores. As I had already tried Sony headphones, my last resort was to compare the specifications of both branded headphones.
Upon examining the specs, I noticed that the Philips SHP2700 boasted a wider frequency range (18 to 28,000 Hz) compared to Sony’s (5 to 22,000 Hz). Furthermore, the amplifier power of the Philips headphones was 32 Ohms, while Sony’s MDR-XB300 stood at 24 Ohms. These statistics indicated that the Philips headphones were superior to Sony’s MDR-XB300. The price difference between the two was initially a concern, with the Philips SHP2700 priced at INR 1495 and the Sony MDR-XB300 at INR 1090. However, I dismissed this factor upon realizing that Sony’s model was not even a full-size headphone, measuring a mere 30mm in diameter. In contrast, the Philips SHP2700 featured 40mm speaker drivers, promising a better fit and ear coverage. Satisfied with my findings, I promptly purchased the Philips headphones.
Upon returning home, I eagerly unpacked the headphones. To my surprise, it had a single cable instead of the Y-shaped cable, which was a welcome feature as I prefer single cables. The cable length of 3 meters was generous, though perhaps not entirely necessary. I wasted no time in plugging in the headphones to assess their performance. With my PC’s volume and Winamp at full blast, I was not anticipating exceptional loudness, given my prior disappointment with Sony’s headphones. However, I was amazed when the music started playing, and I had to remove the headphones immediately. The volume was so intense that it became unbearable. I was thoroughly impressed with the headphones’ powerful sound output. The package also included an additional adaptor for the wire, with default size being 3.5mm and the adapter size 6.3mm. The headphones’ aesthetics were also striking.
One aspect worth noting is the absence of a volume controller on the headphones. Consequently, I am compelled to adjust the volume on my media players, such as Winamp or YouTube, as listening at 100% volume becomes unpleasant. While it is possible to enjoy music at such high volumes, watching movies or videos under these conditions seems irrational. Additionally, the package claims that you can listen to music for hours with these headphones. However, based on my personal experience, wearing them continuously for extended periods during summers can cause discomfort due to the heat buildup around the ears.
In conclusion, I believe I made a commendable purchase in acquiring the Philips SHP2700 headphones. With this acquisition, I proudly add my first Philips product to my gadget collection.
All full size headphones will make your ears sweat. Its a fact, generally.
And single cable is a good thing.
And the other brand not worth mentioning was TECHNICS, which is basically Panasonic.
http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/technics_dj/flash.asp
They have good products, but a little high-end.
Congrats on your buy. I am sure they are definitely better than sony, cause I am already using MDR-XB300. As you mentioned, clarity is good, but no bass no loudness. I also have a noise canceling Sony headphones, which are pretty amazing. Do check them out.
Yes, the single cable is good. After reading your comment i realized that in the post i have not mentioned how i feel about the single cable, so now i have edited the post.
Now that you mentioned it, i remember Technics headphone were there as well. But highly expensive at INR 3500 i guess.
No product can beat Sony in sound clarity! No one has and probably no one will. Sony was my first preference, you know that. 🙂
Actually i have a headphone already. But this stereo headphones is amazing. It have nice features. I want to take it..
I have had to buy several pairs of stereo headphones over the years. Has anyone ever had this happen?: I will have a pair of stereo headphones, use them on a regular basis, then all of a sudden one side will go out. Either the Left side or Right side will go completely dead. So I will be stuck with a pair of headphones where the music only comes out ONE side! What causes this and how do I avoid it?
Marc This headphone is one of the better ones that i have used. However i do feel that headphones with noise canceling features will perform even better.
Creative Designs, i will be honest here. I have bought at least 5-6 pairs of headphones before. And they all went out the same way you described. Actually they all were low quality headphones. Non branded. So that’s the reason for my older headphones. Not sure if your headphones were damaged because of the same reasons.
I just checked.
My noise canceling Sony headphones are MDR-NC6.
Official Site Link >> SonyStyle.
It is a nuisance not to have a volume control on the cable as almost all headsets do. This is a major set back in my opinion. For some reason, I always thought that you lived in Mumbai. This post clarifies and points out that you are in Chandigarh. I suppose that it must be much hotter than Mumbai is likely to be.
Hi Nicole. I am actually from Panchkula. It’s a fast developing city just next to Chandigarh. However i do most of my shopping from Chandigarh.
And yes, the weather is horribly hot here in Chandigarh. Mumbai must be pleasant at least at evenings with the cool breeze over the seas. I just have an air conditioner to cool off things at my place. No natural way to do that. Alas!
I have had many problems with headphones over the years. I like the ear plug ones but they never fit my ears. The full headsets allow me to get in the zone, but sometimes I need to be able to hear whats going on around me. The ear sweating thing is horrible and the head phones leave a dent in my hair. I guess the search will go on for me 🙁
I used to have a Philip walkman many several years before 🙂
and till now haven’t used any Philips company thing as new brandz are out here with gr8 services
Sumit I have the exact same Sony headphones. I am not overly impressed with the noise cancelling feature. I don’t like that you have to have a battery weighing down the headphones just to create some extra static. I would invest in a nice set like the Phillips Sharat bought, but now I work from home and don’t need headphones as much.
hi, i just wished to correct some info as stated by you in your post as follows:- “Amplifier power for Sony was 24 Ohms whereas that of Philips was 32 Ohms.”
Term Amplifiers power is used for Amplifiers only,its represented in RMS or PMPO. PMPO IS FAKE MANIPULATION OF RMS as used by so many companies now-a-days.
24 ohms or 32 ohms , this is used normally for resistance of any partially conductive material, but when its used for Headphones or Speakers it represent its Impedance, lower the Impedance is higher the sound output and vice-versa.