Need to replace my Philips SHP9500s with something, need recommendations

[Ian Russo]

I need an upgrade/sidegrade alternative to the Philips SHP9500 for fps gaming, music and video editing for $100 usd (can go a little over) with a removable cable. Can anyone recommend me something with music playback quality similar but with better imaging for footstep audio in game? The Philips are struggling with audio positioning in game and the ear cups are falling apart after years of owning them.

I have big-ish ears that barely fit into something like a SENNHEISER HD 559 for example but the SHP9500's are very spacious so anything bigger might be too big.  

[191x7]

Sennheiser HD 560s. One of the best headphones for competitive gaming. The only noticeably better options are the Beyerdnymic DT 1990 and 900 pro X.

[johnt]

I recommend the Philips X2hr. The headband is incredible, the imaging is spot on. I think it normally sells for $150 but drops to $120/$100 regularly on Amazon. 

 

My only gripe is the wire it comes with. It’s a scratchy, ten foot long cable. I replaced mine right away with something shorter and soft so it doesn’t scratch in my ear. It is replaceable with a normal headphone plug.

Edited March 15, 2023 by johnt
Extra word

[Ian Russo]

7 hours ago, 191x7 said:

Sennheiser HD 560s. One of the best headphones for competitive gaming. The only noticeably better options are the Beyerdnymic DT 1990 and 900 pro X.

I hear nothing but good things from beyerdynamic sadly they are too pricey for me. Sennheiser I get mixed opinions on, I tried their HD 559's but the base and treble is so overpowering that all detail  in the mids disappear even if they have slightly better imaging than my otherwise stellar SHP9500's.  

 

The sennheiser HD 559 also became uncomfortable to me after awhile due to them being a bit small for over ears at least for my dumbo ears, so I am hesitant to go with them again especially at 1 and a half of my initial budget.  Thank you for your recommendations. 

[Ian Russo]

1 hour ago, johnt said:

I recommend the Philips X2hr. The headband is incredible, the imaging is spot on. I think it normally sells for $150 but drops to $120/$100 regularly on Amazon. 

 

My only gripe is the wire it comes with. It’s a scratchy, ten foot long cable. I replaced mine right away with something shorter and soft so it doesn’t scratch in my ear. It is replaceable with a normal headphone plug.

I could give these a shot, they are $99 at amazon rn well within my budge.  I have tons of 3.5 cables lying around too from my other audio setup if I do not like the stock cable so I won't need to spend additional money on that. If I do not like them I could return them to Amazon.

[Ian Russo]

 

[191x7]

51 minutes ago, Ian Russo said:

I hear nothing but good things from beyerdynamic sadly they are too pricey for me. Sennheiser I get mixed opinions on, I tried their HD 559's but the base and treble is so overpowering that all detail  in the mids disappear even if they have slightly better imaging than my otherwise stellar SHP9500's.  

 

The sennheiser HD 559 also became uncomfortable to me after awhile due to them being a bit small for over ears at least for my dumbo ears, so I am hesitant to go with them again especially at 1 and a half of my initial budget.  Thank you for your recommendations. 

The 559 is closed back and way worse than 560s. The 560s are open back and soundwise close to the HD 600 series headphones.

[Ian Russo]

18 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

The 559 is closed back and way worse than 560s. The 560s are open back and soundwise close to the HD 600 series headphones.

Do the 560s have bigger earcups? The 559 is still a bit too small for me even if my ears technically fit

[191x7]

55 minutes ago, Ian Russo said:

Do the 560s have bigger earcups? The 559 is still a bit too small for me even if my ears technically fit

Roughly the same, at least the older 560s, the newer ones supposedly got a small redesign and I'm not sure about those.

What I know is, that with HyperX Cloud I had to use Brainwavz pads to get comfort, and with the 560s I don't need better pads.

And the HyperX I had to extend to the maximum and I'd barely fit, and with the 560s I have pelnty of space. They are for people with large heads.

[Psittac]

I'm going to second the X2HR as an upgrade.  Or you could go with the shp9600, it's on sale right now and you would have budget for new pads for the shp9500 so you could have a backup pair to rely on plus you'll have the opportunity to compare and contrast the two.

 

It's funny that you say the HD559 is to bassy, because when I had the 9500 I thought it was a little thin and bright.  But I'm glad it sounds like the audio profile is to your liking.  I do have the X3 which is a fancy X2HR and I adore them, I wouldn't call them overly bassy but they do have more bass than the shp9500.  It's more of a full and warm sound, the treble isn't as bright too.  If you're a big fan of the 9500 you would probably be happiest with the 9600 which fixed a lot of issues to the previous model.  But it probably doesn't offer better imaging.  The X2HR should offer better imaging at the risk of having more bass than you're comfortable with.

[Ian Russo]

10 hours ago, 191x7 said:

Roughly the same, at least the older 560s, the newer ones supposedly got a small redesign and I'm not sure about those.

What I know is, that with HyperX Cloud I had to use Brainwavz pads to get comfort, and with the 560s I don't need better pads.

And the HyperX I had to extend to the maximum and I'd barely fit, and with the 560s I have plenty of space. They are for people with large heads.

I probably wont get those then for comfort concerns, sound quality may be nice but if my ears are getting smooshed I cant really wear these all day while I work or game.  If they are the same size as ones I have already tried I know i'm likely going to have comfort issues.  Thank you for the help though!  

[Ian Russo]

1 hour ago, Psittac said:

I'm going to second the X2HR as an upgrade.  Or you could go with the shp9600, it's on sale right now and you would have budget for new pads for the shp9500 so you could have a backup pair to rely on plus you'll have the opportunity to compare and contrast the two.

 

It's funny that you say the HD559 is to bassy, because when I had the 9500 I thought it was a little thin and bright.  But I'm glad it sounds like the audio profile is to your liking.  I do have the X3 which is a fancy X2HR and I adore them, I wouldn't call them overly bassy but they do have more bass than the shp9500.  It's more of a full and warm sound, the treble isn't as bright too.  If you're a big fan of the 9500 you would probably be happiest with the 9600 which fixed a lot of issues to the previous model.  But it probably doesn't offer better imaging.  The X2HR should offer better imaging at the risk of having more bass than you're comfortable with.

I think I am going to order them.

 

Also my impression may be colored by the fact I have always run my 9500's through an interface, I used them in a Logitech G433 dac when I got them to replace that headset when the cheap plastic snapped, then an Old astro a40 TR interface and finally in a Yamaha ZG01, never through onboard audio.  All with the jaakkopasanen EQ applied to them. I actually get some decent bass and even slight subbass with the last two, though when loud bass and treble mix it sometimes distorts for a fraction of a second.

[191x7]

55 minutes ago, Ian Russo said:

I probably wont get those then for comfort concerns, sound quality may be nice but if my ears are getting smooshed I cant really wear these all day while I work or game.  If they are the same size as ones I have already tried I know i'm likely going to have comfort issues.  Thank you for the help though!  

Have you considered IEM-s?

[Ian Russo]

2 hours ago, 191x7 said:

Have you considered IEM-s?

In-ear monitors become uncomfortable if you wear them for 12 hours a day, I use them for my travel buds only since I don't go anywhere very often and if I do I want to be completely closed off from the world. I used to use a pair with my computer and it led to inner ear pain.

[191x7]

Just now, Ian Russo said:

In-ear monitors become uncomfortable if you wear them for 12 hours a day, I use them for my travel buds only since I don't go anywhere very often and if I do I want to be completely closed off from the world. I used to use a pair with my computer and it led to inner ear pain.

I did not mean wearing them for 12 hours straight, I was going to suggest having multiple options that you could switch between per use case or to improve comfort.

Switching things up. Having multiple headphones and IEM-s. Different shapes, sizes, tuning, sound signature and different use cases.

Usually changing things improves comfort but also helps with the durability and even hygiene.

[johnt]

I think you're going to be quite happy with the X2HR. I've been using them for years now and they still look new. The quality of materials far exceeded my expectations. And the headband is just... the way every headband should be.

 

I am not sure about some of the "too much bass" discussion. I've never found my pair to be unnatural or bloated or fatiguing. It is a warmer pair of headphones, that part is true. But it's not overly so.

 

I've never tried the 9500's personally, but everything I've read and heard says the X2HR is better in every way. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Ian Russo]

On 3/16/2023 at 8:00 AM, johnt said:

I think you're going to be quite happy with the X2HR. I've been using them for years now and they still look new. The quality of materials far exceeded my expectations. And the headband is just... the way every headband should be.

 

I am not sure about some of the "too much bass" discussion. I've never found my pair to be unnatural or bloated or fatiguing. It is a warmer pair of headphones, that part is true. But it's not overly so.

 

I've never tried the 9500's personally, but everything I've read and heard says the X2HR is better in every way. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I really like my SHP 9500 but it's time to relegate them to a secondary pair of headphones now that they are wearing down. 

 

Also with the too much base, I was talking about the Sennheiser HD 559s, also playing through the Yamaha ZG01 interface.