When you think noise cancelling you think big headphones on your noggin. Well Philips wants to change all that and following Bose, has launched a pair of noise cancelling headphones that are in-ear. But do they work? We get listening to find out.
Our quick take
The Philips SHN7500 tries to offer noise cancelling without the hassle of wearing big headphones cans on your head. To that it does achieve this aim, however we just weren't overly impressed with the performance of the noise cancelling or the design compared to other offerings on the market
If you really want to go in-ear rather than having big cans on your head up the cash and opt for Shure.
They might not be noise cancelling, but even the entry-level set will still do a considerably better job than the SHN7500.
Philips SHN7500 noise cancelling headphones - 3.0 / 5
| FOR | AGAINST |
|---|---|
|
|
Called the SHN7500 in-ear headphones, the phones boast noise-cancelling technology and claim to offer an "enhanced, interruption-free listening experience".
Being in-ear you'll need to worry about that battery to power all the gumbins (you can't stick them on your head), and so the earphones come with a battery compartment that you'll have to carry around your neck like a dead albatross.
If that wasn't bad enough, the headphones were uncomfortable to wear, no matter how we tried they just weren't staying in if we moved our head (and yes we tried the different sized tips included in the box), this of course translates to not getting a good seal, which means that half the experience is lost before you start. It may just be us, but we haven't had problems with Shure, Denon or Bose earphones fitting properly.
If they don't fit in your ear properly, imagine how silly you will look with a large battery necklace around your neck? With no alternative, the design means you can't even hide it in your pocket like the Sennheisers, you have to wear the clunky looking battery case that comes with an even crappy looking on/off switch and sliding volume switch.
It's has if Philips hope that you be proud to show off your noise cancelling credentials like old people do with their glasses around their neck so they won't lose them.
It's nice that it takes a standard AAA battery, but come on Philips, a little effort please.
As for performance, Philips state that the noise-cancelling technology eliminates 80% of unwanted sounds - such as engine and ventilation noise - by electronically generating an "anti-noise" sound wave.
Although hard to test without the drone of a plane flight, the Philips SHN7500's did an okay job of cancelling out low noise levels. However, where these earphones should be commended is the sound quality regardless of the noise cancelling element.
To recap
If you really want to go in-ear rather than having big cans on your head up the cash and opt for Shure