Philips - SHP9600

I'm a HUGE fan of the Philips SHP9600. For the money, I think it's the best headphone ever made by anyone.

shp9600. Spare parts are easy to find, build quality is great for the price. I love my shp9500 and it's still in good condition even after 7 years. I bet the 9600 is better since the treble isn't as piercing as the 9500

because difference of "generally" accepted good performance is right at the $200-300 level. The exceptions are known... The pair of FIIO FT1 and FT1 Pro, Philips SHP9600, Koss's 4 on ear "headphones", Grado SR60x, Sennheiser x Drop HD6xx (sale price) or even the HD58x...🤷🏻‍♂️ There's a reason why IEM is competitive with headphones at that under $300 price point. Price to performance...IEM usually perform better than headphones

I’m using Philips shp9600’s.  Huge soundstage, open back. You can connect a mic to it if needed. 

Philips SHP-9600 or 9500. I have the 9600 and it doesn't disappoint. Comfiest headphones i have ever worn hands down. Sound is pretty good IMO, but I am no audiophile. They are wired headphones, but you can get bluetooth adapters for the 9600 model for relatively cheap.

phillips shp9600 has great, wide soundstage and are very comfortable. they are open back though.

They're pretty efficient so the apple usb-c to 3.5mm adapter is enough. For music the tuning is a little wonky. I recommend the EQ below. Just copy and paste it into a text file and import it into your EQ software. For gaming I don't really care and the "muddiness" could even make footsteps more audible. EQ (shp9600 autoeq to diffuse field 10db tilt) Preamp: -7.0 dB Filter 1: ON PK Fc 140 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 0.700 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 950 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 4.000 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 950 Hz Gain 1.1 dB Q 8.300 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1900 Hz Gain 7.0 dB Q 1.400 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 3.9 dB Q 3.500 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 4600 Hz Gain -3.5 dB Q 7.800 Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5200 Hz Gain 1.7 dB Q 10.000 Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5700 Hz Gain -1.9 dB Q 9.700 Filter 9: ON PK Fc 6200 Hz Gain -9.3 dB Q 6.000 Filter 10: ON PK Fc 8400 Hz Gain 3.8 dB Q 5.400

Philips shp9600 over ear open back $75

For semi-closed backs - Fiio JT1 / Simgot EP5 +GH22 For open backs: SHP9500/SHP9600 + boom mic cable like V-moda BoomPro. If you’re aiming for sub 50$ - go with IEMs like Kefine Klean. “Gaming headsets” from mainstream gaming brands are mostly overpriced shit and not worth any attention.

SHP9600 are a very large headphones, they are supposed to have more clamp force than my SHP9500 which are a very clamp force light, but the diameter of the ear cups is huge and so I would still worry they will be just too big to be worn comfortably on a small head. There are a lot of complains by adults with small heads, particularly women, for whom SHP9500 was too big, and hence uncomfortable to wear (if it even stayed on their heads). Unfortunately I don't think I have used anything good for less. I have Samson SR850, comfort is hit and miss (might be fine for small heads, but not for large ones), but the treble are very sharp and harsh I would say it is not worth wearing out they hearing, and also the headphone's whole construction is very microphonic to the point you hear various noises when moving your head, There are also Koss headphones (I have clip on KSC75 which I like, and headband one Koss Porta Pro which I don't as I find them too muddy), but I would worry about the reliability. There are sometimes some leftovers/refurbishes of various discontinued Sennheisers on-ears from PX and PMX series available on local markets so I would perhaps look if there are any. ISK has $40 open backed model called HF2010 which is roughly based on Beyerdynamics headphones construction, it has good reviews, so maybe it is something to check.

I think sundara is under 250 now. It def needs eq, but if you have that, theyre still a great choice imo. Id shy away from sennheiser bc of soundstage and lack of sub bass. Shp9600 or similar is also a good cheap option. Look at josh valour and dms recommendations for 2025 as well.

For context, i own a pair of sundaras and gifted some shp9600s to my brother for gaming. Oh also, pc38x if its within budget