The Philips SHP9600 are lightweight and reasonably budget-friendly wired-only open-back headphones designed for casual listening. They perform very similarly to their predecessor, the Philips SHP9500, but they have a slightly sleeker look and a boomier bass. Overall, they're tuned to suit a variety of music genres and media consumption, like podcasts and games. That said, due to their open-back design, they leak a lot of sound and don't isolate a lot of ambient noise, so they aren't ideal for outdoor use.
Our Verdict
The Philips SHP9600 are sub-par for sports and fitness. As headphones designed for casual and seated sessions, this isn't surprising. They're not stable enough to stay put for most exercises, and their long cable can catch on gym equipment. As bulky over-ear headphones, they're not portable either, though they feel comfortable and supply a good amount of boom on bassy frequencies.
- Comfortable fit.
- Balanced sound profile.
- Not stable enough for exercise.
- Not very portable.
A bit plasticky in build.
- Terrible noise isolation performance.
- Leaks a lot of noise.
The Philips SHP9600 are poor for travel. They're bulky open-back headphones that fit over-ears, so they leak plenty of audio into your space and don't meaningfully block out any ambient noise either. They're comfortable to wear for extended sessions, but they're otherwise rather impractical with a long, cumbersome cable, and they take up a lot of space in your bag.
- Comfortable fit.
- Balanced sound profile.
- Not very portable.
A bit plasticky in build.
- Terrible noise isolation performance.
- Leaks a lot of noise.
The Philips SHP9600 are poor for office work. Unless your office has a door, these open-backs leak a lot of your audio into the space, which will disturb co-workers. Meanwhile, they won't prevent the sounds of your office from reaching your ears either, which is distracting. Since they lack an in-line microphone, you'll also need an outboard mic for online meetings, too. That said, they feel light and very comfortable for long periods, and they produce a clear and mostly balanced sound.
- Comfortable fit.
- Balanced sound profile.
- No microphone.
- Terrible noise isolation performance.
- Leaks a lot of noise.
The Philips SHP9600 are wired-only, so they can't connect wirelessly for gaming.
The Philips SHP9600 are passable for wired gaming. They don't have a microphone, so if you need to chat with other players, you'll need an outboard mic. Otherwise, these feel very comfortable and lightweight for extending gaming sessions. They also yield a stable stereo image, so you can locate objects within the stereo field. Their PRTF can sound a bit artificially wide in how they interact with your outer ears. Their sound profile is balanced but not very rumbly in the low bass, though sounds like footsteps come through clearly, and dialogue is intelligible, but the top-end's dull low-treble can hurt articulation a little. That said, despite their comfort, these aren't the most durable headphones, and they're a bit plasticky.
- Comfortable fit.
- Balanced sound profile.
- No microphone.
A bit plasticky in build.
The Philips SHP9600 are very good for audio reproduction accuracy. Their balanced sound profile delivers a somewhat mid-forward tuning with ample boom and mostly clear treble that mostly follows our target, except in the bass. They're not very thumpy in the lower registers (like most open-backs), but kick drums play back with a solid punch. Voices and leads sound mostly natural with a bit of de-emphasis in the high-mids and low-treble, which can dull the presence a bit, while cymbals still sound bright. The L/R drivers create a stable stereo image, and their peaks and dips create an overall smooth sound. On the other hand, their PRTF can cause sounds to seem a bit artificially wide. Still, the drivers reproduce audio with no audible harmonic distortion.
The Philips SHP9600 are open-back headphones, so their noise isolation is awful by design. As a result, they let environmental noises reach your ears essentially unimpeded. They also allow a lot of your audio to escape, which is audible to people nearby.
The Philips SHP9600 don't have a microphone.
The Philips SHP9600 are good for frequency response consistency. Their over-ear seal is similar over the course of repeated wears and provide a consistent sound. There's some minor low-bass variation for folks with long hair or who wear glasses, but it's not significant.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 12, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 12, 2026: This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test, and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
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Updated Jul 17, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. In addition, we've added updated results for Isolation, including Noise Isolation - Full Range and Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the introduction, comparisons, and Sound tests and side-by-sides.
- Updated Jul 10, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Philips SHP9600 only come in one color, 'Black.' You can see the label. If you come across another variant, let us know in the comments.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Philips SHP9600 perform similarly to the Philips SHP9500 but have a more extended bass. Both have open-back designs, and their sound profiles suit lots of different music genres. The SHP9500 have a flatter bass and mid-range, while the SHP9600 sound boomier to offset the expected roll-off in the low bass that comes with most open-backs. Other open-back headphones that roughly boost the high bass like the SHP9600 for casual use include cans like the Sennheiser HD 599, but the SHP9600 tend to undercut the Sennheiser headphones in price tier. However, like most open-backs, all of these headphones aren't very versatile outside of listening at home due to the open-back design, which doesn't isolate you or ensure your audio remains private.
If you're looking for other headphones, check out our recommendations for the best open-back headphones, the best headphones for audiophiles, and the best headphones for music.
The Philips SHP9600 are very similar performing open-back headphones to the Philips SHP9500. The SHP9600 have a sleeker, all-black design and leak less audio. Both headphones have very balanced sound profiles that suit a wide range of music genres, though the SHP9500 comply most closely with our target curve with a flatter bass. For greater boom on the bass, the SHP9600 tend to provide more punch on kicks.
The Philips Fidelio X2HR and the Philips SHP9600 are similar open-back headphones. While both have balanced sound profiles, the Fidelio X2HR have a flatter sound in the bass and mids. They're also better built. Still, some listeners may prefer the extra boom and punch in the SHP9600's bass range and their more comfortable fit.
Both the Sennheiser HD 599 and the Philips SHP9600 are open-back, comfortable headphones with long detachable cables and tuned for casual use. Depending on your priorities, you might prefer one or the other. The Sennheiser have a more stable fit and better build quality. The Philips keep costs down with a cheaper and more plasticky build, but they're well-matched with a consistent frequency response, so you might prefer them for their value.
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO and the Philips SHP9600 are both open-back headphones that are good for audiophiles, and depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. Both have sound profiles with a bit of extra punch in the bass range, but the Beyerdynamic's bass is more extended and tighter and the treble is considerably brighter. The Beyerdynamic are also better built and have a more stable fit. That said, the Philips feel more comfortable and are easier to drive without a headphone amp.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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