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  1. Home
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Sennheiser HD 599 vs Philips SHP9600

Which Headphones Are Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Sound
      Sound ProfileFrequency Response ConsistencyRaw Frequency ResponseBass Profile: Target ComplianceMid-Range Profile: Target ComplianceTreble Profile: Target CompliancePeaks/DipsStereo MismatchGroup DelayCumulative Spectral DecayPRTFHarmonic DistortionElectrical AspectsVirtual SoundstageTest SettingsImagingWeighted Harmonic Distortion
    Design
      StyleComfortControlsBreathabilityPortabilityCaseBuild QualityStabilityHeadshots 1Headshots 2TopIn The Box
    Isolation
      Noise Isolation - Full RangeNoise Isolation - Common ScenariosNoise Isolation - Voice HandlingANC Wind HandlingLeakage
    Microphone
      Microphone StyleRecording QualityNoise Handling
    Active Features
      BatteryApp Support
    Connectivity
      Wired ConnectionBluetooth ConnectionWireless Connection (Dongle)PC CompatibilityPlayStation CompatibilityXbox CompatibilityBase/Dock
    Comments

Products

Sennheiser HD 599
Philips SHP9600

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Oct 10, 2023 05:04 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Jul 17, 2025 01:27 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sennheiser HD 599 Picture
Philips SHP9600 Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicNo
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-1 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicNo
Sound Signature
Balanced

Our Verdict

Sennheiser HD 599

Philips SHP9600

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.

0 

Variants

  • HD 599
  • SHP9600 (Black)

Review

See Sennheiser HD 599 Review
See Philips SHP9600 Review
3 
6 

Check Price

Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
SHP9600
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
SHP9600
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
SHP9600
SEARCH
B&H
Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
SHP9600
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

8.1
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

850 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Underemphasized (-1 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-1.79 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-2.76 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Balanced
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

8.1
7.6

Consistency L  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Consistency R  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Std. Deviation 
 

0.38 dB
0.97 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Raw FR R  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.7
6.8

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

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See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.19 dB
6.1 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

45.55 Hz
49.35 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-4.32 dB
-7.34 dB

Mid Bass 
 

0.89 dB
1.84 dB

High Bass 
 

4.3 dB
4.26 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.4
7.7

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.13 dB
3.29 dB

Low Mid 
 

2.47 dB
2.15 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.13 dB
0.17 dB

High Mid 
 

-1.95 dB
-4.77 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.8
7.9

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.87 dB
3.37 dB

Low Treble 
 

-0.07 dB
-3.02 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.91 dB
0.32 dB

High Treble 
 

-8.87 dB
-3.64 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.8
7.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

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Peaks 
 

1.6 dB
1.17 dB

Dips 
 

0.81 dB
1.66 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

8.2

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details

Phase Response Mismatch  

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 Compare in Graph Tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.27
0.16 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

2.31
1.22 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

3.51
2.3°
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

5.2

Group Delay  

See details

Weighted Group Delay 
 

1.6 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Philips SHP9600 CSD

PRTF 
 

7.5
5.8

PRTF  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

2.26 dB
3.78 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

3.06 dB
7.12 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

9.5 dB
9.97 dB

Openness 
 

9.5

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

7.9
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.7

Harmonics Levels  

See details

THD Ratio  

See details
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 Compare in Graph Tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.123
0.10%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.372
0.37%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

111.3 dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sennheiser HD 599 Virtual Soundstage
Philips SHP9600 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No App

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive
Passive

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.3

Group Delay  

See details

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.2

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

3.51
2.3°

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.27
0.16 dB

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.31
1.22 dB
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details
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 Compare in Graph Tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.123
0.10%

WHD @ 100 
 

0.372
0.37%
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sennheiser HD 599 Design Picture 2
Philips SHP9600 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Open-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

8.5
8.5

Comfort Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Comfort Picture
Philips SHP9600 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.66 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.71 lbs
1 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Controls Picture
Philips SHP9600 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
No Controls

Feedback  

No Controls
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No

Breathability 
 

7.4

Breathability After Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

3.3 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.6
5.4

Portability Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Portability Picture
Philips SHP9600 Portability Picture

L  

7.5" (19.1 cm)
7.9" (20.1 cm)

W  

6.7" (17.0 cm)
6.8" (17.3 cm)

H  

3.4" (8.6 cm)
3.8" (9.7 cm)

Volume  

170.00 in³ (2,785.79 cm³)
204.00 in³ (3,342.95 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Case Picture
Philips SHP9600 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

L  

N/A
N/A

W  

N/A
N/A

H  

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Build Quality Picture
Philips SHP9600 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
6.0

Stability Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Stability Picture
Philips SHP9600 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Angled Picture
Philips SHP9600 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Side Picture
Philips SHP9600 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Front Picture
Philips SHP9600 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Rear Picture
Philips SHP9600 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Top Picture
Philips SHP9600 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 In The Box Picture
Philips SHP9600 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

1.3
2.0

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-3.21 dB
-4.58 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

0.04 dB
0.36 dB

Mid 
 

1.42 dB
-0.56 dB

Treble 
 

-10.72 dB
-15.02 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

2.4

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.10 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.59 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.44 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Philips SHP9600 ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

3.0
2.0

Leakage  

See details
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 Compare in Graph Tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

58.17 dB
61.82 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
No

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

Sennheiser HD 599 Microphone Frequency Response
Philips SHP9600 Microphone Frequency Response
 Compare in Graph Tool

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A
N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

SpNR  

Sennheiser HD 599 SpNR
Philips SHP9600 SpNR
 Compare in Graph Tool

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 App Picture
Philips SHP9600 App Picture

App Name  

No App
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.5
9.9

Cable Picture  

Sennheiser HD 599 Cable Picture
Philips SHP9600 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

4.40 ft (1.34 m)
10.00 ft (3.05 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.3 ms

Latency - USB 
 

0 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Check Price

Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
SHP9600
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
SHP9600
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
SHP9600
SEARCH
B&H
Standard
HD 599
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
SHP9600
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Back to Top

Sennheiser HD 599

Philips SHP9600

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Sennheiser HD 599 vs Philips SHP9600: Main Discussion

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