 Great earbuds for the price |
| Review Date: April 6, 2007 |
| Reviewer: T. McCool, Lafayette, IN United States |
I give these earbuds 5 stars compared to other brands in the same price range. I'm sure you could spend more money and get better sound, but for this price you won't find any better. The "surround sound" feature lives up to its billing. I've tried other earbuds and none can match the sound.
The earbuds I purchased came with two sets of inserts - one straight and one tapered - to achieve the level of comfort you're looking for. The tapered insert works great with my ears. They are comfortable and *never* fall out no matter how vigourous the motion. Even an incidental light tug on the cord doesn't dislodge the earbud.
So if you're looking for an inexpensive pair of earbuds that are comfortable and stay in your ear - this is what you should buy. |
I don't understand.................
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| Review Date: February 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Pope, Wisconsin, United States |
(this is a reposting of my older review with some updates)
...........any logic behind the plethora of complaints about these buds falling out of people's ears. Obviously these people do not know how to properly use them. They are not to be worn like standard earbuds. These buds are designed to go directly into the ear canal, which means you have to push the tips snugly into the canal. These are the most comfortable earphones I have ever had, and I've never once had either one fall out. They took a little getting used to at first, admittingly, but now I usually can't even tell I'm wearing them. They also don't start to hurt after extended periods of use, unlike regular earbuds. They come with two different sizes of silicon tips. I think most people will probably find the smaller tips to work better, but experiment on your own (just don't lose them). The cords are asymetrical, which really doesn't bother me. The short one goes in the left ear, and the longer one is meant to be worn around the back of the neck to the right ear. I usually just wear it around the front, though, however ridiculous it may look.
The sound is simply amazing--very crisp, clear, and well balanced. The bass seemed weak at first, but that was only because I was coming from earbuds that had very strong, almost overpowering bass. These Philips buds do have nice bass, but they also allow the midrange and treble to sound clearly as they should. If your player has an equalizer, you can further tweak them to suit your taste. These buds are powerful too - you will find that you don't have to have the volume up as high as you do with other phones/buds. Also very durable! I've accidentally stepped on them numerous times and still they work fine (and I'm by no means a small person). Last summer I tried a pair of $40 Sony in-canal buds which were promptly returned to the store - these Philips were way better in terms of sound and comfort.
The only major downfall is the supplied case. I will agree with other reviewers that it is moronically designed. Though a Masters in engineering would be helpful, I was able to get it figured out after playing with it awhile. Another fault is the lack of replacement silicon tips if you should happen to lose any. But I've had mine since May 2006 and I have yet to lose any of the four tips.
These earbuds may look uncomfortable at first glance, but don't let that or the many negative reviews dissuade you. I think I can safely say that most of the negatives come from people who (a) don't have them, (b) think they look ugly/uncomfortable, or (c) don't know how to use them. They sound wonderful, are very affordable, and are very comfortable once you learn how to wear them properly.
UPDATE REGARDING THE CASE:
It seems the people at Phillips must be reading these reviews, as the case has been redesigned. I picked up a new pair of these at my local Wal-Mart today after losing the pair I'd had for more than a year, and the case is now a much more user-friendly zipper pouch. The black earbuds must not sell as well, as these all still had the old case, but all of the white ones on the shelf were in a redesigned package with the new case. Hats off to Phillips for listening to their customers!!!!! |
A specialty pair of earbuds for a budget price.
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| Review Date: September 19, 2006 |
| Reviewer: William H. Thomas, Madison, AL USA |
Not since the development of the original Sony Walkman has personal music equipment garnered the attention that MP3 players and I-Pods have in the last 5 years.
Increases in technology along with freefalling prices in RAM have made high capacity MP3 players and I-Pods available for the first time to hold an adequate quantity of music at very high quality.
In the past, people had to give up sound quality for quantity, as MP3 players were simply incapable of holding enough memory to make it worth while.
Well, that has changed, and with it, has the quality of headphones available for these little powerhouses of music.
One of the most suprising on the block are the Philips HE592 Surround Sound Ear Buds.
Sitting at a price point of approx 15 to 16 dollars next to the other entry level earbuds at your local Wal-Mart or Amazon, these earbuds deliver a performance that far outstrips their dimunitive price.
The Surround Sound, technology is developed by creating a chamber within the earbud in which sound is fired out the back of the earbud, and then ducted back through small chambers on the side of the bud.
Don't ask me how this is supposed to work because it is beyond me, but the proof is in the difference in sound quality when this outward facing port is blocked by your finger, compared to when it is unblocked. The difference is astounding!!!! It's almost worth $20 bucks alone to sit with your fingers and block and unblock the outward firing ports to hear the "difference".
Because these earbuds rely heavily on placement within the ear canal to function at full performance, two sets of silicon sleeves (a small set, on by default, and an extra "wider" sleve for larger ear canals) are provided to help ensure proper fit.
When properly fitted, these earbuds deliver incredibly high fidelity reproduction. Although a bit light on the bass response (which is to be expected from "buds"), the mid range of these phones is phenomenal.
Due to the design of these buds, the drivers are smaller and thus require less power to provide the same volume level, thus can go "louder" than competitors phones at the same power level. This allows the phones to be operated at a lower volume level during listening, thus saving on your battery life. The smaller drivers must also help contribute to their lower price point.
When properly EQ'ed, these phones bring out subtlties in your music that you never knew was there.
One must mention however that these phones are specialty phones and not adequate for every listening condition.
1. For maximum benefit, these phones should be enjoyed in a quiet environment so that the "redirected" sound can properly be reflected back in to your ear. Outside noise such as lawnmowers, aircraft noise and other background noise will adversely affect sound quality. This is due to the fact that outside noise will interfere with the reflected sound indirectly entering the ear through the open ducts in the side. Use of these phones in environments with high background noise is therefore not recommended.
2. Since a proper fit is mandatory for maximum enjoyment, these phones are not adequate for any heavy workouts as movement may jar the phones within the ear canal and disrupt the acoustics.
One should keep these points in mind when considering your purchase. However at $20.00 or less it is a small investment for a pair of phones that will be broken out when the music is the most important thing going on at the time.
Others have complained on their poor fit, and this reviewer nearly returned them for a refund due to his initial impressions on the fit. However, patience and experimentation should equate to an adequate fit and your ears should adapt. By experimenting in placement and trying out both sets of sleeves, I was able to find a placement that was much more comfortable than standard ear buds and provided maximum enjoyment. After two weeks I must say it was well worth the wait. I therefore urge any purchasers of these phones to actually overcome your initial perceived problems with fit, and patiently experiment. It is well worth the effort.
Some other shortcomings of the phones are the asymetric design which leads to the left earbud wire being much shorter than the right. The idea in asymetric wires is that the right wire is redirected around the back of the neck. While in theory this may be a good idea, in execution it leads to the left bud bearing the full weight of the earphone wire, which tends to pull the left bud out of position. This also helps contribute to the earbud's inadequacy in conditions where there is a lot of physical movement of the head. The asymetric wire design is one of the few real shortcomings of this pair, and I would like to see another model released with more traditional symetric wiring.
The silicon and plastic case that holds the phones is also needlessly complex, and much harder to use than it should be. I have relegated myself to using the case simply to hold the spare sleeves, and use a plastic bag to hold the phones, or simply wrap the phones around my Sansa MP3 player when not in use.
While these shortcomings are valid, for less than $20.00 this should not cause the listener to pass up on these phones.
When the right conditions exist, the sound from these phones will actually encourage you to find a nice quiet spot to relax and enjoy your music in ways that you never thought possible.
If you are working out, or mowing the lawn, choose another product. However, if you are sitting or lying down in a nice quiet environment, be prepared for a musical experience that you never thought possible for a sub $20 dollar pair of earbuds.
At $20 bucks a pop, you can easily afford a general use set of buds, while reserving these for those "special times".
Kudos to Phillips for developing a product that when used in it's intended environment delivers an experience unmatched to anything else in it's price point. |
Just got them. ONE WORD: PLAIN AWSOME TECHNOLOGY!!
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| Review Date: June 10, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Edward M. Harkness, Arlington, VA United States |
I just got them at F.Y.E. Record score, MAN, the sound it makes is so darn incredible. You can hear every little thing going on in your favorite songs..bells, xylophones, triangles, timpanis, shakers, background vocal, guitar reverb....etc.....so I'll give the sound a 4.5 out of 5. (the bass is good but not really heavy, but who needs super-heavy bass? unless you listen to hard-core rock music....)
and THEY LOOK SO PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the cord is actually white....
it comes w/ TWO PAIRS of cups, one pair for people with bigger ear canals, one for people w/ smaller ear canals. the case it comes with is really nice and convenient.
There's a small "Speaker" on the cover of each earbud. they are actually FUNCTIONAL speakers. Basically. 2/3 of the sound goes directly into your ears, the other 1/3 comes out from the little speakers and then go in the earbuds through little holes and ultimately goes into your ears, indirectly. so, it's called "surround sound" technology.
hope it's helpful |
excellent for the price....and so comfy too!!
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| Review Date: May 21, 2007 |
| Reviewer: W. Dappio, Bayside, NY USA |
A few months ago I purchased these from the FYE near my house. When I put them in my ears, they not only sounded great, but they actually stayed in my ears. Every other pair of headphones/earbuds not only move around but they hurt my ears as well. These can stay in my ears for hours at a time and not hurt when I take them out. In fact, I sometimes have to pop my ears from the suction it causes from time to time. Guess that's why they stay where they belong.
Now as for the sound quality, these little things sound just as good as an expensive pair of professional headphones. I thought about buying the $100 bose headphones that seem to be advertised on every single corner but thought better of it. Glad that I didn't . These sound so much better. The bass, treble and midrange all sound wonderful. No distortion when you turn up the volume either. Certainly the best pair of headphones that I have bought. Just do yourself a favor. Put a little glue on the rubber so that they don't fall out. Not like they do, but just in case they do. These do come with two extra pieces of rubber incase they fall out. Enjoy these! |
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