The quality of the ear-pads, made out of a leather-like material, is quite good and allows the headphone to sit comfortably for long periods, though it does heat up after a while. The amount of passive noise cancellation provided by the supra-aural earpads is decent for the design, obviating the need to up the volume in loud environments. A plus for noise isolation, and also for comfort, is the full swivel ability of the ear-pieces, allowing for individual faces and comfort zones. The headband also folds in half to allow for portability…useful.
The height-adjust on the headband has tiny gradients – good for a snug fit. Each earcup gets its own wire, rather than requiring routing via the headband. It also has foam padding, a largely unnecessary step for comfort, but welcome nonetheless – if you are jumping around.
[RELATED_ARTICLE]The overall sound performance was distinctly flavoured, managing to provide warm vocals while having a limited bass frequency range, with the lower frequencies (100Hz and below) neglected – but, that’s to be expected by a portable headphone of this price range. The headphone makes up for this by tending towards bass instead of treble, thereby balancing the scales towards a nearly flat sound with sibilant highs and hollow lows. Nothing to write home about, but the SHL5001 headphones end up treating most music relatively well, apart from complex stuff like metal or glam, where the sound can get a bit congested, without instrument separation.
Verdict
The Philips SHL5001 headband tries hard, but sound quality is sadly not really its forte. For a portable headphone, at Rs. 1,099, its minor flaws do not really detract from its good build quality and ergonomic comfort. However, if you are looking for a thump accompanying your treble, then get yourself a pair of in-ear phones.
Ratings:
Features: 5
Performance: 6
Build Quality: 7
Value for Money: 6.5
Overall: 6
Price: Rs. 1,099