Cool Concept, Flawed Execution
Pros:
Cool Concept, SRS in headphones/earbuds.
Cons:
Poor Fit and Confort. Not Musical or Transparent. Not Natural Sounding.
The Bottom Line:
There are better buys in earbuds, that will sound better and be more comfortable to wear.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The idea of "virtual surround sound" is very appealing, indeed. I admit to being fairly picky about my audio gear, which ranges from mp3 players to home theater. However, I do not purchase high-end gear, and have experienced that some mid-priced equipment will suffice for sound quality and longevity of use. With that idea in mind, I have discovered that many entry-level products do not perform up to my standards, but the ones that meet my expectations are real gems.
The Philips HE-591 headphones are a case in point. They have a very nice idea, add a three-dimensional, spacial sound quality to your existing recordings by simply using new earbuds. However, there are three main problems with the He-591 that kept me from using these earbuds as my main listening headphones.
First, the fit was uncomfortable. I could not get these earbuds to sit in my ear properly. And they did actually hurt after only 5 minutes of use. I simply could not use these earbuds for any extended period of time. And I can use many other earbuds (foam or silicon) for extended periods without discomfort.
Secondly, the "virtual surround" did not seem to accurately model any familiar room or acoustic property that occurs in nature. There was some kind of "spacial" sense to the music I played, but it did sound a bit artificial. I have used other PC-based reverb, SRS (surround), and room modeling DSP, and these have worked better for me. And it has worked via headphones or PC speakers.
Lastly, after listening to many different genres of music I could not find any material that sounded natural, nor could I find any material that sounded musical and transparent through the Philips HE-591 headphones. Simply put, I could not find accuracy and musicality with these headphones. At least one style of music should have been naturally acoustic sounding, but is wasn't. I now rarely use them.
I suppose they might be ok for PC gaming, where sound effects are not natural and highly synthesized. But, you may have the same fit and comfort problem I did.
