Philips SHS3200/37 Flexible Earhook with Bud (Black) Reviews

• Best earphones

  
  By A1986EEOTITHDZ on 2006-06-23
  Sounds silly, but if you want the absolute best, loudest, most comfy earphones, these cheap Philips units are it! I've tried everything from A to Z and nothing is better, most are much worse!
  
  

• Great performance for a great price!

  
  By A3EZNYE278V4S2 on 2006-08-17
  I've tried several headphones, different brands, different models, but from all those these ones are the best, I wish I would have found them before I bought so many others... Get them, you won't be dissapointed...
  
  

• Ultimate buds

  
  By A1JYEQV6AWZTA2 on 2006-09-03
  Like other reviewers, I've tried a couple of dozen different head/ear phones, some very pricey. None are as comfortable or sound better than these. They are highly efficient, extending battery life of your player. Most importantly, they stay postioned even during rigorous activity. Ok, they're not the prettiest. They still get all my stars.
  
  

• Only good if you have big ears

  
  By AE3K587J32FK on 2007-03-18
  This product is designed for people with big ears. I have smaller ears (female, 5 foot tall - so a small person), so can't even use these. If I put the bud in my ear, the earhook does not sit behind the ear. Not secure at all.
  
  
  
  

• good sound but meant for a larger head/ear

  
  By A35799T1VQW6UO on 2007-05-24
  i have owned these headphones for about four months. i use them during my workouts and studying in noisy areas (starbucks, subway, etc.). the sound quality is fine not the best; but, for 10 bucks really good. the headphones do stay in my ears while running on the treadmill and doing the precor machines at they gym. the earphones unfortunately are aesthetically unpleasing--on a medium head (male, 5'10", 160lbs). they look too gigantic and just weird. i plan to purchase another pair just for this reason. but, if you have a larger sized head then these will work wonders.
  
  
• good sound, awful fit
  By A2GY5WCU9PKTMI on 2006-12-08
  I bought these in the hopes of using them at the gym. I already own the Sony MDR-J10. They work OK and the sound is OK, but the 'over the ear' function is pointless bc it hovers over the top of my ear. So I still find myself pushing them back in all the time -- they're basically just earbuds.
  
  Same problem with these. I thought the 'flexibe earhook' would help, but no. The earhook is a little smaller, but it still just hovers. Also, while on the others they actual speaker part at least fits in my ear, on these headphones that part barely fits in my ear. i have to really jam it in here, and if i bounce around too much it falls out easily. Actually, i am currently just sitting here typing and one has already basically fallen out. Guess I can't return them, either since the box must be totally damaged to try them out (didn't buy from Amazon...and paid more too)...so maybe these will just be a spare pair of desk headphones.
  
  I will say that the sound on these is FAR superior to the sonys. I have a pair of Philips surround sound earbuds for work that are great too. I am a girl but I don't think my ears are that small...it just seems that all of the earhook headphones are geared towards a larger ear to hook onto.
  
  
• Good sound and fit for the price
  By AM3AUKDBV6EKZ on 2007-03-15
  I like the small size of earbud-type earphones, but they have always hurt my ears when I use them. Since these earphones have a rubber "c" looping around the ear, they don't really need to be wedged in the ear and hold in while jogging. However, my wife (who has small ears could not get them to fit.
  
  
• Great Earphones despite the price!
  By A301L3BVY1KGJM on 2007-04-20
  $10 for this pair of earphones is an absolute steal. Initially, I was only looking at alternatives from the usual suspects, Sony and Seinheisser.
  
  Style: simple, inobtrusive - definitely not as flashy as the sonys and seinheisers.
  Sound: with the caveat that i'm no audiophile - these sound great and are very loud (i.e. i don't have to crank up my mp3 player like i had to do with other earphones). Those who appreciate more bass may find these earphones lacking. i'm more of a pop/hardrock guy and the earphones handle these songs well.
  
  Fit - it might take a little while to get a hang of putting on those earclips but once that's settled, it's well fitting and comfortable. I also wear glasses and they will work well together (you'll have to put on your glasses _after_ putting on the earphones). The cord is of average length - I do like the fact that the V-shaped wire design of the wire extending to the earphones are short and compact (no dangling wires).
  
  For your reference, I was looking for a pair of earphones that were not earbuds. I purchased a pair of Sony MDR-Q22LP for my sister and tried them out (great sounding earphones, more bass, stylish and comfortable). I decided against them b/c they were kinda bulky and the over-ear design, while comfortable, leaked sound (not into making myself a public niusance). Sennheiser does have the Sennheiser OMX50 which looks to have good reviews - would have purchased this if not for finding the philips for $20 less.
  
  
• They suck
  By A39O4B6IUNYTT8 on 2007-06-18
  I got these because my other headphones (older, over-the-ear behind the head headphones, about $10, Radio Shack brand) were hurting my ears the way they sat on my head.
  
  Well, these Philips headphones suck. They are pretty comfortable, but the sound has two major problems: 1. There is background static! Even when music isn't playing, I hear a small amount of static, which is totally unacceptable. 2. There is not nearly enough bass. Now, let me tell you, I don't even like that much bass. When I get into a car, I often turn down the bass of the speaker system. But there doesn't seem to be any bass with these Philips headphones! Makes the music sound terrible.
  
  So, in the end, these are horrible. I plan to return them - something I almost never do.
  
  
• Unacceptable low frequency response
  By A3L7HMT25VKSN on 2007-09-18
  Visualize your favorite band with no bass player, half the
  drums missing from the drum kit and low E and A strings missing
  from every guitar. That's what you get with these headphones.
  
  What I'm trying to say is that these headphones have almost
  no bass response. Their performance is completely unacceptable
  for music, though for voice they should be fine.
  
  
• Comfort?
  By A30E7LAHVXRO0R on 2006-12-09
  I also got these because the reviews and price where right. One thing that I didn't see a lot of that I've exsperanced sence getting these is they really aren't that comfortable. The ear hooks are but the bud part that goes in your ear is hard. After a few hours of wearing them at work my ears started to hurt and became sore. No matter what position I tried to get the bud in, nothing helped. I ended up using the foam covers from the apple ear-buds that I was replacing to soften up the buds. That has seemed to help so far. The price and sound quality are great though. So you decide.
  
  
• Don't waste your money
  By A2N9N4W2FICC95 on 2007-06-18
  I was looking for a replacement for my Sony over the ear headphones as the cable wears over a short period of time.
  
  I picked up a pair of these earbuds and these philips over the ear head phones in white. They cost $10, so I said what the hey.
  
  One of my worse headphone purchases ever. I respect Philips industrial design group, but I think they focused more on the visual design than the sound quality of the headphones.
  
  The fit of the hook is pretty good, but the design really falls apart at the earbud. They are too huge to place within the outside ear canal. I've experienced that most earbuds and the sony over the ear headphones cover the ear opening to reproduce a very bassy sound, which I think is a bit too much. Since these headphones do not come with rubber ear pieces, there the ear canal is not covered and no bass is produced.
  
  I used these headphones on my ipod nano. The sound of the headphones when pressed up against the ear is very tinny, hollow - as if you were hearing the sound in a tunnel. If you care about sound quality, you won't find it here. If you like over the ear buds for working out (like I do), since the bud does not cover the ear, you will hear a any distraction.
  
  The Sony headphones I'm seeking to replace are the Sony MDR-EX81LP, which are miles better than this set. But still not perfect. Also note, that a downside to earbuds with rubber inserts doesn't allow the ear to breathe, so you must remove them occasionally.
  
  UPDATE: I've been using these at work and they ARE sufficient. But taking the train and the sound of downtown traffic made these unusable. Again, the fit doesn't block out external noise.
  
  
• Still looking for the perfect headphones
  By A2SRVDDDOQ8QJL on 2007-11-07
  These headphones fit me pretty well but they do still wiggle out of my ears during workouts. The good thing about this over-ear design is that the weight of the lower end of the clip will tend to hold them in place even if they do loosen up a bit. Generally what happens is they get a little loose but they never, ever, fall completely off.
  
  So my quest for the perfect headphones continues but these work pretty well in the meantime.
  
  
• Sooo Goood!
  By A3NICH9HRV9JDC on 2006-11-20
  These headphones have lasted me years, getting used all the time. They provide phenomenal clarity of sound, while the bass piping doesn't blast my eardrums with bass. Rather, they seem to propel the bass away from my eardrums, pushing away other sounds. So, they deflect sounds coming in (such as the local high-rise construction torrents), while providing me with great range, even for full-powah psytrance (blisargon demogorgon). They are comfortable, stay in place when i'm running, and have a price tag that can't be beat.
  
  
• Best in-ear, ear-hook headphones yet.
  By A47W7VENE9EAX on 2007-03-05
  I like to take my iPod shuffle running and bike riding, and am on a never ending quest to find the perfect headphones that will stay put no matter what I'm doing. Up until this point the winner has been Philips' ear hook headphones that were predecessors to these. They were pretty durable, stayed put well, and the sound was decent. I tried numerous other styles like the Sony MDR-EX81 (yuck), MDR-J10 (uber-yuck), and a number of others. These surpass all others, and they are CHEAP (as in, inexpensive)!! They have a nice springiness to them that holds the aural piece nicely inside your ear without leading to any pressure points or discomfort, they block more outside noise than many other designs (see gripe below) so more of the music comes through unmolested, the cord is a good length for on-body music device use (maybe a little long), and did I mention they are super cheap?
  
  My only gripe so far is that they really do need those thin foam coverings that most ear bud headphones use nowadays. My iPods come with ear bud headphones (which I also like, but not for sports) and they ship with a few extra packs of the foam pieces. I put some of those over these headphones and voila, the best headphones to date. Without the foam, the fit is a little less comfortable and they don't nest in your ear canal quite as effectively and let more ambient noise through. Also, since the rubber over-the-ear piece is basically nonadjustable, folks with size-challenged or -enhanced ears may not end up with the ear piece falling in the right spot. This may be a bell curve sized product.
  
  Everyone's ears are different, but if iPod headphones fit you pretty well in general but want something that will hook over your ears to stay put (and you don't have elephant ears), give these a shot. It's only a $10 experiment. I need to subtract one star for the lack of the foam coverings...
  
  
• Great Headphones
  By AV53BIN6N7O5E on 2007-03-14
  I love these headphones!! Very durable and comfortable. great bass, mids and highs. I've ony had these headphones for 3 months now and i absolutely recommend them to anyone.
  
  
• Completely uncomfortable
  By AMHOW1CCCIFPD on 2007-04-03
  I find these ear buds to be absolutely uncomfortable. I would rate the product a zero if it were an option. I can't even use them because they're too uncomfortable to wear. Not worth the money, even though they're cheap.
  
  
• Great headphones that stay in!
  By AKHHB1TO6THHF on 2007-11-04
  I have also tried several different headphones, and none of them would stay in my ears while running. They also didn't have the best sound (probably because they were falling out all the time). These headphones stay in while I run (even when the cord gets accidentally yanked), they are super comfortable, and the sound is really excellent for such a cheap pair of headphones. I'm hearing things that I didn't hear with my other headphones. The earpiece is really soft and flexible, so it isn't uncomfortable. The earbuds are shaped to stay in and don't have the foam on them. Everyone's ears are different, but these work best for my husband as well, so I'm getting him some.
  
  
• electrocution!
  By AJUYOKF4IZRAD on 2006-11-04
  I bought these for myself and my wife confiscated them - the sound is good, the problem is that when she is at the gym ont he treadmill, she gets shocked by these headphones if she grabbs the metal handrails. This doesn;t happen with any others, just these...so if you don't mind an occasional shock, these are worth the price.
  
  
• Good deal for the money.
  By A1HF6KK6N6ADZX on 2006-11-09
  I got these earbuds with earhook so I could listen to my MP3 player while I was walking vigorously. Maybe my ears aren't shaped right, but plain old earbuds are always plopping out and it's annoying to have to keep poking them further into my ear canal, hoping they'll lodge there somehow and stay put.
  
  The only thing I would improve on these would be a bendible/flexible style on the earhook portion, so I could tighten to curvature more closely to my ear shape. They felt loose when I put them on, but the sound is very good for the price. They did not slip off, but the earbud slips sometimes. It's easier to adjust, though.
  
  
• Don't last very long
  By A16S3K80O6AH1P on 2006-11-11
  I got these headphones to replace my sony s2's, which just crapped the bed the other day. I'm just planning on using these for the gym, so we'll have to see how durable they are after a few weeks of sweating. The sound quality on the Phillips headphones is a lot better than the sonys. The fit is not as good, but it's not horrible, and the bass is a lot better. Overall, they're a very good set of headphones for 10 bucks. If they break, it won't kill you to buy another pair.
  
  Update (8/8/07): These earphones are no good. They didn't fit my ears at all and they are broken already. I guess they can't handle moisture very well. I will not be buying another pair.
  
  
• You get what you pay for
  By A14611G9Y43K4X on 2007-03-14
  These are $10 headphones. There's nothing amazing about them in my opinion. I bought them to use with my ipod when I'm out, or at work.
  
  Right out of the box, I was disappointed with the fit, and I know everyone is going to be different, but for me they just aren't comfortable.
  
  The sound quality is clear, but very thin and lacking bass. Even when I'm pressing them into my ears to get the best possible fit, the bass just isn't good. EQ settings to boost the bass don't help either, and often reduce sound quality even more.
  
  The ear clips don't really seem to do that much either. They kind of keep them on your ears but don't really hold them IN your ears at all. The ear pieces tend to get tangled together easily as well.
  
  In summary, I wouldn't recommend these for music, but if you want a cheap pair of headphones for listening to audio books or some other kind of spoken word, they might be good-IF you can tolerate them in your ears for that long.
  
  
• Best Earbuds
  By ADC37K65YW1B1 on 2007-03-25
  I hate the earphones that come with IPod. Not sure why everyone else doesn't hate. They never stay in my ear and are uncomfortable. Went through several different brands. Refuse to pay outrageous prices. Found the Phillips for $10 and they are perfect. They stay in your ear because of the flexible but comfortable ear hooks and the sound is great. You can't miss with these.
  
  
• not for small ears
  By A2WABISWLX4KOQ on 2007-05-07
  great earphones, but doesnt fit small ears. they fall out..im 5'0 and petite. wouldnt recommend.
  
  
• Everything I hoped for and more
  By A1777ETDU4EXUQ on 2007-05-20
  Got it for under 10 bucks and I am having a very good experience with it., The clearity and loundness is exceptional.
  
  
  
  
• Great Design, OK Performance
  By A3QN0HJ2NJOD8T on 2007-06-07
  These buds are very comfortable to wear. The soft rubbery plastic has a nice spring to it and hugs the ear quite comfortably.
  
  I was disappointed with the sound response though. The audio reproduction is EXTREMELY tinny. I had to set my iPod's EQ to "Trebble Reducer" just to not get a headache. Even then its still extremely tinny.
  
  Overall, great for the price, you can't expect a pair of Bose headphones.
  
  
• Comfortable and Cheap, Yes; But Merely Adequate Sonics
  By AEVSRK7S3K8QU on 2007-08-13
  The enthusiastic reviews of others raised my hopes too high. Yes, they stay in my ears even while running. And yes, they were darn cheap. But do not expect better than adequate sonics. The mid-range is over emphasized to the point of distraction. That makes them great for listening to my talk radio podcasts, but only decent for music. And no one has mentioned the terrible wind noise created by the open-air port design. Even my snail-paced jogging creates a distracting whoosh that obscures the merely adequate fidelity -- it does make me feel like I'm running 60 MPH, though ;-)
  
  Sonically, these are comparable to the stock Apple ear buds. They far exceed the Apple ear buds for comfort while exercising. And given the price, I'm satisfied, but not delighted.
  
  
• Don't stay in your ears!
  By A3ML64C6P6T9C6 on 2007-11-16
  It's true..the sound quality is really great and they are comfortable, in fact you can't even really feel them. The problem is, they keep falling out of my ears. I tweaked them so they'd stay in longer but once you start running or jogging they fall right out, which can be annoying when you're trying to run. Before this I had the Nike hook headphones and those stayed in with no problem. Those wound up breaking (I had them for 2 years) so I purchsed these at Wal-Mart for only $9 and some change. I would return them if I didn't destroy the packaging.
  
  
• waste of time and money
  By A17EUG0N6JULAK on 2007-12-07
  I bought these at Target because I was having problems finding earbuds that will stay in my ears, so figured ones with clips would help. These were even worse. I have small ears, so the "hooks" were too large to fit around my ear. They kept sliding down, and falling off my ears after just a couple minutes. Plus the "flexible" hook made them difficult to get on in the first place. I found them extrememly uncomfortable (during the short time they stayed on), and there is no way I want to stop and put the earbuds back on every couple minutes. Waste of money.
  
  
• Small ears? Give these a pass.
  By A25J4DM3D2KLJP on 2008-03-08
  My ears aren't tiny, but they are small, and these headphones are completely useless to me. If I fit the hooks over my ears, the buds hang halfway down my lobes, and if I fit the buds in my ears, the hooks are up in my hair and not really hooked to anything. This was an unpleasant surprise: I've used other over-the-ear headphones and not had this problem. I'm glad they were so inexpensive!
  
  

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