Philips SHN2500 Noise Cancelling Stereo Earphone - SHN2500/37
Wired Connectivity - Stereo - Earbud

The performance for these earphones are great and lightweight especially for the price. They fit well. The only thing it lacks is a carry case but I can find easy ways to tote it around with my laptop. They may not be the best but I'm not going to pay $100 for earphones to use while traveling.
 
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Don't expect much from sub $20 headphones. They cancel/block noise to some extent (not the 70% advertised). Sound quality is average (maybe a tad better than headphones in the same price range). The switch box (to control noise cancellation) is a bit heavy. As a result, the headphones are best used while stationary, not for working out. One positive: ear piece fits well and is comfortable in the ear. Worth the price? Yes. In the end, this headphone is worth more and performs better than buy.com's lowly customer support.
 
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These headphones seem to block outside noise because of the tight fit in the ear and amplify the signal for a louder sound. They have a quite buzz when music is very quite, but not very noticable at normal listening levels.
 
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I bought these to use with my Sansa on motorcycle rides. Forget hearing anything with regular earphones. These work great. I can still hear the bike, but I can also hear the music just fine.
 
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Ok, the bad things first - The nosie cancelling box in the middle is a pretty big and ugly. This was the first time I was getting noise cancellation earphones and the fact that you need a battery to operate them was news to me. When I turned the noise cancellation ON, the first reaction was that these guys have just amplified the signal and pumped up the volume. Not really sure if the noise cancellation really kicked in, but yes, there was a noticeable difference in the sound quality and ambient noise. And I really hated the fact that I was paying $7 of shipping for an item worth $13. It was not fair because Buy.com was already shipping other expensive stuff to me. Now the good things - Its Philips and was the cheapest option I found. The set comes with a couple of adapters for larger jacks or twin-jacks as well. Small/medium/large ear-bud options are also welcome. They are not heavy on the head like the huge ear-surrounding headphones. And as I said, there is a noticeable difference.
 
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Very low Price!I was surprised by how much noise reduction this unit has compared to older over the ear models I had. The diesel tractor is quieted to a muted purr. The biggest problem with this unit was the placement of the battery holder/ switch without a clip and is too short to put into a pocket and then has another foot of wire to the plug. My only solution was to tuck into my waistband which is inconvient. Sound quality was good when properly in ear channel.
 
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the good: decent sound from an earbud, and fairly effective external noise reduction (half of which is derived from the tight fitting earpieces). the bad: large "box" for battery and electronics is positioned midway on the cord making it an anchor pulling the plugs from your ears. If it were at the "plug" end at least the cord would be long enough to place in your pocket or more easily attach to an ipod arm band. also, the hiss is overwhelming (compare to gentle noise of a Bose unit). If the unit cost any more, i would rate it 1 vs 3.
 
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in respect to the price paid for this headphone i am compltely satisfy with this product..bass sound is really good..treble is ok..not bad...u can pay higher amount and higher quality headphone..but with this price..recommended head phone for normal user
 
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This is a sub $20 noise cancelling earbuds. While the surrounding sound wasn't cancelled so that it seemed quiet, the clarity of the music was good.
 
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Very comfortable...extra box for noise canceling a bit cumbersome...use for quiet, personal (shut out the world) time...sound quality decent...noise canceling works and helps to enliven sound.
 
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I was somewhat skeptical when placing the order but after receiving it I realized that the product was not that bad "for the price" I paid.
 
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Very bad purchase... the sound is poor, shrilling most times with no depth or bass range. When you flip the noise cancelling swith you'll start hearing a hiss plus all the outside noises amplified.
 
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This item is too heavy. The sound adjustor component makes the headphones too heavy and they constantly fall out of your ears. Save your money
 
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If you're very picky on its noise canceling function, then it is not the one you want to buy. Otherwise, this is a good product at this price level, and it is a starting point for someone who hasn't had the experience of this kind of product.
 
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You wouldn't expect such reasonably priced noise-cancelling headphones to work as well as the very expensive Bose acoustic cancelling headphones and they don't. But, redit where credit is due; these do a credible job for what they are. Everything's included and with 3 sets of ear pieces, you're sure to find a size that'll fit you. The small form factor is a plus as well.
 
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When you switch them on, right away you hear the buzzing. with the "noise cancelling" off, your music is softer and can be hard to hear, but once you switch the power on, it makes it louder. (the buzzing is still there, but it's hard to notice) there is little bass in these headphones. the bulky noise cancelling battery holder and power switch gets in the way, it hangs down, unless you are sitting down, or have shirt pockets, the transformer piece really gets in the way.
 
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This product is great, and the price is reasonable. This product is not good for walking because the noise cancellation device keep pulling the headphone out of your ears. I will recommend this is only if you using it while sitting down. It produces great sound but the noise cancellation thing is the problem when you move around.
 
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I have used the earbuds provided with the Philips SHN2500. I've found that when those little guys are plugged-into my ear I don't hear my cell phone when it rings. (Praise the Lord for the vibrate feature). I received the product promptly and have not the first complaint about it. If you want to use the ear bud "head-phones" with multiple devises you may need additional connectors. Summary- Good value, good product, good service.
 
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All the product does is amplify the sound. I get much better noise suppression from the foam padded in-ear set I already have. Does not cancel noise at all. Just attempts to drown it out.
 
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The adage "you get what you pay for" applies to these headphones. The noise canceling feature is essentially non-existent. Flip the switch....no effect. The headphones themselves fit nicely and are comfortable. Ok deal I guess for simple in-ear headphones, but don't buy these for the noise canceling.
 
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I have tried many ear phones, By far the best Value.
 
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These are the worst headphones I have ever wasted money on. Take your money and add more to it and buy something else.
 
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Occasionally has an annoying hiss. The battery compartment is bulky and ill placed. Not bad for a cheap pair of earphones and they are comfortable.
 
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For less then $15 you get a cheap pair of ear buds. The noise canceling did not work for me and the dongle is way to big and heavy. No bass at all. Only positive is the long wires.
 
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Overall the product is good value for money. It advertises a 70% noise cancelling and that's probably what it does... Expect to hear some amount of background noise. I used it on a plane and encountered background noise. The announcements on the plane were muffled so I know it was partly doing its job. It pretty much gets jammed in your ear canals so expect some degree of discomfort. I would probably continue to use it for what noise cancelling it can deliver. The Buy.com product description lists a "Carrying Case" for this product which is incorrect... The original packaged product has no such case in the list of items included in the package. NOTE: I have not used other Noise Cancelling Headphones so am not aware of what the best has to offer.
 
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These earbuds were worth getting. However, keep in mind my background with headphones. All I've had so far are a pair that came free with my MP3 player -- so I'm no audiophile. In any case, their sound quality sounds pretty good to me. Now as far as the noise canceling. These little guys do quite a good job. However, most of the blocking that I get with them comes passively from the fit of the buds themselves. All the battery box really does is to add white noise when your music is not playing, and amplify the music volume when it is. So the active noise canceling part is not that great. Still, they do fine at blocking noise even without using the (included!) battery, and that makes me still like them a lot. I won't be going back to using my cheap little set!
 
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I'm with the others here. Great sound, but what to do with that big blister in the middle? Not even so much as a loop molded into the plastic so others more clever than Philips design engineers can figure out what to do with the wart.
 
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What a terrible design. The "noise reduction" unit is about midway in the cable, making it impossible to move the cable around. The unit weighs a few ounces with battery, pulling down on the earbuds at every oppty. The overall cable length is too short to begin with, so adding the weighty dongle just destroys usability. It has no clip or other way to have it's weight be supported. Sound is OK; noise reduction similar to other affordable (read: cheap) models (raise volume, chop all upper bass) and is nowhere near the caliber of Sennheiser or Bose... but those are far more expensive. The earpieces are ok; none of the 3 sizes of cups felt great, but I've used worse. Sound was flat (without power) and unbalanced (with power). I haven't used it long enough to run out the battery, so no comments on battery life. I appreciated the airplane earphone adapter and 1/4" headphone adapter, welcome touches esp. at this price point. With a longer cable, and more flexible placement of the NR dongle, this might have been a winner. Bose builds theirs into the headphone; Sennheiser gives a cigar-shaped dongle with a clip and long enough cables to keep it out of the way. Philips could have learned from either of these. But after just a week of use, back in the drawer these went, a disappointment and a waste of money.
 
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These headphones don't have very effective noise canceling but are comfortable and the three sizes of the ear plugs make it easy to get a good fit. With a good fit they do block the outside sound somewhat. They're definitly in the "you get what you pay for" catagory.
 
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These earbuds work great. Just make sure to select the correct size ear adapters (included) so that they fit snuggly. There is a slight background hiss, but they do cancel noise effectively. The only complaint is that the battery compartment is located halfway down the wire, between the earbud and jack for ipod - it takes some creativity to put it out of the way somewhere, without it pulling on the earbuds.
 
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Perhaps I got a defective pair, but there is a buzzing noise in these earbuds that is so annoying that I will never even use them.
 
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although a volume control would have been nice on the "control-box"
 
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Well, I needed an inexpensive set of headphones, and that's what I got. This review will not address the noise-cancelling aspect, as I generally don't use it. The feature is controlled by an on/off switch. When turned on, the sound is amplified somewhat, but it is still quite lacking in bass sounds. The headset has a large (MP3 player size) box that stores the electronics and AAA battery in the middle of the cord(s). This is one more item that needs to be tied down or stuffed somewhere, otherwise it whacks into things. Each earpiece has its own cord coming off this box. GRRRR! I have enough problems managing one cord coming from an MP3 player, now I need to manage an additional box and two dangly wires. It will do for now.
 
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These are great for the money. I like the way the amplify the signal so you can really rock on.
 
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Nice headphones and if they were simply that I would be happier. Unfortunately the 'electronics box' is a little bulky and does not secure in any way while you're wearing them. It does have a little background hiss I suppose to cancel some forms of noise and it amplifys the player (works like regular headphones when off). Good headphoones for the price, but not as portable feeling as I intended to use them.
 
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These earbuds are reasonable sounding headphones... BUT, they have absolutely NO noise canceling that I can detect. The only thing that happens when I turn them "ON" is that they generate a pink-noise "hiss". They do absolutely nothing to negate the sounds around me. Quite a disappointment. As regular ear-buds go, they sound pretty nice, but why would I want a big, battery-powered box attached to my headphones if it does nothing useful?
 
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I bought this headphones today(4/7/08). I have been using this for quite sometime - Abt 6 hrs with 2 breaks. Still clarity wise, i feel it is really good. I have used some good headphones like apple and creative 630(neodyium magnets), if i could scale, i can compare it like, it is better than apple's and trying hard to give the efficiency of creative. But this is really okay for what the price that it is being offered. The noise cancelling feature is not upto the mark but still it does its job. It is really bulky hard for portable. Person has to stick to their place. Otherwise good product. Worth its penny.
 
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Works good even with very small ears. The box between the plug and the ear buds is a took some getting use to. At first I let it hang and it keep pulling the ear buds out. Now I rubberband it to the mp3 player and it works great.
 
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Just to remind people these are EARBUDS. Hams have an old saying "A good big antenna will outperform a good little antenna every time." So it is in the audio reproduction area also. Do NOT think you are getting $250 proformance out of a $15.00 product. OK, so with that said: They are about the most comfortable buds I've used. They come with three different sets of cushions for the actual speaker. Again, given their size I rate the sound reproduction above average. That's good because I find the noise canceling effect leaves much to be desired. There is a perceived change when turning them off and on, but they do not come even close to really reducing ambient sound. But again, what did I expect from a $15.00 item? On balance, and with all the above caveats I would recommend them to someone on a budget who is looking for a decent set of earbugs.
 
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The sound I get is pretty nice for the price I paid. However, the built-in amplifier/noise canceler with on/off slider cannot be detached and it simply gets in my way at times. It also picks up radiowaves from mobile phones and starts making noise that has caused me to keep it turned off at all times. So now i have this little mini-brick hanging off of my headphones that offer a feature I don't even use.
 
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For less than $20, this is a great buy if nothing else but to get earbud headphones. I've spent $25-50 just for earbuds. The noise cancellation is definitely limited but it does make a difference. Again, it's a good extra pair for me and definitely worth the money.
 
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I've used Noise Reduction technology before, so I don't have much to compare these to, but for the money, they do a great job!
 
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As was stated in other reviews it's not really noise reduction as compared to some of the higher end products and the net effect is simply amplification. I work in busy server rooms and data centers daily so having noise reduction is key. The product is OK but doesn't quite live up to it's advertised abilities.
 
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I have had this headset for 6 months now and find them to be aggrevating more than a joy to listen with. Chief complaints: (1) Earbuds constantly fall out of you ears and have to be pushed in all the time. (2) Poor bass range
 
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I bought these a while back and the noise canceling is more of an amplifier than a anything else. It does not remove any white noise when on an airplane. Additionally they sound terrible compared to pretty much any other headphones that I have used.
 
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I was a bit nervous ordering these due to all the bad reviews I was reading on these but when I got them I liked them...a lot! I agree with most that the thing that holds the battery is pretty bulky but it didn't bother me much...many say the battery holder thing weighs down and rips the wire from the earbud...I believe this is done due to not using the product correctly. These headphones come with a neck strap that when used correctly makes the weight of the battery non existant...sound is great, and I trully can not hear a thing outside of what Im listening to.
 
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These are great ear buds, they sound very nice with or without the noice cancel feature turned on. Turned to the "on" position, the sound is much louder or amplified. My only problem with this product is the battery/electronics component. It is bulky and rather heavy. There is no clip, so you either hold it, set it on a table next to you, or try to put it in a pocket. In addition there is a slide switch that could use a led rather than a painted orange mark. I forgot to turn them off. All in all a very good product at an outstanding price.
 
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These earbuds are reasonably well made, but the active noise isolation seems to consist of a constant hiss in the background when you turn them on. With the switch on they amplify the source you're listening to. I think this amplification is the whole reason for the battery and control box, and that the only way they can advertise them as "Active Noise Canceling" is that they provide active boost to the source, and semantics allow them to call that "...noise canceling"... They are fairly inexpensive and are comfortable, but the hiss with the power switch on is very noticeable when you're between songs or just wearing them.....
 
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I am a heavy Private Equity traveler and it is the best I ever used so far.
 
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I tried these for the first time on an airplane today. They don't cancel all of the noise, but they do cut it down quite a bit. The sound quality isn't the best that I have heard, but it is better than any of the other ear buds that I own. They are definitely worth the twenty bucks I spent on them. They would be awkward for use when running or other physical activities because of the size of the battery module, but for what I need them for they work great.
 
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I bought these for my son. He says they work very well. I can tell because he can't hear me when he's wearing them.
 
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