Philips SHB9850NC

If you aspire to own a pair of Bose or Sony headphones with noise-cancelling technology, but can’t stomach the price, then the Philips SHB9850NCs are designed for you.

Design

At this price, you can’t expect the kind of build quality and materials that more expensive models offer. These headphones have a distinct plastic look and feel to them, though not the kind that creaks and makes you think they’ll crack. The advantage of using plastic is that it keeps the weight down, and 230g isn’t bad for over-ear headphones. We also like the faux leather earpads, which are comfortable to wear. There’s not a great deal of airflow due to the closed-back design though, so you may find that your ears get hot if you use them for a long time.

Over-ear headphones can be difficult to transport, making them more suitable for home use, but these have a foldable design, so will fit into a bag easily. You don’t get a carry case, though.

Most wireless headphones have various buttons and controls on the sides of the ear cups and these are no exception. The left cup houses the noise cancelling button and an NFC chip for easier paring. On the right is a power button, a Bluetooth button, indication lights and a headphone jack. There’s also a touchpad for controlling playback – you swipe up and down for volume, front and back to change track, and tap to pause/play. This is hit-andmiss and normally takes at least two attempts to get the right result. Each cup has a microphone, so you can make hands-free phone calls.

Audio

Setting up a wireless connection is easy: either use the Bluetooth button or the NFC chip. As is usual, wireless performance isn’t as good as wired, plus it will vary depending on what device you connect to.

The Philips SHB9850NCs have 40mm neodymium drivers, which combine with the closed-back design to create a contained sound, with very little leakage.

The overall audio quality is very good for the price and the headphones produce a rich and warm sound. The frequency response, partly due to the design, is somewhat lopsided though, with the bass end most prominent. That may be a strategic move by Philips as this kind of balance will suit a lot of general users listening to pop and dance music. There is still good definition in the mid-range, so tracks with acoustic guitars, for example, sound lively, but there’s a lack of top-end to provide clarity.

We’re not impressed with the quality of the noise cancelling here. In fact, sometimes switching it on can make your music sound worse. For the price it’s not bad, but we don’t recommend buying them simply based on this feature.

Verdict

These SHB9850NCs are not for the discerning listener, but for a little over £100 they make a good choice for those looking for a combination of over-ear wireless headphones. The touch controls aren’t great and the noise cancellation isn’t overly impressive, but sound quality is decent for the price.

Over-ear headphones can be difficult to transport, making them more suitable for home use, but these have a foldable design, so will fit into a bag