Philips PH805
Philips’s strategy for standing out in a crowded marketplace is to pack in the functions of the current market leaders, wrap it in a design that looks like the market leaders but charge less than the market leaders.
Philips has managed to give the PH805 an affordable price without scrimping on the build quality. Not only do they feel sturdy, but everything that’s meant to swivel, fold or articulate does so quietly.
The faux leather of the earpads and headband is comfortable and the 235g weight doesn’t do any harm, either. When they’re not in use, the PH805 will fold flat.
Wireless connectivity comes via Bluetooth 5.0, which is helpful for streaming hi-res audio from the likes of Tidal and Amazon. Philips claims 30 hours of playback from a single charge with ANC off.
Noise-cancelling is assisted by a couple of mics in each earcup, and is activated by tapping on the right cup. That earcup can also be used to alter the volume and is where most of the rest of your interaction with the PH805 takes place. The left earcup has just a micro-usb socket, which is the only thing to make them feel a little retrograde. How the PH805 deal with sound, rather than deliver it, is the least impressive aspect of their performance. They don’t negate as much external noise as their rivals – not only the class leaders, but plenty of other also rans too.
Get beyond that disappointment, and the Philips have plenty to recommend them. Stream an Mqa-powered Tidal Masters file of Thundercat’s Miguel’s Happy Dance, and the PH805 sound as substantial at the bottom end as the tune demands. Treble sounds are just fractionally rolled off, in an effort to make the PH805 sound warmish and welcoming. This lack of top-end attack is hardly terminal, but it does make this tune sound more polite than it ought to.
Aside from that, the PH805 are an even-handed listen all the way down to the bottom of the frequency range. No area gets undue emphasis, and integration is nice and smooth. This sense of unflustered control only becomes problematic with the PH805’S dynamic expression. They don’t quite breathe deeply enough to put distance between the loudest and quietest moments of a track.
While the Philips PH805 do a good job of bringing premium looks, build and specs down to a lower price, their lack of dynamism and slightly sub-par noisecancellation mean they’re not quite the bargain they first appear to be.