We recently spent some time checking out a couple of pairs of headphones from Philips across two different, increasingly popular categories – noise cancelling and wireless.
Philips Fidelio NC1 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Ever growing in popularity, noise cancelling headphones are useful for more than just plane travel. For some strange reason, your music will always sound better when it’s not mixed with the conversation of the people sitting behind you on the train or that persistent hum of the bus.
Philips Fidelio NC1 headphones are made mostly from a combination of metal, plastic and pleather. The metal adds noticeable weight that gives these headphones a premium feel, whilst not making them overly heavy for travel.
The replaceable cable is covered in fabric which makes it feel more durable than most. The on-ear design is a point of difference in the noise cancelling game and the headphones felt comfortable to wear for a lengthy period of time.
When it comes to sound, they’re fairly well balanced yet slightly light on the bass for me personally, although this does come down to personal taste in the end.
To provide their noise cancelling functionality, the Philips NC1 headphones use active microphones, accessed from a switch on the left earpiece. As for keeping out any background noise, the on-ear design didn’t feel as successful in this department as some over-ear designs i’ve tried, however they still performed the task fairly well.
If you’re looking for noise cancelling headphones without the common bulkiness of most models, the Philips NC1 noise cancelling headphones are a good buy.
Buy: Philips Fidelio FC1
Philips SHB5500 Bluetooth Headphones
Offering the ultimate in movability, bluetooth headphones free you from cables and mean you don’t have to worry about damaging often flimsy cables.
Coming in at a very affordable price point, the Philips SHB5500 provide powerful sound and nine hours of wire-free listening. The controls for volume and playback are on the ear and the adjustable headband allows for a comfortable fit.
These are lightweight headphones with some great features rolled into the package. They also feature an inbuilt mic, allowing you to seamlessly take calls when in use.
The sound is sort of what you’d expect from a pair of headphones in this price range. It’s ok – but lacks a bit of the punch, depth and clarity of higher end models.
The Philips SHB5500 headphones are perfect if you’re looking for a lightweight and affordable pair of bluetooth headphones.
