When comparing Philips SHB9850NC vs Beyerdynamic DT990Pro, the Slant community recommends Beyerdynamic DT990Pro for most people. In the question“What are the best headphones?” Beyerdynamic DT990Pro is ranked 28th while Philips SHB9850NC is ranked 66th. The most important reason people chose Beyerdynamic DT990Pro is:
These headphones should be able to withstand minor impact and drops, and will last you years of use. The headband and yokes are made from solid yet lightweight metal, so they won’t break easily. The ear cups are made of plastic materials which, while not as durable as metal, are strong enough to not come off as flimsy.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Noise cancellation
These headphones include a noise cancellation technology that's called "Active Shield Pro". It cancels out noises from around you effectively enough to, for instance, make background noise very silent even on an airplane or when mowing the lawn. On the other hand, the headphones also have a 'Talk mode', so you can hear any sounds around you better without having to take off your headphones, for instance when someone tries to talk to you.
Pro Touch controls are easy to use without looking
When you're in virtual reality, you can just swipe up and down to change the volume. This is a lot easier to do than to find a physical button without looking, and differentiate it from the mute/next/prev buttons.
Pro Comfortable to wear even for extended periods
The Philips SHB9850NC are 'over-ear' headphones, which means that they won't squish your ears when you wear them. They're lighter than other wireless headphones too, and have ergonomic ear cushions that don't put a lot of pressure on your head so they're very comfortable to wear.
Pro Wireless
These headphones have no wire, which is ideal for VR as it can't get tangled or caught on anything if you are spinning around or walking.
Pro Well-built
These headphones should be able to withstand minor impact and drops, and will last you years of use. The headband and yokes are made from solid yet lightweight metal, so they won’t break easily. The ear cups are made of plastic materials which, while not as durable as metal, are strong enough to not come off as flimsy.
Pro Full and rich bass with very detailed treble
The low frequencies are what stand out from the sound signature. The bass is powerful, deep and tight so you get a lot of thump without muddying up the overall sound. This is complemented by very detailed and airy high frequencies, so you should be able to easily hear the fine details from your music.
Pro Wide soundstage
The audio from these headphones will sound wide and quite immersive, which can be attributed to the open-back design. This also results in good instrument separation, so you’ll be able to easily identify the directions where the various sound sources are coming from. The wide soundstage can result in a truly immersive music listening experience, and also makes these headphones a good choice for movies and gaming.
Pro Soft on the head
You can wear these headphones for many hours straight with little to no issue, as the head band and ear pads have thick padding. The ear pads have a suede cover which allows some airflow to the ears, and helps minimize heat build-up.
Cons
Con Constant sound even when paused
Some headphones (these included) suffer from static when no audio is playing. Whenever audio is playing, it covers up this static but anytime you should have silence there is going to be some electrical whine.
Con Middle range and voices can be a bit muddy
The balance is pretty good - the bass isn't emphasized too much. The mids get muddied though, and this also effects most voices, especially in podcasts. That loss of voice quality can affect gameplay too - if you can't understand instructions you'll be left more frustrated than you would be otherwise.
Con Requires a headphone amp
You won’t get a lot of volume and a good music listening experience from these headphones when plugged straight to your phone or computer. These have a high impedance rating so you’ll need a powerful amp to run the DT990 properly.
Con Leaks a lot of sound
The DT990s are not ideal for use in an office environment, if you share your space with others or when traveling. These headphones are fully open, so they leak out a lot of sound, which can be annoying to others.
Con Tight clamping force
You may find the clamping force to be quite tight, especially if you have a fairly large head size. This can make wearing the headphones for hours straight uncomfortable, even if the padding on the ear cups and headband are quite thick.
Con The highs can get quite sharp
too boosted and harsh, which can feel fatiguing.This can be apparent if you listen to more aggressive styles of music like rock or metal, or music which involves a lot of cymbals and high-pitched instruments.