Secret War Journal[2011 - November 2013]
Link to Purchase: http://www.usa.philips.com/c/headphones/sho9550_28/prd/en/
Review:
This ear piece had been my daily companion for around 2 years. For the price of $39.90, it lasted for quite a while until my colleague accidentally crushed it while slamming shut my drawer. Most unfortunate.
Through a collaboration between Philips and O'Neill, they came out with a new design for ear piece. During its time, wires for ear pieces were mostly made of rubber, either the conventional round or flat types. Hence, when THE SPECKED make use of fabric covering for the wires, it was considered a novelty.
What sets the fabric outer layer from the conventional rubber layering is its enhanced durability. As a rough user of ear phones, I was disillusioned with the conventional rubber layers because they tear too easily. As a result, when the ear piece that came along with my iPod was wrecked, I did some research to search for alternatives to rubber wrapped wires. Thus, that was how I chanced upon the tanker.
The strongest selling point of THE SPECKED is without doubt, its durability. In fact, when the product was first released in the market, it was advertised as the ear piece for sportsmen. As users who exercise, the ear piece that they use would be subjected to much damage during the course of the activity. THE SPECKED was built to withstand such damage and after using it for 2 years, I dare say the ear piece had lived up to its expectations.
However, while the ear piece excelled in durability, it fell behind in the sound department. The bass is decent but the fabric material proved to be an obstacle to producing quality music. In exchange for protection against wear and tear, the fabric tends to produce frictional noises when rubbed against another object. This makes it not ideal for playing music on the move as the wires would be swinging around hitting random objects (your top, slashing against the wind). In fact, this is the negative point that is a letdown for users and a major turnoff for audiophiles. Therefore, if you think cannot stand static noises when you are listening to music on-the-go, you should not buy this nor any wires covered by fabric.
That said, one way to minimise the noise would be to clip the wire to your clothing or simply listen to music without much fidgeting or without moving.
In conclusion, I would rate this product about 7 out of ten. It is considerably affordable and durable which I feel deserves a 7. :)
Highlights
Powerful sound
- Powerful 9mm drivers deliver a deep, dynamic bass
- Sound isolating soft ear sleeve
Enhanced durability
- Tough tangle-free cable and reinforced connectors
Supreme comfort
- 3 sizes of ear sleeves for a customized fit
-
Product dimensions
- Width: 1,22 cm
- Width: 0,5 inch
- Height: 2,35 cm
- Height: 0,9 inch
- Depth: 2,55 cm
- Depth: 1,0 inch
- Weight: 0,012 kg
- Weight: 0,026 lb
-
Sound
- Acoustic system: Semi-open
- Magnet type: Neodymium
- Voice coil: CCAW
- Diaphragm: Mylar dome
- Frequency response: 6 - 23 500 Hz
- Impedance: 16 ohm
- Maximum power input: 50 mW
- Sensitivity: 105 dB
- Speaker diameter: 8.6 mm
- Type: Dynamic
-
Connectivity
- Cable Connection: symmetrical
- Cable length: 1.2 m
- Connector: 3.5 mm
- Finishing of connector: gold-plated
- Type of cable: OFC
-
Packaging dimensions
- Type of shelf placement: Dummy
- Number of products included: 1
- UPC: 6 09585 18877 8
- Depth: 3 cm
- Depth: 1,2 inch
- Gross weight: 0,066 kg
- Gross weight: 0,146 lb
- Height: 17,2 cm
- Height: 6,8 inch
- Nett weight: 0,026 lb
- Nett weight: 0,012 kg
- Packaging type: Dummy
- Tare weight: 0,120 lb
- Tare weight: 0,054 kg
- Width: 9,5 cm
- Width: 3,7 inch
-
Outer Carton
- Gross weight: 2,285 kg
- Gross weight: 5,038 lb
- GTIN: 1 06 09585 18877 5
- Height: 37,5 cm
- Height: 14,8 inch
- Length: 24,8 cm
- Length: 9,8 inch
- Nett weight: 0,288 kg
- Nett weight: 0,635 lb
- Number of consumer packagings: 24
- Tare weight: 1,997 kg
- Tare weight: 4,403 lb
- Width: 8,9 inch
- Width: 22,7 cm
-
Inner Carton
- Gross weight: 0,243 kg
- Gross weight: 0,535 lb
- GTIN: 2 06 09585 18877 2
- Height: 17,6 cm
- Height: 6,9 inch
- Length: 10,5 cm
- Length: 4,1 inch
- Nett weight: 0,036 kg
- Nett weight: 0,079 lb
- Number of consumer packagings: 3
- Tare weight: 0,207 kg
- Tare weight: 0,456 lb
- Width: 4,0 inch
- Width: 10,2 cm
Review:
This ear piece had been my daily companion for around 2 years. For the price of $39.90, it lasted for quite a while until my colleague accidentally crushed it while slamming shut my drawer. Most unfortunate.
Through a collaboration between Philips and O'Neill, they came out with a new design for ear piece. During its time, wires for ear pieces were mostly made of rubber, either the conventional round or flat types. Hence, when THE SPECKED make use of fabric covering for the wires, it was considered a novelty.
What sets the fabric outer layer from the conventional rubber layering is its enhanced durability. As a rough user of ear phones, I was disillusioned with the conventional rubber layers because they tear too easily. As a result, when the ear piece that came along with my iPod was wrecked, I did some research to search for alternatives to rubber wrapped wires. Thus, that was how I chanced upon the tanker.
The strongest selling point of THE SPECKED is without doubt, its durability. In fact, when the product was first released in the market, it was advertised as the ear piece for sportsmen. As users who exercise, the ear piece that they use would be subjected to much damage during the course of the activity. THE SPECKED was built to withstand such damage and after using it for 2 years, I dare say the ear piece had lived up to its expectations.
However, while the ear piece excelled in durability, it fell behind in the sound department. The bass is decent but the fabric material proved to be an obstacle to producing quality music. In exchange for protection against wear and tear, the fabric tends to produce frictional noises when rubbed against another object. This makes it not ideal for playing music on the move as the wires would be swinging around hitting random objects (your top, slashing against the wind). In fact, this is the negative point that is a letdown for users and a major turnoff for audiophiles. Therefore, if you think cannot stand static noises when you are listening to music on-the-go, you should not buy this nor any wires covered by fabric.
That said, one way to minimise the noise would be to clip the wire to your clothing or simply listen to music without much fidgeting or without moving.
In conclusion, I would rate this product about 7 out of ten. It is considerably affordable and durable which I feel deserves a 7. :)
