Philips’s claim that its new SHB9000 headset offers the best-ever music and conversation quality from a Bluetooth headset  might be a bit optimistic, but it’s their PR, so we’ll let ‘em say what they want. The over-the-ear headphones offer native MP3 decoding for loss-less streaming, 40mm neodymium speakers and can automatically switch between calls and music. There’s a digital signal processor to filter out background noise and echo when on the phone, and you can connect to your phone wirelessly or via a provided cord. We’re not quite sure what the difference in SKUs is, but Philips is offering this one in the Spring for $99 and $129 “respectively.”

“The new wave of advanced mobile phones now allow music lovers to listen to their favorite tunes and stay connected to friends through one single, high-performance device,” said Glenn McIlmail, vice president, customer marketing Peripherals and Accessories, Philips Consumer Lifestyle North America. “Our latest Bluetooth wireless headset is perfect for audiophiles that want to enjoy both music and calls from the phone, without compromising on sound or freedom of movement. The Philips SHB9000 provides our most advanced features to date, designed from the ground-up for best-possible comfort and quality!”

Designed for comfort with a soft leatherette cushion and adjustable headband, the SHB9000 incorporates Philips SwitchStream allowing listeners to automatically move between music and incoming calls without missing a beat. The wireless headset also delivers enhanced call quality through a digital signal processor that filters out background noise and echo, automatically adjusts volume in response to outside noise and offers a subtle side-tone into the headphone speaker so users can accurately hear their voice for best conversations at natural volume.

Clear Sound Self-adjustable inner headband Revel in transparent sound with clear high tones, deep bass and noise isolation. The industrial strength polymer headband is highly flexible and unbreakable. Its cushioned and self adjusting inner headband comfortably hugs your head. Features: - Music to your ears 40mm speaker driver delivers sound without distortion The 40 mm speaker driver is made of a composite mylar material for a highly sensitive yet powerful element that delivers sound without audible distortion.

Closed type design blocks out ambient noise Sounds around you are perfectly blocked out while the sound from the headphone is kept in a sealed chamber for perfect quality. This makes the headphones great for monitoring during live music or recording sessions. Enjoy best-in-class performance and optimum sound quality Acoustically-tuned design and high-quality drivers ensure best-in-class audio performance. - Made to fit you and your lifestyle Comfort is enhanced for long-term use This headphone is designed around the shape of your ear for extra comfort and more enjoyment during longer periods of listening. - Always ready to go A 1.2m long cable that is ideal for outdoor use The ideal cable length to give you the freedom to put your audio device where you want. Carrying pouch protects your headphone when not in use Look after your headphone and stop the cable getting tangled by storing it in this handy soft pouch. - Designed around you Flexible, rugged headband Outdoor headphones need to be tough to take the beating, wear and tear of life on the go. Yet hard materials are hardly comfortable to wear.

This headband uses an industrial strength polymer which is tough yet flexible enough to provide excellent wearing comfort. You could even twist it without breaking or deforming it. Self-adjusting inner headband Typically headphones worn outdoors are adjustable by sliding an extendable headband into position. This can be cumbersome as it usually has to be done every time you use it. Get your music fix faster and easier with these heapdhones’ flexible, self-adjusting inner headband. It will automatically adjust to your head’s shape and size. Specifications: Sound Acoustic system Open Magnet type Neodymium Voice coil CCAW Diaphragm Mylar dome Frequency response 12 - 24 000 Hz Impedance 32 Ohm Maximum power input 50 mW Sensitivity 105 dB Speaker diameter 40 mm Type Dynamic Connectivity: Cable Connection Singled-sided cable Cable length 1.2 m Connector 3.5 mm stereo Finishing of connector 24k Gold plated Type of cable OFC Packaging dimensions: Depth 8.5 cm Gross weight 0.308 kg Height 23.8 cm Nett weight 0.158 kg Tare weight 0.15 kg Width 19.6 cm

Philips recently introduced new additions to its 9000 series HDTVs via two new models for the 9600 series and the new 9700 series announced for release in summer 2009. ??The TVs boast full HD displays, Philips’ Ambilight technology on three sides, and aluminum frames which will be black in the 9604 and 9664, and silver in the 9700 series. ?? The consumer draw to the Philips 9664 is its waif-like thickness (20mm thick) at its thinnest point. The HDTV also boasts 200Hz “Clear LCD” and a one millisecond response time. This will make for less motion blur, particularly during fast moving scenes which is all the rage in LCD HDTVs right now.

What’s amazing about the 46PFL9704H/12 is the high dynamic contrast ratio of 5000000:1. This is made possible by the LED backlighting found on the TV. The LED backlight achieves this through a unique local dimming of the LEDs. It generates light where it is needed in the image and keeps dark areas supremely black. With this feature, images are rendered with extreme deep blacks alongside vibrantly coloured bright sections. As with the other Philips LCD included in this Group Test, the 46PFL9704H/12 also supports Net TV for streaming video content from the internet in directly to your TV – might we add as well that the LCD has a built-in Wi-Fi 802.11n support for connecting to the internet. Yes, it has Wi-Fi. Lastly, the Philips 200 Hz Clear LCD brings the response time of LCD TV to an incredible 1 ms, so even with the fastest action scene you will be enthralled by the action, and not following the stretched car across the screen.

Browsing the Internet via your TV remote isn’t ideal. It’s harder to navigate around pages and access links without a mouse, and inputting hyperlink text without a proper keyboard is always going to be a chore. But, thanks to a neat on-screen virtual keyboard and the possibility of inputting often-used Internet phrases like ‘www’ and ‘.co.uk’ with the press of just one button, surfing the Web on the 32PFL9604H isn’t nearly as frustrating an experience as expected.

This, together with the freedom of having the whole Internet at your disposal, means that the 32PFL9604H’s online access is something you’ll probably use regularly, rather than being a mere sideshow, as it is with most TVs.

Weighing in at a hefty US$30, these are by far the cheapest active noise cancelling phones on the market, with or without a pedigree. They are of the canalphone types first popularized by the Sony MDR-EX70s and EX71s. Philips ups this by adding in an active noise cancelling circuitry unit. As you can see in the picture above, the microphones are on the side port of the drivers. The small breakout box does the NC magic and pipes the sound back to the drivers. The drivers use the “universal” gaskets used by Sony, Panasonic, Ultimate Ears, etc. Generally, the better gaskets from Ultimate Ears served me well with the Sony phones (EX90s), though with this particular set, they were more of a hinderance. The standard medium works well enough.

Ergonomics is rather interesting. It is of the Y-cord variety, though a rather new take on it: The breakout has single cord for the 3.5mm plug and single cord for each of the drivers. You can do cord management with a slider type thingy on the driver side of things. However, the cord to the 3.5mm jack is a bit short, and the cords to the driver too long. Other than that, the ergonomics on this is no better or no worse than other NC type buds. Thanks to the sliding mechanism (which is a piece of rubber, more or less), you can minimize microphonics a bit.

Now for the nitty gritty, the sound quality. You can do a lot worse for $30, and they include the venerable EX71s. The overall sound is balanced, though the NC adds background white noise, which is par for the course. The treble is a bit out of control (brighter than average, and very unrefined), while the bass is nice and tight, given the right seal. The vocals/mids don’t get too lost here, just being congenial with the bass and the trebles. Soundstaging could be much better. It’s too 2D-ish and is a bit claustrophobic at times, a little too intimate at others. It is still heaps better than the EX90s EX71s (Someone please slap me when I say something this stupid), probably slighlty worse than the Panasonic HJE50s, which are about the same price as these.

The SHN2500 advertises “70% less external noise.”  However, during the little amount of time I could bear to wear them, they didn’t reduce external noise at all.  The noise-canceling unit just smoked out room noise with a combination of its own white noise and a low hum in the range of 123 Hz.  Consequently, all your favorite albums now sound fuzzy.  There’s nothing like listening to Abbey Road with some nice white noise to fill in those awful gaps.

The other thing the noise replacement feature does is raise the volume.  Make sure you have your device’s volume set down low before engaging the noise replacement.

If nothing else about the SHN2500 had turned me off, it feels as though someone just punched me in the ears.  To be fair, I’m often told I have oddly-shaped ear canals, and in-ears never really rest comfortably in them.  However, I don’t recall throbbing pain after using other in-ears.  I’d like to think I’m old enough to follow directions, so I have no explanation other than poor design for these painful things.

Take the foldable HN110 headphone with you on your travels and enjoy great music everywhere – even in noisy environments like buses, trains and airplanes. It’s a full-size headphone that covers your whole ear, yet it folds up for compact storage in the soft pouch supplied. The active noise canceling technology is easy adjusted using the controls that are conveniently integrated into the headphone shells.

As any frequent flyer knows, apart from industrial-strength knockout pills from a cooperative GP, noise-cancelling headphones are the best thing since eye masks and knitted slippers for the long-distance traveller. Not only do their noise-cancelling circuits make it far easier to hear movie soundtracks and music broadcasts but they also make it easier to drift off to sleep, by removing the intrusive drone of plane engines and air conditioning.

Of course, headphones of this type needn’t be restricted to use on long-haul flights, they can be just as handy on trains and buses or in any other noisy environment. The Philips SBC-HN110 headphones have been designed with just this idea in mind. They sport a retro-cool look, are lightweight, fold up to next to nothing and come with a handy, soft carry pouch. A 6.5mm adapter is also provided for hooking into home audio gear and a two-pronged aeroplane adapter is included as well. A single AAA battery provides the power for the noise-cancelling circuitry.