Geared for one’s ears

NOTHING CAN stop Filipinos’ long and intimate affair with music.

From the old vinyls to today’s mp4s and iPods, it would be almost impossible to find one who does not own anything that has to do with music—be it an instrument, a trusty old radio, a cell phone or the latest music gadgets, along with the accessories that go with it.

“For most Pinoys, music is life. In fact, in every barangay I have visited here in the Philippines, I’ve seen KTV and videoke,” observed Mark SNG, trade marketing manager for peripherals and accessories, Philips Consumer Lifestyle.

According to SNG, Filipinos have already become so “smart and advance” and more discerning of music, that they often look for ways to enhance their listening experience. For instance, in the case of those who sport portable players, using ordinary headphones isn’t enough anymore, especially if he or she wants better quality and clarity.

“Now everybody knows that they will need a good set of headphones to enhance the quality of music because they know that, often, [the headphones that go along with the player] is not good enough,” SNG noted.

Recently, Philips launched a new line of products geared to make listening a more enjoyable and pleasurable experience.

“We have been in the headphone industry for more than 50 years and we never stop innovating and researching for our products. We offer a very wide range to meet up the vast needs of consumers—from the very fun color for the young all the way down to the classic range for the adults,” SNG explained.

Philips offers headphones of varying prices to suit one’s budget. As such, SNG pointed out that, in the case of Philips, it doesn’t follow that “when you buy a cheap product, sound quality is going to be crap. It’s going to be of equally good sound quality.”

“We have internal testing to make sure that for the more affordable products, the sound quality is at par with the mid-priced products. The only difference is from the perspective on the design, the colors, as well as casing,” he further noted.

Some of the devices recently launched included the in-ear headphones that is especially designed for mobile phones. It comes in two types—the SHE3575 series that is ultra light and has a call button and an integrated microphone that picks up your voice clearly.

Meanwhile, the SHE9000 series is perfect if you’re looking for a classic in-ear solution minus the call button and microphone. Both come with flexinear technology that adjusts to the shape of your ear for a custom fit. Its rubberized 1.2-meter long cable makes it ready for the outdoors and enhances its durability. It also comes with three cap sizes and a range of colors, an adjustable earpiece and soft comply foam tips for noise isolation.

Philips also has something to offer for the fitness buff and people on the go, which is the Sports Actionfit earhook headset (SHQ3017). Though lightweight, these powerful headphones comes with isolated, thumping bass stereo sound and can be hooked over the ears for ultimate ease-of-use and comfort. It comes with a waterproof remote control and microphone for your iPhone.

Another addition to the Philips line is the headband. This lightweight headphone has a high-density memory foam “floating” cushion that lets the ear shell adjust to the shape of the ear.

These headbands may come either as a classic headphone (SHL9300) or a notebook headset (SHM7000) that features mute and volume control for both calls and music, and a highly sensitive in-line mic for clear voice pick up of audio and video chats.