Philips Neckband SHQ 4000 - Sweat Proof And Stylish But is That It?

Philips is one brand you can always rely on, considering the fact that their products have always delivered some top-notch performance. Take the SHL 5002 for example, apart from a few glitches the headphones come at an awesome price and the value for money quotient is way high. Continuing with that theme, the SHQ4000 Neckband is the other pair of headphones that Philips has added to their range.

Design
Although the Neckband design has been quite popular, Philips seem to have added a lot of grace and sleekness when they designed the Neckband. The wiry-frame looks fragile at first glance, but has taken a lot of beating in crowded trains and survived to tell the tale. There’s no question of weight, as the headphones feel like one of those cardboard-made hats you wore on your head as a kid, which was light-weight but certainly made their presence felt. The wire is placed a bit awkwardly and can get you in a small tangle, but the untangling only takes a few seconds and you are good to go.

Stylish without a doubt!

The one problem that I faced with this (and maybe is the same with all other Neckband headphones) was the design itself. Although it looks stylish and futuristic, they can be quite a hindrance when you are in packed environments. The headphones start to jump off your ears at the slightest tug of the wire or a nudge from someone around you. While the headphones do look good, they might be a wee bit impractical at times.

Performance and Specs
Let’s start with the comfort that the SHQ 4000 offers. One thing is for sure, these headphones are designed for prolonged use. No matter how long you wear them, the SHQ 4000 will never leave you with any reason to complain in terms of comfort.

I help burn calories and cash!

Moving on to the performance, the headphones are not all looks and no quality. The foremost thing that came to my mind was while listening to different genres, you never could feel out-of-place, i.e. it handles most of the genres with ease. It can be anything, rock, hip-hop or even symphony!

The SHQ 4000 does not have very heavy or prominent bass, only a slight pinch to give it that much needed balance. The highs and mids are easily taken care of and do not distort too much. The headphones sound really good overall, but have quite a problem with the volume maxed out. The treble suddenly takes a whole new dimension and the music starts screeching in your ears. If you are a rock/metal fan, avoid listening to the headphones at full volume.

The headphones provide you with a certain level of noise isolation which blocks out most of the environmental noise. Something funny I noticed was that you could end up hearing your own footsteps while you’re walking around! Apart from this, the following specs are what the headphones have to offer:

• Frequency: 15 – 22 000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 102 dB
• Impedance: 16 Ohm
• Max power input: 20 mW

Verdict
The SHQ 4000 is light-weight, looks stylish and is also sweat-proof. However, it comes with a price tag of Rs. 2499 which is quite expensive taking the performance into consideration. Unless it is absolutely necessary, you can give it a miss. In case you are looking for a waterproof mp3 player, check out the Sony Walkman NWZ-W252, which came out a while back but is worth its salt.