Philips O’Neill The Stretch Headphones Review – Philips has joined forces with O’Neill, a famous surf brand to launch a set of high durable headphones for all music lovers with an extra set of comfort. The headphone that I got for this review is the Philips O’Neill “The Stretch” a.k.a SHO9560.
The Stretch headphone is specifically designed to be ultra durable and temperature resistant. According to the product information, the material is made of TR55LX, which can withstand extreme conditions (such as cold up to -25 degrees Celsius!)
And yes, it’s designed to be very stretchy as the name suggests.
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review – Packaging
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review – Specifications
- Dynamic 40mm drivers to deliver a deep, dynamic bass
- Super stretch headband for enhanced durability
- TR55LX material
- Sound isolating super soft ear cushions
- Auto fit cushioned headband
- Cable stress relief to prevent breakage
- Tough tangle-free cable and reinforced connectors
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review – Design
The headphones look really nice and my colleagues in the office confirmed that when they saw me wearing The Stretch. The Stretch’s style version that I have is the “Powder White” and I believe there are 2 other styles available to purchase: Matte Black and Black Bordeaux.
The headphones have Neoprene padding that is comfy and also stretchy, so they can definitely fit all sort of head sizes (even if you have a huge head, pardon me). You can even go crazy and bend the headphones just to see how stretchy they can get.
The headphones are also comfortable as the design adds a super soft ear cushions and headband. The ear cushions isolate noise from the outside world so you can focus on listening to your music or audio books. The Stretch does not have an active noise cancellation but the ear cushions themselves already isolate the background noise really well. In the office, I have to lift up one of the cushions a bit just to make sure that I can hear things when I’m listening to my music (such as when a colleague calls my name or something).
The tangle-free, braided cable is separated from the headphones and the connector is gold plated. This design makes it easier to replace the cords should unexpected things happen and also when you need to store them away. Unfortunately, there is no volume control whatsoever found on the cable.
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review – Impressions
The sound is of great quality compared to the previous headphones that I used to listen to my music in the office and the bass is quite strong too. The bass is also not as powerful as some of the headphones I’ve reviewed in the past but adequate enough for most people. Combined with the noise isolation from the ear cushions, listening to music with the Stretch has been a joy.
As for the comfort of the Philips O’Neill Stretch, I’ve tested listening to music for hours while I work and it still felt comfortable. My ears got a bit warm afterwards though because of the cushions material, so you may not want to wear this too long during Summer.
Overall, the Philips O’Neill The Stretch (SHO9560) is suitable for those with an active lifestyle that requires high durable headphones, yet does not compromise on the sound quality. Even if you just want to listen to your music in the office or at home, The Stretch provides a good quality sound and the durable material should keep it on and on for many months to come. However, this is of course designed specifically to those who like to travel and go for extreme sports activities.
The Stretch is comfortable to use even for hours and that’s one of the important traits to have on headphones. RRP AUD 149.95.
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review – Pros
+ Comfortable headband
+ Comfortable soft ear cushions
+ Good quality sound
+ Great noise isolation
+ Can stretch to fit any head size you have
+ Ultra-durable material
+ Braided cables with gold plated connector
Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review – Cons
– Mediocre Bass
– No volume/playback control
– The quality of the headband can be better
Note: Philips O’Neill The Stretch Review unit was provided for the review
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