Philips SHE9850 earphones: Audio with the Dutch touch

It's been an earphone-heavy couple of weeks around here. We've seen some absolute classics, and reviewed some terrific headphones you shouldn't miss (including our exclusive review of the new JayBirds). But we've got one more selection for you that'll clock in just shy of £100. They're sound-isolating earphones from Philips and they're called the SHE9850.

The 'Lips has just sent us a pair to play with, but until we've had chance to gather our first impressions, how about a general overview of why Philips thinks you should be looking towards the Netherlands for your next pair of ear drum beaters?

With a rated frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz, the SHE9850s claim to offer accurate audio reproduction as a result of some acoustic tuning. An 'Ergonomic Angled Acoustic' design will apparently give you a more comfortable listening experience.

They're pretty discreet-looking 'phones, and we like the snazzy metal enclosures. But in our experience fancy enclosures and invented terminology don't mean squat if the 'phones themselves sound like Jade Goody being sucked through a jet engine.

Anyway, we'll have more news for you when we've had a chance to play with the chaps over the weekend. Expect full review very soon. They'll be on sale this month for about £90. -Nate Lanxon

Update: Read our full Philips SHE9850 sound-isolating earphones review.