Philips TAH8506 headphones review: a decent VFM offering

While the likes of Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose are known for their audio products, brand Philips can also be counted among the best. Philips has just entered the sub-Rs 10,000 segment with a highly compelling pair of headphones. Priced at Rs 8,699, the Philips TAH8506 offers an attractive package in terms of specifications, design, and audio quality. In this review, we will explore whether these headphones are worth your consideration.

Build and design

The Philips TAH8506 headphones make a strong visual impression with their premium design. One could easily be led to believe that they are priced much higher than they actually are. For starters, Philips provides a carry case that comfortably houses the headphones and the accessories provided with it. The case itself has a matte finish and is portable enough to fit snuggly in a backpack. Talking about the headphones themselves, both the earcups and band have a lush memory foam coating for maximum comfort.

Although the construction is plastic, the cans do have an aura of elegance around them. The jet black colour scheme goes well with the case provided and gives the Philips TAH8506 a stealthy look. Weighing in at just under 300g, the headphones are not extremely lightweight but even after periods of prolonged usage they don’t become a burden on the ears and head. The earcups can fold inwards and swivel outwards with the former effective for additional portability and the latter for better adjustment around the ears. 

Also read: Sony WH-CH720N headphones review: premium audio at an affordable price

The headphones pack in a mixture of physical and touch controls for interaction. There are three buttons that control the mic, ANC settings, and power options respectively. The right earcup has a capacitive pad on the inside and responds to touch and swipe gestures. I rarely faced any issues with the controls even when my fingers were wet. A double tap will play/pause the music, a horizontal swipe changes the track while a vertical swipe up and down controls the volume. Apart from that there is a USB Type-C port for charging. 

Companion app and features

Finding the Philips Headphones app in the App Store and Play Store is easy enough. My usage mainly centred around using the cans with an iPhone and the app support is bare-bones at best. The only things you can control on the app are the EQ, ANC, and touchpad settings. Apart from that the headphones are capable of connecting with two devices simultaneously and there is a toggle that enables this in the app. I did like how seamless the handoff is between sound playing on either of the connected device.

The Philips TAH8506 boasts a commendable Awareness mode, which can be adjusted across four levels within the app. To put it to the test, I ventured out and crossed a bustling intersection in Gurugram. I was pleasantly surprised by the TAH8506’s ability to allow the sound of oncoming traffic to penetrate naturally and seamlessly.

However, that’s about it as far as features go, and I think that even for this price, Philips could have invested more in the app and made it more intuitive like Sony’s own headphone app. What I do like is that the cans do have a wired connectivity option via its 3.5mm headphone jack and an AUX cable provided with the box.

Sound quality

The Philips TAH8506 feature 40mm dynamic drivers that offer a frequency range of 7 to 40,000Hz. These headphones are primarily designed to cater to bass enthusiasts, as the low frequencies are quite prominent in any genre of music. Even with the app’s EQ presets adjusted to reduce the bass impact, the overall sound signature still retains a slight emphasis on the low end. 

Consequently, the reproduction of the highs and mids on the Philips TAH8506 is not as immersive as desired. Despite the wide soundstage and good instrument separation provided by the large drivers, the headphones do not lean toward a balanced sound. As a result, some modern trap hits from artists like Migos, Future, and Gucci Mane will be exceptionally enjoyable, but the essence of rock and roll music might not be fully captured. Vocals and treble levels are good enough for my liking with the ANC muffling ambient noise very effectively. Overall the sound quality on the Philips TAH8506 looks to be geared toward more modern music with bass-heavy signatures. 

Talking about supported codecs, Philips TAH8506 uses the popular AAC and SBC outputs and has Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity. In terms of the call quality on offer, the headphones have just a single microphone on the right earcup, and their performance is satisfactory. 

Battery life

The Philips TAH8506 are said to offer nearly 60 hours of battery backup with ANC off, remarkable even by headphone standards. However, my usage was almost always with noise cancelling turned on, which did reduce the running time of the cans. I topped off the TAH8506 early in the week and they lasted me for nearly eight days before I needed to juice them up. During this period, I was listening for nearly three to four hours every day, giving the headphones a battery life of nearly 30 – 35 hours, which is a little below Philips’ claim of 45 hours with ANC on. In any case, I think that the TAH8506 offers a reasonably good power backup for its price.

Final verdict

The Philips TAH8506 headphones offer a compelling option in the sub-Rs 10,000 bracket. With a premium design, comfortable fit, and convenient portability, they exceed expectations at their price point. The touch and physical controls are well-placed and responsive and the battery life is decent enough, although slightly shorter with ANC enabled. I only wished that the Philips Headphones app was a bit more intuitive in its approach and offered more customisation options. The sound quality leans towards bass enthusiasts, with strong lows and satisfactory vocals and treble. In short, users who are not hardcore audiophiles will find the listening experience good. Overall, the Philips TAH8506 delivers a competitive package that warrants consideration for those seeking affordable yet feature-rich headphones.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Reasons to buy:

• The headphones offer a very premium and comfortable design
• Unlike many other OEMs in the segment, Philips provides a fancy case with the TAH8506 
• Battery life is on par with competitive offerings 
• The Active Noise cancellation works well for an immersive audio experience

Reasons not to buy:

• Doesn’t offer a balanced sound signature and has a rather strong bass output
• The companion app is barebones at best