Philips SBC3155

The SBC3155 was a studio headphone released by Philips in the European and North-American markets in the eighties. It’s closed-back, and was probably an OEM from a Japanese manufacturer, but I could not find any further information about the original company.

○ Release : 1980s (exact year unknown)
○ Current status : Discontinued
○ Type : Over-ear / Closed-back
○ Measured weight : 345g
○ Impedance : 32 Ohms
○ Sensitivity : ~105 dB/mW
○ Average used price : $20-50

Sound Impression
This is probably one of the worst headphones I have ever heard.

First of all, it is almost impossible to wear them more than 20 minutes because of the awful comfort. Stock pads became as hard as a stone, without thickness so my ears touched the driver housing. Sound was crappy and muddy – too warm, without noticeable treble articulation or sense of cleanliness. About as bad as most noname consumers $20 Bluetooth headphones of today.

I did not give up and tried them with Brainwavz HM5 Pleather Angled pads. Big improvement – much wider sound, but sound tonality was still off and way too warm. Bass impact was strong but without real extension, and treble too rolled-off. Very compressed dynamics and closed-in sound.