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The Philips Metro headphones are the company's entry-level model in the sartorial Citiscape line. Priced appropriately for their build and sound quality at $49.99, their Euro-inspired looks are contemporary and clean with availability in black, white, blue, purple, and pink. The thickly padded ear cushions lend a luxurious feel to the design as well, though the headphones look better than they sound, and discerning audiophiles may express disappointment with the veiled, hollow signatures. The Koss PortaPro headphones offer better sonic fidelity, but if you're willing to sacrifice sound for style, the Philips Metro headphones are a practical option.
Design and features
The Citiscape Metro is a lightweight closed-back, on-ear set of headphones. I see a definite kinship with the Downtown, the next model up in the Citiscape line. Both headphones are wrapped in faux leather with thickly padded ear cushions and pivoting earcups that naturally conform to different head shapes.
The Metros take a price cut to the Downtowns since they omit Philips's "MusicSeal" feature that promises superior isolation from external noise to keep the user's music a private experience. It's not just hype, either--the Metro's ear cushions aren't nearly as effective in blocking external noise.
Large perforations speckle the center of the ear cushions, presumably to allow sound to pass while simultaneously providing air circulation, but my ears still felt overheated after just 15 minutes of use.
The Citiscape Metro is a 32-ohm design and features 40 mm Mylar drivers and neodymium magnets. The flat, 46-inch long tangle resistant cable attaches to the left ear cup that terminates in an L-shaped, gold-plated 3.5 mm plug. While the Philips Web site claims the Metro has a microphone and one-button remote compatible with Android and various iDevices, our two review Metro samples did not have those features.
