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The Short Form
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| $300 / PHIATON.COM |
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Snapshot
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| Great noise canceling and a ton of accessories don’t quite make up for these headphones’ disappointing bass. |
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Plus
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| • Great noise canceling • Rich treble and midrange • Loads of accessories |
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Minus
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| • Disappointing bass • Expensive |
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Key Features
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• Spare battery • USB charger with AC and international power adapters • 6.3mm stereo and dual-plug airplane audio adapters |
The box comes with so many accessories and extras that it could easily be sold by Billy Mays. Besides the headphones themselves, Phiaton includes a solid nylon carrying case, a detachable cable with in-line mute button, a 3.5mm to 6.3mm stereo plug adapter, a dual-plug adapter for airplanes, a USB charger for the headphone’s battery, an AC adapter for the charger, several international power adapters for the AC adapter, and not one but two batteries to power the noise cancellation feature. The headphones only use one battery at a time, so when one runs dry you can pop in a fresh one instead of waiting for it to charge. All that’s missing is a Sham-Wow and a tub of Oxy-Clean.
The headphones use a small lithium-ion battery kept in the right earpiece to power an active noise-canceling feature, using external microphones to pick up background noise and adjust the sound accordingly. Phiaton claims the battery lasts up to 18 hours on a single charge, which is more than enough for all but the longest plane rides. The included second battery lets you bump up the noise-cancelled listening time to a full day and a half before needing to plug in and recharge. The headphones also work un-powered, so if you don’t feel like juggling batteries (and don’t mind outside), you can switch off the feature and ignore the battery.
I put the headphones through their paces on the streets of New York, seeing how the headphones block out street noise, subway noise, and retail store noise. For the company’s first product to offer the feature, the PS 300 NC’s noise canceling system is excellent, albeit uneven and occasionally annoying.
Like most active noise-canceling features, the PS 300 NC’s system suffers from occasional feedback. When I exerted pressure on the left cup, like while putting on the headphones or switching on the noise cancellation, I heard a painful squealing coming from that side. Oddly enough, I never heard the feedback on the other side of the headphones. It’s a minor annoyance, but not one that affects the listening experience.
From the rumble of the R train to the roar of Toys R Us Times Square’s animatronic t-rex, the PS 300 NC’s kept out virtually all noise. It was particularly good at blocking out low-frequency noise, but let a fair amount of higher-frequency noise through. Thumping and rumbling from construction equipment and traffic went unnoticed, but quieter, sharper tones like the splash of rain and the squealing hiss of city busses’ air brakes spilled through. I could stand on a subway platform and hardly hear the trains rush by, but I could still hear the fans in the air conditioner next to my desk. It’s puzzling, but not entirely bad; by keeping out low frequency noise, the headphones take care of the most distracting parts of ambient sound, and by letting high frequency noise through, it preserves a measure of environmental awareness for users who want to walk around while listening to music. Noise-cancellation is designed primarily to block out airplane and commuter rail ambient noise, and at this the Phiatons are very effective.
The headphones sound generally good, but they’re sorely lacking in the bass department. Treble and midrange both sound clear and rich, from Warren Zevon’s vocals in the titular track of his live album Stand in the Fire to the wailing guitar notes of Jimi Hendrix’s guitar in his legendary cover of “All Along the Watchtower.” Classical music sounds just as good as classic rock on the PS 300 NC’s; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major felt full and lively, with the individual string and woodwind notes sounding particularly good.
Unfortunately, its bass feels flat and unsatisfying. Both kick drums and bass lines sounded hollow on the Zevon and Hendrix tracks; at best, bass notes sounded melodic with little detail, and at worst deep drum beats thumped uselessly, just loud enough to get in the way of the music but not enough to add any sense of depth. A small mechanical switch on either cup controls valves that supposedly affect bass response, but I couldn’t discern a difference no matter how the switches were set. Kick drums and bass lines simply lacked punch and definition. I could hear every beat and note, but I couldn’t really feel them; there just wasn’t enough thump to back them up.
Oddly enough, Phiaton’s non-noise cancellation headphones don’t seem to have this problem. According to our own Al Griffin, the company’s Moderna MS 400 headphones, Phiaton’s high-end, non-NC model, sound fantastic compared to the PS 300 NC. The MS 400’s are slightly less expensive than the PS 300’s, as well.
While you can still listen to the headphones without the noise cancellation (or the battery that powers the feature), it severely diminishes the sound quality. The un-cancelled headphones sound tinny and unsatisfying, with only a fraction of the midrange heft they offer with noise canceling enabled.
If you travel a lot and want to isolate yourself from the rest of the world (or airplane), the Phiaton PS 300 NC headphones are a great package, with their spare battery, airplane adapter, and numerous international power plugs ensuring that you won’t be caught anywhere without active noise cancellation. However, their disappointing bass response and hefty price tag make them unappealing for the average desk jockey or home listener. There are cheaper choices that don’t offer as many accessories, but offer better, deeper sound.