Phiaton has been constructing a reputation for itself over the previous few years for its reasonably priced but decently high-quality headphones. Now, the corporate is again with one other pair — the Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones.
However the final time Phiaton tried to construct a pair of neckband-style headphones, we weren’t all that impressed. Are the Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones price shopping for, or must you steer clear? We put them to the take a look at to seek out out.
Design
The very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones is their design, and so they’re really fairly well-designed. Quite than a blocky white plastic design, the headphones function a sleeker black look, with a small skinny body across the again, which connects two modules on both finish of the headphones.
On the within of the left module, you’ll get an influence button and quantity controls, together with a button to activate noise cancellation and a MicroUSB port for charging. We’re slightly upset to see MicroUSB getting used right here. In 2019, firms must be utilizing USB-C.
On the finish of every arm is a wire, which in flip attaches to the earbuds. The earbuds themselves are comparatively small and modern. They arrive with small match wings pre-installed, and there are a number of completely different sizes of these wings that include the headphones, together with completely different earbud sizes and a MicroUSB charging cable.
General, the design of the headphones isn’t dangerous in any respect. We predict Phiaton has improved on the BT 100 NC headphones in leaps and strides. We’d have appreciated Phiaton to undertake USB-C, however aside from that the essential design is kind of good.
Consolation
Due to their small earbuds and comparatively gentle design, the Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones are literally very snug — which is all the time useful. As is normally the case with in-ear headphones, we suggest customers experiment slightly with the ear tip and match wing sizes, as it is going to assist guarantee a superb match — however we expect most will discover one thing that fits them.
After all, there may be the truth that these are nonetheless neckband-style headphones, and so they’re not for everybody. Should you like the concept of neckband headphones, then these are among the many extra snug ones on the market. However they’re not for gymnasium or working use given how a lot they transfer — so hold that in thoughts.
Sound
In the end, the sound high quality was one of many largest points with the Phiaton BT 100 NC headphones, however fortunately, it appears as if Phiaton has stepped issues up a bit for the brand new headphones. Whereas sound high quality isn’t unbelievable, it’s not dangerous both — and most will discover listening to music on these headphones a superb expertise.
For starters, the bass is kind of punchy, which all the time helps. Kick drums are capable of punch via a combination properly, whereas bass guitars usually sound clean. The bass extension isn’t dangerous, although it’s not unbelievable both — however on the whole we discovered the bass high quality to be one of the best sounding frequency vary of those headphones.
Mid vary is decently tuned, however slightly unexciting. Low miss are heat, although there’s a contact of muddiness in there, whereas excessive midsized appear to have gotten a comparatively main reduce — which implies that issues like vocals and guitars can typically be overshadowed by different devices.
The excessive finish might be the weakest side of the headphones, however once more, it’s not horrible. We discovered that cymbals had some chew to them, although they appeared to take a again seat to different devices. General, the headphones had some element, however slightly extra consideration to excessive frequencies would have been welcome.
The noise cancellation on the Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones isn’t nice. Whereas it clearly does reduce some noise out, it does little compared to the likes of the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones. We wouldn’t suggest shopping for these solely for his or her noise cancellation, however it’s a good added bonus.
Efficiency
The Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones hook up with your listening gadget via Bluetooth 4.2, that means they’ll get a spread of as much as 10 meters, or 33 ft. We discovered that they related completely positive, and didn’t skip or bounce a lot.
Battery life isn’t nice. It is available in at 8.5 hours, which is slightly below the 10+ we might have appreciated to see from the headphones. We suppose it’s a trade-off of getting a comparatively gentle design — however nonetheless slightly irritating. Battery life will get even worse with noise cancellation activated — when it’s, you’ll solely get 5 hours.
Conclusions
The Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones are a severe enchancment over the previous-generation Phiaton BT 100 NC headphones. They’re a lot better-designed, supply a snug match, and don’t sound dangerous in any respect.
However are they the neckband headphones it is best to get? Properly, that relies upon. In case your finances is $80 at most, then these are completely a pair of headphones to contemplate. If, nevertheless, you’ll be able to prolong your finances slightly, then we suggest trying into headphones just like the RHA MA650 neckband, or the JBL UA Sport Wi-fi Flex headphones.
Nonetheless, due to their high quality, we’ve awarded the Phiaton BT 120 NC headphones the Headphone Overview Bronze Medal.
| Retailer | Worth |
|---|---|
 |
$79.99 |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz – 20kHz | Lively noise cancellation |
Sure |
| Driver dimension | 12mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver sort |
Dynamic | In-line controls | Sure |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Sure |
| Sensitivity | 102dB | Ear tip materials | Silicone |
| Rated impedance |
16Ω | Magnet materials | Unknown |
| Complete harmonic distortion |
Unknown | Water resistance | IPX4 |
| Rated enter energy |
Unknown | Battery life | 8.5 Hours (5 Hours with ANC on) |
| Most enter energy |
40mW | Wi-fi distance | 10m (33ft) |
| Wi-fi connection |
Bluetooth 4.2 | Cable size | N/A |
| Wired connection |
No | Case sort | N/A |
| Removable cable |
N/A | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | 25g (0.88oz) | Colours | Black |