Headphones
Phiaton PS 500
The luxe Phiaton PS 500 Primal Series headphones feature proprietary 40mm large-driver vaporized titanium diaphragms and patented acoustic airflow construction for excellent timbral clarity and fast dynamic range extension at any listening volume. The expansive soundstage picture synergizes especially well with big band, symphonic and orchestral music. The PS 500 carbon fiber earcup housing is surrounded by genuine leather with a cool alligator skin-like feel and the extra-plush ear cushions remain comfortable for hours of listening pleasure to any recording or genre.
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Product Features:
- Stunning alligator-skin (faux) design meets killer sound quality
- Full-size sealed earcups offer great listening privacy with mild isolation
- Punchy low-end musical delivery and pristine midranges ideal for vocals
- One of the coolest-looking cans in upscale headphone land!
What's In The Box:
- 1/4" full-size plug adapter
- Phiaton owners manual
Applications:
The Phiaton PS 500 full-size sealed headphones offers luxuriant plush looks from its real stitched leather earcups and midnight black styling and, fortunately for us headphone geeks, the PS 500 appeal does not stop with just mere cosmetics. The bass response is full and richly present in the PS500, buttressing a smooth midrange and well-extended treble sans detectable harshness or unpleasant tonal glare. Phiaton's beautifully tuned 40mm vaporized titanium drivers deliver clean potent sound from any audio source you want to plug into including iPod and iPad. Employing a dedicated headphone amp opens up the uppermost highs and brings nuanced, subtle recording details to the fore of the musical presentation. The top-grade audio design engineering and construction materials extend to the beefy but pliable cable, the uber-comfortable headband ergonomics and very durable build quality. The Phiaton PS500 full-size circumaural ("around the ear") earcups provide decent insulation from ambient noise which allows you to focus on the music without having to turn up the volume to overcome ambient noise -- a nice thing to do for your long-term hearing safety. The sealed-back earcup construction also prevents unwanted audio 'leakage' from potentially disturbing others nearby -- a nice thing to do for the spouse or cubicle mate!
The Phiaton PS 500 have full-size 'circumaural' earcups that fit all the way around the ear for best ambient noise isolation and great wearing comfort. The earcup backs are covered in a high-end leather material that almost looks like fine alligator skin, a hip and distinctive cosmetic touch that sets the PS 500 apart from regular audiophile headphones. The Phiaton PS 500 RedDot award-winning construction design includes a supple but beefy headband that's both durable and easy to set for listeners of different head sizes and long oxygen-free cord. Definitely some very well thought-out, deeply engineered, high-quality stuff. Cheers to Akio and the Phiaton team from HeadRoom!
Specifications:
- Connector Type: 1/8
- Weight: 259 grams w/o cord
- Isolation: -10dB ~ 15dB
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 32 Ohms
- Detachable Cable: No
- Cord Length: 5ft
- Cord Type: Straight Y
- Headphone Type: Full Size
- Coupler Size: Large
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Acoustic Seal: Closed
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
- Sensitivity: 102dB
Average Rating
Posted by Clearmind from American in Taiwan on 2010-06-25
Recommend Product: No
Pros: Clear, sweet-toned sound, visually appealing
Cons: Sound balance and wearing comfort create fatigue
But for several reasons it was difficult to have really enjoyable extended listening sessions with the PS 500s. For me, the overall balance of bass, midrange, and treble is what is most important for non-fatiguing, extended listening. With the PS 500, certain parts of the sound spectrum, particularly in the upper midrange, seemed overly forward, while other parts sounded distant by comparison, creating an overall picture that wasn't as coherent as I would have liked. And despite the excellent job with the padding and the covering of the ear cups, their pronounced forward slant made for an awkward fit. (Also, like many companies these days, Phiaton places the drivers slightly forward of the ear, where they can aim the sound back in imitation of the directional sound of a real acoustic setting. But as far as I can tell, this is simply not an important factor in soundstaging. What IS important is detailed, accurate sound that can recreate the ambient cues of the original acoustic that are in the recording, and if this is done, a soundstage will appear regardless of which direction the driver faces. Once this myth of backward-facing drivers is dispensed with, I think everyone will be better off.)
To make a long story short, I think Phiaton needs to provide this fantastic titanium driver with a well-thought-out housing, giving it the acoustic environment it needs to reveal its sound quality and providing listeners with a little extra comfort. But I look forward to seeing what this company can do in the future.
My references:
Sennheiser HD650 (Great headphones, not quite as "dark" as some think, but a little uncomfortable with older or harsh-sounding recordings)
Technics RP-DJ1210 (Despite the "DJ" appellation, these are wonderfully designed at the $125 price point. Non-fatiguing in every sense, detailed enough to reproduce the hall ambience in classical recordings, and with enough bass for rock unless you're an unreasonable basshead. Great all-round phones.)
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