Phiaton MS 400 (Red)

• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 4 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 8 stars

  Very good sound in a medium price range.

  by dalethorn2 on July 1, 2011

  Pros: Well balanced mids and highs.

  Cons: Slightly bassy; critical fit.

  Summary: The Phiaton MS-400 I purchased is the black and red version, which looks exactly like its photos when you see it up close. The build and quality look good but ...

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  Summary: The Phiaton MS-400 I purchased is the black and red version, which looks exactly like its photos when you see it up close. The build and quality look good but the cord is thin, so for portable use you need to be careful with that cord. I compared the sound of the MS-400 to the Philips Stretch headphone, because that was the closest thing I had access to which also sounds similar. I did my listening tests with an iPod Touch 2011 version, which controls low-impedance headphones quite well.
  
  The most obvious quality of each headphone was the very strong bass, which was boosted overall from the lower midrange down to the very low frequencies. I decided to use the "Bass Reducer" EQ setting on the iPod, because otherwise the bass was too boomy with these headphones, and I did not want to mix in the use of a headphone amp since this review applies strictly to portable use. What surprised me about the EQ setting was how the actual bass with the MS-400 was still strong and detailed, and flat as far as I could tell down to 30 hz. The bass did seem to drop off 3 or 4 db at 20 hz, so bear in mind that's with the reduced bass setting.
  
  One more thing I need to mention is how the earpad seal affects the bass response. In my case, when I put the MS-400 on the fit was so immediate and comfortable it was like I didn't even have a headphone on. Amazing comfort and a perfect seal. But when my wife put them on there was a gap at the bottom of the earcups that we couldn't figure out how to plug, and so she did not hear the strong bass that I did. Based on her head and ear shape compared to mine, I'd guess that people with very small heads or unusual ear shapes might not get a perfect seal with the MS-400.
  
  Comparing the midrange of the MS-400 to that of the Philips Stretch, the Stretch had a pronounced emphasis in the upper midrange which imparts an "EEEEEEEEE" (in English) effect to the sound. Since the MS-400 midrange sounded so much better, I compared it to the Sennheiser HD-800 as well. Compared to the HD-800, the MS-400 had a slight "AWWWWWW" coloration, but nothing that would offend even with a headphone costing twice as much.
  
  The highs of the MS-400 were comparable to the Stretch and not as sparkly or clear as the HD-800, but still very smooth and detailed. The highs did not exhibit any harshness or sibilance that I could attribute to the headphone. My overall impression of the MS-400 is that it's a very good deal at the original price, and a bargain at some of the lower prices I've seen recently. The overall sound is close enough to the Sennheiser HD-800 that I can (and will) use it for home listening and not feel like I'm being deprived of anything important.
  
  In addition to the pop music tracks listed below, which I used mainly for detecting weaknesses or other problems with the sound, I played a wide variety of genres (Jazz, Diana Krall, Bill Evans Trio; Bach organ, Biggs; Beethoven 9th, Solti CSO; Chopin, Moravec; Reggae, Marley, Tosh; Country, Haggard, Yoakam; Verdi, Domingo; Sinatra and Bennett; Punk, Germs, Fear, Sid Vicious, Social Distortion; Medieval, Madrigali, Medieval Babes; Trance, Mylene Farmer, etc.)
  
  The following are some of the music tracks I tested with, and the main features I listened for with those tracks:
  
  Blues Project - Caress Me Baby (piercing guitar sound, handled very well).
  Cocteau Twins - Carolyn's Fingers (guitar string detail and quality, very good).
  Commodores - Night Shift (bass detail, very good).
  Germs - Forming (raw garage sound, very good).
  Lick The Tins - Can't Help Falling In Love (tin whistle, very clear and clean).
  Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side (bass impact and detail, very good).
  REM - Radio Free Europe (drum impact, very good).
  Rolling Stones - She's So Cold (bass impact and guitar sound, very good).
  U2 - With Or Without You (bass very slightly boomy; high-pitched instruments/sibilants handled very well).
  Van Morrison - Into The Mystic (bass, moderate).
  Who - Bargain (voice trailing off: "best I ever had", good vocal harmonics).

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• 10 stars

  Best sound quality of any head phone I've ever tried

  by jebanner on March 5, 2010

  Pros: These headphones have a very solid, clear, and clean sound reproduction, the bass tones rich and undistorted, while the top notes are fully express and delineated. I can?t believe I just said that. Basically Fantastic for any kind of music.

  Cons: I havn't had the product long enough to list any cons. I just really enjoyed listening to my ipod again with these headphones. The improvement my listening experience is incredible.

  Summary: Resonable price. Great Music reproduction. Worth the cost at twice the price.

  Summary: Resonable price. Great Music reproduction. Worth the cost at twice the price.

• 9 stars

  Wow! The MS 400 exceeded expectations!

  by anthropologizzle on February 25, 2010

  Pros: - Amazing style
  - Very efficent, neutral sound reproduction.
  - Great for just about every genre of music!
  - Comes with a nice hard shell case

  Cons: - The cable is a little short, but I bought an inexpensive extention which solved the problem.
  - thats it!

  Summary: First I have to comment on the style. It really caught my eye and I probably would not have tried them as I never heard of Phiaton before (this was ...

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  Summary: First I have to comment on the style. It really caught my eye and I probably would not have tried them as I never heard of Phiaton before (this was late 2008 when I purchased). The ear cups have real carbon fiber in them. Having dabbled in automotive modification here and there I know carbon fiber is not a cheap material to use. And the sound isolation is more than adequate.
  
  Now, the sound quality really backs up the aggressive style of these cans. I listen to a wide variety of music depending on mood and I really wanted a set of headphones that were fairly neutral. That's what I love about these Phiatons, if I want to listen to bass heavy hip hop they respond very well on the low end or if I want to listen to Jazz trumpets they reproduce a really clean high frequency to match. And some times I want to listen to rock / alternative and they keep up with little distortion.
  
  I can't wait to slap an amp on these and see how they really shine!

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• 9 stars

  Awesome headphones

  by phubeone on February 18, 2010

  Pros: These are awesome headphones, no complaints here. The highs, mids and lows are all very crisps even at a high volume. Good looking design and also very comfortable. Comes with a carrying case.

  Cons: The length of cable is a little short if you're trying to plug these in the back of your computer, not a problem for me since main use is for my ipod.

  Summary: I would highly recommend this product, for the price you can't go wrong with these, you'll get what you pay for. If the carbon fiber is there to ...

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  Summary: I would highly recommend this product, for the price you can't go wrong with these, you'll get what you pay for. If the carbon fiber is there to help with sound quality, it works. I would definitely invest in another pair of these I ever lost mine.

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