Phiaton PS 20 BT Half In-Ear Wireless Earphone/Headset (Playback 62)

Although Phiaton chose not to exhibit at CES 2012, the company’s PR representative called to ask if I would have time for coffee and a chat with Phiaton Senior Manager for Sales & Marketing Akio Strasser. I quickly agreed and soon found myself in a crowded café in the Las Vegas Convention Center sitting across the table from Strasser to discuss new Phiaton products of note. “Which products do you hope will catch the ears of listeners this year,” I asked. Strasser named several Phiaton models I already knew about or reviewed in Playback, but then added, “I’m particularly enthusiastic about this one,” as he pulled Phiaton’s PS 20 BT Half In Ear Wireless Stereo Headset ($149) from his pocket and placed it on the table. “Would you like to try it?”

“Yes, please,” I replied. We quickly set up the PS 20 BT with a set of slip-on ear tips that fit me so that I could take the little Bluetooth earphone/headset for a quick test drive. In less time than it takes to read this sentence Strasser had the PS 20 BT powered up and paired with a smartphone loaded with high-quality music files, so that I was all set to go.

What struck me, right off the bat, was that the PS 20 BT sounded surprisingly good—in fact, fairly similar to the sound of Phiaton’s wired earphones. Frankly, I’ve sometimes associated the word Bluetooth with “limited sound quality” in the past, but as it turns out I needn’t have been overly concerned since the PS 20 BT supports Bluetooth version 3.0, whose performance capabilities are broader than those of earlier versions of Bluetooth.

I also noted that the PS 20 BT seemed incredibly convenient and flexible; its very light controller module and micro-joystick control setup proved to be intuitively easy to understand and to operate.  No doubt about it; there’s a certain sense of freedom you get when your earphones no longer need to be “tethered” to their associated source components. Add to this the fact that many PC’s, laptops, tablet, smartphones, and digital music players have Bluetooth capabilities and you can begin to see the possibilities.

In short order Strasser and I agreed it might be a good idea for Playback to review the PS 20 BT under better conditions (not time constraints, no crowds, no jam-packed café, etc.), and a review sample was arranged. In this review, I’ll try to give you a clear picture of the PS 20 BT’s sonic capabilities and to give you a sense for what it’s like to use on a day-to-day basis.

FEATURES

Earphone/Headset: The PS 20 BT is, first and foremost, a self-powered earphone/headset that leverages what Phiaton terms a “Half In-Ear” design, as first pioneered in the firm’s PS 20 and PS 210i earphones (you can read the Playback review of the PS210i in the Playback Guide to Earphones & Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors—2011; click here to get a free copy of the Guide). Highlight of this core earphone design include:

• A main earpiece driver housing that rests in the outer ear (much like a typical “earbud”), but that features an ear-canal sound outlet tube that can be fitted with a variety of different sizes of soft silicon ear tips that are meant to create a noise isolating, airtight seal in the ear canal. One upshot of this is that the PS 20 BT feels much like an earbud to wear (meaning it is light and very comfortable), yet also has some of the characteristics of a typical in-ear ‘phone. Think “best of two worlds” and you’ve got the general idea.
• The half in-ear earpiece uses a dual-chamber driver housing.
• Powerful 14.3mm dynamic drivers.
• “Dual optimized housing dampers” positioned behind the PS 20 BT’s dynamic driver.
• An “optimized front damper” and “optimized canal damper” positioned in front of the PS 20 BT’s dynamic driver.
• Phiaton says this dual-chamber design, “virtually eliminates unwanted vibration and echo,” enabling listeners to enjoy, “carefully balanced low frequencies and treble equalization for great sound quality.”
• Phiaton touts the PS 20 BT as using a “MaxBass Reflex” technology that is said to “provide listeners with rich, gentle—yet powerful bass response.”

Controller: The PS 20 BT also come equipped with a wireless amp/mic/controller module attached via a short set of signal cables to the PS 20 BT’s earpieces. Highlights of the amp/mic/controller module include:

• A built-in Lithium ion battery that, when fully charged (charge time ~ 2 hours), provides up to 6 hours of listening or 250 hours of standby time.
• A built-in amplifier.
• A Bluetooth 3.0 receiver.
• A built-in microphone backed by onboard “Echo Off” noise reduction technology.
• A mini-USB battery charging port.
• A status indicator light that, depending on the color and/or flashing pattern displayed, can show.
   
  • Power on status.
  • Bluetooth pairing status.
  • Battery charging status.
  • A micro-joystick type switch that provides the following functions:
    • Play/Pause/Stop.
    • Track forward/backward.
    • Volume up/down.
  • A call send/end switch.
  • A “hold” key.
  • A built-in garment clip, so you can attach the controller module to your shirt or blouse, etc. for safekeeping.

Accessories:

• 4 pairs (S, M, L, XL) of soft silicon ear tips.
• A lanyard-like strap for supporting the controller/amp/Bluetooth module.
• A faux-suede, spring-closure-type carrying pouch. 

EASE OF USE

As I have found with previous Phiaton ”half in-ear” designs, the PS 20 BT was quite light and comfortable. With this design, having a decent ear tip seal is important, but not nearly as critical as in some designs (where having a super-tight seal can sometimes make all the difference between adequate bass and no bass at all).

In contrast, the Phiaton design gives you a bit more leeway in choosing among the four sizes of ear tips that come with the ‘phones and it will tolerate a slightly looser ear tip fit than would be workable with most other earphones (in this respect, the PS 20 BT reminds me a bit of B&W’s C5 earphone). Best of all, the fit represents a good day-to-day compromise between a typical earbud’s “grab’n’go” simplicity and a more serious earphone’s higher sound quality and noise isolation.

I found the PS 20 BT’s controller module easy to learn and simple to use, though I would, however, recommend spending a little time with the product manual so you can familiarize yourself with the functions of the buttons and connectors. It is also helpful to learn the meaning of the status light’s various display functions (the light is surprisingly versatile, but it takes some time to learn what all the various display modes mean). Once you’ve got the buttons, etc., mastered, the control module is a joy—especially the little micro-joystick control knob, which is just plain fun and intuitive to use.

The PS 20 BT signal cables are a bit longer than most listeners will need for them to be, so I would not recommend allowing the controller module to dangle from the cables (to do so is to risk cable damage in the long run). Instead, it’s better to use the included lanyard strap to hang the module from your neck. One catch, however, is that when you put the PS 20 BT in its carrying pouch it is easy for the cables and lanyard strap to get tangled up. When you take the PS 20 BTs out again, plan on spending a minute or so clearing cable/strap snags.

SONIC CHARACTER

The PS 20 BT offers a gentle, somewhat warmer-than-neutral, and largely naturalistic sonic presentation with bass (especially mid-bass) that provides a noticeable but not obnoxious touch of low-end enrichment. Highs are smooth, but also appear to be gracefully rolled off, way up high. Where some earphones attempt to wow prospective buyers with overt, and in some cases hyper-exaggerated, clarity and definition, the PS 20 BT takes the opposite tack, aiming instead for a sound that is rich, sumptuous, a little bit forgiving of rough-edged material, and very relaxing to listen to for long periods of time.  Frankly, this is a sound I think many listeners will find easy to embrace.

While purists might find the Phiaton a little too dark-sounding and not quite open or transparent enough for their liking, I think the PS 20 BT’s voicing makes a lot of sense for those listening in potentially noisy real-world contexts. If you hear the Phiaton in in settings where there is any significant amount of low-frequency noise present, you may find the PS 20 BT’s dab of bass emphasis helps cut through background noise. Similarly, the PS 20 BT’s evocative mids convey musical expression in a way that helps loft the music up and above the noise floor.

Is the Phiaton’s sound “accurate”? Perhaps not in a strict textbook sense, but it does represent a very wisely chosen compromise point between sophisticated sound quality (particular in the midrange, where the PS 20 BT sounds its best), versus potential pitfalls that can arise when designers push edges of the “clarity envelope” too hard and wind up with products that sound abrasive, or just plain obnoxious.

One of the nicest things about the voicing of the PS 20 BT is that it plays to the strengths of Bluetooth 3.0, while minimizing Bluetooth’s occasional sonic flaws. In short, the PS 20 BT tends to “accentuate the positive” so that even when it does expose sonic problems it does so without dramatizing them or making them worse.

Do Bluetooth 3.0 connections literally sound “as good as wired connections?” I would say not, but with the qualifying remark that the PS 20 BT sounds sufficiently good enough that the sonic differences would not to be glaringly apparent to most listeners unless they did a side-by-side, wired vs. wireless comparison.

The differences in convenience and flexibility that Bluetooth connectivity affords, however, are huge. Specifically, you can use the PS 20 BT controller module to control music playback from your smartphone (or other Bluetooth source) and can do so while standing up to 10 meters away—something that obviously wouldn’t be possible with a wired earphone/headset.

MUSICAL EXAMPLES

One of the great pleasures a Bluetooth earphone/headset allows is the option of pairing the device with, say, an Apple iPad running a Pandora app and then listening to favorite Pandora Internet radio “channels” while being able to get up and walk around the room. I tried several listening tests in this way.

On “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” from Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True [Stiff, via Pandora], the PS 20 BT had plenty of moxie with which to handle the song’s infectious, bouncy bass hooks and Costello’s sly, saucy, edgy vocals. Upper midrange and high frequency clarity and details aren’t really this album’s strong suit in the first place, so the Phiaton’s slightly subdued highs are not so much a problem as a benefit in that they keep the album from sounding overly raw or rough-edged. What is more, the Phiaton similarly tends to downplay the fact that Pandora’s sound seems inherently compressed (at lease to some degree). These are examples of what I mean when I say the PS 20 BT is “forgiving” in a good way.

On “London Calling” from The Clash Singles [Epic, via Pandora], the PS 20 BTs do a very good job of capturing the energy and raw emotion of this British punk rock classic. The PS 20 BTs touch of bass enrichment gives a boost in power to the song’s unforgettable opening bass guitar riffs, while guitars have a just-right quality of biting edginess and vocals are powerful, clear, and appropriately raw (not out-of-control raw, but “raw” in the sense of pushing hard to convey sincere emotions). Once again, the Phiaton reproduces upper mids and highs in a way that offers decent measures of clarity, but with an uncanny ability to smooth out strident rough edges in the record.

For the bulk of my listening, however, I used Bluetooth connections to an iPod loaded with lossless (that is, full CD-resolution) audio files, which proved a tougher test of the Phiaton’s ability to handle musical nuances, etc.

On the masterfully recorded track “I Can’t Stand the Rain” from Sara K’s Hell or High Water [Stockfisch], the PS 20 BT gave a surprising nuanced and evocative rendering of the delicate inflections and points of emphasis in Sara K’s robust yet also haunting vocal. Likewise, the Phiaton did a good job with the intricate acoustic guitar work that plays such a central role in this album. The Phiaton’s bass boost gave the record a slighter darker, moodier sound than it might have had through a more strictly accurate earphone (especially when bass accompaniment entered the mix), but happily not to the point of excess. On this extremely well made record, however, I couldn’t help but note that the Phiaton’s subtly subdued top-end caused a loss of some upper midrange and high-frequency details, textures, and reverberant cues that—under ideal circumstances—can (and really should) make you feel like you are present in the studio as the record was being made (or mixed).  My point is that while the Phiaton does a lot of things well, there are certain upper reaches of clarity, resolution, and finesse that it can’t realistically reach.

CONCLUSION

Consider this wireless earphone/headset if:

• You want a wireless earphone/headset that’s well made, well priced, and easy to use. We say: Freedom of movement is its own reward.
• You place a premium on wearer comfort; the PT BS 20 rests very lightly in wearers’ ears.
• You favor an earphone that offer a rich, warm, natural sound that, though not the last word in clarity or definition, is forgiving of flaws in source materials and very relaxing.
• You like earphones that add a dab of mid-bass emphasis without going way over the top.

Look further if:

• You were hoping for a lower-cost solution.
• You were hoping for monitoring-grade sonic neutrality, accuracy, definition, and clarity.

BOTTOM LINE

Phiaton’s PS 20 BT makes a great choice for listeners who need or want the flexibility (and quality) of a Bluetooth 3.0-enabled wireless stereo earphone/headset. Unlike many Bluetooth headsets, the PS 20 BT is quite serious about music performance, with a sound that comes closer than you might expect to the performance of some of Phiaton’s wired earphones. A strong point is the earphone’s rich, warm, and somewhat forgiving sound—a sound that makes the Phiaton a good choice for on-the-go listening.

SPECS & PRICING

Phiaton PS 20 BT wireless stereo earphone/headset
Accessories: As under FEATURES, above.
Driver complement: 14.3mm dynamic driver with earpiece construction as detailed under FEATURES, above.
Frequency response: 15 Hz – 22kHz
Sensitivity: 110 dB/mW
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Weight: 7.5 grams
Warranty: 1 year, parts and labor.
Price: $149

PS 20 BT Controller Section Details
Control functions: As under FEATURES, above.
Communication network: Bluetooth standard Version 3.0
Bluetooth profile: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
Operating frequencies: 2.4 GHz.
Range: Within 10 meters.
Audio CODEC support: SBC
Power supply: Rechargeable 3.7V Lithium polymer battery.

• Charging time: 2 hours,
  Music playing/calling time: 6 hours.
• Standby time: 250 hours.

Manufacturer
PHIATON CORPORATION
(866) 313-3203
www.phiaton.com