Phiaton PS 300 Primal Series Noise Canceling Headphones review

The extras don't end there. The Phiaton PS 300 headphones are pretty much a traveler's dream. The package includes a nice, hard-shelled case; an airline adapter; and a wallwart power adapter with snap-on attachments for various international outlets. To this you connect a compact USB charging unit, which directly accepts the rechargeable cells. In addition, you get a quarter-inch plug for use with home stereos for when you're not on-the-go. We're hard pressed to ask for anything else.

Of course, we're talking about headphones here: all these extras and design niceties are for naught if the sound isn't up to snuff. Unfortunately, the Phiaton PS 300 headphones aren't up to the standards it takes to satisfy a large variety of listeners. On the plus side, music sounds very open, with clear definition between the two channels--something you don't get from earbuds, which are perhaps the only things more portable than this style of headphone. High-end definition is excellent, and mids sound impressively warm and buttery. The noise cancellation feature also fared well against the low-end hum of nearby servers and an AC unit.

Our main complaint is that the low-end can sound mushy for certain types of music--new wave and indie rock, in particular. Bass performs notably better for pop, dance, and hip-hop music, where it is generally more defined. Depeche Mode's "World In My Eyes" Mode to Joy remix in particular sounded fantastic during testing, with tight and thumping bass, wonderfully rich male vocals, and sparkling clarity on the synths and hi-hats. Other standouts included the Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix of Kelis' "Bossy" and, surprisingly, The Deftones' "Change (In the House of Flies)." The artists whose music suffered particularly included Tears for Fears, Radiohead, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others.

In the final analysis, we can still recommend the Phiaton PS 300 Noise Canceling headphones as a viable alternative to the Bose QuietComfort 3, but only to those who have a particular affection for the genres and artists that they play best. Although the QC3's bass and overall sound quality is better, the PS 300 offers comparable comfort and compactness, more extras, and solid overall sound quality--all for $50 less.