Skip to main content

Phiaton PS 300 NC Review

Phiaton PS 300 NC
MSRP $299.00
“Phiaton’s generous and thoughtful design has made for a very convenient and clever set of headphones.”
Pros
  • Comfortable Fit
  • Dual Rechargeable Batteries
  • USB and Wall Charger included
  • Comprehensive Accessory Pack
Cons
  • Noise Cancelling circuitry underperforms
  • Poor audio quality makes them best for certain types of music (Electronica, Trance, etc.)
Phiaton PS 300
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Introduction

If you haven’t heard of Phiaton before, that’s OK – most folks haven’t. That’s because the manufacturer just broke into the headphone scene about a year ago and you don’t often see their products in your local Big Box Mart. But while Phiaton is a new name to the headphone market, their Korean based parent company, Cresyn, is not. They’ve been manufacturing the parts that go into some of the world’s most popular headphones for decades. Now, following a popular trend, the manufacturer has decided to create their own line of headphones and market them to consumers.

Recommended Videos

With such an extended background in the industry, one might expect the Phiaton products to offer all the quality of their competitors at a lower price point. So do they deliver? We found that while the Phiaton PS 300 NC active noise cancelling headphones are packed with features and accessories, wear comfortably and look great, well… Let’s just say they fall a bit short on the most important feature of all: High-quality sound.

Out of the Box

One look at the Phiaton PS300 NCand you can see that they are clearly going after the Bose QuietComfort 3 market. The earcups are oval in shape and the padding on both the headband and earphones is nearly identical. Where the Bose units are silver though, the Phiaton PS300 NC units employ their primal black leather(ish) material accented by a faded champagne gold trim.

That’s where the similarities end, however. The Phiaton headphones fold down more compactly to fit in their smaller, more attractive case. In addition, within that case is a smorgasbord of accessories intended to make the Phiatons an infinitely more convenient solution.

Phiaton PS 300
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We counted five different AC power plugs for use in different countries. So, whether you are doing business in Amsterdam or Zambia, you should have no problem charging the battery for your headphones. Phiaton didn’t stop there either. For further convenience, the manufacturer has included a USB charging dongle (which we found could fully charge a drained battery in just 30 minutes) and a spare battery as a backup in case you can’t recharge right away. You’ll also find the requisite ¼-inch adapter and airline adapter as well.

Features and Design

The PS 300 NC headphones succeed at their intended job of being comfortable to wear. The padding on the earcups is substantial and breathes pretty well. The headband is similarly padded and was comfortable to wear for hours too. Mind you, we did find that the tension on the headband was a little high, but noted it contributed to a secure fit and didn’t seem to cause any fatigue or discomfort.

Phiaton PS 300
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The rechargeable battery needed for the Noise Cancelling function is cleverly tucked into the top of the right headphone. It’s stealthy enough that if you don’t look closely, you might miss it entirely. We prefer this design as it negates the need for an inline power source which can get a little clumsy. The cord for the headphones plugs in the lower half of the right headphone and is about 1 meter long. Inline is an interesting muting button which quiets, but not eliminates, the sound. This works well if you just need to quiet down the music long enough to ask the flight attendant for another tasty beverage. Otherwise, we don’t see it as being particularly handy.

In addition to the power switch located on the left headphone, each earpiece has an independent bass boost switch. We’re not sure why one would want to boost bass in only one of the two headphones, but gather that it may have something to do with design constraints.

Performance

In terms of overall noise cancellation capabilities, the Phiaton’s didn’t impress us. As a relatively small on-ear headphone, the substantially less expensive Sennheiser PXC 300s do a far better job of eliminating ambient noise. (They also sound a lot better too.) In fact, the noise cancelling circuitry seems to act more as a supplemental amplifier than as any kind of noise canceller. If purchasing the Phiaton PS 300 NC headphones for travel, don’t expect a ton of privacy from your neighbors beyond the isolation that comes along with the great earpadding.

Happily, the PS300 NC headphones will continue to play music, even with no battery installed or functioning. However, the sound quality is pretty dismal. Without power, the high frequencies are almost inaudible. For the most enjoyable sound performance, you really do want to activate the noise cancelling circuit.

Phiaton PS 300
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once noise cancelling is engaged, the highs leap forward and do a lot to clarify the sonic image. That said, the audio quality of these headphones is not on par with competitors – even units that cost much less. While the high frequencies come across with pleasant clarity, the bass response is a bit unruly. A constantly present mid-bass hump sounds like “faked” bass to us and the midrange is pulled waaaay back. Vocals further sounded as if several socks had gotten in between the singer and the microphone. Midrange-intensive styles of music such as instrumental jazz, classical and more contemporary pop music lacked the zeal and presence necessary to make listening a thoroughly enjoyable experience. While the PS 300 NC headphones don’t sound bad per se, they do seem best suited for styles of music that rely on bright highs and deep lows. Electronica and trance are two genres that instantly come to mind.

Conclusion

Phiaton’s generous and thoughtful design has made for a very convenient and clever set of headphones. Their compact size, comprehensive accessory pack and high-end styling are promising. However, the PS 300 NC headphones fall short on essential noise cancelling and audio quality parameters. This being the case, it’s hard to recommend them for the discerning buyer.

Pros

  • Comfortable Fit
  • Dual Rechargeable Batteries
  • USB and Wall Charger included
  • Comprehensive Accessory Pack

Cons

  • Noise Cancelling circuitry underperforms
  • Poor audio quality makes them best for certain types of music (Electronica, Trance, etc.)
Caleb Denison
Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…
The 65-inch TCL Q65 QLED is still over 20% off for Cyber Monday
An NFL player on the TCL Q65 4K QLED TV.

One of the most classic items to buy during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday deals period is the humble TV. Just look at Cyber Monday TV deals, and you'll see a wide range of offers, with everything from Cyber Monday OLED TV deals to budget TVs being offered at a big discount. Here, we've found a Cyber Monday special on a QLED TV from TCL that we think you should look into if you want a highly affordable TV. It's a 65-inch TCL Q65 QLED, to be exact, and right now, you can get it for a quite affordable $430 for Cyber Monday. That's a generous $120 discount from the usual $550, lopping 22% off of the regular price. Tap the button below to see why we like it or keep reading for more details and our take.

Why you should buy the TCL 65-inch Class Q65 QLED
This 2024 Fire TV is a fully-featured smart TV with a capable operating system, 4K resolution display, and a competitive price. And, despite that price, it has everything you need to feel you have a truly modern TV. This includes Motion Rate 240 for high motion clarity during action scenes, the low latency and low lag gaming modes that we've seen on nearly all new TVs over the past couple of years, the latest Fire TV experience with streaming for everything from live TV to video games, and more. While many of you may prefer OLED TVs vs QLED TVs, QLEDs are still known for their incredible brightness. If you're on the hunt for a TV for under $500, you'll likely not feel like you went wrong here.

Read more
These Cyber Monday stocking stuffers are now on sale
Two boys playing with a Simon Says Micro.

Christmas is upon us, and although there's a lot of heartfelt sentiment around the biggest holiday of the year, it also means something more material: gifting (!). If you're using Cyber Monday deals to start getting gifts, that's great — but most buys are usually too large to fit in a stocking (just try to fit one of these Cyber Monday Alienware deals in a sock!), and the prices can be way off.

How much should you spend on stocking stuffers? What is "allowed"? We rounded up a list of the best gifts to buy on Cyber Monday for your stocking-stuffing needs — all of which are tiny treasures that will undoubtedly be well-received and, in some cases, will generate a fun laugh.
Best Cyber Monday Sales

Read more
You can still grab Samsung’s 75-inch QN90C for over 40% off this Cyber Monday
A soccer game shown on a Samsung QN90C.

We’ve been seeing boatloads of Cyber Monday TV deals over the last day or so, and we want our readers to get in on the action as much as possible. That’s why we’re always looking for the best TV markdowns, and by golly, we think we found one: Right now, when you purchase the Samsung 75-inch QN90C 4K QLED on Amazon, you’ll only pay $1,748.

At full price, this model sells for $2,998. That’s a $1,250 discount for those who like numbers. We tested this awesome 2023 Samsung in July 2023, and resident AV expert Caleb Denison said it best: “The Samsung QN90C Neo QLED is what a premium TV should look like.”

Read more