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Isolation |
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• Capable of a very high decibel output without distortion increasing dramatically.
• Have average isolation for a set of in-ear headphones.
• Have very good leakage control. |
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Sound Quality |
Page 4 of 12 |
Comfort |
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Maximum Usable Volume (10.00)
What we found:
The Phiaton PS200s were capable of about 121dB output. Our max score for this section is awarded for 120dB, which is a bit louder than any sane, safe person would typically want. Feel free to boost the volume on your PS200s without any distortion flaring up.
What is maximum usable volume?
Have you ever boosted up the volume on your Kenny G album only to notice that the playback started to sound blown-out or like there was a fistful of loose change rattling around the inside of your ear buds? Of course you have, that question is obviously rhetorical. The point is this: volume exacerbates distortion. Maximum usable volume refers to the maximum decibel output you can achieve before it sounds like a roll of pennies fell into Ken's saxophone.
How the test works:
This test is a series of distortion tests at varying levels. As mentioned in our distortion score, we test for distortion by playing a sound file through the headphones, then measuring the playback against the original file. For this test, we simply run that very same process over and over again until we find the magical 3% mark. If you were to hear 3% distortion, you'd likely frown or, if you're really into audio, perhaps grimace and vomit blood. If you want to know more about exactly what anatomical forces are at work to make the latter scenario happen, or if you want to know more about our testing, click here.
Isolation (6.07)
What we found:
The PS200s had an average isolation score. Like most in-ears, they didn't isolate well in the low end, but did a significantly better job towards the high end. Typically in-ears can block out slightly more sound overall, but the PS200s are definitely better than the average set of portable over-ears or on-ears in this regard.
How the Phiaton PS200 compares:
What is isolation?
Isolation refers to your headphones' ability to block out external noise. Headphones can isolate through two different methods: active cancellation and passive isolation. Active cancellation was the industry buzzword for a while, and it uses electronics and fancy scientific wizardry. Basically, the headphones have microphones in them and listen to your surroundings, getting a sense of what the ambient noise sounds like. It then produces a soundwave with inverse amplitude and plays that back over your music. If you will recall from your high school science days, wave + wave of inverse amplitude = no wave. Passive cancellation blocks out sound by just physically obstructing your ear canals. Although it's a bit basic in its implementation, a good ear plug can still beat active cancellation's effects without producing as much noise or interference as the latter.
How the test works:
This is one of our most straight-forward tests. What we do is put the headphones on HATS, then blast HATS with a known level of pink noise. That's it. Since we know the levels on the pink noise, we can examine exactly what's being blocked out and by how much. For more info, you will have to click here.
Leakage (9.02)
What we found:
The PS200s did a good job on our leakage test. If you're listening to your music at a reasonable level, you won't bother someone sitting next to you in a quiet room. If you amp up the volume, however, those around you might hear a tinny whisper. This is true of all headphones, however; they can't blockade infinite volume.
What is leakage?
Although leakage is a vaguely gross-sounding term on its own, in the realm of headphones it refers to the sound that's audible to others around you. If you've ever heard someone's music clear as day on the subway, it's not just because their music is at sickeningly loud levels, but also because their headphones leak like crazy. If you are that person rocking out to ridiculous metal or generic rap, then please stop.
How the test works:
Leakage is somewhat like an inverse isolation test. Instead of blasting HATS with noise, we play noise through the headphones. A microphone is set up a few inches away to detect any stray sound waves.
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