Phiaton Chord MS 530 Review

Introduction

Although we’re well acquainted with Phiaton, a company that produces premium audio products, many people are probably still in the dark wondering what they’re all about. Indeed, they’re not about making inexpensive or entry-level stuff, but rather, they’re bringing to market high-end gear meant to compete against the elites in the space. Sporting a retail price point of $350, the Phiaton Chord MS 530 might seem too exorbitant for the average consumer to consider, however, they’ll want to rethink things over knowing that it features drool worthy things like active noise cancellation, multipoint connection, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity with aptX technology, and 40mm titanium drivers.

The package contains:

• Carrying case
• inflight adapter
• 3.5mm audio cable
• microUSB cable
• Quick start guide
• Owners guide

Design

Sporting one sweet and solid industrial design, it has the looks to kill.

Having checked out the Phiaton Bridge MS 500 previously, it doesn’t surprise us that the Chord MS 530 shares a very similar design language – more so with the color scheme than anything else. Visually, the industrial design is something we think of as charming, despite that it has this far-off resemblance to Beats Audio’s line of headphones. Unlike them, however, is that Phiaton’s offering feels more sturdy, which is primarily attributed to the silver colored metallic frame of the headphones.

In balancing out its industrial design, Phiaton has sufficiently added a soft touch matte headband that’s complemented by red-lined accents on the inside of the band. On one hand, we appreciate that the Chord MS 530 features a collapsible design, making it fold into a compact size for easier travel. However, it just seems rather awkward that the ear cups adjust lengthwise not from where the hinge folds along the headband, but at a lower position from that. Thankfully, the ear cups articulate just enough to cover our ears properly.
As for its comfort, the ear cups offer a fair amount of padding – just enough to cushion its sometimes constricting feeling. Sadly, though, we can’t say the same thing about the headband, seeing that it doesn’t receive as nearly as much padding. Frankly, the overall design has an appealing clean and uniform look, but we don’t have the same feeling after looking at each ear cup closely.

Instead, each one is littered with an array of ports and buttons that do nothing but to give it an almost antiquated look. Nowadays, many high-end over-the-ear headphones feature touch controls, but the Phiaton Chord MS 530 resorts to using the old-fashioned physical ones. With the left, there’s a physical noise-cancellation switch and a 3.5mm port that’s hidden behind a flap. Meanwhile, the right one packs a multi-function call button, microUSB port, 2 microphones, power button, and a toggle that performs pause/play, volume up/down, and track forward/reverse functions.

Performance

Delivering crisp and pleasant tones, its audio quality becomes more reserved in tone when active noise cancellation is enabled.

Showing off its versatility, we’re given both wired and wireless options when it comes to listening to music. Of course, if you really want to experience the best of what it has to offer, you’ll want to stick with the wired connection. Listening to its quality while physically tethered to an HTC One M8, we’ll say that it’s most notable for maintaining its crisp tones – even at the loudest volume setting, thanks in part to its 40mm titanium drivers. Bass, obviously, is enforced profoundly at all volumes too, as it rumbles with a whole lot of emphasis.

Switching over to its Bluetooth 4.0 connection, we’re happy to report that its range is pretty darn good at nearly 30 feet. Yet again, lows are well represented by the profound level of bass being put out by it. Best of all, it manages to deliver nearly the same results as its wired connection. Enabling its active noise cancellation, it does a pretty decent job of suppressing background noise, but the result in doing so causes its audio quality to be more subdued in tone – almost to the point of it sounding a bit reserved.

Certainly, we wouldn’t say that it’s a deal breaker, since the feature is something useful for those occasions where we just want to drown out those unwanted distractions. Audio aficionados might be critical at some of its results, but for the larger general public, they’ll cherish the crisp and rich output of the Phiaton Chord MS 530.

Battery Life

Longevity is undoubtedly a strong point with this pair of headphones, seeing that it’s rated to deliver up to 30 hours of talk/music time with a single charge – and a minimum 18 hours when its active noise cancellation feature is on.

Conclusion

Competing in a crowded space, the Phiaton Chord MS 530 faces stiff competition from all sides – more so considering it’s in that “elite” space of headphones. Very recently, we’ve been acquainted by some pretty sweet high-end headphones, the Samsung Level Over and the JBL Synchros S400BT, that blend stylish designs with phenomenal audio quality and tons of features.

Indeed, the sturdy construction and stylish looks of the $350 priced Phiaton Chord MS 530 is formidable in light of its rivals, but its audio quality is just a smidgen below those aforementioned headphones. Moreover, it lacks modern amenities, like touch controls, which are increasingly being employed by these top-end headphones. Unless you find its industrial design more favorable to your liking, we’d suggest taking a look at the aforementioned headphones because of their modern features and superior audio quality.