Phiaton PS 20 BT

Bluetooth audio has come a long way in the last year: It's now possible to stream audio from your phone to a stereo headset and actually enjoy the music stream, not merely hear it. One issue with Bluetooth and headphones in the past, aside from sometimes sounding like a low bit-rate MP3, was a lack of low frequency response?deep bass or even low-mids never had much punch or fullness.

Phiaton's PS 20 BT stereo earphones are a testament to how far wireless Bluetooth audio transmission has come. Tracks with deep bass sound robust and don't distort, even at high volumes. The overall frequency response is bright and articulate, with minimal Bluetooth artifacts. The design of the control pod is a bit bulky, and the only way to charge the headset is via USB; no charger is included. Still, at $149 list, the PS 20 BT delivers audio that, while not flawless, definitely justifies the price.

Design
The Phiaton PS 20 BT is all black, with a short cable that terminates in the control pod, which clips onto a shirt or jacket. At 0.6 ounces, the earphones feel lightweight and seal off the ear canal securely, but clipping the compartment to a shirt is necessary or the earpieces will tug at the ears a bit. This is a minor annoyance, because not only is it not always easy to clip the compartment onto every outfit, but if your outer layer lacks pockets or buttons, like a t-shirt, your only option is to clip it onto your collar, which can feel awkward and bulky. It also means you can't see the buttons on the control pod. They aren't quite as intuitive as the Apple-style in-line controls so many headphones now incorporate, but they are not overly complex, either.

The egg-shaped control pod measures roughly 2 by 1.3 by 0.7 inches (HWD). There's a large clip on the back. The front face is dominated by a joystick-like control button that, when pressed, controls Play/Pause function, and when pushed up, down, left, or right, controls Volume and track navigation. The microphone and LED status indicator are also situated on the front of the pod. A button with a Phone icon etched on it handles answering and ending calls?it sits above a smaller Power button on the left-hand side of the pod. The right side houses the micro USB connection for charging. The PS 20 BT charges via an included USB cable, but it does not ship with a charger. Instead, it takes its power from your computer's USB port, which isn't terribly convenient if you need to charge away from your office or laptop. Below the USB connection is the Hold button. A black cloth carrying pouch and four pairs of eartips in different sizes are also included with the earphones.

The PS 20 BT supports Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, and HSP. Phiaton rates the rechargeable lithium battery life at 6 hours for music playback and 250 hours for standby mode.

Performance
To pair the device with your phone, make sure to enable Bluetooth on it, then power up the PS 20 BT and hold down the Power button and the Hold button simultaneously until a the blue LED blinks slowly and your Bluetooth device acknowledges that the two are paired. It took less than five seconds on our first try to pair with an Apple iPhone 4S. Phiaton rates the wireless range at roughly 32 feet; our own tests yielded a range of roughly 30 feet before the signal was interrupted.

Phone calls sound relatively clear, though mobile call clarity, particularly with the iPhone, is never a strong suit. Regardless, conversations were intelligible on both ends, and integration with the iPhone, at least, was flawless. Music pauses and resumes without a hitch when calls are made and ended. In terms of extra features, there pretty much are none. This is Bluetooth for music lovers.

Even so, Bluetooth is not quite audiophile-level yet. When artifacts are audible, it's usually a bit of a crackle in the high frequencies?not distortion, as it can happen at just about any volume level, but a slightly static-like sound that nonetheless resembles minor distortion. However, that is a transmission issue, and not from the earphones being overdriven. In fact, on challenging tracks with deep bass, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," we encountered no distortion of the bass frequencies, even at maximum volume. That's impressive enough for a standard pair of earphones, but the fact that a Bluetooth headset can not only deliver the deep bass response at all, but also do so without distorting, speaks volumes about Bluetooth's progress as an audio medium.

The PS 20 BT's overall frequency response is a bit on the bright side, which sometimes brings out those occasional artifacts more than it has to. But the earphones are articulate, not harsh, when playing classical pieces like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances" or vocals-driven efforts like Bill Callahan's album, Apocalypse. The strings and deeper percussion in both Adams' music and Callahan's benefit from the capable low frequency response, which helps balance out the strong high frequency presence.

Conclusions
The pricing for the PS 20 BT is identical to the Phiaton PS 20 NC ($149, 4 stars), which is a wired, noise-canceling model with very similar frequency response. Obviously the differences between the two in the audio realm come from one streaming content wirelessly while the other takes the output from a headphone jack, which, at least for now, still offers better overall audio performance.

If you're looking for a more premium wireless option, Sennheiser makes a several models that incorporate Kleer wireless technology. However, these are mostly intended for home theater use, are quite expensive, and generally lack phone controls. Still, if that's what you're after, check out the Sennheiser MX W1 (3.5 stars) and keep your eyes peeled in early 2012 for the RS 220, which will use a new, lossless variation on Kleer wireless stream.

If an excellent, highly functional stereo Bluetooth headset is your primary concern, our current Editors' Choice is the affordable, multi-feature Samsung Modus HM6450 ($99, 4 stars). If music is your primary concern, however, Phiaton has you covered. Aside from the design, which isn't very user-friendly for t-shirt or sweater wearers, the PS 20 BT is easy to recommend: It offers the audio performance you'd expect in this price range, even from some wired pairs, and it is simple to operate.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/3d25FE0HmGI/0,2817,2397763,00.asp

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