Music to Our Welcoming Ears: Phiaton PS210 & Zagg Smartbuds Carry Their Own Weight
I don’t know when headphones became earbuds, but Iʻm guessing it was right around the time when compact disc players turned into iPods. We have reviewed a couple types of earbuds and found that the Phiaton PS 210 Sound Isolating In-Ear Earphones have similarities to those we’ve reviewed.
Recently Truly Obscure fell into a love/hate relationship with our Pineapple Rumble KW Earbuds that worked mightily good for podcasts but were less enjoyable for listening to music. With that in mind I decided to give the Phiaton PS210 earbuds a shot to see if they fared any better.
The Phiaton PS 210 produced a pleasant enough sound, though it was light on the bass frequencies. If you want a lot of bass, you’ll have to turn the volume up to hear the brunt force of it all . The good news is that the PS 210 responds well to bass boost features on music players and the quality is significant. We noticed that with all the surrounding noise, they had a little difficulty blocking out the sounds of the daily grind in San Francisco.
I had a little trouble getting the ear pieces to fit comfortably. I will admit that across the board, I was apparently given small, odd-shaped girl ears (whatever that means) and have trouble finding ear buds that provide a substantial and enjoyable fit. The Phiatons do come with 4 sizes of silicone tips to try and provide the most comfortable fit, and though I still am searching for the perfect fit itʻs likely youʻll have no trouble.
I found the cord below the Y-connector to be unmicrophonic, so it didn’t cause an audible scratching sound when it rubbed against my clothing. This typically is an annoyance in this price range of earbuds.
Overall, I felt in this price range of around $100 on Amazon these are probably well worth the money, and after passing them around the office the consensus was unanimous.
I would be remiss if I forget to mentions Zagg’s Smartbuds with In-Line Control.
These little earbuds work in conjunction with your iPhone. I was impressed with how thin the cord was. Itʻs coated in Zagg’s invisible shield which is a polyurethane coating designed for durability. ZAGG smartbuds have branded “Hangin’ Tight” -not in an attempt to describe MC Hammer, but rather in relation to a specific slider alignment which keeps the buds around your neck even when you are not using them.
Perhaps the most impressive quality is the chameleon-like functions the Smartbuds muster. You can use it as a microphone and as an in-line music control to switch between taking calls on your iPhone and playing music.
I found the comfort level to be decent, as the silicone tips once again come in various sizes. The tips tilt forward so when you insert them they slide right into your ear canal. They felt better than most buds but they did slip out of my ears easier than other ones. My only true gripe was the sound control. Because it is a manual slider it’s a bit tricky to change the volume quickly on the go. The sound quality was decent, though the sound wasn’t as crisp and glossy as others we’ve tried.
If you tend to switch between music and calls, and aren’t as picky about sound quality, we suggest the Zagg Smartbuds. We were able to purchase these for around $80 on Amazon, as well as directly from Zagg on their website.
