Phiaton 900 Legacy review | Laptop Mag

Our Verdict

Compelling noise cancellation, sound quality, and craftsmanship make the Phiaton 900 Legacy an excellent value.

For

Emphatic sound
Powerful ANC
Precipitous-looking design
Intuitive controls
Splendid connectivity

Against

Lack of mobile app and extra features
Big and beefy

Laptop Mag Verdict

Compelling racket cancellation, sound quality, and adroitness brand the Phiaton 900 Legacy an splendid value.

Pros

+
Emphatic sound
+
Powerful ANC
+
Precipitous-looking blueprint
+
Intuitive controls
+
Excellent connectivity

Cons

-
Lack of mobile app and extra features
-
Big and beefy

Phiaton might be 1 of the lesser-known names in the audio infinite, simply the brand has developed a solid reputation over the years for its slap-up sound and wireless operation. Several of its headphones have fared well with critics and brand for solid purchases should you be in the marketplace for an affordable in-ear or over-ear upgrade. With its biggest release ever, the Legacy 900, Phiaton feels confident going upwards against heavyweights like the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000xM4 for noise-cancelling supremacy, and it has the skill set to do and so.

Our skilful picks for the best noise cancelling headphones, per upkeep and way
Cheque out our Bose 700 review
…and our Sony WH-1000xM4 review

Housing customized 40mm drivers that deliver optimal ANC and sound, along with a diverseness of modern wireless technologies and long-lasting battery life, the Legacy 900 makes a strong case every bit 1 of the best racket-cancelling headphones available. They too look fashionable as hell and are relatively affordable because their robust spec sheet. The just things standing in the fashion of perfection: a bulky frame and a lack of extra features.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Availability and price

Phiaton 900 Legacy at Amazon for $249.99

The Phiaton 900 Legacy is bachelor for $249.99 on Walmart or directly from Phiaton, though we have institute it for every bit low equally $224.99 on Amazon. Your choice of colors is limited to one: Black. Arranged with the buy are a iii.5mm aux cable, USB-C charging cable, and a shockproof and h2o-resistant travel case.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Design

Phiaton's design pedigree is underrated, as the company continues to create attractive, well-congenital headphones. The 900 Legacy is certainly its magnum opus. These sound-silencers look simply as elegant and sturdy out of the box as they do in the printing images.

Carbon fiber isn't anything new to the genre; have a look at last twelvemonth's gorgeous PX7 Carbon Fiber Edition by Bowers & Wilkins. Calculation it usually equates to a higher toll equally well. Not only has Phiaton blended the fabric into the 900 Legacy'southward durable design, beautifully displaying information technology on the front end of each earcup, which is encompassed in a glossy plastic casing with a copper band – it did and so without driving the premium upward to the $300+ mark. That deserves some applause. Making up the rest of the 900 Legacy's construction is imitation leather that surrounds the earcups and headband.

I was able to admire the small details on these cans during my unboxing. The copper logo beneath each hinge is a overnice impact. I like that the earcups plough 90 degrees and tin be folded inward to conveniently store the headphones within the abrupt-looking h2o-resistant carrying example. Also, I institute the instance design to be even more eye-catching with its unique shape.

The use of carbon fiber added weight to these bad boys (nine ounces) and it'southward noticeable the moment you hold them. I was fine wearing the headphones for 1.5 hours before fatigue fix in; they felt encumbering atop my skull shortly after. The big frame doesn't make wearing them around the cervix any more comfortable. Both the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000xM4 weigh slightly less, at 9 ounces, and are much lighter to bear effectually.

Simply it isn't all bad news. During that first hour of listening, I plant the padding to be very supportive. The lengthy extenders were easy to adjust and helped the headphones mold easily to my caput size. I likewise liked that the oval cutouts on the ear pads were wide so that my ears weren't suffocating during Spotify sessions.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Controls and digital assistant

Any pair of wireless headphones that can take on multiple control schemes is a winner in my book. The 900 Legacy boasts concrete and touch controls, along with on-ear detection to automatically stop playback one time the headphones are removed and resume playback when worn again. All three options are responsive, with the physical buttons producing great tactility.

I haven't tested touch controls this polish since the WH-1000xM4, then kudos to Phiaton. You get a ability/pairing and action button on the rear border of the left earcup; the latter lets you cycle through dissonance counterfoil and ambience listening modes. The touch on controls are where the headphones really smooth, with the right earcup housing a large touch on panel that registers tap and slide gestures accurately with zero lag. Performing a front/back-sliding gesture volition skip/replay a track, while going up or down manages volume levels. Unmarried (respond calls) and double (play/interruption, stop calls) taps too work well.

Adding to the 900 Legacy'southward intuitiveness is hands-free digital assistance, meaning y'all can fire upward Siri or Google Assistant by speaking their respective activating phrases: "Hey Siri" or "OK Google." The results are a mixed purse. Information technology took a few attempts earlier my Pixel 3XL would enable the feature, and I couldn't get Siri working on my new MacBook Pro at all. When I got the chance to shout out vocalization commands on my Android telephone, the mics grabbed every syllable I spoke and dished out speedy results.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Racket cancellation and ambient listening

The company's digital hybrid noise-cancelling engineering science is impressive. It won't outperform what Sony or Bose offer, but it does a reputable job of minimizing ambient noises to enjoy music and movies in peace.

The 900 Legacy's feedforward and feedback mics manage to effectively block out noises across the frequency spectrum. Since nosotros're withal in this damn pandemic, I tin't provide analysis on how the ANC performs on an airplane, just I tin adjure to how well it fends off several other droning distractions (e.k., air conditioners, bus engines).

It was also slap-up to block out my newborn'south whimpering when his moody side started to prove. Certain, I would have loved for the headphones to completely mute his blaring cries, but I take heard them much louder on other ANC models. I practice still adopt the Bose 700 or Sony WH-1000xM4 for dealing with high-frequency noises.

The Transparency Style is functional; the mics selection upwards environmental sounds clearly, but perchance also clearly. It was fun watching WandaVision while working on my laptop, but toggling on the characteristic amplified keyboard clatter, which was annoying to hear after a few minutes of typing. The amount of audio these headphones can detect may overwhelm you, then be selective of how you choose to use the feature. I tin see it being nigh useful for hearing flight bellboy announcements on a plane or when conveying coffee orders to a barista.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Sound quality

The 900 Legacy harnesses dynamic sound underneath its carbon fiber shell. Powering the headphones are custom 40mm drivers that produce loud and impactful lows, along with crisp mids and highs, plus congenital-in aptX HD for high allegiance audio.

The snares on Air conditioning/DC's "Back in Black" delivered the oomph that rock heads bedlam for and remained prominent throughout the unabridged song. Being able to hear the hi-hat's percussive presence at the beginning demonstrated the 900 Legacy'south frequency range. Vocals did take a bit of a hit over the booming production, though they were nonetheless aural to sing forth gleefully.

With such an emphasized depression end, I didn't expect these headphones to perform well with orchestral recordings, but I was proven incorrect. Charlie Parker'due south saxophone solo on "Billie's Bounce" was such a rewarding listen. The 900 Legacy produced great musical instrument separation, letting me hear the differences between each musical tool without existence lost in the background. I was shocked past how well the headphones enhanced the audio on low-fi-sounding albums such as Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the 36 Chambers, every bit the gritty sound on distorted bangers like "Bring da Ruckus" and "7th Chamber" was cleaned upwards to hear vocals and furnishings more clearly.

Bass response does have a tendency to become overzealous on gimmicky records, which tin diminish certain sonic elements on songs. Blasting A Tribe Called Quest's "Jazz (We've Got)" stimulated caput nods, courtesy of Q-Tip's pounding drum loop, only the horns lost clarity and weren't as pronounced equally on the Sony WH-1000xM4.

The included aux cablevision does improve sound quality a petty. If you lot notice the volume levels low in wireless mode, which I didn't, then this helps increase them by virtually 30%. I too noticed that the bass was more tamed, allowing mids and highs to share the spotlight over a more balanced depression cease. It'southward worth mentioning too that the noise isolation on these headphones is superb, letting you take in full audio without external noises seeping into the soundstage when ANC is turned off.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Battery life

Battery life on expensive noise-cancelling headphones hasn't been great for the nearly part. The Sony WH-1000xM4 earn you a steady 30 hours (with ANC on), while other category leaders like the Bose 700 fall brusque at xx hours (with ANC on). Well, the 900 Legacy crushes both models, generating 43 hours of playback in ANC mode, placing it in an sectional oversupply with the Jabra Elite 85h (36 hours). You can too use the headphones in wired mode with ANC on for 52 hours.

The amount of playtime these headphones gave me throughout the workweek was more than sufficient. I used them for iii to 4 hours daily to satisfy my Spotify and YouTube cravings and threw some Skype calls into the mix. By the end of the week, I had about thirty% left, which was enough to get me through the weekend before recharging. I also capeesh that Legacy 900 has a programmed sleep mode that preserves battery life by turning off the cans when inactive after several minutes.

Acquit in mind that the headphones come only 40% charged, so I recommend fully charging them first before anything. The good news is that the procedure doesn't accept long because quick-charging grants you 4 hours of apply on a 10-minute charge; a total charge is estimated to have 3 hours.

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Telephone call quality and connectivity

As a calling headset, the 900 Legacy is 50/50, with the headphones performing best during video chats. Discussions with my wife over Facebook video calling were pleasant; she loved how loud and articulate I sounded. She did notice common noises (east.g., cat meows, whisking cars), only also stated that they weren't distracting enough to pull her away from our chat. Phone calls weren't every bit enticing. My parents complained near how muffled I sounded, while my business partner found the volume likewise low on my end.

Wireless performance on the 900 Legacy is impeccable. The pairing procedure was the fastest I have ever tested in this class; yous'll see the headphones automatically appear on the available devices list the moment you ability them on. You lot're going to get some proficient range on these cans too. I was streaming music from 50 feet abroad from my smartphone. There was no stuttering or dropout during phone calls or Zoom conferences either. Adding to its awesomeness, the 900 Legacy supports multipoint technology to pair to 2 devices simultaneously, making it seamless to switch between audio sources on the fly. Ahhh, the wonders of Bluetooth 5.ane!

Phiaton 900 Legacy: Verdict

I'm extremely glad that I didn't pass up the opportunity to examination the Phiaton 900 Legacy because it was a much bigger surprise than I anticipated. The adroitness is sharp. Phiaton'due south noise-cancelling technology is more effective than several of its other competitors not named Bose or Sony. These cans offer the all-time battery life in the sub-luxury grade. Lastly, sound quality is corking, especially on depression-fi recordings.

Looking at the spec canvas, information technology'southward clear that Phiaton made most every attempt to stuff these headphones with the near powerful audio hardware available. Sadly, this may have come at the toll of no companion app and extra features, 2 things that most of the major players in the ANC category are providing listeners. The size and weight of these headphones may turn you off as well.

In the end, these were compromises I found myself comfortable living with, especially when factoring in the 900 Legacy'south overall performance. And the price point is perfect for those seeking a cheaper Sony or Bose culling that operates just also on the ANC and sonic fronts.