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  • Design & Features

  • Audio Quality

  • The Double Bar

  • Under the Hood

  • Frequency Response

  • Channel Tracking

  • Attenuation

  • Harmonic Distortion

  • Other Tests

  • Design & Features
  • Audio Quality
  • The Double Bar
  • Under the Hood
  • Frequency Response
  • Channel Tracking
  • Attenuation
  • Harmonic Distortion
  • Other Tests

Hailing from a lesser-known company, these on-ear headphones manage a solid first impression. The price point is a definite commitment, but the audio quality is free of any huge drawbacks—and that's not always so easy to come by.

That's not to say the MS 500s are flawless. A potentially uncomfortable cup design, an overly tight clamp, and a soundscape that lacks a bit of detail in some key areas ultimately rob these headphones of a great score. For their sale price of $269, however, this sound profile is actually a lot better than what many consumer-grade products offer.

Design & Features

Don't let the pictures fool you: These aren't over-ears.

Fresh out of a bold red-and-white box, the Bridge MS 500s immediately look and feel as if plenty of care went into the packaging and design. A leather-wrapped aluminum band segues almost seamlessly into foldable limbs. The ear cups sport smooth, firm plastic that seems to magically deny any hint of fingerprints.

The ear cups sport smooth, firm plastic that seems to magically deny any hint of fingerprints.

The shape of the ear pads themselves, however, is questionable. Unable to decide whether they're over-ear or on-ear headphones, the Bridge MS 500s are decidedly neither, instead describing something of a hybrid shape.

It doesn't really work, and will likely have you adjusting and readjusting for the first few hours. Unfortunately, the first few hours are also the best few hours.

If the clamping and cup design makes quickly finding the best fit just a little tricky, it makes long-term use even harder. On top of that, though the leather ear cups are lavish to the touch, they also retain a lot of heat. I found myself growing almost uncomfortably warm (even amidst Boston snow flurries) after a few hours of use.

There are positive flourishes, of course: The piston-like arms provide enough distance from the band for even much larger heads. The cups rock lightly up, down, left, and right for added flexibility, and leather along the band makes for a comfortable fit. One notable feature is that the cable is completely detachable, and plugs into either ear cup. The slender in-line controller features a single red button embedded into a silver base—it's just a one-button affair, but works with both Apple and Android devices.

Though the leather ear cups are lavish, they also retain a lot of heat.

Finally, the included carrying bag is an especially nice addition to the whole package. The drawstrings and stitching are high quality, and the interior's red felt and cable pocket are a nice touch. While the band isn't foldable, the arms that hold the cups are, making it easy to bag these headphones up and go on your merry way.

Minor complaints aside, the Phiaton Bridge MS 500s are a very handsome, detailed set of cans that are comfortable enough for short-term listening. And since you're also getting a meticulously crafted black-and-red carrying bag, 6.3mm adapter, and two 3.6-foot, tangle-resistant cords, the finely crafted appearance and great extras may outweigh the less-than-luxurious fit.

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Audio Quality

Very palatable sound, unless you're of the golden-eared variety

Things like tight stitching and quality craftsmanship are nice touches when you're dropping $300 on a pair of headphones, but if the music doesn't cut it, it's all for naught. Fortunately, everyone but the most delicately petaled audiophlowers will be quite pleased with the sound the MS 500s deliver.

I took these cans for a spin, both through our objective laboratory testing process and through a few tracks I'm quite familiar with, and can confirm that they sound very good. We tested decently balanced sound, with only minor dips in the high mids. Sound quality like this won't appeal to everyone, so don't expect any low-end boosting here—these cans are more refined than that. Musical attributes, like layers of harmonized vocals, were easy to distinguish without overpowering foundations of drum and bass. More subtle nuances, like a solo pianists' intended crescendo, were also well preserved.

Don't expect any low-end boosting here—these cans are more refined than that.

In an overall sense, there really weren't any performance bombs, just your general balance of strengths and weaknesses.

For instance, volume between the left and right speakers proved very even, so that sound is never notably louder or softer on one side than another. On the other hand, the MS 500s don't do the best job of blocking outside noise. If you're considering lots of travel, such as by train or plane, the Bridge MS 500s may not be the right choice. These headphones block only a tiny amount of sub-bass and bass sounds, but high-pitched outside noises are effectively held at bay.

If you're considering lots of travel, the MS 500s may not be the right choice.

My personal experience with these headphones was positive, as well. While they weren't the most comfortable pair I've ever worn, both MP3- and CD-quality audio from both my smartphone and music player sounded great.

The Bridge MS 500s do an excellent job lending even emphasis to the bass and midrange—where most acoustic and electric instruments live. Unfortunately, they're not the strongest when it comes to representing overtones, high mids, and sibilance sounds like cymbals. Ears accustomed to a bass-heavy soundscape will appreciate this timbre, but it's a long shot from the flat, studio response sought by engineers and professionals.

The Double Bar

A strong contender with a few flaws

From a pure audio quality perspective, the Phiaton Bridge MS 500s are not quite equal to their $300 MSRP. Bass notes are represented almost perfectly, but certain delicate high notes and overtone series are lost, as it were, in the mix. While still a friend to all but the staunchest of ears, the Bridge MS 500s could be better, too.

For their current sale price of $269, however, and considering the meticulous craftsmanship of the design, we have to give at least one thumbs up to Phiaton's red-and-black beauties. The MS 500s are physically impeccable, which is not a negligible trait by any means. I still recommend trying before buying, however, to make sure that the snug band and on-ear design prove comfortable enough for your noggin.

These are not the most beautiful headphones on the market, nor do they wield the best overall sound quality—yet they still score very good marks in both areas, and for a relatively competitive price point. While users can achieve similar audio quality for less money—entries from Beyerdynamic and V-Moda come to mind—the Bridge MS 500's stand out as a rare combination of good looks and commendable audio.

Under the Hood

Our laboratory testing process utilizes state-of-the-art audio generating and sampling equipment to test every aspect of a speaker's abilities, from frequency response to spectral decay. The Phiaton Bridge MS 500s (MSRP $299) tested with great tracking and almost perfect sound pressure levels, but its frequency response was shy of a gold medal.

In other words—they sound (and look) great at first listen (and glance), but in the long run fail to deliver a brilliant long-term experience.

Frequency Response

A speaker's frequency response refers to a system's measured response to an original signal. The Bridge MS 500's maintain a fairly flat response along the lower frequency range, slightly increasing emphasis on notes from 20Hz (sub-bass) to about 100Hz (bass), before beginning to drop off, following the equal-loudness curve—a response curve aligned to the natural strengths and weaknesses of the human ear.

The problems begin just after 2kHz, the meat-and-potatoes frequency for piccolo, treble harp notes, and almost all instruments' overtone series. Significant drops in volume around 3kHz and 6kHz mean that details within the high midrange can be more difficult to decipher.

Channel Tracking

Channel tracking refers to the auditory balance between the left and right speakers. Ideally, audio will play at the same volume out of each speaker, but that is not always the case. The Phiaton MS 500s do a great job maintaining an equal tracking balance, however, swaying by very small amounts (about 2dB) across the frequency range and only favoring the right channel heavily after 7kHz.

Attenuation

Attenuation—a headphone's ability to block outside ambient noise—is more important for mobile cans, which these Phiaton on-ears aren't. As the Bridge MS 500s have no active noise cancellation, they only perform about average here. Practically no sub-bass or bass frequencies are blocked out, so things like bus horns and rumbling engines will still be very audible. After about 1kHz, the MS 500's begin to muffle higher-pitched noises, like crying babies. Midrange outside noises are reduced to half their volume, high mids to 1/4th, and really high-pitched junk to a whopping 1/16th.

Harmonic Distortion

When we discuss harmonic distortion, we're dealing with added noise and clipped harmonics that often hamper music listening. Ideally, we like to see less than 3% total harmonic distortion (THD) present across an entire frequency range. The MS 500s do a good job keeping distortion to a minimum in general, though measures do leap up to almost 10% in the sub-bass range. Luckily human ears aren't sensitive to sub-bass distortion, so this is nothing to worry over. The rest of the frequency response is largely free of significant flaws, so distortion just isn't an issue in general for the MS 500s.

Even loud-music lovers should enjoy largely distortion-free tunes, but if you're unwise enough to venture past 120dB, the distortion will leap right up past 3%. Fortunately, we tested a maximum SPL of 120.12 dB—but you shouldn't be listening to music louder than 100 dB, anyway, lest you risk noise-induced hearing loss.

Other Tests

Meet the tester

Lee Neikirk

Lee Neikirk

Former Editor, Home Theater

@Koanshark

Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.

See all of Lee Neikirk's reviews

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