The Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones are the manufacturer’s most capable and luxurious offering to date. Crafted from materials such as perforated leather and machined aluminum, the headset packs fashion-forward looks to go with aspirations to take on the established heavy hitters on the market.
I’ve walked out impressed out of my last two encounters with Phiaton products. The MS500 however has entered a whole new, ultra-competitive market segment, currently dominated by the likes of Beats Audio’s latest Studio headset, as well as the hordes of other offerings fighting to chip away from its market share. Read on to find out how the latest Phiaton creation fares as a daily driver!
Retail package
Unsurprisingly, the Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones come in a large, well-appointed retail box. Inside it, you will find the headset, a soft carrying case, a microphone-equipped cable, a regular audio cable, a 6.3mm adaptor, and a warranty card.
As far as additional accessories go, the MS500 headset has you fully covered – hardly a surprise considering Phiaton’s track record in this area.
Design and build quality
The Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones are simply gorgeous. By combining classic and modern elements such as perforated leather and machined aluminum, the manufacturer’s design team has come up with one of the best looking headsets I’ve seen.
Furthermore, thanks to the use of premium materials, the MS500 make many of its price-range competitors look cheap in comparison.
Build quality is on par with the looks of the MS500. The headset looks and feels well-crafted and ready to take plenty of daily use. The same goes for its detachable audio cables, whose plugs are entirely made of metal.
Ergonomics
The Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones weigh in at a reasonable 250 grams. The ear cushions are nice and soft, so, in my experience, I found the MS500 comfortable even during extended periods of time.
The headphones are not marketed as noise-cancelling, though I found them to provide above average noise isolation.
Both dedicated audio cables for the headset are cloth-wrapped and tangle-free. The dedicated single-button remote on the microphone-equipped cable has a pleasant metal finish and is easy to work with. The headset features ambidextrous audio inputs, so users can pick which side to plug the audio cable on.
The MS500 can be folded for easier storage in the soft pouch. Regarding the latter, I do believe that a hard-shell case would have been a better solution – soft pouch still requires caution when storing the headset.
Sound
The Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones are equipped with newly developed 40mm drivers. Oversized Neodymium magnets are in charge of providing deep bass. The MS500’s frequency response ranges between 15Hz and 22 kHz, while sensitivity and impedance come in at 99dB and 16Ohms respectively.
In real-life terms, I found the sonic experience which the MS500 extremely well-balanced – much like the rest of the manufacturer’s product range. The bass came out really strong, but without sacrificing the clarity of the high range.
In a few rare occasions, I found the mid-range slightly compromised. The trait however, is difficult to catch during casual listening in my opinion. It depends heavily on the music style which is played.
Overall, the MS500 sonic experience is easily moldable through the EQ settings. I rank such pleasant neutrality highly, as many headphones these days have too much “character” for my taste.
Final words
The Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones are easily among the most stylish offerings in their price range. More importantly, in the same manner as the rest of the manufacturer’s lineup, the MS500 back their strong visual appeal with good build quality and sound.
The MSRP of the Phiaton Bridge MS500 headphones is $299.99. A number of retailers however offer the headset for a much more tempting $269. You can see a list of them over here.
