112 MACWORLD MARCH 2020
PLAYLIST REVIEW: PHIATON CURVE BT120 NCThe Phiaton’s neckband features an inline
remote and microphone on the left side.
DECENT BUT NOT MARKET-
LEADING NOISE CANCELLING
The real selling point of the BT 210 is its
active noise-cancelling feature. There are
two very important parts to noise
cancelling in an in-ear monitor like the
BT120. You must have a good seal with the
in-ear driver for the active noise cancelling
engine to work optimally. If you don’t get a
good seal, you’ll have noise bleed that the
ANC engine won’t be able to process.
Phiaton includes three tip sizes that
should do the job for just about every ear
size. I was happy to see the silicone ear
tips had good grip. Over the past two
years especially, I’ve had some in-ear
headphones come paired with super-slick
ear tips that just slide out.
Once you have a good seal, activating
ANC is straightforward. There’s a toggle
button on the left inline remote. Phiaton’s
ANC effect is immediate and noticeable. The
Phiaton’s algorithm significantly reduces
HVAC-related noises at the lower and
midrange bands to a subtle din. There’s no
question that the Phiatons took the edge off
of noisy environments during my tests on car
rides, trains, and subways. I didn’t have the
opportunity to test the BT120 on an airplane
during the review period.
The Phiatons faired poorly in any windy
environment. The ANC microphones
transferred and amplified that wind-
whipped microphone noise into my ears. I
had to turn ANC off when there was any
wind present. Phiaton isn’t alone here.
There are many ANC headphones that
have the same issue.
What the Phiaton didn’t do as well was
eliminate rumble and engine noise. The best
way to describe the experience is that the
Phiaton took the edge off the most prevalent
and annoying environmental sounds; but they
didn’t put me in a complete cone of silence.LISTENING TESTS
I tested the Phiatons with an iPhone XS
with Tidal Master and Tidal Hi-Fi tracks. I
have to tell you that these modestly priced
headphones sounded pretty darn good—
well beyond what their price point would
indicate. There is no aptX or aptX HD
codec onboard. The headphones also