I’m continually impressed by Phiaton. Over the years, their over-ear headphones are still among the best we’ve ever tested.
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They’re latest earphones — the Phiaton CURVE BT 120 NC Bluetooth noise-canceling earphones — are a great option for travelers looking for earphones that are wireless, affordable, and — perhaps most importantly — noise-canceling.
Phiaton CURVE BT 120 NC Review
The Skinny
In the manufacturer’s own words, the Phiaton CURVE BT 120 NC earphones are:
Premium active noise-canceling earphones with fast charge and excellent sound quality. Get 1 hour of use from 5 minutes of charging. Featuring a sleek and portable neckband design that is ready to go wherever life takes you. Next Generation Bluetooth 4.2 is backwards compatible and blocks out distraction with up to 95% of ambient noise cancellation.
The Traveler’s Take on Phiaton’s CURVE BT 120 NC Earphones
My choice of headphones/earphones used to come down to sound quality above else. With as much travel as I do, that’s changed. I still care about how they sound of course and the CURVE BT 120 NC earphones do sound great. But, especially on long-haul flights, I care more about noise-canceling and noise-isolation.
Here, the CURVE BT 120 NC’s live up to the “NC” (in case it’s not obvious, that refers to “noise-canceling”) in their name, actively canceling out quite a bit of ambient noise, especially for a pair of earphones. According to Phiaton, when fitted properly, they’re able to cancel out up to 95% of background noise. While they’ll never quite live up to the same capability in a pair of over-ear headphones, they work quite well.
An inline controller provides full control over standard music functions (back, forward, play, pause, and volume up/down). The same buttons provide control over call functionality as well so you needn’t pull your phone out of your pocket if you don’t want to. With the latest Bluetooth 4.2 tech, you can connect to two devices (say, a tablet and a smartphone) simultaneously.
The fast-charge capability is a huge plus for me. Even in these glory days of being able to travel with a handful of backup battery packs, I seem to always be rushing to find the nearest outlet. Five minutes of fast-charging the CURVE BT 120 NC’s secures a full hour of playback. On a full charge, they’re good for 8.5 hours of wireless playback. While that’s not going to get you from LAX to Sydney, considering their diminutive size, that’s impressive.
I love the CURVE BT 120’s durability as well. They’re designed to IPX4 standards, so they offer decent sweat resistance for working out and water resistance for everything else your travels might throw at them.
What’s in the Box?
Each package includes the CURVE BT 120 NC earphones, USB charging cable, quick guide, two RightFit+ ear wing sizes that apply the right amount of pressure to keep the earbuds in place (M, L), three ear tip sizes to ensure the perfect fit (S, M, L) and a wire clip to keep cables in places.
Pricing + Availability
Phiaton’s CURVE BT 120 NC noise-canceling Bluetooth earphones are available now in Black or White on Amazon.
[amazon box=”B07HGKHSR3″]