2016-10-07
Dave Angel
UK Techno Master
I highly recommend these – wicked for producing music on the road as well…. Light, compact, comfortable and most of all, sound amazing!
2016-10-07
DJ Harvey
DJ
The simple lines and sturdy construction encouraged me to audition the phonon smb -02 headphones. After a short (30 minute) break in period, a full sound stage developed putting the Smb-02 on a par with the best hi-fidelity monitoring headphones. I plan to utilize these cans in the heat of dj battle as well as the heat of a hot studio in the mix. Congratulations on a well considered and realized product.
2016-10-07
Christian Pronovost
PRODUCER / SOUND DESIGNER / DJ
When like me, you spend countless of hours producing / editing / arranging musical projects you need various references & headphones are one of the best way to reset your sonic point of view on the music or sound you’re working on . I sometimes turn off my monitoring & work only with headphones for entire session.
The Phonon SMB 02 are my “go to” headphone reference when it comes to mixing down a project. Why, What’s the difference ? Its quite unique way to reproduce the sonic image: the precision of the high frequencies, the imaging if the mids & the depth of the bass frequencies. I also like the fact that the SMB 02 creates very little “ear fatigue” therefore i can work longer & better sessions .
PHONON SMB 02 are, so far, the best studio headphones i’ve used .
2016-10-07
The New York Times
A version of this article appears in print on July 25, 2013, on page D1 of the New York edition with the headline: The New Audio Geeks.
WHAT THEY DO These over-ears headphones are made by a Japanese company with an audio dream team that includes a veteran sound engineer, a music producer and a D.J. The results are known in the audiophile world as “the holy grail of headphones” for their comfort and clear, lush sound. “We get batches in 10 at a time from Japan,” Mr. Toto said, “and sell them out immediately.”
2016-10-07
selectism
NYC online magazine
What the Phonons may or may not lack branding and design, they give back in premium sound. Today, they are the headphones I turn to for long period listening. They are fantastic for my needs. The Phonon SMB-02 works and powers incredibly well through smartphones and laptops, without real need for amplification (though they will certainly benefit from them).
Users may notice a significant change in sound after a good week’s worth of listening through the SMB-02, when the sound signature floats into its own. The upfront sounds of the headphones will balance out on both high and low ends with neither blemishing or coloring the other in excess.
I tested this by playing a high resolution vinyl capture of Digital Mystikz “Eyez,” a track that have gleaming high-end stabs and some of the deepest controlled sub bass out there: nothing but success from the Phonons (Even the low quality YouTube stream sounds fantastic through them!).
2016-10-07
Carlos “Storm” Martinez
Audio Engineer,Sound Editor
We did a simple application of the liquid to the headphone jack and instantly heard a real difference in clarity and range. The type of difference you’d hear after a full day of tech work in a studio-except it took 30secs.
I listen with my headphones everyday thru a presonus central station. I made sure both volume pots were at the same level and did an A/B test between mine and the phonon headphones.
The phonon’s were 3-5db louder right away, no distortion and a good deal “wider” both in spectrum and color. I’ll buy a set as soon as they go on sale.
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I 1st tried the prototype headphones a few months ago. Alex and I did a few comparison tests against my Sony 7502’s–making sure volume was matched-and they outperformed them all around.
I’ve been using them exclusively since then and they’ve vastly improved my workflow. My normal workflow would be design in the cans, then turn on my blue sky system to set levels and mix. Now I can get levels set in the headphones. » Read More…
2016-10-07
George Stavro
Integral Sound,NY
Thanks so much for the introduction to the Phonon products especially the enhancer/contact liquid.I have had a problematic input connector on one of my EQs in my studio.Since applying the Phonon liquid, it has never given me a problem again. I have used some of the best contact enhancers available in the past but seen to find they need constant application.
I have yet to reapply the Phonon liquid and the EQ has not missed a beat since which made me go through my entireequipment and apply it to all the input and output connectors.My only complaint to you is that you may need to make it in a 300ml. bottle the way I’ve been using it.
Also the modification to my headphones are great. They have a great high frequency projection that I’d never experienced before.Again, many thanks for the introduction to some great product.
2016-10-07
Laurent Garnier
DJ/producer
“I have never used headphones before to finalise any of my studio productions, just because i feel that I’ve never found the right pair. Since I got my pair of Phonon SMB-02 headphones , they have become an essential element when it comes to checking my studio mixes. From the very crisp highs to the low fat basses, these headphones simply never lie. The Phonon headphones have become now an essential part of my studio work, as they are the best studio headphones I have ever come across”
2016-10-07
Dj Deep
deeply rooted house music records, E&S, Paris
The Phonon liquid helps you optimize your connection in a very impressive way! It is very noticeable on audio connections from my DJR400 mixer to my amplifier.
In my opinion the Phonon headphones gives you a unique stereo experience, the sound is powerful, warm and very wide yet very precise and defined and the stereo image is absolutely awesome!
2016-10-07
HiFiWigwam
The UK-based HiFi specialist online website
“This is an excellent sounding and beautifully built headphone that consistently delivers a sound that is lively and powerful without being ruthlessly revealing of less than perfect or compressed material. I’ve no idea if I’ve been bowled over by the PHD driver but I do know that I’ve listened to the Phonon by preference over the many pairs of headphones in the house over the last few weeks and that has to count for something. If you are looking for a compact home headphone, you need to try a pair of these.
It is also a very civilised one too. My notes (such as they are- I’ve never been one for pages and pages of shorthand) keep referencing the exceptionally civilised way that the Phonon goes about making music. ‘Civilised’ should not be taken to be a polite word for ‘dull’ however. The SMB-02 manages to be detailed and usually very entertaining but it is able to get the best out of recordings that are a bit rough around the edges. The very fine Head Down by Rival Sons is a fine album but not a masterpiece of the recording art. The Phonon manages to capture the energy of the record while helpfully masking some of the roughest edges of the piece.
This means that the SMB-02 is very easy indeed to listen to for long periods. By avoiding any superficial excitement, you get a consistently rewarding presentation that has plenty of drive and attack when needed but is relaxed and refined when it isn’t. If you exist solely on a diet of speed metal and the most amphetamine fuelled drum & bass, you might find that the Phonon is a little too polite to truly deliver what you want but for a more varied musical repertoire, it does rather well.”» Read More…
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