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!).

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”

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…