The MS430 Fusion is part of Phiaton's new line of headphones, sporting an impressive build, style, and sound, like many other models from the company.
Accessories - 3.5mm cable, carrying pouch
The cable features an in-line microphone with universal remote and volume control. I personally would prefer a version that has this and a separate version just for Apple devices, but that's just me.
The cable is terminated with a 90° angle jack
The carrying pouch is pretty rugged on the outside, with a very soft red faux-velvet inner lining, which seems to compliment the Fusion's design perfectly.
Build/Design - The Fusion has a mostly plastic outside with an aluminum frame. The headphones have that "incredibly well built" feeling to them without seeming "industrial" and/or sacrificing design/style.
The cups are a size that offer an in-between on-ear and over-ear feeling that's going to differ based on the user's ear size. Often, I find myself struggling to get a good fit while not losing the acoustic seal (which is surprisingly more difficult to do than one might think).
It would be unthinkable not to include the fact that Phiaton used carbon fiber in the outer circle of the cups. This reduces weight and even more adds to the uniqueness of Phiaton's styling. Of course, the carbon fiber is covered by a type of plastic to prevent damaging. So, no, you can't directly touch it, as alluring as it may be.
Both cups feature a 3.5mm jack, so the user can have the cable coming from either side if he/she chooses.
Also, this allows for daisy chaining of headphones, so multiple people can listen to the same song with multiple headphones.
The headphones can fold into a small variety of relatively compact shapes, which can all fit into the supplied pouch.
The headband is covered with a very soft rubber. While it doesn't offer much cushioning, it's hardly noticeable.
The earpads are extremely soft and plush, however with the cup size, comfort can occasionally be an issue.
Comfort - While the pads do lightly rest on or over the ears, the slight pressure and/or rubbing from the inner pads that only touches the outermost portions of my ears can prove to be a bit uncomfortable. I constantly feel the need to adjust the headphones, even though nothing is truly wrong. I'm hoping that this will become less noticeable as time goes on.
Sound - The Fusion is a very immersive headphone. Music seems to encompass me if I'm not thinking about much else. I would guess this is because of the Fusion's excellent soundstage and instrumental positioning. Nothing ever gets drowned out, either.
The Fusion has a sound signature that's a bit mid-centric, but flat otherwise.
Bass - Extremely detailed and accurate bass. I somewhat consider the bass to be a bit light on the Fusion. Impact is very scarce, to say the least. Sometimes, this benefits the sound. Others, it subtracts from it. However, this will most definitely vary by person, because sound preference is very subjective. I often find that the only time the light-ish bass subtracts from a listening existence is when I'm listening to a bass-heavy track while in a noisy situation (like a bus).
The bass seems to effortlessly work well with all genres, however.
Mids - The Fusion presents mids in an extremely pleasant way. While the mids on one of my other favorite mid-centric headphones, the Philips Downtown, are good, they sound artificial. The Fusion has none of it. It will take any midrange frequency and turn it into natural bliss.
Highs - The Fusion has very slightly laid back highs. Detail isn't sacrificed though. It's well extended, extremely clear, and, certainly versatile as ever. The treble breathes new life into some of my most-listened to music- especially DnB.
Soundstage - The package claims that the Fusion has a large soundstage. Well, the package does not lie. How Phiaton managed to get a soundstage like this in such a small package at this price is beyond my knowledge. There is a large amount of depth and width to the presentation that can't be missed. My first impression when I put the headphones on in the beginning was the soundstage. Excellent may not even be good enough a word to describe it.
Overall - The Fusion is currently one of the best headphones that I've heard at its price. It's versatile, albeit not very bassy for some genres. Excellent immersion and soundstage bring a highly intimate musical experience that should be experienced by everyone. I can see myself recommending these- easily.
Accessories - 3.5mm cable, carrying pouch
The cable features an in-line microphone with universal remote and volume control. I personally would prefer a version that has this and a separate version just for Apple devices, but that's just me.
The cable is terminated with a 90° angle jack
The carrying pouch is pretty rugged on the outside, with a very soft red faux-velvet inner lining, which seems to compliment the Fusion's design perfectly.
Build/Design - The Fusion has a mostly plastic outside with an aluminum frame. The headphones have that "incredibly well built" feeling to them without seeming "industrial" and/or sacrificing design/style.
The cups are a size that offer an in-between on-ear and over-ear feeling that's going to differ based on the user's ear size. Often, I find myself struggling to get a good fit while not losing the acoustic seal (which is surprisingly more difficult to do than one might think).
It would be unthinkable not to include the fact that Phiaton used carbon fiber in the outer circle of the cups. This reduces weight and even more adds to the uniqueness of Phiaton's styling. Of course, the carbon fiber is covered by a type of plastic to prevent damaging. So, no, you can't directly touch it, as alluring as it may be.
Both cups feature a 3.5mm jack, so the user can have the cable coming from either side if he/she chooses.
Also, this allows for daisy chaining of headphones, so multiple people can listen to the same song with multiple headphones.
The headphones can fold into a small variety of relatively compact shapes, which can all fit into the supplied pouch.
The headband is covered with a very soft rubber. While it doesn't offer much cushioning, it's hardly noticeable.
The earpads are extremely soft and plush, however with the cup size, comfort can occasionally be an issue.
Comfort - While the pads do lightly rest on or over the ears, the slight pressure and/or rubbing from the inner pads that only touches the outermost portions of my ears can prove to be a bit uncomfortable. I constantly feel the need to adjust the headphones, even though nothing is truly wrong. I'm hoping that this will become less noticeable as time goes on.
Sound - The Fusion is a very immersive headphone. Music seems to encompass me if I'm not thinking about much else. I would guess this is because of the Fusion's excellent soundstage and instrumental positioning. Nothing ever gets drowned out, either.
The Fusion has a sound signature that's a bit mid-centric, but flat otherwise.
Bass - Extremely detailed and accurate bass. I somewhat consider the bass to be a bit light on the Fusion. Impact is very scarce, to say the least. Sometimes, this benefits the sound. Others, it subtracts from it. However, this will most definitely vary by person, because sound preference is very subjective. I often find that the only time the light-ish bass subtracts from a listening existence is when I'm listening to a bass-heavy track while in a noisy situation (like a bus).
The bass seems to effortlessly work well with all genres, however.
Mids - The Fusion presents mids in an extremely pleasant way. While the mids on one of my other favorite mid-centric headphones, the Philips Downtown, are good, they sound artificial. The Fusion has none of it. It will take any midrange frequency and turn it into natural bliss.
Highs - The Fusion has very slightly laid back highs. Detail isn't sacrificed though. It's well extended, extremely clear, and, certainly versatile as ever. The treble breathes new life into some of my most-listened to music- especially DnB.
Soundstage - The package claims that the Fusion has a large soundstage. Well, the package does not lie. How Phiaton managed to get a soundstage like this in such a small package at this price is beyond my knowledge. There is a large amount of depth and width to the presentation that can't be missed. My first impression when I put the headphones on in the beginning was the soundstage. Excellent may not even be good enough a word to describe it.
Overall - The Fusion is currently one of the best headphones that I've heard at its price. It's versatile, albeit not very bassy for some genres. Excellent immersion and soundstage bring a highly intimate musical experience that should be experienced by everyone. I can see myself recommending these- easily.
