Phiaton Chord MS 530 wireless over-ear headphones review

The Phiaton Chord MS 530 wireless over-ear headphones sit on top of the manufacturer’s product range. The headset totes an overwhelming set of features which include Bluetooth 4.0 and noise cancelling, coupled with premium looks and build.

In my past experiences with Phiaton products, they always successfully combined premium appeal and value for money. Read on to find out if Phiaton’s flagship product delivers the same goods as its siblings!

Retail package

Unboxing the Phiaton Chord MS 530 brings a sense of occasion as the headset ships in a large, attractive-looking retail package. Inside it you will find the headset, a 3.5mm audio cable with a microphone, microUSB charging cable, soft carrying pouch, inflight adapter (3.5mm double mono jack), user manual, and a warranty card.

The retail package is well-appointed

As far as additional accessories go, there is nothing missing in the retail package of the MS 530. This should hardly be a surprise considering the headset’s price range.

Design and build quality

The Phiaton Chord MS 530 features the same design language as the gorgeous Bridge MS 500, but with a larger footprint. That said, the headphones look great sporting a combination of materials which include brushed metal, black leatherette, and polycarbonate, with red accents.

Phiaton Chord MS 530 live photos

Because of the Bluetooth antennas and the noise-canceling tech on board, the Phiaton MS 530 uses more plastic in its construction than the Bridge MS 500. However, during my time with the headset, I noticed that the areas which are most commonly touched by the user are finished in premium materials, so the tactile experience remains top notch.

Build quality of the Phiaton Chord MS 530 is in line with its price tag. The headset is not cheap and has the fit and finish to show – it is certain to handle plenty of daily use without breaking a sweat.

Ergonomics

At 290 grams, the weight of the Phiaton Chord MS 530 is in line with that of its rivals. The headset has a large footprint, though it is easy to wear for extended periods of time thanks to the exceptionally well-padded ear cushions.

The headset’s controls are well-spaced and easy to access during playback. The left speaker is home to the noise cancelling on/off button and the 3.5mm audio jack. The power and telephony buttons, the music playback controls, and the microUSB charging port are all located on the right.

Pairing the MS 530 wirelessly with a device is easy. When you power up the headset it automatically enters pairing mode, so all you need to do is select it from the device you want to use it on.

Supported Bluetooth standards by the headphones include HFP v1.6, HSP v1.2, A2DP v1.2, and AVRCP v1.6. Multi-point connection allows two devices to be connected to the MS 530 at the same time. The ten-meter range is more than sufficient for casual use – I could easily refill my coffee in a different room from the player without any loss of signal.

Battery life is good. Phiaton claims 18 hours of playback with noise cancelling on, and 30 hours with the feature turned off. I’ve been using the headphones with the aforementioned feature on and found their endurance in line with the manufacturer’s claims, so long as you keep volume at reasonable levels.

Sound

The Phiaton Chord MS 530 is equipped with 40mm titanium coated drivers with frequency response ranging between 20Hz and 20,000Hz. Max input power is 1,000mW, while sensitivity and impedance are rated at 100dB and 32Ohms respectively.

In real life, the sound experience which the headset delivers is in line with the rest of the Phiaton range. Unlike many of its similarly priced, bass loving rivals, the MS 530 produces rich, neutral, “grown up” sound where no particular part of the audio range is overly pronounced. That considered the headphones can be tuned to the user’s liking via the EQ settings of his/her player.

This makes the headset suitable for all styles of music – from hip-hop, through classic rock, all the way to classical masterpieces. Most importantly, you can literally have the sound your own way – an impressive feat in an age where bass-heavy headphones are quickly becoming the norm.

Sound improves even further when delivered via the 3.5mm audio cable. The entire audio range sounds more vivid and accurate – hardly a surprise as all wireless headphones show this trait.

Noise-cancelling works as promised. Phiaton claims that the MS 530 cancels up to 98% of the ambient noise. During normal use, the feature simply works.

Audio quality of the phone calls is good. The noise-cancellation helps a lot on this instance by blocking unnecessary noise.

Final word

The Phiaton Chord MS 530 headphones are good-looking, solidly put together, and packed with features. More importantly, they deliver impressively neutral sound which helps them stand tall in the company of their better marketed rivals.

The MS 530 is priced at $299 on Amazon. I would recommend the headphones to anyone looking for an alternative to the more established brands. Phiaton’s offering delivers everything a premium wireless headset should with no compromise.