Lightweight, Full Featured: BT 120 NC by Phiaton
While true wireless earbuds continue to dominate the headlines, there is still a lot of innovation and improvements making their way through more traditional Bluetooth headphones. One prime example of this is the BT 120 NC in-ear neckband headphones with from Phiaton. These lightweight and affordable headphones pack 12mm drivers and active noise cancellation in a complete package.
Neckband headphones can be hit or miss, but if you’ve shied away from them in the past, the BT 120 NC should make you reconsider. The neckband is extremely thin and light, and its presence is barely noticeable around the back of the neck. The benefit of this design is that most of the weight is borne by your shoulders and not your ears.
However, you don’t need to even wear the BT 120 NCs to recognize how light they are. Even in the hand they feel like feathers. Around your neck, the weight disappears, and there is almost zero tension on the ear. I’ve worn a lot of lightweight headphones in my day, but these may take the cake.
The minimal weight is even more impressive when you consider the other features that Phiaton squeezes into these headphones. The most remarkable is probably the active noise cancellation. Usually only seen on more expensive headsets, the active noise cancellation on the BT 120 NCs cancels out low frequency noise, like the hum of ceiling fans or air conditioners. It’s not going to compete with a pair of $300 over-the-ear headphones, but it's very decent for the price. Combined with the passive noise isolation from the design, and you’ll hardly be distracted with these around your neck.
In addition to the ANC, the BT 120 NCs also pack 12 millimeter drivers, a nice step up from the more standard 10mm drivers seen on most in-ear buds. This takes the volume to some impressive levels, that you probably should be maxing out too frequently.
The volume controls reside on the left hand anchor point on the neckband. This means right handers will be going cross body to get to the controls. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but it's something to think about. On the remote is your typical three-button control scheme for playback and phone calls, as well as a dedicated ANC button—a very nice to have on such a small set.
The other item of note on the left is the micro USB port for charging. In about 2 hours, the BT 120 NCs will fully charge for about 8.5 hours of music playback, but what’s more impressive is their quick charge feature. In just 5 minutes, you can get an hour of playback out of these headphones. Normally this is a feature at the bottom of my list, but when it comes to workout headphones, it’s surprisingly important. I can’t tell you how many times I’ll charge them up while I’m stretching, and they’ll last me through the run or workout.
It’s hard to argue with all the features you get on the BT 120 NC headphones from Phiaton. These are a great set of workout headphones that get loud, feel great, and charge quickly, all for a great price. If you want to forget about the feeling of your headphones on your runs or during your workouts, give the BT 120 NC a shot for the featherweight experience.
For more information, visit: www.phiaton.com
Story by Thomas Bender