Phitek Black Box M10 headphones
Monday, 19 April 2010
In the realm of things you listen through, either for iPods/iPhones or via your computer, headphones can be handy if they ensure a purer noise less interrupted by external sounds.
One approach is something that goes over the ear to shield noise away, or into the ear to excludes noise by fitting tightly; this is the approach taken by Apple’s ‘In Ear Headphones With Remote’ ($149), which have a great frequency range (I use them as reference to check the quality of other ’phones) and ship with three different sizes of silicon sleeves so you can tailor the fit to your ears.
But the other approach is more high tech – and more expensive. A built-in electronic circuit coupled to a discrete microphone picks up external sounds and processes ‘anti-sound’ to cancel it out. Not a 100% of external sounds, sure but BlackBox claims 85% filtering, which I couldn’t measure; subjectively, it definitely sounds greater than 50% of background noise is eliminated – and definitely more on an aeroplane in flight.
A single AAA battery goes into the right headset (the top plate simply swivels) of the M10s, while a switch on the left ’phone engages the circuitry. In other words, you don’t need to turn it on – only when you want to exclude external sounds. Having the option is excellent.
And did I tell you Phitek is a Kiwi firm? It is.
In an areoplane, the M10s really come into their own. That slightly throbbing, pressurised and incessant hissing/roaring jet sound is almost banished the instant you flip the switch. I tried them on a four-hour flight – I have to say the only bad part was taking them off, as they’re very light and comfortable, and exceedingly effective as I suspect the noise suppression (which BlackBox calls ‘Active Noise Rejection’) is tailored to these kinds of frequencies. But my companion won that fight – she loved them, too. To flick that little switch and have all that awful jet noise disappear is freakishly good to do.
These would be equally effective in industrial environments, one in which it was safe not to hear so many external noises anyway – and not quite so effective in environments full of high pitched noises, like, say, the parrot house at the zoo. Or something.
Higher-pitched external sounds get through – in fact, someone yelling in a deep voice ends up sounding like a muffled chipmunk. The Active Noise Rejection works by ‘hearing’ the noise with a microphone, then a circuit that ‘inverts’ the noise, then combines that with the original sound to cancel it out. So when you flick the switch, there’s a split-second delay as the circuitry is engaged and as it starts processing.
When on, a bright blue LED goes on above the switch. When that starts flashing, it’s time for a new battery (one is supplied, but I did not use it up. I am not sure how long a battery would last; Phitek claims up to 40 hours).
The music
You’d think all this processing would affect the music, but there’s only a slightly discernible change in tone. The frequency response is 20Hz to 22KHz; this is pretty standard (the Apple In Ear’s are exemplary in going all the way down to 5Hz for the bass end).
In theory, the M10s reproduce more high tones than the Apple’s In Ears (which top-out at 21KHz) but I’m middle-aged, so I couldn’t hear the difference. If you’re young and you like very high pitched sounds, take note.
But turning the circuitry on – even in a quiet environment – slightly flattens out the soundscape, like compressing tunes for radio play, but milder. The bass drops away a bit and, if anything, the higher tones got promoted. Of course, you could equalise for this, if it really bothered you. But if you’re on a plane, I honestly don’t think you’d notice.
Despite this sense of slight compression, I found the sound quality of music I knew well preferable with the circuitry turned on – drum beats sounded harder and more physical, and a slight boominess around bass frequencies that was present with the circuitry off just disappeared.
I noticed the same effect with classical music; likewise, I preferred them with the rejection circuitry turned on. I also noticed a slight earthing buzz in the left ear when I had my head in some positions, but that was probably my stereo amp.
Conclusion
For pure sound quality, I prefer my Apple In Ear Speakers for definition, bass response and clarity, although the M10s are pretty close … but on a plane, gimme the M10s! They’re comfortable and I liked not having to screw something into my lug ’oles. Plus they pack small, are easy to push into a bag (they come with their own neat little draw-string bag to protect them).
They also come with a stereo minipin-headphone adapter, an extra cable that fits into aeroplane armrests for in-flight entertainment systems and a booklet.
What’s great: Comfortable and effective, good sound and excellent external noise rejection.What’s not: Slight bass boominess when the circuit is turned off.
Needs: People who travel a lot and really don’t want or need to have external sounds interfering with their listening pleasure.
What: Phitek BlackBox M10 Active Noise Rejection headphones, RRP $299
(you can test them for 30 days at no risk, and Phitek has earbuds too).
System: Frequency Response 20Hz–22 kHz +/-3dB via two 2 X 40mm neodymium drivers; Active Noise Cancellation up to 18dB; THD less than 1%; impedance 64 Ohm; powered by single AAA battery offering up to 40 hours of use; weight 180g.
Contact: BlackBox Online
