phb P101

ø14mm Dynamic Driver

$5~$10
1.0/5.0

Got this for a review, and was shocked by how disappointing these earbuds are. The cable is dirt-cheap and flimsy and even the package had nothing inside it aside from the earbuds, not even a pair of ear pads.

Soundwise, they are suspiciously similar to FSHANG Q5 - bloated with deep but distorted bass and overemphasized lower-mids that will give you a headache after a while of use.

You should not even consider wasting money on these earbuds.

Pros

  • Quite comfortable for earbuds.
  • Decent quality housings.

Cons

  • Bloated and distorted bass response.
  • Disgustingly overemphasized mids, that are also dark and dirty.
  • Dirt-cheap cable, even more rubbery than KZ's old cables.
  • The couldn't even make the housings symmetrical.

Package & Accessories

Package:

Hard paperboard + soft plastic (clear)

Build & Materials

Housings:

Metal, ø16mm, metal faceplate

Remote:

Plastic (matte), single-button

Y-Split:

Metal, no strain reliefs

Cable:

Silicone-coated (grippy), 112cm, semi-soft, mildly bent

Plug:

Metal, straight, short, soft strain relief

Comfort & Fit

Oddly enough, these earbuds are actually quite comfortable for earbuds. Getting a proper fit is very straightforward, and I could wear them for several hours straight without getting my ears all red and sore.

Lows / Bass

The bass isn't necessarily bad, it's actually powerful and deep. It's just very bloated, fat, disbalanced. The bass inflates the whole sound spectrum and everything sounds like it was recorded inside a hollow metal pipe. Deep bass content actually resulted in some rattle, so stability is not the best on these either.

Mids / Vocals

You know that Facebook Web Messenger's annoying "blop-ding" sound? Now imagine that sound but super-boosted. The mids on these earbuds are brain-wrecking. It's so boosted that some sounds, male vocals in particular, are unbearable. Dark, fat, extremely overemphasized, these earbuds gave me a headache.

Highs / Treble

Dark and barely noticeable highs. They are so off-tone that I can't even separate detail out of the mix. The lows and the mids are simply overpowered in comparison to the highs.

Frequency Response

Published on 2018-04-14 14:12:28 (GMT)
EP016
P101