Master & Dynamic MW75 Headphones Review: Sounds great, but expensive

High quality products are nothing new to Master & Dynamic (M & D) in New York. Founded in 2013, the company designs and manufactures a small but rugged product line of headphones, earphones and speakers. Its latest product, the MW75 Active Noise Canceling (ANC) Wireless Headphones, offers many advantages in terms of both design and functionality. Still, these cans feel almost too familiar in that most iPhones look almost the same each year.

As with the new iPhone, most of the most important changes compared to the MW75’s previous M & D headphones occur internally. And their interior is $ 100 higher than the MW75’s predecessor, the MW65, and remains on the market for the foreseeable future. So are the MW75 headphones worth the admission fee? It’s time to look it up.

At launch, the MW75 headphones are only available from the M & D website, but are subject to change soon. The company’s products usually reach online retailers such as Amazon and B & H Photo immediately. Headphones are priced at $ 599. Don’t expect to see discounts, at least in the short term. However, if it does occur, it may occur first on Amazon.

Master & Dynamic MW75 Headphones: How is it

The MW75 headphones have a lot of appeal, and the best starting point is their design. Featuring lightweight anodized aluminum, soft lambskin leather, and replaceable memory foam ear pads, the MW75 has an impressive look reinforced by durable tempered glass on the outside of the left and right cups. This is M & D’s first product. Weighing 338 grams, these headphones aren’t the lightest on the market.

By comparison, the Apple AirPods Max weighs only 134.5 grams (4.74 ounces), while Sony’s new WH-1000XM5 weighs 250 grams (about 9 ounces). Anyway, the MW75 headphones don’t feel heavy after hours of use. The earpads are also impressive, but this comfort comes primarily from the lambskin leather headband. According to M & D, each is designed with weight distribution in mind.

Like previous M & D headphones, the MW75 will be available in a variety of color combinations. In this case, you can choose from Gunmetal / Black Leather, Silver Metal / Gray Leather, Silver Metal / Brown Leather, Black Metal / Black Leather. My review unit is gunmetal / black leather, a color combination that never goes out of date. In addition, each MW75 comes with a beautifully designed and durable felt hardshell travel case. It is highly recommended to use it when you are not using your headphones.

As mentioned earlier, the most important changes between MW65 and MW75 are internal. These changes are pretty good, but there are a few things that can cause you to shake your head. On the positive side, the MW75 offers up to 28 hours of battery life between enabling ANC and charging. 32 No time. You can also charge it with the included USB-C cable. By comparison, AirPods Max has a maximum charging interval of 20 hours, while MW65 has a maximum of 24 hours. Impressive, M & D.

About ANC: The MW75 has three modes: All Day, Max, and Adaptive. There are two ambient listening modes: ambient and voice listening. They all do a good job, switching between them is seamless and you don’t have to hear crackling, swooshing, or other weird sounds.

Other great features of the MW75 headphones include an ear detection sensor that automatically pauses music when the headphones come off. Easy use of automatic turn-off function and onboard physical control buttons. In addition, the cup on the right has a USB-C port that can be used for charging and playing wired digital audio.

The cup on the right also has multifunction buttons to control playback, audio track navigation, and voice assistants. Finally, the cup on the left has an ANC button, a power / pairing light, and a power / pairing button that also acts as on / off.

The MW75 headphones support 40mm beryllium drivers, 8 microphones (4 for ANC, others for voice calls), Bluetooth 5.1 support, the ability to pair different devices simultaneously, and support for AAC, SBC, and QualcommaptX Bluetooth codecs. Offers. You can also use two EQ adjustments that can be set in the iOS and Android companion apps.

The app serves several purposes. First, it provides a second way to adjust key settings such as ANC and ambient mode. You can choose from a variety of EQ gifts, but you cannot personally customize this. You can also use this app to set the headphone auto-off time. Choices are 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, and none. Software updates will also appear in the app, if available. App updates are installed remotely.

How about the sound?

M & D headphones have always been designed to work well in all types of music genres, and the same is true here. Refreshing and balanced words are the perfect way to describe the iconic M & D sound. Whether you’re listening to your favorite music, listening to a podcast, or just making a phone call, the sound is accurate and natural.

Master & Dynamic MW75 Headphones: Not good

One of the first things I noticed about the MW75 headphones that I didn’t like was that it took 40 minutes to charge 50% and 100 minutes to fully charge the battery. By comparison, MW65 headphones take 15 minutes to charge 50% and only 60 minutes to reach 100%. These numbers aren’t a problem in most cases. In particular, it has the advantage of increasing the charging interval by up to 4 hours. However, it’s still worth pointing out.

Some people may hate not being able to customize the EQ. There are a few restrictions as you can only choose from some EQ presets, but the average M & D customer wouldn’t mind this.

What they care about is the price. The MW75 headphones cost $ 599, more expensive than the AirPods Max ($ 549), Sony WH-1000XM5 ($ 399), and Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 UC ($ 399). Discounts will certainly come, but the MW75 can be a tough sale in the short term, especially during these uncertain times.

Master & Dynamic MW75 Headphones: competition

The MW75 headphones have many competitors, including their predecessor, the MW65. Reviewed twice by iMore in 2019 and 2020, the reputable, slightly cheaper MW65 headphones are available in more colors, are lighter and take less time to charge. Unfortunately, however, there are few ANC options, short battery life, and only Bluetooth 4.2 support.

Let’s take a quick look at the difference.

Besides the MW65, the main competitors of the MW75 are well known. AppleAirPodsMax, Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 UC and countless other competitors. All of these headphones have their strengths and weaknesses. However, it is highly evaluated overall.

AirPods Max also received a 4-star rating when reviewed in 2021. While Apple’s flagship headphones have many advantages, they come with a “cumbersome” smart case that can cause connectivity issues. Compared to the MW75, it has a shorter battery life and no automatic power off. If you choose MW75 and AirPods Max, it’s worth mentioning one more thing. We recommend that you postpone the latter, as hardware updates are likely to occur in the coming months.

Master & Dynamic MW75 Headphones: Should you buy them?

You need to buy this if:

• I haven’t experienced M & D products yet and am trying to buy the latest products to offer
• The price is ok
• Not just tied to the Apple ecosystem

Do not buy this if:

• You think the MW75 will significantly reduce your budget
• I already own MW65 headphones
• Stick to Apple accessories

The MW75 is arguably some of the best headphones on the market, offering excellent sound, great battery life, a comfortable fit, and a design that you might look at a bit. They have a fascinating colorway for all tastes and audiophiles, 3 ANC modes and 2 ambient sning modes, and lots of features to adjust the EQ in the app. Speaking of apps, it also provides other features such as setting the headphone auto-off time and installing software updates. I don’t often complain about these great headphones.

Four
Of the five

Anyway, these are by no means the best budget headphones, but if you’re already familiar with M & D, you know this.The main reason No Buying these headphones is a price and it may scare some. Another reason you might reconsider is that you may already own the MW65. If so, the two headphones are pretty similar, so this may not be worth the purchase. If you’re considering these headphones, but are all part of the Apple ecosystem, AirPods Max may be a better choice. But apart from these considerations, it’s clear that the next great M & D audio product is finally here. These work well on the best iPhones and many other devices on the market. If possible, find a pair on sale and go go go!