In just a few years, wireless headphones have gone from being a luxury accessory to a large format that you can even find cheaper than a pair of wired buds. Much has changed in the three years since Master & Dynamic released its excellent MW07 wireless headphones. The expected follow-up of the company, the we MW08, are simply the most compelling reason to enjoy wireless headphones.
I’ve reviewed many wireless headset sets over the past few years and it’s become clear that most companies are trying to find the perfect balance of functions. But this approach means that there is always trade-off between sound quality, size, call quality, proper operation of active noise cancellation, battery life, and price. However, as soon as I put the MW08 wireless headphones on my ears and played the game, it was immediately clear that Master & Dynamic has focused its efforts on making the whole experience as good as possible and offering almost all functions. the user may want to, assuming they don’t have a tight budget.
Is it expensive $ 300 for a pair of wireless headphones? Yes, absolutely. They’re not the most obscene price buds you can find, if you’re interested in diamonds, for example, you can leave thousands in a couple of buds, but compared to the $ 249 AirPods Pro, the MW08s really provide a Best Wireless Headset Experience Worth $ 300.
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This experience starts with a stainless steel charging case (I tried a version with a matte black finish) that feels substantial and heavy in the hand. It’s slightly larger than the AirPods Pro charging case, which is the standard targeting for the pocket, but while Apple promises “more than 24 hours of listening time” and five hours with just the shoots, Master & Dynamic promises an amazing 42 hours of gaming time with the charging case and 12 hours with the MW08 headphones alone. This is more than enough justification for the larger case.
The MW08 charging case also includes a very useful set of three LEDs on the outside that indicate the charge level of the case and each bud, a carrying case included so that anything painted matte black stands out in the collection of Fatty fingerprints and charging via a USB -Port C on the side. Unfortunately, as wonderful as it feels to use stainless steel, the wireless and metal charging doesn’t mix, so you can’t download the MW08 on a wireless charger to complete them, which seems like a of the most useful features missing in this update.
Until recently I was never a big fan of the design Master & Dynamics MW07s, which has been moved to the new MW08, but I will admit that I have really enjoyed them over the last two weeks. The use of polished ceramics with minimal logo treatment is pleasant and moderate.
I also like that, instead of touch controls that require users to touch headphones to access playback and other controls, MW08s use physical buttons. More often than not, I find that touching a headset serves to move it away from the ear, but with the MW08 you can use a press-to-press approach to keep everything firmly in place. It’s also easier to distinguish what the buttons do because they have different sizes on each headset, which will save you from having to memorize a tap pattern. To summarize: good buttons, bad touch.
Headphones that offer great sound always depend on large controllers and even larger batteries, and this is often a challenge for clothing. The added weight facilitates the occasional drop of the headphones and long periods of use can cause discomfort. But even after a few weeks of use, I am still amazed at how comfortable the MW08s are and the good condition they have left in my ears. They include five sets of silicone tips to help you find the best fit, but the headphones are also designed to attach to the folds of the ears to help them stay snug.
Despite being bigger, I find the MW08s to be as comfortable as the Apple AirPods Pro and I had no problem keeping them in my ears, even during light exercise. Master & Dynamic has also surpassed the water resistance of these IPX4 to IPX5 wireless headphones, so they should be fine to use in the rain or during a particularly sweaty workout, but probably not. they will survive a mess.
Before getting his hands on the Master & Dynamic MW08, the Klipsch T5 II True wireless headphones they were my favorite siblings when I wanted to enjoy my music, but no longer. It was a very close call and while I think the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless may crash a bit louder than the new MW08s do, the overall sound quality of the latest Master & Dynamics is unmatched, thank you to its beryllium conductors from 10 to 11 millimeters.
My initial follow-up to test wireless headphones to the end has been the Tropic Remix of “ily” by Surf Mesa and when the pace drops to around 30 seconds, the MW08’s bass performance is incredibly satisfying, and possibly even better than on some wireless headphones I’ve tested. But bass doesn’t cost crisp, clear highs, which is where many headphones and heavy-duty headphones perform poorly. MW08s offer fantastic sound overall, which is good because while it works with a free app for Android and iOS, there’s no adjustable EQ to adjust the sound balance, but it’s doubtful you’ll ever want it.
The Master & Dynamic MW08 wireless headphones also finally come with active noise cancellation and are probably one of the best ANC implementations available to consumers. Testing them against the AirPods Pro with simulated sounds of full subway and the interior of a passenger plane, using six microphones spread across both headphones, the ANC of the MW08 managed to eliminate a wider frequency range, despite what, as I have pointed out in the past, don’t expect them to drop you into a world of perfect silence. The enhancement of ambient sound was also stellar and crystalline, with two modes, including “Ambient”, which increases all frequencies so you can better hear everything around you and “Voice” which, in turn, is focuses only on increasing the midrange to higher frequencies. the voices of the people speaking are clearer.
Aside from the lack of wireless charging, my only other complaint with the MW08 is the same one I have for almost every pair of wireless headphones you haven’t tried from Apple. They are still dependent on Bluetooth, and from time to time I have experienced strange connectivity issues with MW08s, where the sound fell to one side or seemed to ping pong between all the outbreaks. These were easily fixable issues by disconnecting and reconnecting the buttons, and issues that presumably can be improved by future firmware updates, but they were also connectivity issues that Apple has eliminated with its Bluetooth W1 chip.
Are the new $ 50 Master & Dynamic MW08s better than the AirPods Pro? Even with occasional Bluetooth hiccups, they are absolutely the best wireless headphones in which you can spend $ 300. They’re amazing, fit incredibly well, can run up to 42 hours before the charging case needs a recharge, and offer as good a noise cancellation experience as you might expect. If you are going to damage your wireless buds, this is what would suit you.