Master & Dynamic - MW65 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - Black

Master & Dynamic MW65G1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *****Review***** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Master & Dynamic has done it again with the MW65G1. I currently own the MW60 and I have to say that the MW60 are my favorite headphones. When it comes down to the design of the MW65G1, Master & Dynamic didn’t take any shortcuts. I LOVE the fact that Master & Dynamic use quality materials for their headphones such as anodized aluminum and lambskin-wrapped leather. If you haven’t worn the MW65G1 or the MW60 before, you’ll be blown away by how comfy these headphones are. What amazed me the most here by Master & Dynamic is how light they made the MW65G1 while still using quality materials and having active noise cancelling. I must say, the addition of active noise cancellation that my MW60 didn’t have is excellent! Setting up and pairing the MW65G1 is honestly super simple and user friendly. I’ve never had any problems with the MW60 and I didn’t expect any issues with the MW65G1. With a design similar to the MW60, you’ll find that the MW65G1 is easy to use as well. You essentially have 3 buttons to choose from on the right ear piece. Simply put, you have your volume rockers and the main middle button that handles pretty much everything else. The MW65G1 comes with Google Assistant ready to go. If you decide that Google Assistant isn’t your flavor though… Switching to your device’s assistant is super easy to do as well. Simply hold down the active noise cancelling button along with that center button I mentioned previously for 5 seconds and you’re all set! If you decide you want to switch back, simply repeat the process. Here is where the MW65G1 differs from my current MW60 model. MW65G1 has active noise cancelling and a button that controls it. You’ll find this button that I am talking about on the left ear piece. You have the ability to either have noise cancelling on high, low or simply just off. Speaking about the left ear piece; you’ll also find the power button along with different light indicators for battery level and paired/pairing status. Now this is where we dive into the actual performance of the MW65G1… I’m sure this is why you’re reading this review. I don’t know how it was done but Master & Dynamic was able to get active noise cancelling on their amazing headphones without compromising the audio quality too much. The thing that I love the most about Master & Dynamic headphones is that it produces a warm and balanced natural sounding profile without any distortion of any kind that literally plays all genres of music. Another upgrade that I noticed from my MW60 to these MW65G1 is the bass. While playing some heavy bass music, I noticed that the bass was enough so that it’s not overpowering while still maintaining clear vocals and instruments. I’ve always felt that the MW60 didn’t have enough bass. The final upgrade I noticed from my MW60 is changing from microUSB to USB-C. With USB-C, you are offered a quick-charge feature that will give you approximately 12 hours of playback with just 15 minutes of charging. Master & Dynamic advertises the MW65G1 with a battery life that lasts 24 hours. So if you are ever in a tight situation where you forget to charge your headphones overnight, simply plug it in and get 12 hours of listening with just a 15 minute charge. One downfall that I did notice that wasn’t an upgrade and is instead a downgrade is that the MW65G1 doesn’t fold in. The MW60 that I have do fold in. I would’ve liked to see the MW65G1 have the ability to fold in and also come with an included hard carrying case to protect this beauty instead of a carrying bag. In my opinion, having the MW65G1 not fold makes it carrying around a bit cumbersome as it takes up a good amount of space wherever you’re storing it and you may end up opting to bring a different pair of headphones with you instead. In conclusion, Master & Dynamic has done a stellar job with their design and quality of the MW65G1. You literally get all the same benefits such as lambskin-wrapped cups and band (ALL DAY COMFORT GUARANTEED), quality audio, and a stunning yet durable construction; while adding on active noise cancelling without compromising the quality of the audio, perfectly balanced bass without distorting the beautiful audio that the MW65G1 offers, and the change of standard microUSB to USB-C with fast charging capabilities. Some may feel like 24 hours isn’t stellar battery life, but trust me; you’re getting superb balanced quality audio at 24 hours of usage. The only thing I could recommend is having the design changed a bit so that the headphones can fold. In addition, having a hard carrying case instead of a carrying bag would definitely benefit the buyer. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend the products from Master & Dynamic and the MW65G1 is another addition to their fantastic line of audio equipment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *****Quick Features & Specs***** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rechargeable battery: Offers up to 24 hours of use and lasts up to 504 hours on standby mode. Active noise cancellation: Effectively blocks out distracting background noises, so you can enjoy a focused, immersive sound environment. Built-in microphone: Enables simple hands-free chatting via a compatible device. Bluetooth 4.2 interface: Enables simple wireless pairing with your Bluetooth-enabled device. Over-the-ear design: For a secure fit. 40mm drivers: Deliver powerful sound. 20Hz - 20kHz frequency response: For faithful sound reproduction. 32 ohms impedance: To efficiently conduct power. Stereo design: Delivers crisp tones. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *****What's in the box***** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Master & Dynamic MW65G1 Carrying Bag USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable USB-A Adapter 1.5m Standard 3.5mm Audio Cable Various Manuals & Guides

Where to begin? I suppose at the beginning then… I love music and have been a musician in bands since I was a wee lad. Lying in bed as a kid with headphones on, turntable spinning vinyl, fully immersed, was the beginning of my lifelong musical journey. Some of the most influential moments in my life were from these days. In fact those times of influence are exactly why I have been playing drums and guitar for decades. I simply just can’t get enough of the sonically delicious art that is music to the ears. In a LONG line of headphones that have hugged my ears over the years, I can start this review by saying that the Master & Dynamic MW65 monitors are easily at the top of my list for wireless. With the introduction of smart everything, most consumers are looking for ease of use, followed by great product design, build quality, and features. While I cannot comment on longevity since these are still relatively new, I can comment on everything else. The Bluetooth range is phenomenal. Much farther than my other BT headphones. Running an Android phone, the Google assistant and integration works REALLY well for me. I subscribe to Google Play Music and when I command the headphones to play a song or album (even obscure titles) it just works. Such an awesome feature I never knew I needed and one I am finding myself using all the time. Once you familiarize yourself with the button layout, these headphones are a breeze to use and you’ll be ordering Google around with ease. The active noise-cancelling works incredibly well in all situations for me (including phone calls) and is among the best I’ve heard or used. With off, low, and high for noise cancelling, you can effectively eliminate unwanted noises that threaten to take your mind off of what you are listening to. One more thing about Google that is great is that you can hold the Google assistant button to perform a variety of commands, my favorite being to easily pause and resume music playback without having to touch your device. Awesome! Build quality is really a sight to behold. Once you hold these in your hands, you’ll most likely be very impressed. When I opened the box I was greeted with a truly stunning set of headphones. See my attached photos. I have some good yet ugly headphones I wouldn’t want to wear out in public, but these? Yes indeed. They are uber sleek with a nice vintage twist, very lightweight, and absolutely designed with only the finest materials. Boasting 40mm Beryllium Drivers, it is easy to see that the engineers wanted nothing but the best for this design. Beryllium is a semi rare chemical element that is also tough to work with / manufacture, therefore the price tag reflects appropriately. That brings us to easily the most important feature IMO… Sound quality is as my title states, Clean! These aren’t your typical over-the-top bass heavy headphones. Instead, they are more flat response and leave the sound up to the artist/recording engineer. That said, they do have bass, just not ultra-bass. Think audiophile. Again, as a musician I can appreciate this sound over the thundering bass-heavy headphones that saturate the market these days. I record with wired professional studio monitor headphones and to me, these are the closest in sound (that I’ve heard so far) for a wireless Bluetooth set on the market today. All in all, I suppose you could say that these are a “professional” sounding set of headphones as opposed to a colored consumer friendly sound. Before purchasing, I highly recommend trying these out in the store so you can be the judge. Ultimately, these are just perfect for me. With the convenient Google integration and all of the other cool features I have mentioned, they have pretty much been stuck to my head. What are you waiting for? What? I can’t hear you?! PROS: Excellent and very clean sound Build quality is awesome with all premium materials 40mm Beryllium Drivers Beautiful design... sleek and modern with a cool vintage twist Google assistant is flawless with my Android phone Active noise-cancellation is top notch Bluetooth range is above average Lightweight and cause no crown fatigue Comfortable to wear around your neck when not in use Battery life is excellent Charges fast CONS: At this price point they should definitely include a branded hard case Possibly too clean of a sound for some Pricey but worth it for the component quality

As an avid sound geek, I was highly anticipating the release of the Master & Dynamic MW65 active noise cancelling headphones. Out of the box, you could tell the quality of the materials they used to create these works of art. They came mostly charged and were very easy to pair with the Bluetooth on my high end smartphone and tablet; both the newest models less than one year old for reference. Since I am using Android devices, my phone automatically recognized that Google Assistant was built into the headphones and was a quick and easy step by step process. I was actually surprised and disappointed that there wasn't an app on the smartphone to adjust the settings or control the equalizer to customize the sound. Now to the sound; or lack thereof. I initially began listening and testing the sound at multiple levels through several different streaming apps and all genres of music. I found the headphones simply weren't loud enough. I thought perhaps there might be additional settings on the phone, in the streaming apps or on the headphones to increase the sound but there wasn't . I even turned the active noise cancellation off and on to see if that might help but I got nothing. At that point I thought it might be my phone's problem so I hard wired the audio to my new high end gaming laptop... still, not loud enough and didn't have the range I expected. Thinking maybe it was my hearing going bad, my next step was to have others try them on and, without coaching, they said the exact same thing; the sound was flat, not enough bass, and almost sounded metallic at times. I even noticed some distortion in the sound at high levels. The mids and highs did sound great but they just lack enough bass. One thing everyone noticed that tried them, including myself, is the noise cancelling is probably the best we had ever experienced given that we couldn't even hear ourselves speak let alone hearing anyone else talking to us. I actually stood a few feet away from my pneumatic air compressor while it was running and could barely hear it. The other thing we all agreed on is that they look great aesthetically and are very comfortable. The Google Assistant was helpful as it could tell you the time, read you your smartphone alerts, read your emails and texts, control apps and more. That being said, the main reason I would ever consider investing this small fortune in a set of headphones would be for the sound which unfortunately is the weakest aspect of these headphones. You may want to shop around and test other headphones at this price range before pulling the trigger on these.

The Master & Dynamic MW65G1 wireless headphones are probably the nicest looking headphones I have ever owned. The design and manufacturing is exceptional, in my opinion and compared to the other noise cancelling headphones I own, superior in appearance. I would have preferred them to fold up more (you can rotate the cups inwards but you can't collapse the cups into the headband), which I was used to with my previous noise cancelling headphones. The retro look to the headphones is both eye catching and a proven design, clearly inspired by the 1940's or '50's era. The included technology is largely played down in the outward design and you have to go looking for the various buttons that allow modern day features like Bluetooth pairing, levels of noise cancelling and Google Assistant. The headphones not only look good, they feel very comfortable as well and I have worn them for several hours at a time without getting any fatigue or discomfort. The cups are wrapped with lambskin leather which makes them extremely comfortable. Anyone buying headphones is going to be more interested in how they sound and this is a tough area to review. For playback of tracks, these headphones are excellent and reproduce both lows and highs very accurately. I was very impressed with all the tracks I played across various genres and did not notice anything to criticize in that respect. Where the issues will arise is in the level of noise cancelling. If you compared the noise cancelling alone (you did not play any music etc.), you might say the Master & Dynamic were not the best. This is because at least two other well known brands are using a more aggressive form of noise cancelling which works well but the downside is that it also affects the music in less pleasing ways. Some people may not notice and others may not care but an audiophile will spot the difference in how the track should sound and how it sounds when paired with aggressive noise cancelling. The Master & Dynamic headphones, to their credit, offer two levels of noise cancelling as well as the ability to turn the noise cancelling off altogether. I found the best results were with the noise cancelling on high - the other settings were ok but set to high was the best in my opinion. The controls are subtle buttons built around the ear cups. The on/off/pairing button is easy to find and use (Bluetooth pairing with my phone was very easy!) and a short distance away on the same ear cup is the button to toggle the noise cancelling levels. A voice talks to you through the headphones to announce settings as you push buttons, which helps to know where you are as you toggle through. The Google Assistant button worked well for me when I tested it although I generally don't use this function. The voice recognition was a bit less successful when I did try to issue commands - not sure whether to blame the headphones or Google for that one. Again though, I probably won't use this feature so no real complaints from me. I also did not try the phone call functionality yet. Master & Dynamic round out the package by including a soft carrying bag which will accommodate the headphones and assorted cables & connectors. You may get even better audio results using the included audio cable and avoiding the wireless (Bluetooth) connection but I have not tried this yet. My previous noise cancelling headphones were wired-only and I was constantly snagging and then pulling the cable out as I moved around with them - I don't have this problem with these in wireless mode so it is a welcome addition for me and I will accept any slight audio issues this causes. Battery life seems fine. Previous headphones used a AAA battery and that would last me many hours. These headphones have a rechargeable battery that lasts about 20-24 hours according to the manufacturer. I've yet to run mine that long but they seem to indicate I am about half way through the charge, suggesting manufacturer's guidelines are accurate. You can charge them up for 12 hours worth of juice in about 15 minutes which is a great feature if you ever do run them down and then need them for an imminent flight or something urgent. All in all, I am very impressed with these headphones. The look and feel is second to none and my only quibble is with the amount of noise cancelling. They preserve the natural sound but sacrifice some noise cancelling to do this - some may prefer this, some may want all outside sounds blocked. I would have preferred the more aggressive noise cancelling for my situations (passenger flights and when I'm vacuuming!) but certainly appreciate the better sound quality and the noise cancelling is still more than adequate for most situations.

I’ve been aware of Master & Dynamic since they came on the scene back in 2014, but have never had an experience with their product. The history on their web site and in Wikipedia is an interesting read if you are an audiophile or just someone who appreciates finely crafted devices. The build quality and the material selection of the MW65 over-the-ear headphone is truly outstanding especially when compared to other manufacturers that use primarily plastic in their products. These headphones will win you over on looks and feel alone, the design being slightly retro with modern styling cues.   The accessories provided would have been everything you need if there had been a charging block included, but this will probably not be missed by most users. The connectors are all universal (USB-C and 3.5mm mini audio) with no proprietary designs which is how it should be in a product designed for customer satisfaction. Included are a USB-C to USB-A adapter and an airplane audio adapter. The USB-C cable is for charging (hence the adapter to accommodate older equipment that do not have USB-C jacks) and an audio cable is included to connect to non-Bluetooth devices or airplane jacks using the included adapter. The charging cable is about 48 inches long and the audio cable just over 36 inches. Both cables have a woven cloth jacket which allows them to uncoil and remain straight without wanting to curl up on their own like some plastic jacketed cables want to do. A travel bag (with a zippered pocket on the outside) is included that will keep the headphones from being scratched, but it does not provide the serious protection that a hard case would. Included instructions are a printed “quick guide” with a full manual on M&D’s website that can be downloaded. The full manual is 180 pages long, but it is in 18 different languages.   Another area where the MW65 really shines in my opinion is in the design of the controls. Some manufacturers use sliding switches that also have a “push” function which results in one control trying to do too many functions and it is hard to remember what movement does what. They are also prone to inadvertently being actuated when you are blindly feeling for the switch while you are wearing the headset. The design staff at M&D have spread functions across five different buttons, two on the left earcup and three on the right earcup. On the left cup is a small slider switch for on/off/pair and another push switch controlling the Active Noise-Cancelling function. On the right cup are three small push buttons that control volume up, volume down and pause/play. Multi presses and long presses of these three buttons also control skip forward, skip back, answer or end call, and access to voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Siri.   Being these are high-end headphones and most media devices (smartphone, music player, computer, etc) now have various EQ choices, I have little to add about the sound quality other than saying that it was better than I was expecting when connected to my two-channel stereo system (old school, no wireless capability, and no equalization to compensate for deficiencies) via the audio cable which really allowed the MW65 to show its true colors as a serious audiophile headphone.   One of the main features called out on the packaging is the ability to interface with Google Assistant. I had never used this service before and when I set up the app on my iPhone, it prompted me to download new firmware for the headphones. The Google Assistant app also shows you certain information about the headphones and allows you to control which apps on your phone can send you spoken notifications through the headphones. For people that prefer to use Siri or other voice assistants, the MW65 has the ability to turn off Google Assistant and change to a different assistant, but I suspect you lose a lot of the information and functionality when using something other than Google Assistant.   For users that are out and about with their headphones, these weigh about 250 grams, or just under 9 ounces. I compared them to two other wireless over-the-ear headphones in the house that are comprised mostly of plastic and vinyl and the Master & Dynamic are only 10 to 15 grams heavier (about 2 or 3 nickels) even though they are made out of premium materials. Bluetooth connectivity remained stable as I walked throughout the house and only started cutting out as I put the maximum number of walls between me and the music source (about six typical residential walls), but it is hard to tell if the reason is the headphones or the media source. The noise cancellation was at least as effective as my other two sets of ANC capable headphones, if not better. These M&D phones have two modes of ANC which is one more than either of the other manufacturers offer.   If the Master & Dynamic MW65 is in your price range when shopping for headphones, you owe it to yourself to give them a “test drive” with your favorite tunes. From my experience they stack up well against what the big players in headphones offer and I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed.

After using these M&D headphones for a few days now, I am completely sold on them. While most would look at the price and balk, these are significantly better quality headphones than any I've ever handled before and certainly command their price tag more so than more popular headphone brands. Of course, headphones have to perform above all else and happily these perform exceptionally well. I enjoy a wide variety of music genres and these handle them all well with very balanced sound. Overly bright T's and S's or excessive treble is an absolute deal breaker for me and I find even some "premium" brands overemphasize these frequencies. The mid-range of these headphones are exceptional. Music feels full and colorful and nuanced, background sounds come out well. Bass is good but can feel a bit flat sometimes, particularly in higher frequency mid-bass sounds. However, these can certainly deliver the punch and boom that you'd expect. Overall, these are excellent headphones and I'd be happy to listen to any music genre with them, watch a movie with them, etc. They perform very well. The noise cancelling feature of these headphones is surprisingly effective. Even without any sound they do a fantastic job of drowning out background noise. I've found they are particuarly effective at drowning out continuous sounds such as A/C, fans, noise-makers, etc. I would imagine if you were going to take these on a plane that you'd be particularly happy with their performance because of this. Sudden sounds such a clap, dog bark, etc. are definitely muted but certainly not to the extent that the previous sounds I mentioned are. Moreover, these would be an ideal set of headphones for a work space as they have very good isolation. From about a foot away, I can just barely make out the sound coming from them while my wife is wearing them at fairly high volume. Lastly, the build quality of these headphones feels rock solid. They are very comfortable for long listening sessions and the ergonomics are great. Controls are very easily accessible, aren't overly large or bulky, and are easy to get the hang of. The materials all feel very premium and give you confidence that someone actually took some care in designing, building, and crafting these to a standard while telling the accounting department to shove it. Pairing with them is very simple and takes only maybe 20-30 seconds from start to finish. I would certainly recommend these to even audiophiles like myself who are going to very picky about the performance of any audio component. Admittedly, I haven't tried every pair of headphones out their, particularly in this price range, but I know what a good pair of headphones sounds like and I know what a "good" $300 pair of headphones sounds like and there is a difference. Well done M&D.

Beautifully designed headphones that sounds equally as good. Very crisp highs and clean bass. Very easy to pair with my Android phone and was ready to go in seconds. Excellent battery as well. My only real issues with these are that I wish they came with a hard-shell style case and that they collapsed a bit smaller. But, there's no denying the look and quality of these headphones. Pros: beautiful, excellent sound, easy to use, very comfortable Cons: only a sleeve for carrying

I was in search of some reliable headphones that would be able to withstand the environmental noises around me as well as being light weight. I decided to try the Master & Dynamic headphones and pleased to say they exceeded my expectations. It does a great job at noise cancellation , lightweight for long term wear, and great sound range! I especially like how there is a power switch, makes it a lot easier to power on and sync.