Customer Ratings & Reviews

After reading many reviews lauding the sound and features of the M4U2s from PSB, I picked up a pair (on sale for $100 off no less). I actually ordered from two different vendors due to some comments about quality control varying from batch to batch. Unfortunately one pair had a super tight and creaky headband that sounded one flex from snapping and the other had malfunctioning noise cancellation and a stuck earpiece. If you're lucky enough to find a pair without any issues or are okay with the ones that you find, this really is a great sounding set that is still worth a listen. The key here is a built in amp for "active listening" and noise cancelling modes. It really brings out the music and fills out the lows without overpowering the highs. PSB is at heart a speaker company, and along with the NAD Visos, these headphones truly sound like you're listening to a great set of room speakers. It's a full, warm sound that still maintains clarity to hear details in each song. It easily bests Bose and Beats in terms of sound quality with noise cancelling on, although the cancellation itself is no where near as strong as Bose. Even in passive mode however it does sound great (so no worries if batteries die, unlike Bose). But as good as they sound, headphones are meant to be worn, and so must be comfortable and hold up to some movement. The pads are great and easily replaced, and the headband padding is also soft. But put them on and you'll look like a meme. These stick out a good 2-3 inches on each side, and the design itself makes the overall shape very rectangular. It doesn't sit super well on the head and gets heavy after a while. Plus it's not the most portable, with the carrying case itself the size of a small textbook. All in all, if sound quality is what you seek, give these a try, especially if you want a pair with noise cancellation. Were it not for the build issues I'd have given it 4-stars and a definite recommendation, but until they address this quality control issue, I can't.

I go through multiple sets of headphones each year for myself and my team. I am constantly looking for durable, high quality headphones that don't hurt my ears. These are so far fitting the bill, great noise cancelling and the over ear construction so far seems very good and soft on my ears. Great product for the money as well.

Not quite as sleek looking as Bose QC 25 and a little heavier but sound quality is great

I have had many headphones in my lifetime (I am a Senior Citizen now),, and was literally shocked when I listened to the PSB Speakers - Over-the-Ear Headphones. The frequency response is superior to the best studio headphones I have listened to. AND when solid base boost is desired, these phones provide the response I am looking for when listening to classical theatre organ recordings. I would never think of buying any other phones.

Over the many years as an Audio Geek I have had many different headphones. At 14 years old, I remember my first set of Koss headphones. They were the top of line at that time (1959). Through the years I have purchased many different styles and brands, including a pair of 4 CHANNEL HEADPHONES. I am now in my "golden years:, but still appreciate the good sounds provided by headphones. I did some shopping at my local Best Buy store, and after listening to about 7 or 8 different brands and models, I was truly amazed at the reproduction and clarity of the PSB Seakers Over-The-Ear Headphones. They provide almost flat response over the entire audio spectrum, but when I want the added low frequency "boost" of my classical organ recordings, these headphones really deliver. These are the best headphones I have ever owned !

I compared the PSB M4U2 against much of the competition and these far exceeded those others in the same price class for producing realistic sound. It was balanced with no bloated bass like many of the others on the market. You will be hard pressed to find anything else that will equal these in this price category.

Great headphone for the price. Returned set of beats for these that cost about the same. They don't look as cool and are a little heavy but sound is king. These sound great. The internal amplification really helps with listening with cell phone or iPod etc..the noise cancellation just a perk for me.

These sound great and do a good job at eliminating the noise at my office and home office. The only negative is they are a little tight - I put them over a small kids ball for a couple of days to stretch out the headband. Better.

If you are looking at Beats or Bose noise cancelling headphones these are definitely worth checking out and they are priced comparably. Very neutral sound with no bass enhancement.

Not an audiophile but wanted great headphones for my music loving daughter. I had not heard of PSB before but for sound quality these are superior to comparable Bose and other name brands that I tested.

This is a good quality headset if one uses it mainly for music. As far as noise cancelling, I personally feel that the Bose QC15 or QC25 are a better choice if this is what you are looking for. Comfort wise the PBS are great!

I would call these the best pair of studio earphones I've owned. The sound is flat but if you tune it up get ready for high crisp mids. The bass is nice with the amp on but the ability to use without batteries with a quality DAC or driver is priceless. The noise cancellation sucks but the sounds kills the Bose anyway.

These are the best speakers I have purchased and well worth the price. They are super clear and drown out the noise perfectly! The only thing is that for the noise cancelling feature to work, you need batteries which is still worth it for the quality.

quality headphones with noise cancelling functionality

I would have given it 5 stars if It hadn't stopped working after 2 weeks. I had to return it and wanted to get a replacement but unfortunately Best Buy had none left and apparently was no longer going to carry it. Needless to say I was very disappointed.

Overall, a good purchase. Looked at several models before selecting these.

I would give these headphones 5 stars if the first pair I bought at the Best Buy worked. I got them home and both ear cups were working fine for the first 30 seconds and then the right one completely died and never came back. I returned them and ordered a pair online and everything is great now. Every now and then you get a faulty product but it is annoying so I had to take one star off due to reliability. It worries me that if I got one pair that was broken out of the box that maybe 6 months from now the ones I have might stop working as well. Oh well, that's a risk I am willing to take because these just sound THAT good! Reliability questions aside, all the reviews online are right on the money. These sound way better than the Bose and, in my opinion, are more comfortable for shorter listening periods (like 2 hours) but no as comfortable the longer you wear them as they tend to get heavy. The noise cancelling is not that great as you can always hear a little something in the background BUT the noise cancelling isn't a white noise like the Bose so when it is turned on you don't feel that pressure on your ear drums and hear the whooshing noise that Bose generates to make it seem like it blocked out the outside. The other biggest upswing with these headphones is that you can listen to them without the noise cancelling on (unlike Bose) and they have a built in amplifier for a third listening mode that adds a little extra punch (unlike Bose). The choice is simple: if you want the best noise cancelling tech because you want to just block out the outside world either with or without music on and audio quality isn't that important to you than buy the Bose, however, if you want a pair of headphones that sound AMAZING and block out enough noise that it really doesn't matter that it feel like you are in a vacuum, than buy the PSB's. I choose the PSB's.

If you're thinking about a pair of high end headphones look no more. I've had $500 Beats (which are really awful for the price), and Bose QC-15s and these headphones blow both out of the water. The sound quality is wonderful, and not just for any particular type of music, they sound great with rap, pop, rock, metal, techo, even orchestral pieces. Very comfortable for long listening sessions and the active mode really gives the sound an extra boost which sounds excellent and not at all over the top. Another great feature is the noise cancelling, which although not quite as good as the Bose QC-15s, is still very impressive (the ambient noise from the noise cancelling is actually less noticeable which is great too). Lastly, unlike almost every other model of noise cancelling headphones, you can still listen to these if the battery dies- which is rare because the battery life is excellent, but it's still a very nice feature. I would highly recommend these headphones to anyone: the sound quality is amazing (especially in comparison to Beats and even Bose and Sony products), the build is very high quality (even the case), the features are unique and great, the headphones are comfortable and actually look pretty cool, and lastly, the price is excellent for such a high end pair of headphones. 10/10.

The headphones Ive been using for 6 months now. I use them on my computer, with my phone, and on the go. They sound amazing, have great comfort out of the box, and even come with a cool case to carry them in. I have been very impressed. I understand the price may be steep, but if your serious, they are well worth it.

I don’t normally write reviews, mainly because I usually don’t feel strongly for or against most products I purchase. Unless I come across a product which over or under impresses me I would rather read reviews than write them. Based on my experience with these headphones I felt compelled to write this review. First, I am hardly an audiophile; I purchased these because of all the positive reviews they have been receiving. I set out to replace my AKG-495NC after I started getting some pain on my ear cartridge. Since I travel about 45% of the time, I focused on noise cancellation headphones. In my pursuit to find a headset with similar sound and noise cancellation as my AKG’s I settled on the PSB M4U 2, I found the sound quality from the PSB’s to be roughly equal to that of the AKG’s. Some may disagree, but that was my assessment. However, the N.C. on the PSB’s was not as good as the AKG. I could hear some faint buzzing between tracks with the PSB’s, but the fit over the ear vs on the ear was a relief. After about two weeks the power booster on the PSB’s stopped working all together I would only get sound when the power switch was set to OFF (i.e. No N.C. or No booster), and yes the cord was properly inserted and yes I replaced the batteries. Oh by the way, the battery cover on the PSB’s is really cheesy it fell off numerous times; I could see me loosing the cover on my first trip. After they stopped working I returned the headphones to my local Best Buy, the beauty of supporting your local business. The sales person pointed out the B&W 7’s; which I initially stayed away from because they do not offer N.C. The sound quality on the B&W’s blew away the sound on the PSB’s hands down. I was totally surprised; needless to say, I purchased the B&W’s and have not looked back on N.C. technology. I found sound quality on the PSB’s to be OK however, the quality of the PSB headphones hardly warrants the $400 price tag. I could have repaired the battery cover; however, I don’t feel I should have to re-engineer a plastic battery cover on a $400 set of headphones. I would strongly suggest staying away from these headphones.