Master & Dynamic didn’t get off to a good start with its true wireless earbuds, but the company’s latest two efforts are much improved. After regaining form with the MW08 Sport, M&D has returned with the MW09 ($349 or $399): Headphones with a familiar design but with improvements in sound quality, active noise cancellation (ANC) and call performance. As always with the company’s audio equipment, high-end materials are on display, although the starting price is higher than most of the competition.
Design
Master & Dynamic did not make too many changes to its design. The same basic D-shaped casing remains for the outside of each button. The company added a circular element to the outer panel where its trademark “M” resides, but this is purely aesthetic. There is no additional touchpad or physical button there. Controls are still on the top edge with a volume rocker on the left and a multi-function button for playback and calls on the right. The volume controls also enable/disable ambient sound and ANC with a long press on either end, but it’s just an on/off function that remembers your last preset choice. It does not go through all the available options of the MW09.
One of M&D’s business cards is the use of top quality materials. It’s usually a mix of leather and metal, but they don’t translate well to headphones. Like the MW08 Sport, the company opted for a combination of aluminum and sapphire crystal with a shiny aluminum charging case. There’s also a Kevlar option for the case, and certain colors are only available with it, but that material will set you back an extra $50. Even with the high-end details, the MW09 is IP54 rated against dust and moisture, while the housing is IPX4. Master & Dynamic also offers more fit options than most headphone companies, including five sizes of silicone tips and two sizes of foam tips in the box.
Software and features
Every configuration and customization available on the MW09 is done through the M&D Connect app. The software displays the battery life of the earbuds (one number for both) and the case on the main screen after you choose the connected device. A gear icon at the top right gives you access to sound presets, a fully customizable equalizer, and ambient sound, all of which appear in the Sound menu. Sidetone, the ability to hear your voice on calls, and the option to turn off audio prompts are also available here.
Deeper in the Settings menu, Master & Dynamic allows you to disable internal detection and set the sleep timer. There is an acoustic earphone seal test and the option to manage Bluetooth connections. Multipoint is supported here and works well. The company doesn’t overload you with options and none of them are particularly clever, but all the basics are covered and there’s a solid degree of customization available. For example, there are three settings for active noise cancellation and ambient mode, so even with those you won’t be stuck with a default setting.
Sound quality and noise cancellation.
What I enjoy most about the Master & Dynamic’s consistent tuning is its affinity for natural, balanced sound. They’ve also always had great clarity, making them easy to listen to for long periods of time.
That flair for detail returns on MW09 and is on full display on albums like Chris Stapleton’s. Higher. You can hear every texture in the singer’s blues rock riffs and things like the subtle drop in drum rattle are easily lost on other headphones. The MW09 really shines with genres like Stapleton country rock, Nickel Creek bluegrass, and classic jazz. Even the most bombastic styles, like metal, are thick and layered rather than appearing flat and compressed. sewer system living proof, for example, is as angry, harsh, and loud as it is in an over-the-ear can game. The stock tuning is fine, but I personally prefer the Audiophile sound preset, which emphasizes the highs and mids.
Master & Dynamic says it has “optimized” the microphone and sensor placement of its ANC setup on the MW09, with new adaptive noise-blocking algorithms to improve performance. The company offers three presets: Max ANC, All Day ANC and Adaptive ANC, two of which are designed for high and low noise settings and the third is designed to automatically adjust to environmental changes. Overall, I found the Max option to be the best for combating distractions, but the company has made it clear that it affects battery life. What’s more, all three struggle to keep the volume below 50 percent, with things like white noise machines and human voices always present below 50 percent.
Call quality and ambient sound.
The company touts a new “ai-enhanced” voice setup for calls that employs six microphones and offers wind reduction to make you sound your best. All headphone manufacturers claim to offer impeccable performance and almost all of them fall short. The MW09 does a great job of reducing background noise, but the overall clarity is not as natural as M&D boasts. It’s fine for casual chats, but you’ll want something better for your voice and video calls at work.
You’ll want to switch to one of the MW09’s three ambient sound modes to avoid shouting too much. The company’s app includes the ability to stream your voice here via Sidetone, but you don’t get the full effect if you stay in ANC mode. I found the Voice preset to be the best of the three ambient modes for both calls and monitoring my surroundings, but there is a more general Natural option, as well as an “enhanced” Awareness setting. M&D’s transparency mode doesn’t sound as natural as on Apple’s AirPods Pro, but it’s above average.
Battery duration
Master & Dynamic has extended the battery life of the MW09 by two hours over the MW08 Sport when you have ANC activated. With noise cancellation disabled, you’ll get four more hours than that model. It’s 12 and 16 hours compared to 10 and 12 hours. There’s also an extra two hours in the charging case, up to 32 hours compared to 30 for the MW08 Sport. Thanks to a fast charging feature, the MW09 can give you two hours of use in just five minutes, reaching 50 percent in 20 minutes. .
During my test with the all-day noise cancellation setting enabled and the volume around 85 percent, the MW09 only lasted 10 hours. It’s a louder volume level than I normally use, but these headphones are also quieter than most of the competition. You have to listen to them with great emotion. M&D says the 12-hour figure is an average of runtimes across various scenarios and codecs at a volume of just over 50 percent. That level just wasn’t high enough for me. While it’s disappointing not to hit the stated number, 10 hours is still on the high end of most premium headphones these days. Sony manages eight of its flagship model, while Bose gets six, both with ANC activated.
The competition
Sony’s WF-1000XM5 remain our top pick for the best wireless headphones. You can find better ANC performance from Bose and slightly better sound quality from Sennheiser, but Sony comes in second on both. What gives the 1000XM5 the edge is Sony’s continued ability to pack a ton of useful features into its headphones, a sum no other company offers. Things like Speak-to-Chat auto-pause for conversations, automatic sound adjustments based on activity or location, and DSEE Extreme enhancement that keeps Sony’s audio capabilities close to the best you can buy. They’re Sony’s most expensive headphones yet, but they’re still $49 less than the MW09.
Bose’s new QuietComfort Ultra headphones are also worth a look. They’re cheaper than the MW09 at $299 and support Bose’s unique take on spatial audio that doesn’t require specially created content. The design is almost identical to the QuietComfort Earbuds II, but that’s okay since that shape is much more comfortable than the previous version. Additionally, the company’s stellar noise cancellation setup is on the QC Ultra model, which is truly the star of the show.
Wrap
With the MW09, Master & Dynamic makes adjustments to a familiar formula, with the most significant changes coming to the sound profile and customization options. The ambient sound mode has been improved and the convenience of the well-functioning multipoint Bluetooth cannot be underestimated. However, ANC performance is good and overall call quality is average. Lovers of a more natural sound profile and premium materials will be happy with these, but you can get more for less money elsewhere if those are your main concerns.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/master–dynamic-mw09-review-premium-materials-impeccable-clarity-132522028.html?src=rss
