New York audio specialist Master & Dynamic has just released the new MW75 wireless ANC over-ears, and just look at them! On aesthetics alone, they’re bound to give Apple’s AirPods Max (and any of the best headphones currently on the market) a run for their money. — and speaking of money, they come at a price to make Apple make a dramatic turnaround, too.
Let’s cut to the chase: cost-of-living crisis be damned, Master & Dynamic’s new premium headphones are $599 / £549 / €599, which is pretty expensive – and by that we mean they’re as expensive as the launch price of Apple’s premium headphones (which arrived in December 2020 with an order fee of $549 / £549 / AU$899).
On the other hand, the aforementioned AirPods Max and even the new headphones recently teased by Sennheiser are proof that there are still plenty of people willing (and able) to buy high-end headphones.
Opinion: There is still a market for luxury headphones, as long as they are sonically excellent
Master & Dynamic’s MW75 wireless headphones support Bluetooth 5.1 (AirPods Max supports Bluetooth 5.0) and angled 40mm beryllium drivers, plus adaptive noise cancellation serviced by four microphones in total.
M&D says there are three ANC modes to choose from, including an ambient listening mode that you can deploy in the M&D Connect app. Said app is also the place to customize the MW75’s sound using the promised EQ adjustments.
The battery claim is also up to 32 hours, or 28 with ANC turned on – remember, you’ll only get 20 hours from the AirPods Max on a full charge.
A 15-minute quick charge also gives you six hours of playback (quick reference: five minutes of charging gives you about 1.5 hours of listening time with the AirPods Max) and there’s user detection to pause the music when removing them from your head .
This is Master & Dynamic, so we expect premium accessories and extras in general, and the company has not let us down. You get an additional 3.5mm USB-C cable, ¼-inch adapter, a dual-plug overhead line adapter for listening with onboard computers/air services, plus a hard travel case.
And luxury is certainly the name of the game here. The earphones are made of lightweight and durable aluminum; the cushions are a high quality combination of soft leather, memory foam and lambskin.
The Master & Dynamic MW75 comes in a choice of Gunmetal with Black Leather, Silver Metal with Gray Leather, Silver Metal with Brown Leather or Black Metal with Black Leather. Will be available from master and dynamic (opens in new tab) on June 28, 2022, and while we can’t guarantee the sound yet, we hope to be able to report back soon.
Here’s the thing: Apple’s AirPods Max offer easy access to the Cupertino giant’s proprietary and hugely popular Spatial Audio, which is a remarkable party trick to keep in your back pocket – and remember, an upgrade promising custom Spatial Audio is coming with iOS 16.
Can Master & Dynamic compete with this? Yup. Because some of us listen to Tidal streams or Qobuz albums downloaded on our high resolution MP3 players. But the sound has to be really, really good… we’ll find out soon.
