A few months ago, I reviewed the latest premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose, the QuietComfort Ultra. They deliver excellent sound quality, incredible noise- canceling, and a well-balanced combination of lightweight construction and premium materials. Compared to typical plastic headphones, they’re a significant upgrade in quality and feel, and worth every penny.
However, they remain a predominantly plastic product: a high-end electronic device, but not a luxury product. And if you only plan to buy a pair of headphones once every five years or more, you may want something that only offers top-tier audio quality and features, but also feels premium, and will still feel that way in many years’ time.
For those customers, a few hundred dollars more over the Bose may be worth it for something genuinely premium, and that’s where the Master & Dynamics MW75 come into play. Founded and run by Jonathan Levine, this small, New York-based company focuses on bringing premium design to the wireless audio space, with the MW75 as their flagship model. Master & Dynamics says they make headphones that “look as good as they perform,” and the MW75 certainly lives up to that promise. The MW75 headphones are, in fact, fantastic.
While the Bose headphones feature soft plastic cups and metal bands, everything you touch on the MW75 is either cold metal or plush, premium leather, from the aluminum housing to the deeply recessed leather ear cups, and though slightly heavier than the Bose, the MW75 is just as comfortable. While the MW75 doesn’t compactly fold up, as the Bose do, I rarely use this feature anyway, and the included felt-lined carrying case, along with the included flight adapter, makes them excellent travel headphones. They also come in an unusually wide selection of color choices, from stealthy all black to a silver and saddle combination, and the silver and French navy of my review sample.
In terms of technology and sound, the competition between the Bose and the MW75 is close but differs in certain aspects. The ambient noise-canceling of the MW75 is slightly stronger than the Bose for background rumble, with its deep-set ear cups providing outstanding noise isolation, but it’s worse at inconsistent emerging sounds, like passing cars or voices. Overall, the edge goes to Bose, but for flying or office work—the primary use cases for noise-canceling—it’s a dead heat. They both own five stars.
Similarly, for sound quality, both compete at the upper echelon of Bluetooth audio, but where Bose edges out on noise-canceling, it’s the MW75 that wins here. Switched to the ‘audiophile’ EQ preset, the highs are crisp and defined, making vocals and drums a delight, and the bass remains present without becoming overpowering. If Master & Dynamics offered a manual EQ setting in their app, I would add a slight V curve to further emphasize the bass, but that’s a preference specific to listening to hip-hop — and if you really like bass-heavy hip-hop, the rumbly Bass Boost EQ is there for you. For genres like jazz, classical, pop, or metal, the audiophile EQ is perfect.
When it comes to sound, both are competing at the upper end of Bluetooth audio, but where Bose wins on noise-canceling, it’s the MW75 that wins here. Switched to the ‘audiophile’ EQ present, the highs are twinkly and defined, making vocals and drums a delight, and the base is still present but without getting rumbly or overwhelming. If Master and Dynamics offered a manual EQ setting in their app, I would add a slightly greater V curve, to emphasize the bass slightly further, but that’s only for listening to hip-hop. For jazz, classical, pop, or metal, the audiophile EQ is perfect.
The standout is the soundstage; the widest on Bluetooth headphones I’ve ever experienced and a notable improvement over the Bose. Whether it’s the drums and saxophone on Moyann’s new single, “Pink & Pretty,” or the wall of echoey background vocals, guitar, and cymbal hits on Spiritbox’s metal hit, “Circle With Me,” or simply hearing each member of the chamber ensemble on Gautier Capuçon’s “Destination Paris,” this great separation allows you to appreciate details you mightn’t have caught otherwise.
For the average consumer seeking a quality pair of headphones, it’s not necessary to splash for a pair of MW75s. The audio and material quality do surpass the Bose headphones — which now sit on my desk, unused — and it has a better, button-only control scheme, along with all the usual features of dual connectivity, ambient listening mode, ear detection, a32-hour battery life, and so forth; but these are ultimately pleasant but small improvements. If you just want good bluetooth headphones, you don’t need to pay the premium. But if you appreciate beautiful design, want a more premium experience and prefer to buy from a smaller company, $599 is more than reasonable for these.
