Master Dynamic
Master & Dynamic MH40: a soft and warm sound
Aprox. 170€ - see price -
The MH40 is quite difficult to pin down. Presented above all as a hi-fi headset by the New Yorkers of Master & Dynamic, it does, however, have more arguments for audiophiles and music lovers on the go. In addition to a quality sound experience, it promises rock-solid solidity thanks to the materials chosen with the greatest care. Let's see it all ...
Our review
Ergonomics
With its vintage and modern looks, the Master & Dynamic MH40 is an example of a happy marriage between leather and metal. This design is not necessarily to everyone's taste, but we must admit that the MH40 is a solid helmet that benefits from a finish almost worthy of a silversmith's work. Nothing is left to chance and every detail is worked on. We will not detail the aspect, the photos speak for themselves. Be aware that the MH40 is only dressed in real leather (lamb for the pads, cattle for the rest) and metal (aluminum, stainless steel).
The auricles, of the circumaural type, have a thick memory foam. Headphones on, we notice that the pressure points are well distributed around the ear, whatever the morphology of the wearer. Eyeglass wearers will not be particularly disturbed before a good hour and a half of listening. No discomfort to report for long hair and piercings.
Despite its vintage appearance, the MH40 is no less clever. The ear cups can be very easily removed and replaced thanks to a magnet system. In addition, they pivot flat for a very pleasant wearing around the neck. The Master & Dynamic MH40 is not a featherweight (353 g), especially for nomadic use, but this impression is reduced once the helmet on the head, in particular thanks to a good distribution of the masses. The ventilation feeling is fairly correct given the design and the materials used.
The hoop is made up of large hinges and a system for attaching the ear cups, near which the graduations of the hoop size adjustment appear ... whose room for maneuver is not very large. The maximum size is barely enough to provide comfort to the biggest heads of our editorial staff.
The arch arises quite naturally on the top of the head; we would just have liked some memory foam to provide some comfort during extended listening. And if you wanted to use the MH40 on the go, know that it fits particularly well on the head. Expect to be hot in winter, and even hotter in summer.
Let's move on to the connectors and controls available. Unusual, a mute button located under the right atrium can be very practical in hi-fi use, because the cable provided for this purpose obviously has no controls. On the other hand, when traveling, you can use it to cut the music more quickly when sound or voice alerts are broadcast. Another welcome tip, two 3.5mm mini-jack connectors located on each headset allow you to choose the preferred side or to connect another headset in series to share the sound broadcast.
As we mentioned, the Master & Dynamic MH40 offers two cables: one of 2 m intended for hi-fi listening, and one of 1.2 m with a control / microphone for nomadic listening. A mini jack to 6.35mm jack adapter is also available. Everything can be stored in a leather case. Since we love to quibble, we would have preferred an elbow connector for the mobile cable… but the solidity and the thickness of the metal connector make us forget this regret. Like the headphones, the cables supplied are solid, especially thanks to their thickness and their braided finish. The real disappointment concerns the command which is only 100% compatible with iOS devices. It has two buttons for volume management (not functional on other OS) and a multifunction button (play, pause, navigation between tracks, call management). The microphone is offset higher on the cable, which allows it to be positioned as close as possible to the mouth.
Audio
With its dynamic 45 mm transducers, the Master & Dynamic MH40 is the very example of colorful but controlled sound reproduction. It will delight the ears in search of a sound that is both soft, warm and precise.
This impression of softness is played in 3 acts and begins with the low frequencies. Well dynamic and defined, these basses are reproduced fairly, with a slight reinforcement between 100 and 200 Hz which gives a little boost to the punchy and warm side. The bass is where you expect it, no more no less, even in the lowest frequencies. As the membranes are fairly reactive and precise, no masking effect is perceived in the upper frequency registers.
The other factor responsible for this softness is the dip around 5 kHz, which is less important when listening than the measurement would suggest. The sound is therefore far from being aggressive. For example, even the One of Us is The Killer and Ire Works albums of The Dillinger Escape Plan, known for their incisive mixes, pass like a gentle summer breeze. And this is not why the sources that are particularly expressed in this area (we think in particular of guitars, violins, trumpets, saxophones or flutes) are not defined, on the contrary. The voices, whether male or female, are not to be outdone, with clear rendering and a well respected timbre.
Last actress of this sweetness, the treble range brings the necessary shine, but without exaggeration. The MH40 is also quite airy for a closed helmet and it allows to distinguish fine details on sound elements normally very indented, such as reverb and room effects on snare drums played with brooms, for example. To perfect it all, the stereophony is broad with a very good separation of the sources. Each element that constitutes the sound scene is easy to identify and replace, whether in width or in depth.
The MH40 has excellent power and can be used without any problem with any type of portable or hi-fi device. With 93 mV to reach 94 dB, this helmet is placed in front of a number of mobile headsets (JBL Everest Elite 700 with 108 mV or B&O Play H7 with 116 mV). Even at very high listening levels, the distortion is extremely low.
In nomadic use, passive insulation is good for over-ear headphones. The design of the MH40 does not drastically reduce the surrounding noise in very noisy places (metro type), but it still allows you to enjoy its music without having to push the decibels to excess.
The mobile cable microphone does its job well and allowed us to be heard clearly during our conversations on the go. As often in very noisy environments, a passage directly through the microphone of the phone will be more effective to replace the voice above the hubbub. If you plan to use your MH40 at work, Master & Dynamic offers the Boom Mic, a boom microphone that plugs into the helmet. A luxury option billed at $ 129.
Conclusion
For the hybrid use it advocates, the MH40 does wonders. Helped by a very high quality construction and consistent accessories, it offers a very good listening quality with comfort. Its sound signature remains marked, but the choice is assumed and very well done.
Reviews
these are very good looking headphones
Okay let's get this out of the way, these headphones are gorgeous and just a beauty to look at. I would have to look very hard to find anyone that would disagree with me regarding the look of these cans. I will break this review into 4 parts: aesthetic, build quality, comfort, and sound.
Aesthetic: as mentioned before, these are very good looking headphones. Just from the look alone, ones can tell that Master & Dynamic has put much thought into designing the MH40, making sure that the design translates to the user. Aside from being a tool to listen to music, I think these are also a fashion statement for many people who like to stand out from the crowd (especially the tan / silver color scheme). These are probably the best looking headphones at any price point. Note that they offer these in many colors and should appeal to many individuals.
Build quality: unfortunately, I have to take one star off of the review due to the build quality. Let me be transparent and upfront, the build quality is solid overall, but suffers from a few issues. The first pair I received had a loose adjustment hinge that keeps slipping around; this affects the fit of the headphones. The second pair was much better but not sure how well they will hold up over time. If you are individuals who constantly adjust their headphone band, it might wear out over time. The sliding metal rod is simply held together by a rubber gasket. Another problem I experienced with the 2nd pair is the fact that the magnetic ear pads keep sliding around and are not tightly attached to the metal housing. I am sure it won't fall off, but an annoyance regardless. I believe this is because the three alignment rods holding the leather pads are a bit short and cause the pads to have a little play. I'll have to see how well these parts will hold up through time.
Comfort: given how heavy these headphones are, they are actually very comfortable over longer listening sessions. This is thanks to the super soft lamb skin ear pads. Also, the clamping force of these headphones are not too tight and won't slip around while on your head. I wear glasses and still find it comfortable enough to listen to about 2 hours at a time. I cannot say the same about other over-ear headphones such as the Beats Studio 2 Wireless. They are almost as comfortable as the Sennheiser Momentum M2 over-ear, which are the most comfortable I've used to date. You might have to play with the positioning while they are on your head to get the best comfort and sound.
Sound: Okay, the sound quality of these headphones is what REALLY got me. I didn't expect a fashion oriented headphone company would make such great sounding headphones. These are the most balance sounding headphones I've had, as compared to the Beats Studio 2 Wireless, B&W P5, and the Sennheiser Momentum M2. The lows are very well defined and never mask any other frequency range. The bass make its present but never overwhelming. The midrange is not overly exaggerated like the Sennheiser Momentum and not as bright also. Treble is where these shines for me. They are airy sounding and not piercing at all. Overall, the sound signature of these headphones lean towards the darker side and sound very intimate. Furthermore, they are good for extended listening since they are not fatiguing. They sound similar to the B&W P7, but a bit darker. One thing they can improve on is the soundstage presentation. While the soundstage is realistic and convincing, it is not as wide as the Sennheiser or the B&W P7. But at the end of the day, I think the M&D MH40 is well suited for many music genre and will give listeners a well balanced listening experience. If you ever listen to Sonus Faber speakers, these headphones sound exactly like them.
Conclusion: these headphones are surely geared towards higher end fashion oriented individuals who also appreciate great sound. From an audiophile point of view, these headphones are a great tool to a great musical experience without sacrificing aesthetic.
*** Note: I used my MacBook Pro Retina, iPhone 7 plus, and Fiio K1 to power these headphones.
Good noise blocking but musically sluggish
Overall, these are well executed, beautiful headphones, but they are not exceptional sound reproduction devices. IMHO they are not nearly as good in the clarity, effortless reproduction and neutrality of even the middle tier headphones from AKG or Sennheiser, HifiMan, etc. and I can't recommend them due to the sound quality.
My normal headphones are AKG 712s or old Shure E4 IEM's. I reviewed these with an LG V30 with a quad DAC and Fiio portable headphone amplifier.
First the fit - I have an abnormally large head. XXL hats are almost big enough. Of a lot of headphones I have auditioned recently these almost did not fit due to the limited travel. Also, while they are in fact "over the ear" design, this is just barely true. They will touch all of your ear unless you have small ears.
The band comfort is pretty much what you'd expect from the pics. There is enough spring to give a constant tight fit, but no padding on the noggin. If you are at all sensitive to that, move along, not going to be comfortable for long term wear for you. The studio style AKGs you can wear all day long and not notice by comparison.
The choice to go with barely big enough pads also makes them really good noise blocking headphones. These are really nice for offices and noisy environments for those who don't like IEMs.
Now, the tonal balance. I started writing this review in a very positive light. Good noise blocking cans that are a little too laid back. When I switched to the AKGs though I realized that no, these are not really good sounding cans at all, certainly not at full retail. The tight ear seal gives you unusually good bass, with maybe a touch extra boom, and yeah, a lot of AKG models lack bass, but the bad is that to me, the mid to treble is noticeably low by comparison to my other two pairs . I'm listening to Chet Baker's Milano Sessions and the trumpet is just too low and lacks any of the sweet detail to be enjoyable. Switching to the AKGs it was night and day. Across the entire spectrum the AKGs demonstrate how congested and sluggish these headphones sound. The MH40 don't replay music so much as murmur. The best example I can give is listening to a speaker with a bad tweeter. It's really that bad.
I really can't recommend the purchase and I have no idea why any reviewer would call the treble "crisp." Seriously? Not the pair I got.
My new favorite headphones.
I've got into the audiophile level of headphones with the Grado sr80 and I loved them all except two things. 1. Bass was lacking and they were a tad uncomfortable. So I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to the Grado 325i. The Bass improved but they were still uncomfortable but hey the Sound was awesome. So I then bought the Sennheiser Momentum on ear headphones because I wanted a closed back set of cans as an alternative. Very comfortable but the sound was lacking in my opinion for the price. So after much research and listening in stores I settled on these.
For closed back headphones they're very open from a soundstage standpoint. Not grado open but very clear. The Highs are crystal without being too pronounced. The mids are good but I prefer the Mids on the Grado 325 a bit better. The base is very nice, it's got good punch, nice lowend rumble without being boomy like someothers. "I'm Looking at you Beats" '
They're more comfortable than the Grados which start to hurt after about an hour. These are good up to 3 or 4 before they get a little on the heavy side but that's a good thing. They're built like tanks and about as heavy so that's where the problem come in with that but I can live with it. So these for me are my best all around headphones but the question is what are you willing to pay? These are better than the Grado's in my opinion but only because they work better on a wider randge of music than the Grado's. Grados tend to do better with Rock, classical and jazz and struggle a little with anything else. These do everything pretty well. I wish the middle frequencies were a little more defined like the grado's but I'm good. The deal is the Grado's were $ 300 while these have a $ 400 price tag. Sorry but they are not $ 100 better but If you can find these for $ 300 or less definately pick them up you won't be sorry.