MW60 – Packaging and Closer Look
The Master & Dynamic MW60’s box reminds me of the MH40’s packaging. You get this nice sturdy white box with the face of the MW60 in front, and a brief description of the headphone and a list of the accessories at the back. There’s nothing too fancy here, it’s quite simple yet very appealing.
Sliding out the inner box and opening the cover reveals the MW60 wireless headphone together with some reading materials and quick start guide. The included USB cable and 3.5mm cable (with 6.3mm adapter) are placed inside the circle container, while the detailed manual and the carrying pouch is hidden under the thick foam.
I think the company has learned from the MH40 and it is quite noticeable to see the improvements applied in the MW60. The MW60, for me, looks like a refined version of the MH40. It doesn’t have that retro-look anymore, but instead you get a nice and sleek looking headphone. Wires are no longer exposed and the headband is a bit narrower but with more padding compared to the MH40.
I personally like the black leather and gunmetal color scheme combination. It looks sleek, attractive and bold. Instead of a mesh face plate with the company’s logo at the center, the company opted for a spun-circle design that reminds me of an Asus Zenbook’s lid surface or a vinyl record’s surface, only it has thicker and more pronounced circles. Master & Dynamic also added a hinge that allows the MW60 to be folded to a more compact form for easy transport.
From the bottom angle, you will see most of the MW60’s controls and connectors. Let’s start with the left side (which is actually the right channel); you the a micro USB port for charging the MW60, volume up and down buttons, and a multi-function button at the middle that lets you play/pause, answer/end/ignore a call, or serves as a digital assistant/voice dial button.
On the right side (which is the left channel) you have the 3.5mm passive audio input, wireless or Bluetooth power and pairing control. There’s also a couple of LED indicator for battery and pairing status. Along the passive audio input’s line, you see a tiny dot, that’s a built-in omni-directional microphone; and that stripe you see is one of the three visible antennas.
Just like most headphones, you can adjust the height of the headband by simply sliding the arm. It doesn’t have any click feeling or a guide, it simply slides up or down. I just hope it won’t loosen up easily.
When in wireless mode, simply slide the power on the left channel to active the MW60. You should hear a sound upon turning it on. Sliding and holding the button up to the Bluetooth logo for two seconds (or more) starts the pairing. If you are wearing the headphone while pairing it with your device, you will hear (sounds like) a warm humming (breathing) sound that I find a little bit annoying. I wish they used a better background sound effect while on pairing mode.
I haven’t tried moving away from the source more than 20 feet away while testing its wireless capability. Most of the time, the phone was just in my pocket or right beside me while I listened to the MW60 on wireless mode. So far pairing was easy and I haven’t experienced any issues / disconnects within the 20 feet radius.
I haven’t exactly measured the battery life, but Master & Dynamic claimed that it can last up to 16 hours in a single charge. Battery life depends on the usage of a person. If you usually listen at higher volumes, expect that battery life will be shorter compared to people listening at lower volume. As for me, I’m pretty sure it lasted around 10 hours of more before I recharged the MW60’s batteries.
The Master & Dynamic MW60 features an over ear design, but depending on the size of your ears, you may feel your ears touching the cushion. The ear cushions are made out of memory foam with soft lambskin covering. It’s very soft and comfortable. However, one downside of a lambskin covering is that it tends to get warm on ears. I have to remove them to let me ears breath and cool off for a while. The pads are magnetized so you only need to gently pull the ear pads in case you need to remove/replace it.
Next page is the MW60’s sound quality and my subjective listening experience.
