Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsGood, but not as good as most reviews suggest
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2022
For context, I've had 2 pairs of MW65's over the last year. The first were exchanged due to an issue with the microphone and voice calling, the second returned (after much wrangling) due to an electronics issue relating to charging.
I absolutely love the physical quality of the housings and leather. Top notch in every regard. The buttons are great, but a little small for daily use. The pads and headband are comfortable, but definitely on the smaller side. I can't say I have abnormal ears, as every headphones I've purchased from the big brands have fit fine. These though, were snug. I managed to be comfortable without my glasses, but with them, I'd get an ache after a few hours of listening. The oval shape makes them quite snug front to rear.
The sound quality is superb! Keep in mind though, these are NOT for bass lovers. These are (God I hate this term) "audiophile"...nope, let's call them "studio" headphones. The tuning is flat, leaning to the sharper side. Not harsh, but the clarity can be disconcerting if you're not used to it. It gets even better when you skip the Bluetooth and wire them directly using the included headphone cord. Superb. I used a simple USB dongle-dac from Amazon it it was miles better than Bluetooth. This is the only category where I felt the headphones were flawless, not the Bluetooth, not the Noise Cancelling, as a wired pair of headphones. Lol.
Anyways, on to the not fun stuff. Ok, so the headband is short, the ear cups rub and the buttons are small, but that's not quite the full story. The mic was abysmal. OMG, the fact that an $80 set of cheap garbage headphones sound better is really sad at this price point. Yes, that comparison is totally fair, as I did A-B call and sound tests back to back with most of the other major ANC BT headphones out today and my kid's Anker set. Terrible. M&D did send me a dirty firmware update that increased the mic level a bit, but, while louder, had a negative effect on voice quality.
Noise Cancelling was, at best, adequate. Same as most others, but nowhere near Bose or Sony. It works.
Now, charging and battery. What a mess. I almost never use noise cancelling, except when flying, so it remains off most of the time. The battery life was a fraction of what was advertised. Charging was quick enough, but the electronics obviously need updating. They can't seem to consistently run for the same amount of time. The battery State of Charge immediately drops from full charge to 80% just by turning them on, say, within 10 minutes. Then, they drop to 30% fairly quickly, then 10%. At 10%, the low battery notification starts alerting you, but they continue to run for hours, stuck at 10%, repeatedly alerting. My first pair wasn't as bad, the second, terrible. These feel like a first attempt. Maybe the new gen MW75's will be better, but these are not.
As I said, I no longer have either pair. I bought both new from Amazon, not returned or refurbished. I can't say I'd recommend the MW65 to anyone. Maybe the aforementioned MW75 will do it right, but skip the 65's.
