KEF Mu7 Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Charcoal Grey

Product Information

Which means that aside from the aluminium earcups, the rest of the KEF are unremarkable where design is concerned. Faux-leather covered memory foam forms the earpads, and there’s more of the material covering the central part of the headband. The rest of the headband, the arms and the yokes are aluminium too, and the earcups fold flat to allow the KEF-branded sem-rigid carry case to be of manageable size. As we saw in 2017, KEF doesn’t hesitate to collaborate with big names like Porsche Design (also read: KEF Porsche Design: a Bluetooth speaker and two pairs of headphones) and ECCO Design designer Eric Chan for the KEF Blade speakers.

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.Given how many companies want to sell you some wireless active noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, it seems almost negligent of KEF to have left it until now. Matching KEF’s class-leading ability for sound quality with outstanding design and functionality, the KEF Mu7 headphones raise the bar for noise-cancelling headphones. It’s a tough assignment, and, to be honest, you’d forgive the company for concentrating more on its excellent, modern, all-in-one hi-fi solutions such as the five-star LSX II and LS60 Wireless and giving premium wireless headphones like the KEF Mu7 a swerve. That the attitude of the KEF Mu7 will find favour with any number of listeners seems assured. They’re a full-scale, detailed and quite insightful listen, after all.

Muon speakers, Muo Bluetooth speakers, Mu3 earphones… Today KEF unveils a new hi-fi device designed by the great designer Ross Lovegrove: the Mu7 wireless headphones. For the design of the Mu7, KEF has enlisted the services of long-time collaborator Ross Lovegrove. Anyone familiar with this work for the company, from the huge Muon loudspeakers to the grabbable Muo wireless speaker, will know what to expect here (beyond a model name that starts ‘Mu’) - the Mu7 are an organically flowing combination of bumps and recesses. Or, at least, they are as far as the earcups are concerned - that’s about the only area of a pair of over-ear headphones that doesn’t have its form utterly dictated by its function. I've been using them only for few weeks and i intend to give them more time, if something changes i'll edit this review but so far a big no no. The KEF Mu7 are solidly built, though. The aluminium casework feels robust and premium, which is just what you want from headphones at this price point. The arms that attach the headband to the earcups don’t feel flimsy and they also allow for a good amount of movement, so you can get the 40mm full-range drivers angled properly and fit over the whole of your ear without any gaps where sound can leak out and noise can leak in. A good footrest is as important to comfort as the chair you sit in, and Secretlab’s Professional Footrest is ideal for home or office useThere’s no transparent mode which allows you to have a conversation while wearing them and there’s no automatic pausing when you either lift an earcup or remove them from your head. They don’t sound like major problems, but when you’re used to experiencing them on rival products it’s surprising how much they can elevate the user experience when executed correctly. Portable: Galaxy S10 > Hidizs S8 > Beyerdynamic Xelento / JH13FP / Sennheiser IE 40 Pro / Sony MDR-7520 / Sony WH-1000XM4

They’re certainly a crisp-sounding pair of headphones. There’s a decent amount of space around instruments and vocals. Detail levels are fine for the money, and tonally they’re pretty well-balanced with no end of the frequency spectrum favoured over the other. Low frequencies are lean and agile, which you’d think would help deliver a dynamic, lively sound… Furthering its inimitable sound and design, KEF has come together with long-term collaborator Ross Lovegrove on its Mu7 noise-canceling wireless headphones. The over-ear headphones feature a 40mm full-range dynamic driver in each ear and smart active noise canceling tech to counter external noise. It’s difficult to know for sure, of course, but if the words good taste and grown-up weren’t as high on the list of Mu7 sonic requirements as detailed and high-fidelity then I’ll eat my metaphorical hat. In love with my Mu7! They're so comfortable, can wear them for hours. Sound quality is amazing, you can hear every detail - and the ANC is so good which is perfect for my commute on the tube which can get quite noisy. Good on calls as well for both work through Teams/Zoom but also to use for a normal phone call I haven't had any issues. The touch function is quite sensitive so has taken some getting used to but now I know how it works it's really simple and easy. They are also heavier than the Sonys (309g vs around 250g), and they feel it. You’re a bit more aware of their presence on your head but they’re not an uncomfortable fit by any stretch.For the most part, the Mu7 are premium wireless over-ear headphone business as usual. The slender arms and yokes are of smooth, expertly fitted aluminium, while the earpads and the central portion of the headband are breathable leatherette – the earpads are filled with memory foam. Each earcup has a couple of cutaways near the top that act as mic openings. The right earcup also has a smaller mic opening towards the bottom, and there’s also a little LED down here too - it lets you know what’s what regarding charging, pairing, power status and so on. Just as with their reference speakers, KEF have tuned the Mu7 headphones to deliver a pure, consistent sound. The 40mm drivers are voiced to produce realism and tonal accuracy, rather than an overwrought bass response. Suitable for use with all types of music media, but especially impressive with Hi-Res music files, the MU7’s deliver music with polished precision. They all have a history of consistently producing excellent speakers, but largely useless and/or over-priced designer headphones. No doubt they’ll find their market with the cloth-eared style over substance brigade that today’s What Hi-Fi pitch towards. Surely only a matter of time before Linn or Naim join in.

Custom tuned by KEF’s engineers, the Mu7 headphones integrate enhanced codec technology including ... [+] support for SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD to deliver high-resolution wireless sound. KEF The way any piece of audio equipment sounds is ultimately a judgement call. Someone (or some group of people) has decided on the ‘voice’ a pair of headphones (for instance) is going to have, and then fingers are crossed as to whether or not it finds favour. In the case of the KEF Mu7, it’s not difficult to picture the wish-list: five minutes inside these headphones and words like ‘judicious’, ‘precise’ and ‘mature’ all start to muscle their way to the front of the mind…Most electric vehicles are automatic – but Toyota are looking to change that for a more classic feel To deliver high-quality sound, the KEF Mu7 headphones feature 40mm drivers that provide optimal frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz.