KEF Mu7 Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Charcoal Grey

Product Information

I get the strong impression reviewers and consumer alike have become so used to the bass-heavy (or at least bass-front) and feature laden offerings that seem to have saturated the market that we have come to expect a very specific basket of things from headphones and have actually forgotten how to look - and listen - a little deeper. Obviously, too, appreciation is in the ear of the beholder. Do I like my KEFs? Yes. Might someone else? No. That's up to them. But for what it's worth, in my opinion, they are better than this review suggests.

How much different are you finding them with the DAC? I have toyed with buying one myself, have you found a big difference in the sound with it? I get the strong impression reviewers and consumer alike have become so used to the bass-heavy (or at least bass-front) and feature laden offerings that seem to have saturated the market that we have come to expect a very specific basket of things from headphones and have actually forgotten how to look - and listen - a little deeper. Obviously, too, appreciation is in the ear of the beholder. Do I like my KEFs? Yes. Might someone else? No. That's up to them. But for what it's worth, in my opinion, they are better than this review suggests.Could I ask. So in relative terms the KEF push rather than punch, and don’t create quite the sense of momentum or rhythmic positivity that other, more assertive, designs can achieve. And when you realise the Mu7 aren’t the most dynamic headphones around when it comes to putting appreciable distance between ‘quite quiet’ and ‘extremely loud’ is concerned, it becomes apparent the KEF can sound slightly undemonstrative and matter-of-fact when compared to their most capable price-appropriate rivals. 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.

User reviews

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.

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. KEF’s pedigree as a loudspeaker manufacturer is unquestionable, but has this helped them produce a pair of wireless headphones capable of going toe-to-toe with the very best? However you choose to get it there, once the audio information is on board your Mu7 it’s delivered to your ears by a pair of 40mm full-range dynamic drivers. A frequency response such as KEF is claiming, of 20Hz – 20kHz, is both ample and eminently achievable. Thanks to a battery that lasts for up to 40 hours, you get to enjoy the Mu7’s for longer. What’s more, its 40 hours even with Bluetooth and Smart Active Noise Cancellation engaged, meaning you don’t have to make compromises to get this generous battery life. Fast charging means that just 15 minutes of charging is enough for a further 8 hours of use.

Why is KEF Mu7 better than the average?

Oddly enough, the Mu7 manages to combine similar traits when it comes to the way they deal with external sounds. Switch ANC on or (Smart on if you’re out and about) and there’s no two ways about it: they do a very decent job on all ambient noise short of ear-splitting.