Welcome to my review today on the Master & Dynamic MH 40 headphones. This is the entry level headphone to their series of premium over-ear headphones.
Now these are some of the most dynamic sounding headphones I’ve heard for under $400. In fact, if it wasn’t for some comfort issues, I would never want to stop listening to these.
But that, along with a few other criticisms means these won’t be the ideal headphone for everyone which I’ll be discussing in this review as well as comparing these to a few other headphones.
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Accessories
Included with the headphones you have an ⅛” to ¼” Gold-Plated adapter, there are two thick fabric covered, tangle free cables which have machined aluminum straight angle plugs. One of the cables includes an inline mic and remote and is 1.25m (52”) long which is ideal for portable use and the other is a 2m long standard cable which is better suited for use at home or work.
The mic quality on the shorter cable is excellent and gives you crystal clear conversations.
Finally you have a nice quality canvas pouch for the headphones and a leather cable box for storing your cables.
Design, Features & Build Quality
Now regarding the design, the MH40 is an incredibly well-built combination of metal, leather and aluminum, which all come together beautifully to create a somewhat retro look and feel. It’s apparent a lot of thought has gone into the construction of these. There are six different colors to choose from and real leather is used for the headband and earcups.
The headband is covered in a premium grain cowhide leather and has just a bit of padding underneath. There are two Slide adjustments with numbers on the sliders and these are used to make the headphones larger or smaller. These slide adjustments allow you to make micro-level-adjustments so you can make the headphones smaller or larger by the smallest amount. And then once you get them adjusted correctly, they stay in place really well.
The earpads contain memory foam and are covered in lambskin leather. The earpads are magnetically attached so they’re easily removable whether they’re worn out or you just want to switch to a different color. Currently there are 9 different color options to choose from.
The earcups have excellent mobility and can swivel quite a bit, so you can easily move them horizontally or vertically for a more comfortable seal and fit. They also allow you to lay them flat for storage. Each earcup also includes it’s own 3.5mm socket so you can use your headphone cable on either the left or right side.
The more time you spend with these headphones, the more apparent it becomes how well-crafted these are. For example, the cable that connects from the earcups to the headband is intentionally designed in such a way so as to protect the cable when moving the earcups around. This design prevents the cable from ever being pinched or damaged which can sometimes happen with other headphones.
Another unique feature is that they included a mute button which instantly silences your music when pressed.
Now although the craftsmanship of these is truly excellent, there are some design aspects which could make these less than perfect.
One issue that can come up is how far down the cable expends from the headphone. The additional length can make it easier to catch on your collar, jacket, coat, etc. as you turn and/or tilt your head. Now this didn’t cause any real problems for me, but it could be something to consider depending on your situation.
The other potential issue is that getting the best listening experience possible with these depends on getting a great seal, which these definitely will do. However, if you’re wearing glasses as an example, this can compromise the seal and affect in particular, the sound of the bass and lower frequencies.
As an example, when I first had these on, they weren’t adjusted quite right to get the best seal, so even though they felt comfortable, the fit was a little too loose, so every time I turned my head to the side, it changed the seal and I noticed the lower frequencies came alive more. So it took a little fidgeting with the sizing to get the seal just right, but once I had that dialed in I didn’t have that problem anymore.
Finally, the weight of these is rather heavy at 360 grams. And this can cause these to be a bit uncomfortable to wear for pro-longed listening sessions. Most noticeably on the top of the head you can feel the discomfort start to build from the weight of these headphones.
Comfort
Now initially, when you first put these on they feel great. There is ample space inside the earcups as they’re fairly deep in order to accomodate your ears so you don’t feel the driver housing and your ears don’t feel squished against the earpads. The earcups are a little larger than the Sennheiser Momentums, and as a result, you can wear these comfortably around your ears without any problems.
Now The headband doesn’t have much padding but b/c the headband is so sturdy and durable you can work with it to get a better fit which does help with the comfort.
The clamping force isn’t too tight or loose, it feels just right.
Now unfortunately, do to the weight of these headphones, they do start to get uncomfortable at the top of the head, especially when wearing these for longer periods of time.
So the bottom line on comfort is that although initially the experience is very comfortable, unless you’re used to wearing heavier headphones without any problems, you may find these aren’t suited as well for all-day type listening.
Noise Isolation
Then regarding noise isolation, these do a great job of passive noise isolation. Meaning they block quite a bit of any environmental noise around you. However, they do leak some noise and aren’t as quiet compared to other headphones such as the Sennheiser Momentum or Oppo PM3. So if you plan on using these in public and like listening to your music on the louder side, then you might want to consider something else.
Sound Quality
Sound Quality wise, I absolutely love the sound signature. Now these have a unique and slightly colored sound to them, but they are so fun and snappy to listen to. They have a VERY likeable sound which has a slight bass emphasis, rich mids and a darker sounding treble. Overall, the presentation is very dynamic and powerful sounding. Music really springs to life with these.
The bass is just slightly elevated and it’s quite addicting. These don’t give you a bass-head level of bass by any means, but they do offer a lot of the substance in the lower frequencies that appeals to bass heads. So you get a rather quick bass response that manages to preserve a decent level of texture. There’s also decent bass extension, though connoisseurs of bass will probably desire a little more sub bass. Even so, the lower-end details come through fairly clear.
Now the bass does bleed just a tiny bit into the mids which adds a just a touch of thickness there. But otherwise it isn’t overly thick or boomy in the slightest. You really don’t get any boominess. In fact, the MH40 delivers one of the most impactful and dynamic sounding bass responses I’ve heard, without being overly boosted. And though it’s not the tightest bass response, it’s still very focused and again, just plain addicting to listen to.
When it comes to the mids, they’re neither too dry or lush sounding. Vocals are very clear and well articulated and they give you a nice sense of emotion. Now the mids could benefit from being a little more liquid and smooth sounding, but they’re not offensive in the slightest and there’s a good deal of fidelity to them.
There is a slight dip in the upper mids which results in a slight loss of airiness and projection but male vocals benefit by sounding a little more full and weighty. Instruments from guitars to piano sound convincing. So the overall the tone of the mids is realistic with good texture.
Then with the treble you have more of a relaxed presentation overall, but with a boost around 10K to help bring some additional energy into the listening experience. They can be a tad artificial sounding and sibilant at times, but these are not at all brash or painful. There’s a pretty steep roll-off in the upper highs which contributes to these missing a bit of airiness. But they’re not splashy and the mid-treble is relatively detailed. Overall, you get a pretty snappy presentation.
The soundstage is good. You get more height and width than depth. But the soundstage is larger than say something like the Momentums and instruments have good layering and placement to them.
Now the MH 40 responds very well to EQ adjustments, so for an even more convincing and life-like sound, you can EQ these by bringing the middle mids down just a touch and raising the upper mids and highs up a few decibles. However, this is a more fatiguing sound signature so for longer listening sessions, leaving the MH 40 the way they are is the way to go.
As the perfect all-rounder for all genres of music, these are fairly close. But, if you mainly listen to jazz and classical music then these might be a bit too colored, it will certainly depend on your listening preference, as these genres still sound fun and exciting to listen to on these.
Personally, I really enjoy the sound signature and presentation. Even if you’re not someone who normally bob’s your head or moves much to music, the MH 40 will compel you. The exciting and punchy experience you get without it being brash or harsh, again is just plain addicting and a wonderfully fun and musical listening experience.
Now comparing these to other headphones such as the NAD HP50, the HP50 has better resolution and a smoother response overall but sound it’s more thin sounding compared to the MH 40 which is more dynamic sounding and has a punchier character to it.
Compared to the Sennheiser Momentum, the Momentums do a better job with the mid-range by providing more acoustic detail and they don’t leak as much sound which makes them better for travel or use in public. However the dynamics and soundstage are superior with the MH 40 and it feels like the music is grabbing you a bit more compared to the Momentum.
Then comparing the MH 40 to the Focal Spirit Professional, the Focal is more neutral sounding and has more airiness, but they also sound more dry and less musical compared to the MH 40 which gives you a richer and more satisfying listening experience by comparison.
REASONS TO CONSIDER SOMETHING ELSE
Now even though these deliver one of the most dynamic listening experiences at this price point and under, there are a few reasons you may want to select something else.
First, these do leak a bit of noise, and although you can still use them for portable use in public, they may not be ideal depending on how loud you like to enjoy your music. So this could be something to consider depending on how you plan on using these.
Then, comfort wise, these are a heavier wearing headphone, so even though they’re remarkably comfortable when you’re first wearing them, over time the weight of these starts to create hot spots and discomfort on the top of the head. So if you need or want something that you can wear for several hours at a time without needing to give you head a break, then these might not be the best choice.
Also, getting a good seal with these is more important than most headphones when it comes to getting the best listening experience possible. And while it’s not hard to adjust these, it can take some fidgeting to get the seal just right. So if you’re in a situation where that could be a nuisance then it’s something to consider.
Finally, from a sound signature perspective if you prefer a more analytical headphone then you might not enjoy these. The MH 40 is more musical than analytical and while genres like jazz and classical sound great on these, if you prefer a more neutral and color free presentation then I’d suggestion going with something else.
BUT OTHERWISE
But otherwise, although there are a few criticisms about these headphones, these are still easy to recommend as they’ve done a lot of things really well.
The MH 40 is a beautifully crafted headphone, the cables are high quality and practical, the fit and comfort of the earcups is spot on, and although they’re not a light-wearing headphone, they’re still very comfortable to wear for shorter listening sessions and they make for an easy headphone to take with you. So if the criticisms aren’t deal breakers for you, then you’ll find these to be a very high quality and dynamic sounding headphone that will be well worth the investment.