Master & Dynamic MW07 PLUS true wireless earphone review: The best of the best

Master & Dynamic’s MW07 true wireless earphones were a favorite of mine, with incredible sound quality and build quality combined for an amazing experience. But it was marred by weak battery life and a mediocre microphone. Nonetheless, they were easily worth the $300 price tag for that amazing sound in the oh so convenient true wireless form factor.

But with competition getting stiffer, M&D didn’t rest on their laurels, and the MW07 PLUS are proof of that. The company took the old model and made it better in every single way… and then some.

Overview

• Drivers: 10mm Beryllium
• Bluetooth version: 5.0 with aptX
• Distance: 100 feet
• Water resistance: IPX5
• Battery life: 10 hours, 40 hours total
• Size: Earphones: 22.5 x 19 x 25mm, case: 64 x 26 x 45mm
• Weight: 9g each, 84g case
• Price: $299 (Amazon)

The MW07 PLUS share a nearly identical design to the originals (you can check out our review here). The polished stainless steel case looks identical from the outside, though a few changes have been made. The lid now has a solid detent for the open position so it won’t accidentally flip closed. The earbuds are now retained with a magnet, which makes removing them a bit tougher but is much safer. The black plastic insides have inexplicably been replaced with light gray plastic, but there’s a nicer Master & Dynamic logo on it.

The last change is that the charging indicators come on much faster. Previously they’d flash orange then show the charge, but now they’re nearly instant. And they’re fantastic, with three LEDs showing the charge status of the case and the two earphones individually.

With the earphones, you get metal bodies with gorgeous acetate shells over them. One side has a metal multifunction button you’ll use for pausing and skipping tracks, while the other has two volume buttons. The multifunction button is responsive and even triple clicks are easy.

On the inside you’ll find the swappable fit wings, charging contacts, and optical sensors. These sensors pause the music when you remove one earphone. The function can be a little funky, playing the music again if you hold the earphone a certain way, but it’s an appreciated feature nonetheless.

Build quality

As always, Master & Dynamic knocked it out of the park with build quality. The mirror-polished stainless steel charging case feels amazing. The handcrafted acetate used on the outer shells of the earphones is unique to each earphone. With the Steel Blue color, they made it gloss this time around and it really brings it to a whole new level of depth and flow. Plus they come in three other colors, including the classy White Marble and the stunning Black Quartz.

The chassis is stainless steel, as are the clicky buttons. Even the plastics inside the case are solid as can be with no movement or creaks. Above the earphones is some rubber to keep them from scuffing. And the pouch that comes with the earphones (to carry the case in if you’re worried about scratches) is nice.

The included USB-C cable is worth mentioning because it is a C-to-C cable with really nice metal ends. This allows you to use it with most new devices since many laptops no longer have USB-A ports. And for compatibility with every charger, there’s an awesome C to A adapter made out of metal with the company logo on it.

Sound quality

The original MW07 had larger-than-average 10mm beryllium drivers that sounded phenomenal. And when compared to the MW07 PLUS, not much has really changed. And that’s not a bad thing.

The sound quality is fantastic. It has that classic M&D sound signature, which is bright and lively. The highs are ridiculously detailed and rich, and despite being bright, they’re not harsh until they’re maxed out. They are definitely the focal point of the sound.

The mids and lows are accurate and powerful. The bass is strong and warm, though it isn’t super sharp or punchy. It’s not going to blow away a bass head, and I do wish it was a bit tighter, but it still sounds great. Some well-mastered music gets the bass punching just right too. Distortion is basically nonexistent at any volume levels with most music. They get loud and stay crystal clear.

Fire up some Dire Straits and the mids and highs come alive. “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish brings out the details in her vocals like most cheaper earphones simply can’t. Something more complex like “State of the Art” by Gotye puts the drivers to the ultimate test, but they come out on top with masterful reproduction.

Despite the focus on highs, the MW07 PLUS are a joy with pretty much any genre. I’m surprised by how versatile they are, and I enjoy every moment that they’re in my ears.

Comfort

The earphones look a bit large and bulky, so you’d be surprised to learn that comfort is excellent. They fit into my ears well and create a solid but not overbearing seal while the fit wings help keep them in place. The company includes three sizes of fit wings and a whopping five sizes of ear tip to get the fit perfect.

The result is a strong fit that holds even when on the move. I have not had them fall out once and they remained relatively comfortable for hours at a time. Despite their size, they feel great.

Another comfort aspect many don’t talk about or realize is a big deal is the orientation of the earbuds in the case. When you grab an earbud, you can place it directly in your ear without rotating it or fiddling with positioning. Not all earphones get this right.

One more thing I love about them is the ease of use of the buttons. The stainless steel controls are located on top of each earphone and it’s just so easy to grasp the earphone between your thumb and index finger and comfortably press a button without disturbing the fit.

Features

New to the MW07 PLUS is the two beam-forming mics per side, which opens them up to some awesome new features. Master & Dynamic has introduced both active noise canceling and an ambient mode, something that takes earphone’s usability to the next level.

The active noise canceling is activated by holding the volume down and the ambient sound mode is activated by holding the volume up. The prompt telling you that they’ve been activated or deactivated isn’t too loud or intrusive, as the music keeps playing but gets quieter. This is unlike some of Sony’s headphones that annoyingly mute the music for a second.

The ANC is decent and does a good job of filtering out constant, lower-pitched noises. Things like planes are a great use case or dehumidifiers for example. High pitched sounds like sinks aren’t really affected by ANC, nor are random sounds like people talking. I haven’t tried Sony’s in-ear ANC offerings, but comparing it to their over-ear ANC tech, M&D is substantially behind. Still, it’s really nice to have and will be a lifesaver on a flight or subway ride. And with the passive noise isolation already so good, you don’t need much more to stay comfortable.

Ambient mode is awesome for staying aware of your surroundings, hearing the cars around you or going for a jog through the city. The ambient mode is very good, transferring audio from all around you directly into your earphones. It makes you feel like you’re not wearing sealed earphones at all. Well, almost. The volume of the noises around you isn’t quite as high as I would have liked it to be. Fortunately, the reproduction is quite good and accurate, not tinny and harsh like the Galaxy Buds. Conversations with others are comfortable and natural sounding.

An odd issue I had is that, whether you have ANC or ambient mode on, there’s a bug where extremely loud clangs will cause a popping sound. Like if you drop a fork or slam a file cabinet in a very quiet environment. Maybe it’s overloading the mics when they’re at a high sensitivity. This happens exceedingly rarely but it’s worth mentioning.

One feature unfortunately missing is wireless charging. It’s not a dealbreaker, especially since wireless charging is slower and far more inefficient than a cable. But it would still be a nice addition at this price point.

Connection

Connection quality has always been a strong spot for Master & Dynamic. Their antenna design is phenomenal and allows for strong connections through walls. Well the MW07 PLUS have Bluetooth 5.0, an upgrade over the previous model’s Bluetooth 4.2, and the claimed distance goes up from 20 meters to 100 feet/30 meters.

The actual connection quality is quite frankly unbelievable. I have left my phone in the bathroom and traveled across half the house without a single hiccup. Over shorter distances, they can penetrate two walls with no issue. When the phone is in my pocket or on a shelf, there is never any interruption in audio. Frankly, these are the first earphones where I’d call the connection perfect. And that’s big praise for Bluetooth and all its jankiness.

Battery life

The old version’s battery life of 3.5 hours on one charge was okay for its time, though far from spectacular. The AirPods have long achieved five hours, but that was a bit of a rarity in the mainstream. M&D has come out kicking because the new model nearly triples that. One charge will get you a whopping 10 hours of listening time. And the case now provides an extra three charges, totaling 40 hours of music listening.

The company also added fast charging so if that’s not enough, charging is quick and painless. The earphones can get five hours of listening time in just 15 minutes resting in their case, and a full charge in 40 minutes. The case itself can get a 40% charge in 15 minutes and a full charge in 40 minutes via that USB-C port. 

So far I’ve had a lot of trouble killing the earphones in one go. Even with ambient sound mode on, which I use all the time, they last half a workday with ease and report more than half the battery life remaining. And the total 40-hour figure lasts me weeks at a time.

Conclusion