Grasp & Dynamic has launched a rebooted model of its MH40 Wi-fi headphones for 2023, promising improved sound high quality because of new customized titanium drivers together with a wholesome increase in battery life, new mics, and some different small however helpful enhancements like AAC help and detachable ear pads.
The brand new MH40 Wi-fi nonetheless function the identical iconic design that M&D has turn out to be recognized for, making for a number of the most fashionable over-ear headphones on this worth vary, however is model alone sufficient to justify the upper asking worth? That is open for debate, however fortunately this 12 months’s upgrades spherical out the bundle to ship sufficient that these could possibly be a really perfect set of wi-fi headphones, at the least for some people.
Grasp & Dynamic MH40 Wi-fi (V2)
Grasp & Dynamic’s second-generation MH40 Wi-fi headphones breathe new life into the elegant design with finely-tuned 40mm titanium drivers and 30-hour battery life. The light-weight aluminum development mixed with lambskin leather-based detachable ear pads make them comfy to put on for prolonged durations, and so they help each aptX HD and AAC for vast compatibility.
- Battery Life
- 30 hours
- Wi-fi?
- Sure
- Microphone?
- Sure
- Model
- Grasp & Dynamic
- Transducer Measurement
- 40mm
- Connection Sort
- Bluetooth / USB-C
- Impedance
- 32 ohms
- Weight
- 280 grams
- Dimensions
- 205mm x 202mm x 71mm
- Noise Cancellation
- No
- Folding/Storage
- No
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Waterproof
- No
- Charging
- USB-C
- Cool retro design with a snug match
- Nice balanced sound
- 30 hours of battery life
- Lack Energetic Noise Cancellation
- A bit dear
Value and availability
The most recent 2023 version of Grasp & Dynamic’s MH40 Wi-fi, also called the “Gen II” model, retail for $399 and might be bought immediately from Grasp & Dynamic or different on-line retailers reminiscent of Amazon.
The brand new MH40 can be found in 5 colour schemes, including blue leather-based/silver and grey/silver to the combination, though the complete choice might not be out there all over the place. Ordering immediately from M&D additionally supplies the choice to have the headphones engraved for a further $30.
A phrase of warning, although. For the reason that new MH40 are practically an identical to the 2019 mannequin in look, be sure you test rigorously that you simply’re shopping for the newest 2023 or “Gen II” model. That should not be an issue for those who’re ordering immediately from M&D or Amazon, because the older mannequin has been taken off the market, however your mileage could range at different retailers.
Design and match
In terms of one thing you may be sporting in your head for prolonged durations, model and luxury matter, and it is clear the oldsters at M&D agree. Among the many comparatively pedestrian designs of most premium headphones, the MH40 are a breath of recent air — a $400 set of headphones that really look the half.
The 2023 model of MH40 Wi-fi observe the identical model as their predecessors, which have been forged within the mildew of the unique MH40 wired model. The aluminum physique mixed with leather-based accents and ear cups provides the MH40 a basic retro-style aviator look that is particularly obvious within the silver and brown leather-based model.
If that is not your cup of tea, although, there are 4 different colours out there, together with silver with navy leather-based and a gunmetal and black leather-based combo that appears very stylish. You may also go for fundamental black or silver/grey finishes for a extra understated look.
The light-weight aluminum development and lambskin leather-based earcups additionally ship a remarkably comfy match. The design is significantly much less cumbersome than many different over-ear headphones. Nevertheless, the MH40 nonetheless pleasantly cupped my ears with no discomfort or fatigue — even after a few four-hour listening periods.
The MH40 are a snugger match for me than others like Sony’s WH-1000XM4 or Apple’s AirPods Max, however I even have a bigger head than most — and ears to match. The earpads additionally connect magnetically and might be eliminated for cleansing or alternative; M&D sells them individually in all of the out there colours for $49 a pair.
All of the controls are on the suitable aspect, together with the 2 microphones, the ability/pairing button, quantity and playback controls, and a USB-C port for charging and wired audio enter.
M&D helpfully consists of every little thing you want within the field, together with a USB-C to three.5mm headphone cable for analog audio, a USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and hi-res digital audio, and even USB-C to USB-A and three.5mm airplane adapters. There’s additionally a canvas pouch to retailer the headphones with a zippered pocket for the cables and adapters.
Sound and name high quality
One of the crucial vital enhancements within the 2023 mannequin are new customized titanium drivers that M&D has rigorously tuned to ship a lot better sound high quality — and the distinction is instantly obvious.
I spent a little bit of time with the unique MH40 Wi-fi in 2019, and whereas I haven’t got a pair available for comparative exams, I bear in mind the sooner mannequin being considerably underwhelming for a set of headphones on this worth vary. The sound high quality was good, however not what I’d have known as nice, and it did not appear to carry a candle to similarly-priced rivals of that period, reminiscent of Beats’ Solo Professional or Sony’s WH-1000XM3. Oddly, they did not even measure as much as the sound high quality of the wired model of MH40.
With its 2023 headphones, it is clear that M&D has taken that suggestions to coronary heart. Whereas the brand new 40mm drivers are nonetheless smaller than the 45mm model discovered on their wired counterpart, no matter M&D has carried out with the brand new design makes an enormous distinction. You get the identical balanced sound that M&D has turn out to be recognized for on its different headphones, but it surely feels extra exactly tuned for a fair richer sound stage. In actual fact, I would go as far as to say that M&D has nailed it this time round.
To be clear, these aren’t a set of headphones for the booming bass-heavy crowd, though I feel that feels apparent by their design. There are customized EQs that can provide you extra bass, which I am going to discuss shortly, but when that is your major listening model, you are in all probability higher off taking a look at one other model like Sony or V-Moda. The MH40 are about sound accuracy; bass is obvious and current, but it surely’s delivered extra in keeping with what the audio engineers’ meant with out needlessly overpowering the mids and highs.
The general sound signature of the MH40 can also be fairly heat with out affecting the sound readability. A few of my go-to tracks for testing headphones are Rush’s YYZ and Tom Sawyer, as they cowl a variety of frequencies that may simply get misplaced on poorly-tuned drivers. The MH40 rendered every little thing remarkably properly, with out the muddying up of Neil Peart’s drumming that is usually heard on many bassier headphones, and I skilled no listening fatigue.
Extra considerably, the sound signature of the MH40 makes them an ideal alternative for folk like me with extra eclectic musical tastes. My listening runs the gamut from progressive rock and pop to classical and jazz, and the MH40 dealt with all these with aplomb. The latter two genres got here by means of significantly properly in comparison with many different wi-fi headphones on this class, on par with studio reference screens I’ve used, like Audio-Techica’s ATH-M50, however noticeably hotter and richer.
The general sound signature of the MH40 can also be fairly heat with out affecting the sound readability.
The MH40 additionally pack in some good enhancements to name audio, with a dual-mic array that is tuned for canceling out wind and different related background noise. It labored properly in my testing, delivering clear sound with out distortion on mobile and VoIP calls, on-line conferences, and voice recordings. Do not anticipate it to work miracles, although; extra variable background noises like a TV program or a barking canine will come by means of simply as clearly as your voice, though relying in your cellphone, you are higher off tuning these out on the Android aspect anyway.
Lastly, it is value mentioning that the MH40 do not present any lively noise cancelation (ANC) or a transparency mode, though the leather-based earcups do an ideal job dealing with passive noise isolation. In actual fact, they’re so good that you could be discover them awkward for longer cellphone calls except you uncover one ear. M&D provides a “sidetone” setting that may be enabled in its companion app that will help you hear your personal voice, but it surely did not seem to do something for me.
Software program and options
The MH40 Wi-fi help M&D’s Join app, which is on the market for Android and iPhone gadgets. You should utilize this to allow one in every of 4 EQ presets, the aforementioned sidetone setting, or select an auto-off interval. Nevertheless, that is concerning the restrict of its capabilities; there are not any customized EQ settings, and the auto-off time choices are restricted to half-hour, one hour, three hours, or by no means.
The 4 EQ presets are bass increase and bass minimize, that are self-explanatory, together with “Podcast,” which emphasizes vocals and different mid-range frequencies, and “Audiophile,” which places extra emphasis on the mids and highs. Whereas these work the way you’d anticipate, I most well-liked to depart them off for music listening. The adjustments made by “Audiophile” are delicate at greatest, and the usual sound signature does a great job by itself. Nevertheless, I may see utilizing “Podcast” when listening to spoken phrase tracks, motion pictures, or TV exhibits the place you wish to hear voices extra clearly.
Beneath the hood, the MH40 help the Qualcomm aptX and aptX HD codecs, plus AAC and, after all, SBC. AAC is a brand new addition for the 2023 mannequin, and can make an enormous distinction for many who hear on an iPhone, iPad, or different Apple gadget. Nevertheless, aptX HD is the codec of alternative right here in case your Android cellphone helps it, with normal aptX as a fallback. As a rule, AAC ought to be prevented in any respect prices on most Android telephones because the implementation is not fairly as much as snuff; on my Pixel 6, even the baseline SBC sounds higher than AAC by means of most headphones — together with the MH40.
The aptX HD help supplies an ideal listening expertise when working with high-quality audio. You in all probability will not hear a lot distinction with Spotify or YouTube Music, but it surely’s noticeable with providers like Apple Music and Tidal HiFi. Satirically, Apple Music sounds higher utilizing the MH40 with my Pixel 6 than on my iPhone 14 Professional Max, because of the aptX HD codec.
You in all probability will not hear a lot distinction with Spotify or YouTube Music, but it surely’s noticeable with providers like Apple Music and Tidal HiFi.
For a fair higher-quality listening expertise, the MH40 permit you to jack into your cellphone utilizing the included USB-C cable to get full hi-res lossless audio — as much as 24-bit/96kHz. The standard enchancment is instantly obvious when listening to lossless music, and it is one other bizarre state of affairs the place Apple Music delivers higher high quality on Android since you’ll be able to’t get hi-res digital audio out of the iPhone’s Lightning port with out resorting to an exterior DAC.
The MH40 additionally help Google’s Quick Pair function for fast and simple pairing, together with multipoint Bluetooth that allows you to simply swap between a number of gadgets without having to dive into your Bluetooth settings.
Battery life
Maybe the most important disappointment with M&D’s prior MH40 wi-fi was the lackluster battery life. Coming in at solely 16 hours, they have been outclassed by nearly each different set of wi-fi headphones in the identical worth vary. The one upside was that they charged fairly rapidly.
M&D has overhauled its battery and energy administration for the 2023 mannequin, lastly delivering a full 30 hours of listening time and a quick cost function that will provide you with six extra hours after a 15-minute cost. That is on par with nearly each different pair of premium wi-fi headphones, and since there is not any ANC, you will not have to fret about selecting between noise cancellation and longer battery life.
Whereas I did not do intensive testing on the MH40 battery, it does seem to stay as much as M&D’s guarantees. I have been evaluating these headphones for practically two weeks, listening for about two hours per day on common. They report remaining battery lifetime of 15% with out being charged past drawing energy from my Pixel 6 through the 2–3 hours I’ve carried out wired listening exams over USB-C.
Do you have to purchase the MH40 Wi-fi?
Like their predecessors, the 2023 MH40 Wi-fi stay an opinionated set of headphones designed for folk with very particular tastes in model and music. There’s little doubt right here that the elegant design is a giant a part of the premium price ticket, however you make quite a lot of tradeoffs to get there.
Maybe chief amongst these is the shortage of ANC, which different highly-rated headphones like Sony’s WH-1000XM4 supply at a lower cost tag, amongst different options. Nonetheless, few would use phrases like “elegant” or “stylish” to explain the plasticky design of Sony’s headphones.
As I famous earlier, the MH40 additionally should not be your first alternative for those who’re a fan of extra-heavy bass. The bass increase EQ choice will allow you to get there, but it surely pales compared to most different premium headphones, that are tuned for bass emphasis out of the gate. Nevertheless, for those who like accuracy in your music — and bass that sounds prefer it ought to fairly than being overpowering — the MH40 shall be a delight to your ears, with a heat sound that brings out one of the best in your music, even throughout a number of genres.
Grasp & Dynamic MH40 Wi-fi (V2)
The brand new 2023 Grasp & Dynamic MH40 Wi-fi headphones mix a cultured retro design model with nice, balanced sound and for much longer battery life than their predecessors whereas remaining light-weight and cozy sufficient for all-day use.
