KEF Mu7 Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Charcoal Grey

Product Information

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. 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… Of course, this sort of sonic attitude will be absolutely fine for those listeners who aren’t interested in this sort of shouty, pimply nonsense in the first place. But there are enough price-comparable rivals around to make the KEF sound slightly one-paced and less than adaptable.

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. 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.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. 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. Of course, there’s a bit more to these KEF than a high-sheen, smooth and rather self-consciously mature presentation. Five minutes in the company of a TIDAL-derived stream of Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos allows the Mu7 to explain a lot of what they’re all about – and a lot is a lot of what they’ve got. 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. 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.

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. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 2nd November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) There’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. Renowned for his sculptural, flowing forms, Ross Lovegrove is a visionary designer. The Mu7’s have a purity of design that reflects their sound quality. The smooth, seamless design is available in a choice of Silver Grey or Charcoal Grey finishes. 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?

They’re rather more adept at identifying the harmonic dynamics present in a solo instrument or an unaccompanied voice, though, and do good work in making them apparent without getting all prissy about it. The Mu7 are quite convincing where tonality is concerned, too - even though their low-end reproduction in particular is trying hard not to give offence, it’s tonally natural and neutral. 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.

And in our opinion, the result is a distinctive-looking pair of over-ears. The headphones have a liquid metal vibe and feel about them. The teardrop shape of the earcups looks refined and sophisticated, while the smooth surfaces are nice to the touch. 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. 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. 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.