KEF sound, Ross Lovegrove design.” That’s how the British brand announced the launch of its new KEF Mu7 noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones. A design by Ross Lovegrove Denon D2000, B&W P7 (sold), Audeze EL-8O(sold), Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany, Beyerdynamic Dt880 600ohms, M-Audio Q40 (MIA), AKG K240 MKII, Ultrasone HFI 780, B&W PX7 S2, Beats Studio 3 (they were a gift) --> Audioquest DragonFly 1.2, Schiit Asgard

For the most part, the Mu7 are premium wireless over-ear headphone business as usual. The slender arms and yokes are of smooth, expertly fitted aluminium, while the earpads and the central portion of the headband are breathable leatherette – the earpads are filled with memory foam.In love with my Mu7! They're so comfortable, can wear them for hours. Sound quality is amazing, you can hear every detail - and the ANC is so good which is perfect for my commute on the tube which can get quite noisy. Good on calls as well for both work through Teams/Zoom but also to use for a normal phone call I haven't had any issues. The touch function is quite sensitive so has taken some getting used to but now I know how it works it's really simple and easy. Most electric vehicles are automatic – but Toyota are looking to change that for a more classic feel If you were expecting a long list of features similar to rival pairs of headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, the KEF Mu7 are a bit of a mixed bag. 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.

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. 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. Custom tuned by KEF’s engineers, the Mu7 headphones integrate enhanced codec technology including ... [+] support for SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD to deliver high-resolution wireless sound. KEF Portable: Galaxy S10 > Hidizs S8 > Beyerdynamic Xelento / JH13FP / Sennheiser IE 40 Pro / Sony MDR-7520 / Sony WH-1000XM4They’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. Battery life is a perfectly respectable 40 hours from a single charge of the 1100mAh lithium-ion battery, and that’s with ANC switched on and a wireless connection made. Just a 15 minute charge via USB-C is sufficient to keep the Mu7 playing for another eight hours. And unlike quite a few rivals we could mention, KEF’s figures are all completely realistic. Head-Fi: Focal Clear MG | Audeze Maxwell | Hifiman Arya Organic | Sennheiser HD6XX | Apple AirPods Pro 2 Bose goes large with a trio of new QC headphones for 2023, headlined by the Ultra Headphones and Ultra Earphones