These Are the Most Stunning Earbuds We’ve Ever Tested

Master & Dynamic’s latest wireless earbuds are made of sapphire glass and aluminum — and have a Kevlar charging case — but can the performance match the looks? We found out.

By Tucker Bowe

Published December 16, 2023

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

If you’re familiar with Master & Dynamic, you know that the NYC-based audio company makes headphones and earphones that have a distinct look and feel. They blend high-end design with premium materials (like metal, leather, glass and sometimes even stone) to craft products that are beautiful, stylish and a bit pricey, too. Not surprisingly, those adjectives pretty accurately describe its latest flagship pair of wireless earbuds: the Master & Dynamic MW09.

Master & Dynamic MW09
Read more

These third-generation wireless earbuds look similar to their predecessors, 2021’s MW08, but M&D has given the MW09s a slightly refreshed design — check out the embossed circle on each earbud — and, more importantly, decked them out with improved sound, noise-cancellation, battery life and a couple other features as well. They’ve also bumped the price up to $349 and $399 (if you spring for the Kevlar case).

Master & Dynamic MW09: What We Think

The market for noise-canceling wireless earbuds is incredibly competitive. So much so that it’s actually become pretty difficult for traditional audio companies, like Bose, Sony and even Master & Dynamic, to compete with the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google, which are able to integrate their own wireless earbuds with special and proprietary features so that they work better with their own smartphones.

The way that these traditional audio companies are able to compete is by making wireless earbuds that either a. sound better, b. have superior noise-cancellation or c. simply look cooler. Master & Dynamic’s MW09s lean most heavily into the latter — there’s really nothing else out there that looks like them.

If you’re in the market for noise-canceling wireless earbuds and you’re looking for something that’s different and the $399 (or $349) price tag doesn’t scare you away, this pair stands out from the pack.

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

The MW09s are definitely lookers

I’m a big fan of being able to look at a product and instantly tell what it is … and that’s exactly the case with Master & Dynamic’s wireless earbuds — they don’t look like anything else. They’re made of aluminum and sapphire glass, which shimmers in the light, and they’re just gorgeous all-around wireless earbuds.

The kicker is that if you get one of the “lavish” colorways, such as green (pictured), blue or gunmetal, those models cost an extra $50 and come with a fancier — and significantly lighter — Kevlar charging case. The other three “more traditional” finishes — black, silver/white and gold — come in an aluminum charging that matches the finish of the earbuds.

The MW09s sound as good as they look

The MW09 earbuds each pack the same 11mm beryllium driver that was in the MW08 earbuds, so they don’t sound that much different to me. They still deliver that excellent balanced sound that Master & Dynamic is well known for. I’ve been listening to a good mix of genres — from Smashing Pumpkins to Dua Lipa, London Grammar to Blink 182 (the new album is pretty great!) — and the MW09s sound superb.

For those who want to tinker with their sound, the MW09 can scratch that itch. They work with the same companion app, M&D Connect, as their predecessors, which allows you to toggle between several EQ presets as well as customize EQ settings for yourself; I’m not usually one to mess around with those things, but that option is there if you want it.

One of the biggest differences between the MW09s and their predecessors is that the new models support a wider variety of audio codecs, including AAC, LC3, SBC, AptX Lossless and AptX Adaptive. The catch, of course, is that most smartphones still don’t support a lot of these higher-res codecs. But when they do, the MW09 will in theory be ready for it. The one outlier is that unlike some other wireless earbuds, like the Sony WF-1000XM5, the MW09 do not support LDAC files.

They fit just like M&D’s previous wireless earbuds

If you’ve worn any of Master & Dynamic’s wireless earbuds in recent years, know that the MW09s fit almost exactly the same. They still have a traditional earbud design — as opposed to the ever-popular stem design of Apple’s AirPods — which you may or may not prefer.

I’ve always gravitated towards the stem design of Apple’s AirPods over pretty much everything else — they just fit more securely in my ears. And to that end, the MW09 aren’t my favorite because they don’t fit in my ears as well. I say the same thing about Sony’s, Bose’s and Bowers & Wilkins’s wireless earbuds, all of which have a similar traditional fit.

That said, the MW09s do come with seven different eartip options — two foam and five silicone — and there’s even an “acoustic seal test” that you can run within the app to make sure the earbuds are fitting in your ears just right. In the end I was able to get the best fit by using one of the foam options that M&D provided. They fit well enough that I didn’t think they were going to fall out, but this earbud style isn’t what I typically prefer.

Physical buttons are old school … and I like that

Unlike a lot of popular wireless earbuds, Master & Dynamic’s MW09 has opted against having touch controls — there’s no swiping or tapping on the actual earbuds. Instead, there are physical buttons. On the left earbud, there’s a rocker-style button for volume controls and toggling between ANC and ambient sound modes. On the right earbud, there’s a single “multi-function” button for play/pause, skipping forwards or backwards and summoning your voice assistant. It takes some learning, but I got there in the end.

I’m a big fan of physical controls — they eliminate the chance of an accidental swipe or tap action whenever you touch an earbud to adjust its fit — so the MW09s definitely check that box. I will say, however, that because the way that the MW09s fit in your ears, using the button controls is still a little precarious. I actually preferred to just use my iPhone to adjust volume and switch between ANC/transparency modes.

The noise-cancellation is good, but not elite

Master & Dynamic did up the active noise-cancellation abilities on the MW09. The earbuds have a new processor and the built-in microphone and sensors have been repositioned for better ANC performance. I’ve found that they do a good, not great, job of blocking out outside sounds; specifically, they’re able to eliminate the majority of lower frequencies, such as the rumbling of a car or train while commuting, but are less effective with higher frequencies like people talking (to be fair, this is case with the majority of noise-canceling headphones and wireless earbuds).

Perhaps the most notable thing with the MW09’s ANC abilities is that there are now more options. You can choose from three different noise-canceling settings: Max ANC, All Day ANC (which isn’t quite as powerful, but extends the battery life), and Adaptive ANC (automatically adjusts based on your surroundings). I tended to just leave Max ANC on because it seemed to work the best.

If you’re into customizing transparency (or “ambient”) modes, the MW09 offers that as well. In addition to the default transparency mode, there’s also an “awareness” mode that heightens the sounds of your environment and “voice” mode that helps you better hear the people you’re talking to. All of these worked well, but again they’re not elite. You just can’t really beat the transparency capabilities of AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM5.

You’re paying a premium for style

The Master & Dynamic MW09s have a pretty similar feature set as a lot of other flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds. They have noise-canceling and transparency modes. They have a companion app that allows you to tweak EQ settings and personalize your earbuds. They have a case that supports wireless charging. And they support Bluetooth multipoint, so you can pretty seamlessly switch audio between two different devices, like your laptop and smartphone.

The obvious caveat is that the Master & Dynamic MW09s cost $349 or $399 (depending on the model), placing them among the more expensive wireless earbuds you can buy. And they can’t quite match the noise-cancellation and transparency abilities of more well-known options by Apple, Bose or Sony. Essentially, you’re paying extra for the high-end materials and signature look and feel (and vibe) of Master & Dynamic’s wireless earbuds. For a lot of people, that might be worth it.