PSB M4U 8 Wireless Active Noise Cancelling HD Bluetooth Headphones

I needed noise-cancelling headphones to replace an older Sony MDR-1A but didn't want to give up on audio quality. I did my research and settled on the PSB M4U 8 cans for a couple of reasons: 1. PSB makes great speakers. I figured the technology used to develop those audiophile grade speakers also went into their headphones; 2. Replaceable batteries: the M4U 8 is powered by a pair of rechargeable and replaceable AAA batteries. I can't recall if the ones included are NiMH or Li-Ion, but the sheer ability of being able to replace them yourself once they go bad is great. This is especially poignant given most of today's battery powered consumer electronics don't give the owner the ability to replace them without great difficulty or additional cost. As for performance, I generally tend to listen to music on my LG ThinQ using high-res FLAC files. I also listen to my audio with the EQ set to either off or FLAT, thereby allowing the music to be played as the artist and sound engineer intended. Combined with Apt-X HD, the audio rendition of the 40mm drivers are excellent. They're well detailed and controlled without excessive bass, bloat, or treble. The soundstage is also well separated and depending on the quality of your audio encodings, can really sound exceptional and life-like. This is my first pair of active noise cancelling headphones, so I can't really judge the performance of the M4U 8 against its competition. What I can say however is that they work well. I walk to work in Manhattan, and with noise cancelling on, really eliminates any background sounds except for the very loudest, thus allowing you to enjoy whatever you're listening to without cranking up the volume. The headphone also has this neat feature when you press the volume rocker down, it will pause the music and amplify audio coming in from the 6 separate microphones so you can hear what's going on around you. This is helpful if you don't want to remove your headphones when listening to an announcment, or paying the cashier at your local store. As for comfort, I have to admit that the initial, right-out-of-the-box clamping force on these felt a little much. My hat size is 7 3/4 so not overly large, but not small either. The first week of owning these, my ears started to hurt a little after wearing the headphones for more than hour. I'm happy to say though that around the second week of use, the clamping force seems to have lessened a little as the band is flexed from use. I can now wear these for at least 3 to 4 hours without any discomfort. I expect them to loosen a little more as time passes but YMMV. Finally, the little things PSB includes with the headphones are a nice touch. For the price however, I wouldn't have expected any less. What you get along with the headphones themselves are: 1. Semi-hard protective case/shell 2. Airplane adapter 3. Extra set of ear cups 4. USB cable 5. 2 meter long 3.5mm audio cable (headphone can be used passively without power like traditional cans) 6. User manual and warranty card In summary, I really like these headphones. They'd be perfect if PSB could find a way to integrate clamping force adjustments. The price is a little steep as well when compared to traditional enthusiast-grade headphones, but when compared against its direct competition with similar features, appears to be a decent value. In the end, I recommend these if you're looking for a pair of Apt-X HD compatible headphones that should last for a very long time.

I was introduced to the cans by the great Paul Barton himself at CanjamLA2018. However I had just purchased the previous model and needed to wait for my budget to catch up before purchasing this model. And I already had the Sennheiser HD1s an awesome can themselves. The 8s have great sound quality and solves a common problem with Hi end Bluetooth headphones. They have excellent sonics with the Real feel technology along with great amplification. Sonics are not better than the Sennheisers but different more dynamic. Like Magnapans versus a great dynamic speakers like the PSB T2,T3s. B&Ws. Only problem with these is the head clamp pressure on my big noogin. Good for 1/12 -2 hrs. Anyone who knows how to loosen them up please advise. Noise cancellation is good enough for airplane rides and sleeping next to a spouse without disturbing her.

Pros: - Excellent sound quality, especially in On/Active and ANC modes using either the wired connection or over Bluetooth. These are the first wireless headphones I've tried where I felt they truly had sound quality worth their price. Very dynamic sound, with plenty of bass slam but never bloated or overpowering. Off/Passive sound quality is still good but a obvious step down from the active modes, loses a bit of life to the sound. - Bluetooth functionality is very good. Connects immediately, signal has no problems reaching anywhere in my house or work office - ANC is very good, specifically I've noticed many ANC headphones get a fuzzy background noise when active and these do not. It's nice and produces much closer to a "black" background than others I've tried. Cons: - Clamping force from the headband is quite high. On my larger than average sized head I had to max out the extensions and still get some pressure on the crown of my head from the headband. Its not unbearable but compared to some other similarly priced headphones it was disappointing. - The openings for your ears are on the small side. There is a space for your ears inside the cup but it still is quite large enough for me personally and after a couple of hours my ears feel worn out. Overall these are very good headphones. The sound quality is very impressive and really on another level from the other headphones in this category I tried. The comfort for me personally isn't quite up to the level of the sound quality, the design isn't quite accommodating of my head and ears. It's not bad, far from it, the pads are all very high quality, but I'm the type of person who will use these for multiple hours a day and it wasn't quite there for me.

Best sound quality for wireless headphones on the market. Great soundstage. Average noise cancelling. Comfortable for me to wear. Good build quality. Battery life so so but comes with rechargeable batteries so not a big deal. If sound quality is most important to you, these are the cans to get. I love them. If the quality of the recording is good, I Close my eyes and feel like I am at a live performance.

The sound quality is outstanding. Balanced sound from lows to highs. After trying three other similarly priced headphones this one had so much better sound and unlike one other good sounding one this was easily paired and stable. Note: one thing it doesn't have is bells and whistles like Alexa control, app, etc. Read review in Absolute Sound for more info.

I would never buy a PSB product again. They are no longer a HiFi brand...they are just another boutique name-brand that doesn't live up to their reputation anymore. You can buy no-name crap from China for a fraction of the price that is better. 1. Sound Quality is Highly overrated: Sound quality is so so. I have listened to headphones that cost 1/4 the price of these that sound better. 2. Build quality is garbage: The battery covers on these are garbage. In terms of build quality they are not even close to being worth the price. 3. Noise Cancelling is Highly overrated: Not impressed with the noise cancelling at all.....I have tried 15 year old Bose that are better.

Phenomenally balanced sound, very close to the ideal balance for the Harman Around-the-Ear/Over-the-Ear Target

Very amazing sound. Liked everything about them. The sound quality is the best thing. Superior to Bose I feel.

Very good sound. Bass not overpowering but strong. Midrange is clear and crisp Noise cancelling feature works well. Not a big change in sound quality from BT mode to noise canceling mode They are more comfortable than I was expecting Built very well

I am happy to own theses and have quite a few decent headphones which cost a lot more than these but I am a big fan of PSB and these have not let me down, worth every penny.

I'll submit this review in point form for ease of reading: 1. Headphones sound best in Active mode. In passive mode the sound is presented between your ears while in active mode the sound is more open but not so open that it sounds like a weak signal, as with some headphones. 2. In ANC mode the bass is a little bloated but it does a decent job of blocking out sound. Sound attenuation is also very good in active mode. I cannot hear cars when in active mode and walking along city street at moderate volume. 3. I have compared these headphones with Hifiman Ed. X v2 and I would pick the PSBs straight up for sonic quality (when in Active mode). 4. Battery life is between 10-12 hours at moderate volume when in Active mode. This is less than stated by PSB. 5. Sonically (Active mode) these are more neutral headphones without emphasis in any sound category (bass, mid, treble). Detail is very good. Soundstage is very good in Active mode. 6. These headphones are comfortable but not as comfortable as higher priced headphones. There is pressure at the top of the head after a couple of hours. Clamping pressure can be tight for some but I find it adequate. Padding is sufficient. A wider headband would alleviate pressure at top of head. 7. Speakers are oblong in shape as opposed to round. When at the gym I sometimes tip the headband onto my forehead when lying down for a set (otherwise the headphones slip off). Tipping of the headband is easier with round speakers. Nonetheless, if oblong shape is part of the sound signature, it's a compromise I'm willing to make. 8. Bluetooth connection is strong (can be 50 feet if no obstructions). When phone is in back pocket, Bluetooth connection will cut out temporarily sometimes. When phone is in backpack there is no connection issue. Sonic quality is best using aptx codec. 9. Button controls on right channel are excellently placed and functional. The ability to mute the sound and allow ambient noise in through the headphones' microphone at the push of a button is a great feature. This feature is better than Sony's, which requires the user to hold their hand to the right channel to allow ambient noise in. Who wants to hold their hand against the speaker for 30 seconds or a minute to have a conversation at the office? Pushing a button is more functional and ergonomic. 10. I did not experience sound fatigue when listening for more than two hours, nor is the sound overly warm (which I don't prefer). Overall, highly recommended. These might be the best sounding wireless headphones. I have compared and the kick the crap out of Bose and Sony sonically. They are a great deal of fun to listen too. Bass reproduction is a treat.

Excellent Sound

I had these for about a week. I tested them with lots of different sources. They sounded great. The controls on the side of the headphone are easy to operate. I appreciated being able to replace the batteries, though getting the side panel off was concerning, it seems the sides have 2 layers, the most outer layer is glued to the main part that clips over the battery compartment. If these were cheaper and didn't clamp my head so hard I would have kept them. These are not proper over ears, they are more like on ears.The noise canceling didn't impress me. While it does cut out ambient sound like the Air conditioner in the office, it didn't cut out peoples voices. If they could make a new updated version with better comfort, bigger ear pads, newer bluetooth standard, better battery access and perhaps a more thorough ANC then I would be interested in buying from PSB again.