Available from Amazon for £299
Here at What Mobile, we are lucky to be able to test some fantastic audio brands like Jabra, 1More, Sony to just name a few. In this review, we had the chance to look at the PSB Speakers M4U 8. PSB is a brand with over 40 years of experience, so let’s see if this latest creation is any good.
The M4U 8 are a pair of overhead headphones with ANC built-in. Cost-wise they are even more expensive than the latest Jabra Elite 85H that come in £279 compared to the £299 for the M4U 8. A quick comparison I would say Jabra edge it slightly on ANC quality and comfort. In terms of style, both are very normal looking both black but the main difference is the Jabra’s offer Built-in Alexa which the M4U 8 does not have.
Getting back to the M4U 8 review itself once you open the packaging you are greeted by a hardshell case with the branding on the front which if you have read other reviews from me this is a real plus as it gives your headphones that protection when not in use.
You also get the Micro USB cable for charging, 3.5mm jack for wired connection, ¼” Stereo adaptor, Airplane Adaptor and a spare pair of earpads.
In terms of the design the headphones, if your just buying on appearance your not going to be overly impressed but let’s face it. We buy headphones for the sound and features. The Headphones as of this review only come in black with chrome accents at each end of the headband. The Headphones also fold up when not in use.
The pads completely covered my ears and helped create a good seal however I suffer from getting hot ears after a long period of use and these headphones did not help with that issue. Weight of these headphones is not that bad but you do feel a clamping pressure that meant I had to take them off after long periods of use, which is disappointing.
In terms of controls, PSB has gone for physical buttons and flick switches over the more popular touch-sensitive controls. Playback and the track controls are the first control you will see ( bottom to top). You also use the playback switch when you push in to take calls. In the middle, you have your on/off switch which also switches into the ANC mode.
Above that is the volume which is also a flick switch which is very easy to set the volume you want. If you press the volume control it activates the transparency mode which means your music is very low volume but allows for ambient noise to come in perfect for when you’re waiting at a train station waiting for that announcement.
At the very top, you have the Bluetooth connection you only need to do that once on your device as the next time you come to use the headphones they will connect automatically.
The ANC on these headphones are very effective i found it reduced the level of ambient noise to a minimum. However, when listening to it does slightly affect the bass and makes it slightly bloated. It’s not a major issue and had no real impact on the sound quality and to have such a quality noise cancellation.
Other features of these headphones include the fact they offer aptx HD that lets you steam 24-bit quality I used them with my Tidal streaming service and you could not tell any difference from wired or wireless quality. It’s a feature I did really like and its something I have not seen before is you have dual 3.5 mm analogue inputs so you can use the jack either side.
Battery life is also something different you have up to 15 hours of battery life which is a little lower than other brands it’s competing against at that price range. However, the USP for me is you can open the side of the headphones where the batteries are and can even replace with normal alkaline batteries and the headphones know not to charge the alkaline batteries as that dangerous if you did that. You can also replace the batteries with better performing rechargeable batteries to increase the listening time.
The sound quality is of the M4U 8 is very good they offer a dynamic sound profile with a controlled base and nice treble. The sound profile you get is exciting. You won’t get a very heavy bass or affecting the treble you get a controlled performance. Listen to something like Alice Merton No Roots and these headphones offer great power and bassline that won’t have you reaching for the off switch. I have also listened to a number of different styles of music and on the whole, the detailed levels are great and very bold.
Overall the M4U 8s have a decent sound quality and I like the fact you have the flick switches over the touch controls and a quality ANC technology. However, they do fall down on elements such as the comfort as wearing these for a long period of time was simply not possible due to the pressure on your head. If you can look past that and the fact headphones feel different on a number of people you will love the audio performance as its well balanced. I just feel the cost might put some people off but if that not an issue these are a fantastic option.
Available from Amazon for £299
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