PSB M4U-1 RED M4U 1 High Performance Over-Ear Headphones Red

I am really disappointed in these headphones. I had done a lot of research in my quest to find the best pair of cans around $300 and finally decided, after much rumination, on these PSB M4U's. I ended up returning them after two weeks when they started to fall apart. I do think these are good sounding headphones but in my personal opinion, my Yamaha RH5MA and ATH M50's both perform better, are more comfortable and have better build quality while being ¼ to ½ the cost. Although they arrive in gorgeous packaging, right out of the box I had a problem. First, the straight cable (without the iPhone controls) had no left channel. I tried them around, checked my other headphones and outputs to no avail, they sent me a bad cable. This is not a huge issue but it's really frustrating that it wasn't discovered during quality control. Then, as soon as I put the headphones on, one of the metal covers next to the headband fell off. There are two tiny, eyeglass sized screws that screw into plastic posts. The posts are really weak and the screws had broken the plastic threading. This is a design flaw that could have been very easily rectified with a snap latch or even glue. I thought it might be a fluke occurrence until the other metal cover fell off a few days later. I must admit that this lack of quality control definitely colored my opinion of the sound. The ear pads seemed very comfortable at first but I quickly grew tired of them pressing into my ears, I don't think my Yamaha RH5MA or ATH M-50's are the most comfortable cans in the world either but these were not better in my opinion. The sound is the most important feature to me and I was not impressed. I actually prefer my Yamaha RH5MA over these and I think the ATH M-50's are far superior. After about 40 hours of use, I didn't find the soundstage to be any better than the much less expensive others I have. Out of desperation, I ordered a pair of Beyerdynamic AMS-DT-990-Pro-250 ohm cans that I got on Amazon for $171.25 including Prime express shipping. What a difference! The DT-990 Pros have an awesome soundstage right out of the box without any burn-in, While they are not bass heavy, they have plenty of bass for me and the mids and highs are incredible for a pair of $171 cans. I am a wannabe audiophile, just starting to build my system over the past year so I have a long way to go but here is what I am using now:Iphone 4S and Lenovo E530 laptopFlac or Apple lossless files, no MP3's.Traveling, I use a Fiio E11 and I just bought a Fiio E17K to which I will be adding the E09K desktop amp. As far as a sample of music: While I like to claim to have an eclectic taste, it's really just sadly bizarre. For comparison purposes, I used all of the following music on each of my four headphones: Fleetwood Mac - Tusk, Metallica - Unforgiven, Barry White - You're the First, the Last, My Everything, The Who - Behind Blue Eyes, Eva Cassidy - Over The Rainbow, Megadeath - Symphony of Destruction, Bruce Hornsby - The Way It is, Santana - She's Not There and Europa, Leon Redbone - Come and Get Your Love, and, because I was in high school in the 70's and it was played as the last dance at every single school dance from sixth grade through my senior year of high school - Led Zepplin - Stairway To Heaven.The M4U's just didn't seem to have the clarity that I heard in the DT-990's or even the ATH M-50's, the bass was about the same and while the mids were more clearly defined than the Yamaha and Audio Technica, it didn't match the DT-990's which had zero burn-in.Also unimpressive was the "gyro" mounted ear cups. They were no better than the ATH M-50's, heavier and more compressive than the Yamaha RH-5 and nowhere close to the level of comfort of the DT-990's. Yes, the Dt-990's make one look like Lando Calrissian's sidekick, Lobot on Star Wars but they are soft, gentle on my skull and the adjustment stays put when I take them off and put them down.Pros: Less sound leakage than the others listed above, great sound if they were around $150 , lots of attachments, beautiful packaging and a nice semi-hard case plus extra ear pads.Cons: Sounded no better than the $50 Yamaha RH-5's, uncomfortable if you have a size 7 or larger head or delicate ears, unimpressive soundstage and mids plus highs could be a bit painful at volume (no worse than the cheaper cans).I was really excited about getting these phones, I had very high expectations, obviously much too high, and I assumed that the quality control would be excellent. These really do sound nice and the design is pretty cool but for $300, I believe that they are about twice as much as they are worth and do not hold a candle to the BeyerDynamic DT-990 Pro cans.

Paul Barton hit this one out of the ballpark. I bought these cans solely on recommendations from reviewers I've come to trust, and the M4U 1s exceeded every parameter I judge essential in headphones: appearance, quality of construction, comfort, and most importantly, sound. Despite being a closed 'phone, the M4Us are spacious, highly detailed, and extremely well-balanced. I have found no musical genre lacking, although admittedly I have used only CDs as my sound source, and only through my home system. A Pioneer Elite CD player coupled with a Denon 2000 integrated amplifier also provided the sources for my Audio Technica M50s, AKG 240s, and Senn 600s--all good phones, but the M4Us are unquestionably the best phones I've ever owned. I've got close to 150 hours of listening time with them now, with pop, classical, and especially jazz, and have no regrets at all about my purchase. As a headphone listener for the last 35 years, I think I have enough time in service to recognize a really good set of earspeakers, and these qualify as the very best, including balanced armature and electrostatic cans, with which I've had long listening sessions.(even though I didn't own them: I've got some good audio buddies.) Your mileage may vary, but to my ears, money spent past the three-hundred dollar mark that I spent for the M4Us buys--at best--quickly-diminishing returns. I've got a large head (size 8 3/8), have spent up to four continuous house wearing these cans, and have forgotten I was wearing them--even with my glasses on, something I can't say about other 'phones. Best of all, even with glasses, the seal was so good that there was no perceptible diminishing of bass, so for me, at least, my pleasurable listening hasn't been reduced in the least. Does it sound like I'm enthusiastic about the M4Us? You bet!

Excellent sound quality for its price. However, the black matte material on the inner sides of both the ear outer covers are very sticky and currently uncleanable. It feels like the material is melted. I have to wash my hands everytime after touching the headset unless I avoid the ear cover.

Why near perfection, the plastic build is not the right option and also it is bulky and relatively heavy. The padding is in one piece, which isn't comfortable I compare this to Sennheiser , lighter, and parading over the head is like a chain saw.The sound quality is phenomenon, true bass and not exaggurated wile the trible is amazing too. The midis might be a bit low. The headset has a very good sound isolation so it doesn't disturb the surrounding. The option to plug the wire in either left or right ear cups is flexible to suit all needs. Other than this, the headset comes with extra ear cups, excellent hard case for traveling, and another cable with mic so you can use with your mobile. Conclusion, I would have rated it 5 stars but 4.5 stars is fair because of the design form factor build comments I mentioned.

Design, Ausstattung, TragekomfortDer kanadische PSB M4U (Music for you) 1 ist die rein passive Variante des M4U2 mit integriertem Verstärker und active Noise cancelling.Das Design des M4U1/2 ist sehr außergewöhnlich, aus diesem Grund war er auch schon auf mehreren Hifi-Zeitschriften Covern zu sehen.Mir gefällt es ausnehmend gut; der Kunststoff des Hörers wird nicht kaschiert sondern hochglänzend zur Schau getragen.Der KH fühlt sich robust an; die Mechaniken funktionieren einwandfrei und rasten satt; die Hörer selbst sind axial und Vertikal sehrgeschmeidig aufgehängt; eine gebürstete Aluplatte an den Hörern selbst bringt luxuriös angehauchten Materialmix ins Spiel; dies kommt insbesondere bei der roten Variante gut zumTragen.A pro pos Tragen: der Tragekomfort ist sehr gut. Der KH ist ein mittelschwerer KH, aber das Gewicht wird hinreichend über den gut gepolsterten Bügel verteilt; der Anpressdruckgeht in Ordnung. Die Ohr-polster sind schön gearbeitet und umschließen das (Durchschnitts-) Ohr komplett. Auch nach 2 Stunden wird es nicht sonderlich warm unter dem Kopfhörer.Der Kopfhörer kommt in schöner, ovaler Trageschatulle in die er sich platzsparend hineinfalten lässt; mitgeliefert werden 2 Kabel mit 3,5 mm Klinkenanschlüssen auf beiden Seiten;Ja, der MU41 hat zwei (!) Buchsen, sodass man mit Kabellängen und Kabeln unterschiedlicher Güte experimentieren kann.Weitere VOrteile: Man kann das Kabel links oder rechts anschließen, je nach Gusto. Der andere Eingang wird dann automatisch zum Ausgang für Zweithörer! Sehr schön.Die beiden beiliegenden Kabel unterscheiden sich durch ein Micro mit Annahmetaste in einem der beiden.Hier zeigt sich schon ein prädestiniertes Einsatzgebiet. Weiterhin sind 6,3 mm Adapter und 3,5 Doppel Mono Adapter für den Flieger mit dabei.Ein zusätzliches Paar Ohrmuscheln komplettiert das Zubehör. Respekt! Sehr gut ausgestattet.Klang:Kommen wir zum wichtigsten, dem Klang.Der M4U1 ist ein elektrodynamischer Wandler in einem geschlossenen Gehäuse.Vorteile hier sind der hohe Wirkungsgrad -der M4U1 läuft mit sehr guten Pegeln an mobilen Playern und Smartphones-, die Geräuschdämmung -außenstehende hören (fast) nichts von der Musik, man selbst ist ganz gut gegen Außengeräusche abgeschottet; es ist aber nicht totenstill wie unter einem Schallschutzhörer.Mit einem 40 mm Treiber liefert der M4U1 die Voraussetzung für ein gutes Klangbild.Nachteilig ist IMO, dass geschlossene Systeme -im Wortsinn- auch einfach geschlossen klingen. Aber der Reihe nach.Der M4U 1 geht mit der richtigen Musik richtig los. Er ist ein Kopfhörer der sich tendenziell in recht neutraler Abstimmung versucht (mit leichter Anhebung im Bassbereich), aber dennoch Spaß bereiten soll.Der leicht angehobene Oberbass drückt gut bei Pop; Rock und Elektro; In Daft Punks Random Access Memories, "Fragments of Time" drücken die manuell eingespielten Drums richtig gut los. Die Base ist schnell und präzise, die Snare sizt trocken und präzise mittig im Bild. Fills werden druckvoll wiedergegeben.Dennoch kann der M4U1 nicht verleugnen, dass er echten Tiefbass nicht wirklich gut kann, bzw. leider von den zu stark nach vorne spielenden oberen Basslagen überdeckt wird.Bei Yellows "Stay" (auf Yellow by Yellow) schieben die Tiefbasswellen zu Beginn nicht sehr überzeugend los; es wird brummig und grummelig, aber die Transparenz und der echte Tiefgang fehlen.In Bergitta Victors Reggae Song "I don't mind" drückt sich die dominante Bass-line dann doch ein klein wenig zu stark in den Vordergrund. Das arbeitet ein zum Vergleich herangezogener HD600 von Sennheiser souveräner und lockerer heraus.Es mag aber durchaus sein, dass man (ohne (viel)bessere Hörer gehört zu haben) dieses Manko, auch, je nach Musikrichtung, gar nicht bemerkt oder sogar positiv gutiert.Die Mitten sind IMO sehr angenehm wiedergegeben mit dem M4U1. Stimmen werden sauber und mit Volumen wiedergegeben; manchmal mit ein klein wenig zu viel Verve; gerade Frauenstimmen sind dann ein wenig zu körperhaft; Auf der sowieso schon sehr grundtonlastig aufgenommenen "The Hunter" von Jennifer Warnes wird die Stimme einen Tick zu kräftig dargestellt.Dies ist ein Tribut an die tendenziell angenehm warme Abstimmung, die hilft, viele schlecht aufgenommene Stücke erträglich hören zu können.Die Höhen sind grundsätzlich angenehm abgestimmt; Mit sehr gut bis normal gut aufgenommenen Material behält der M4U1 auch bei komplexem Material gut die Übersicht über die Höhenarbeit (Beispiel Caliban: Ghost Empire: Chaos-Creation; hier differenziert sich die teils schon heftige Beckenarbeit von Patrick Grün sehr gut aus und und liegt sauber über dem extremen Gesamtsound).Hört man nicht ganz perfekt aufgenommenes Material, neigt der M4U1 zu leichter Schärfe im Hochton (Beispiel: TOTO; 35th Anniversary Tour Live). Bei relativ spitzabgemischtem Material(Bsp.: Tower of Power Soul with a Capital "S") wirds dann hier und da schon mal zu viel des Guten.Bühne/Staging:Die Bühne des M4U1 steht stabil aber ziemlich kompakt. Das gesamte musikalische Geschehen spielt sich recht zentral ab. Instrumente haben Abstand, das musikalische Geschehen könnte sich dennoch noch etwas besser lösen und verteilen. Im Jazz at the Pawnshop -Jeep's Blues- sind die Bargeräusche und das Gläserklirren im Hintergrund noch zu dicht am musikalischen Geschehen. Die Kombo steht ebenfalls etwas zu dicht zusammen. Auch hier zeigt der HD600 wie es besser geht. Er trennt räumlich ganz sauber Musik vom "Pink Noise"der Gäste und baut eine größere Bühne auf; ohne dabei den Jazzkellereindruck vermissen zu lassen.Fazit:Der M4U1 ist ohne Frage ein außergewöhnlicher Kopfhörer. Außergewöhliches Design, außergewöhnliche Haptik und Tragekomfort. Außergewöhnlich gute Komplettausstattung im Paket.Außergewöhnlich im mobilen Einsatz als auch an der heimischen Stereoanlage.Der Klang ist ohne Frage breitentauglich. Besonders Hörer von Rock-, Pop-, Elektro Musik dürften mit dem M4U1 sehr gut parat kommen; er spielt frisch; druckvoll, anmachend.Bei komplexerer Musik oder tendenziell schlechteren Aufnahmen zeigt er manchmal, im Vergleich zu anderen KH, hier und da leichte Schwächen.Preis/Leistung:Wer den KH noch irgendwo zur UVP (um 300,-- (baltic Grey 10/2014)) ins Kalkül zieht, sollte sich auf jeden Fall Alternativen anhören; hier kommen auch bereits erste Magnetostaten ins Spiel (Tipp: Hifiman HE400 als Auslaufmodell). Insbesondere sollte man mal offene und geschlossene KH vergleichen; je nach Anwendungsfall.Die Monza Red Variante (190,-- (10/2014)), welches IMO auch die hübschere ist, hat ein gutes P/L-Verhältnis.Für einen Allrounder, der sowohl mobile als auch stationäre Hörer ansprechen will, schlägt er sich rundum wacker.Wer jeweils einen Kopfhörer für einen Anwendungsfall sucht, sollte sich auf jeden Fall Alternativen anhören. Kleinere On-Ear Modelle für den mobilen Bereich und offene Over Ears für zu Hause könnten eine Alternative darstellen.Sonstiges:KH-Verstärker bzw. Zuspieler:Sony Z2; FiiO Olympus DAC am PC mit 24Bit-Musik; Burson Audio HA160 DAC/KHV.Mitspieler: Sennheiser HD202, HD600.Referenzhörer: Audez'e LCD2 /LCD-X.

This pair of headphones was bought at £119 direct from Amazon.SoundThe M4U1's are a detail-hunter's dream sound-wise. They are neutral sounding with a slight mids boost, leaving female vocals silky but male voices slightly harsh. This can be used to good effect depending on genre, I find them a great match for complex genres such as metal/rock where the natural signature can replicate the typical V-Shaped sound applied to rock tracks. Other headphones may struggle as mids become recessed, however the the slight mid boost of the M4U1 keeps music sounding well balanced. It is best to leave any EQ set to flat when listening unless you have a preference towards a particular frequency range. However, these will not blast your ears out with bass, as they are not intended for this purpose. Detail retrieval is really where these excel at. Soundstage is fairly wide for a closed can and imaging is adequate as well.ComfortThe earcups are very snug for over-ear headphones, although this is not a detriment. But hell are they soft and plushy - almost like real leather earpads. The headband on top is of firmer material - not the squishy,tacky rubber that adorns the likes of Beats - comfort is very good. They have the clamping pressure just right and I have worn these for hours on end at the computer. Unless you've got a super massive head, these are good for everybodyPurposeThese are marketed as portable headphones and as a result they come with a one-button remote cable for multi-device compatibility as well as a standard normal cable for non-mobile use. The cables also terminate in a 90 degree plug with helps when using with a mobile phone. However, these also work the  V-MODA BoomPro Gaming/VoIP Headphone with Microphone - Black  V-Moda Boompro Microphone and I use this when on the computer. You can choose which side to put the cable since it has a port under each earcup.BuildThis is where I've marked down a star. The headband seems a little flimsy and around the metal hinges there are micro-fractures in the plastic. I'm having to be careful when putting these on as I'm afraid I will snap them. I note that this has already been mentioned in another review. However, as long as you're careful and don't stretch these too wide when putting them on then you'll be fine. Durability is where I'm most concerned about.OverallFor the price I paid, I'm very satisfied with these cans. The amount of accessories is also good, especially the spare earpads and the carrying case. Sound is tremendous and, if natural sounding and detailed headphones are what you're into, then you can't really go wrong with these. V-MODA BoomPro Gaming/VoIP Headphone with Microphone - Black

Bought with my own cash money.Update --- 24/3/16 ----Still simply stunning (sound wise - still not sold on the look or longevity of the build quality but so far so good - I've taken to just not folding them!). Wonderful neutrality is still bringing me back to these day after day over other supposedly technically superior cans that I own such as the Beyer DT1770 and Sony MDR-Z7. So much so that I think it prudent to stick with these and let the others go. Amazing clarity and detail straight out of my iPhone 5s and tons of volume (which is super rare - believe me I've tried every supposedly easy-to-drive headphone on the market and have always been left wanting - especially for older recordings). They also (to me) sound better out of said IPhone instead of through my Oppo HA-2 DAC/Amp which itself is a great amp (Especially for the Beyer & Sonys I own) but I'm of the belief that the PSB M4U1 is such a sonically well designed headphone that there is very little room for improvement. I have tested and tested and tested until my wife is ready to kill me but for my home closed audiophile needs it seems it's the PSBs that win out over the parade of £600 cans and £400 amps that have come through the door. Just wow! (Still!).Original Review ---2 years of headphone evaluations and 40+ cans and these lil suckers blew me away!I'd loved the NAD Viso HP50's but their unique (clumsy?) build quality stopped them from being truly portable greats for me so I settled in with my Oppo PM3's for the long haul.And then I got an itchy Amazon 1-click trigger finger when I saw these babies in red for £120 and thought I'd have a listen. And what an absolute bargain they turned out to be!My main rig is Beyerdynamic DT1770 through a Beyerdynamic A20 headphone amp which together sound exquisite. Neutral but with a wide open sound and a slight bass bump. A sound signature for the most part replicated by the NAD's but with this second iteration of PSB's headphone line (the 1st being the earlier M4U2 with amp and noise cancelling sorcery) I was stopped in my tracks by just how crystal clear these sound. These are quite simply the most solidly neutral headphone I have ever had the pleasure to audition.Not one for bassheads (but I doubt any would be reading this!) but I love my bass (I do have a pair of beats studio 2.0 wireless after all!) and the PSB's do not disappoint. If it's in the recording it's there but it's not exaggerated in any way.Both the Oppos and the NAD's (and to a lesser extent the DT1770's) I originally thought were wonderfully neutral but after the PSB's they sound slightly bassy and rolled off - not in a bad way as they're all wonderful sounding headphones - but the PSB's just sound beautifully clean. Not harsh or sibilant or closed-in in any way. Just absolute detail monsters and utterly sublime. Solid audiophile quality.No amp needed whatsoever. Amazingly sensitive straight out of my iPhone 5s so tons of volume to play with. And with all the accessories these really are just as complete a package as the Oppos.But....and this is my only minor issue with these (and well, all Paul Barton designed headphones it seems!). The build quality. I'm not bothered by the looks - when they sound as good as his headphones do it really doesn't matter. What does matter is his penchant for creaky clicky poppy plastic that can destroy their portability which is essentially what these are designed for. As it is I would love to use these for portable but the clicks and pops and their ability to boom through the plastic construction would wear on me. Don't get me wrong, Im aware it's a compromise born out of a price point trade off and I'm grateful the focus is on the beautiful sound so it's understandable and really only a minor flaw. But that's just me - others may not be bothered as they just sound so damn good! (My wife always shakes her head when I mention any headphone creakage! Invariably she tries them and doesn't notice so it's all subjective).But luckily I have my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 wireless for portable (Zero creakage heaven!) which is on the other end of the build quality spectrum (but which obviously doesn't sound anywhere near as good - being Bluetooth an all).So as portable is out (for me) I'm now using these at home straight out of my iPhone whilst my stationary A20 and DT1770's sit (momentarily I hope!) unused as the PSB's are just so exquisitely addictive.Who knew unamped listening could be this wonderous.Quite simply the best kept secret in audio and at the current price of £119 the only real bargain I've ever had in audio.I would happily pay double for them. A wonderful sounding headphone with such a well thought-out all-round package.Hope some of this helps.Stew

EDIT: After 2 months of owning these the headband cracked half way across and is developing on the otherside to a point where it's about to snape in half. There is cracks starting to form all along both sides of the headband. There is also a loose screw that has fell inside of the of earcup itself.Overall terrible build quality but nice sound and comfort. Avoid these, you can buy a different pair with much better build quality for half the price. I ended up returning them for a refund.Firstly I will say what you get in the box:The headphones come in a really nice box. Inside when you first open it you see the hard case that it comes with which has the headphones, a long with a cloth for cleaning and a belt clip. You also get an extra set of ear pads which I think is nice that they included them in and would like to see other companies do the same.You get two cables, one which is just a plain 3.5mm audio jack and the other has a built in microphone for making phone calls etc.It also comes with two adapters; one is a 3.5mm to 6.3mm stereo plug adapter, and the other one is for air planes.Now onto the sound quality:The sound quality is simply excellent. The sound is crisp and clean, while having decent bass that isn't in your face, unlike some pairs of headphones like Beats. It does a decent job of not losing clearness and not crackling at high volume. My previous headphones was the Razer Kraken 7.1, which now sound flat and washed out after hearing the M4U 1's. My iPhone 5 does a surprisingly great job at powering these headphones, they sound good but the bass isn't as high as on my computer.Now there is some things you should know. The metal parts where you extend the headphones seems to wear away the plastic inside. Usually when I extend them I can see very small plastic pieces rub off onto the metal part. I'm not sure if this is because it's new and hasn't been extended much at all or just a bad design. I'll find out if it matters or not in the future.Also, you might want to invest in a sound card with an amplifier or an external amplifier. I had to buy the Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 sound card for my computer because my onboard audio is bad. After I bought the sound card the volume was higher, the bass was boosted and the clearness is better and there is no more crackling sounds.

I absolutely love these headphones. I've just had them for about 2 days at the time of writing this review. I wore them for about 6 hours yesterday just listening to music, gaming, etc. Well, I'm getting to rediscover my music library since I'm hearing all sorts of details in songs that were previously muddled out by the poor clarity of my old speakers and headphones. Speaking of which, that's a 5.1 Logitech surround sound system, a set of cheaper Sony headphones, a 2.0 set of Bose speakers and a 300$ pair of Bose heaphones.... So these headphones are absolutely blowing my mind.For example:- There's a piano during Micheal Bolton's part in "Jack Sparrow" playing softly in the background.- David Guetta's Titanium has lots of really subtle echos as well as a mid tone, pure tone harmony with the singer during the chorus.- There's a hi-hat in "Domino" Starting at the second stanza leading into the chorus- "Last Friday Night" is riddled with slight electronic effects during the chorus that I've never heard before as well as a synth during some of the stanzasAny ways, the list goes on and on. Point is, if you're asking yourself whether or not these are worth the price: the short answer is yes.