Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus & MW07 Go True Wireless Earphones Review

A Power Couple

Master & Dynamic are no strangers to the luxury-audio market. They occupy a high throne in the consumer space, both in terms of price and quality. I have reviewed several different M&D products at this point and have not been disappointed by a single one. Whether its their attention to detail, fine craftsmanship, or well-tuned sound signatures, I always find something to rant and rave about in my reviews. The MW07 Plus and Go are no exception to this trend — each filling a specific role in M&D’s ever-growing product lineup.

About My Preferences: Heads up, I’m a person! As such, these words are my opinion, and they are tinged by my personal preferences. While I try to mitigate this as much as possible during my review process, I’d be lying if I said my biases are completely erased. So for you, my readers, keep this in mind:

• My ideal sound signature would be one with competent sub-bass, a textured mid-bass, a slightly warm midrange, and an extended treble.
• I have mild treble sensitivity.

Source: The MW07 Plus/Go was tested in the following configurations:

• LG V40-> Bluetooth -> earphones
• Huawei Matebook X -> Bluetooth -> earphones
• Custom PC (Linux) -> Bluetooth -> earphones

All music was served as MP3 @320Kbps or as FLAC.

Tech Specs

• Driver: 10mm Beryllium
• Bluetooth: 5.0 aptX and SBC
• Ratings: IPX6 (Go) IPX5 (Plus)
• Battery Life: 10 Hours
• Case Capacity: 12 Hours (Go) 30 Hours (Plus)
• Mic: Beam-form Array (Go) Double Beam-form Array (Plus)

Sound Signature

Sonic Overview:

The MW07 Plus and Go have subtle differences in sound signature. In this review, assume that my statements apply to both models unless otherwise stated.

The MW07 twins go for the classic balanced Master & Dynamic sound signature with a tinge of warmth. Once I got a good seal I was able to really enjoy their solid mid-bass presence and tactile sub-bass. The lower register doesn’t abuse the midrange too much, allowing for good levels of instrumental expression. The MW07 twins have excellent upper-register performance, with the MW07 Go having a grainier treble than the Plus.

Sonic Breakdown:

Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands, Satisfy, Little One, Show Me How To Live (Live at the Quart Festival)

The MW07 twins have an articulate upper-register with a well-extended treble. The MW07 Plus felt like its treble was smoother and less-grainy that the Go’s was. Beyond the mild roughness that the MW07 Go exhibited around the edges of cymbals and high-hats, I was very pleased with how well these tiny little devices performed. In One Ear was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Both models captured the liveliness of the drums and snaps that punctuate the background of Cage The Elephant’s usual front-stage din.

I find that a lot of truly-wireless Bluetooth devices suffer from a critical flaw: sibilance. Whether its due to the usage of poor-quality drivers, bad Bluetooth hardware, or badly-designed software, something goes wrong. However M&D seem to have worked this issue out a long time ago as not even one of the devices of theirs that I’ve tested has suffered from this. I was very pleased to discover that the MW07 twins do not exhibit any sibilance at all. My testing with Satisfy pretty clearly demonstrates just how well-restrained the pair of devices is.

Midrange: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams, Too Close, Little Black Submarines

The MW07 twins both have a solid midrange with a raised lower-midrange and upper-midrange. This mild V-shape helps bring forth a lot of instrumentation and lend weight to the music. They both performed well across a variety of genres, shining especially well with the drier mastering of Flagpole Sitta and the prominent male vocals in I Am The Highway.

There’s something great about the way that M&D tunes their midranges that really absorbs me into my music collection. While the MW07 twins aren’t busting up the kings of resolution such as the Campfire Andromeda, Lark Studio X, and other TOTL audiophile IEMs, they do a much better job than their peers. I could very clearly make out each of the instruments in Little Black Submarines throughout the entire song with only very minor blurring at the edges of the drums and high-hats during the busiest portions of the song.

Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), War Pigs (Celldweller Remix)

Bass is a very important component of a device’s sound signature, and M&D knows it. The MW07 Plus, and to a slightly lesser extent the Go, makes great use of the tiny space available to them to produce well-restrained and tactile mid-bass. When sealed well, both MW07 models were able to produce respectable amounts of sub-bass during In For The Kill, with the Plus barely avoiding bottoming-out at the lowest part of its sonorous bass-lines. The Go fared a little worse, as its bass is a little less controlled. It blooms noticeably more which, while a plus for certain genres such as dubstep and hip-hop, ultimately makes it less precise during these rather extreme bass scenarios.

Packaging / Unboxing

I am really not a fan of large and boisterous packaging. Thankfully the MW07 Plus and Go are compact and efficient, leaving enough space such that the devices inside were safe, but not so much that it was evidently wasteful.

Build

Construction Quality

The MW07 Plus and Go are built very similarly. The exteriors are nearly identical with only very subtle differences. Each of them have multiple contact charging pins on the inner face as well as optional inner-ear guards that help keep the MW07 in place.

The Plus and Go are identical on the front-face, save for their differences in shell. On the top face of the left unit is a two-button arrangement for volume control, while the right unit has a single button used for play-pause functionality, as well as summoning your digital-assistant of choice.

The MW07 Plus has two mic arrays while the Go has one. This reversal is a little odd to me: if the Go is marketed as for people who live an active lifestyle (which is why the Go has a better waterproof rating), then it would make sense to have a mic that’s more capable of picking up voices in extreme/busy scenarios. For example, while riding my road-bike down a steep hill (at around 26–29 MPH), I was able to maintain a clear conversation with someone over the phone using the MW07 Plus. It was more difficult to do so with the Go, though not impossible. In regular conditions, both the Plus and Go did a great job isolating my voice from the crowd, whether it was on a busy college campus or a crowded city sidewalk, I never had a hard time communicating with my friends and family, so my earlier complaint is really more of a nit-pick than anything.

I find myself frequently in awe from how nice the MW07 Plus and Go feel in the hand. They are just weighty enough to convey a sense of substance without being annoyingly bulky. There’s no creaking or flex anywhere that I can tell, which is a real blessing on a device that is made entirely out of plastics.

Speaking of plastic, it’s possible to swap the faces that you get on the MW07! I haven’t tried it myself, but it seems like a fun way to make your units feel more like you own, especially when you mix-and-match a set of faces.

Comfort

The MW07 twins are very comfortable. My medium-sized ears were able to get a good fit and seal with some fiddling with the eartips and earguards. I was able to use them for many consecutive hours without anything other than a mild ear-itch, something that I find all silicone-based eartips create after three or so hours in the ear.

Accessories

Inside the box you’ll find a comprehensive set of accessories:

• Charging Case: (Plus: Metal) (Go: Cloth)
• Silicone Eartips x5
• Silicone Ear-Guards x3
• USB-A to USB-C Adapter
• USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable
• Cloth Carrying Case (Plus Only)

Let’s talk charging cases. I find that the MW07 Plus and Go both have good cases. They are solid, high-capacity, and easy to use. They protect their respective MW07’s well and do not have any issues when it comes to reliably establishing contact with the MW07’s charging pins. That said, I do have some critiques.

First, the MW07 Go’s Case: the Go is supposed to be the “on-the-go” device that explorers, fitness enthusiasts, and active professionals use. Why then does its case have to be made out of a materials that can tear and stain? Aesthetically and in terms of physical feel, the selected cloth material is great, but its not optimal for people who get their hands dirty at work. When I had to go under some desks to move around old hardware, I got dust all over the case by accident and it took a while for me to clean off of it. Further, the lid’s hinge does not inspire confidence in its longevity. Now I do trust the engineers at Master & Dynamic: they’ve done, and continue to do great work, but I have seen what happens to plastic that gets bent over and over again, especially at weirdly-tensioned angles, and its not pretty. My unit hasn’t had any issues so far, but I believe it may after a couple years of daily usage.

Onto the Plus’s case: This case is far more “premium”. After all, it comes with a $300 pair of wireless earphones! It definitely looks that part, and for the majority of its construction, feels the part. Unlike the MW07 Go’s lid-hinge, I don’t have any concerns about durability — I have one of “feel”. My unit’s lid slides and wiggles horizontally across the case when closed. This isn’t going to cause it to explode, or otherwise stop working, its just really not how a $300 device’s charging case should be behaving — it cheapens the feel of an otherwise top-notch case.

All that negative stuff aside, I really do like the MW07 twin’s accessory package. They went above and beyond by including a large array of eartips, a great USB-C cable, and a good USB-C adapter.

Summary

The MW07 Go and Plus are both luxury offerings, make no mistake. While the Go ($199) offers great features for the active person, and does so at a much lower price, it is missing some of the minor quality-of-life improvements that can be found on the Plus. Further, the Plus ($299) takes the lead with sound quality, but does so at a steep premium. All said and done, the MW07 Go is probably a better pick for most people — it has a lower price and better water-proofing, and its lagging audio-performance is something that most people really won’t pick up on. However I find myself really leaning towards the Plus and my favorite. The additional clarity on phone calls while riding my bike and better sound quality have made it a personal favorite (plus who can say no to such a fancy case).

But that’s really the beauty of it! If you’re budged oriented, but still want a luxury truly-wireless earphones with great sound quality, go for the Go! If you are a stickler for physical and sonic quality, and want the absolute best that Master and Dynamic has to offer, the take the Plus for a spin. Either way, you won’t be disappointment!

As always, happy listening!

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