Verdict
The PSB M4U 9 offer good sound and wireless execution , but fall down dead elsewhere . The form quality is decrepit , the battery life is awful , and the ANC is no couple for the best at their price point . you may get better quality and note value elsewhere .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Canadian sound company PSB is advantageously known for itshi - fi speakersbut also lends its noesis to earpiece , with the PSBM4U 9 currently its flagship and most expensive pair .
In terms of specs , there ’s not a handsome difference between it and the M4U 8 MkII so you may be wondering what precisely you get for handing over more money , but you do get a higher Bluetooth spec and a panoptic frequency response .
The PSB M4U 9 are not short of competition in its monetary value family , with talented rivals from Bose , Apple , andMaster & Dynamic , so they ’ll have their work cut out to make an impression .
Design
Things do not get off to the best starting signal in terms of the PSB M4U 9 ’s build quality . Retro looks aside , the human body is preponderantly made from the plastic and there are so many function that it spend a penny the appearance appear a little littered . And similar to theEdifier Stax Spirit S3its creaky , fragile feel to its construction is disappointing for the request toll .
This , I feel , is in the main down to the gyroscope suspended earcups that have been freeze at 15 - degree to ameliorate ease ; but the crusade between the earcups and underframe produces a creaky sound whenever I move my head , degrade the headphones timber . Even the headphone skidder feels stiff to operate on , reducing that agio feel .
The forcible buttons are n’t much better either in term of exchange premium feel , but they ’re easy enough to practice with either a press down or flicking up or down to get a response in terms of playback and volume .
The one push button I ’m not a rooter of is the power / ANC yellow-bellied terrapin button , which is too soused and imprecise when the headphones are fall apart . essay and slide down to the ‘ On ’ position and I find myself turning the headphones completely off . I have to take the headphones off to position the slipper where I desire .
It ’s a shame , as the headphones evidence comfortable to wear off , with a nice , pliable feel to the headband and earpads that work as pillow around your ear . The earcups themselves are shallow rather than deep , but I have n’t found that to be an egress for my ear , though I do inquire if that affects the seal that these headphones make for noise - cancellation .
The PSB M4U 9 can be pen up for transport , but they take care very inelegant in that position , and the carry showcase the phone come in in is almost too big to call portable ( the packaging is enormous ) . There ’s aUSB - Cport , and the PSB M4U 9 has a double telegraph connection . Accessories admit flight adapters and renewal earpads , and the only colour the headphone get along in is jet Negroid .
Features
The PSB M4U 9 support AAC andaptX Adaptive , and the stability of the aptX connection has been strong throughout testing , with only a couple blips experience walk through Waterloo and Victoria train stations . Elsewhere there has n’t been a problem .
regrettably , that appear to be as good as it get for the M4U 9 . The Active Noise - Cancellation is a disappointment , peculiarly against competition such as theBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones . The PSB aims its focus on ambient sound and low frequency noises , but if you ’re looking for a house of cards of isolation , you wo n’t witness that with these headphones .
pot of racket still gets through on tape drive , whether it ’s on a busbar , a train , a plane , or the London Underground , to the point where I almost enquire whether the ANC was on . The shallow intent of the earcups seems to make trouble with keep a tight seal , as moving my head lets more noise news leak through .
Worn on a plane and the PSB does n’t do as much to curtail voice as the ( far more expensive)Dali IO-12do , but it ’s the cabin noise that ’s most plaguey , which was a constant front throughout . Noise is slightly reduced but never neutralised to the point of quietude .
The foil musical mode is fine with decent clarity , though it could be clear . At first I thought it was only accessible through the app , but you could modify it and have it assign to one of the book controls to fend off having to venture into the app every meter . Still , it would have been prissy to have a dedicated control for it .
PSB claims 25 hours in total for stamp battery life history and 18 hour with ANC on , but my electric battery trial run and worldwide usage suggest it ’s much downhearted than that . A three hour battery drainpipe saw the headphones fall to 50 % .
fag out these headphones for a few hour and they fall to 60 % even though I charged them to 100 % short before . Either I have a faulty duo or these headphones shinny to keep their charge . There ’s no citation of tight - charging so I ’ll take that as mean they do n’t support it .
The PSB Headphones app offers customisation from the transparency mode that can be adjust from low , medium , and high ; to volume control , EQ and predetermined options and swapping in and out some of the button function .
There ’s also a Personal Sound option whereby the app work a serial of beeps and pronounce your hearing ability . The results will be different for everyone , but I felt it brought out more detail for me .
Call quality is another unsatisfying area for the M4U 9 . Voice pickup is ok , but the person on the other end of the line mentioned I did n’t quite sound myself , and when there ’s plenty of noise they say my representative could drop .
It ’s the type of headphone that does well in still areas than noisy environments , as it picks up plenty of disturbance . And like theShure Aonic 50 Gen 2 , it performs badly with wind noise , making it very difficult to learn what I ’m saying .
Sound Quality
The region where the PSB M4U 9 are best is , unsurprisingly , in how they vocalize though they do n’t escape without a few caveats .
There ’s a pleasing richness to the bass voice in Brittany Howard ’s What Now ( Qobuz ) , a beneficial clout and weight behind the low absolute frequency that pass the power of the bassline . The depth and energy of the downcast frequencies gestate more shock than it does on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones , for instance .
However , compare to the Bose earpiece , the soundstage is belittled , giving it a bunched up and cramped find where the Bose presents the running with more distance . The benefit of Bose ’s approach is that it gives Howard ’s vocals more room to breathe , whereas on the PSB everything feels hemmed in ; with less legal separation between the instruments , beats , and her vocalism . That ’s not necessarily a bad thing , but in terms of brainwave , there are headphones like the Shures that are better for less money .
The top end of the frequency range is characterize by good levels of uncloudedness . The PSB describe the piano in GoGo Penguin ’s Raven and Andreas Ihlebæk ’s Come Summer ( Tidal ) with sizable amounts of shine without becoming too bright or grating ; the bass in the first track is treated with firmness of purpose and there ’s a good gumptious rhythm about how these headphone transmit themselves . Compared to the Bose ’s slightly dim edges , there ’s a verve to the PSB ’s performance that gives them more of a personality .
The PSB M4U 9 ’s public presentation is somewhere in the land of neutral with some lengthened bass voice , but there ’s a unspoiled signified of clarity and item furnish to the midrange . I could have skip for more breadth to the soundstage , but vocals are consistently clear , and there ’s a sprightliness to these headphones that engages . I prize the ‘ loudness ’ of the operation too – these are n’t headphones where you ’ll need to pump the volume up . At default mass they ’re all set to go .
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Should you buy it?
There ’s a confidence to the PSB ’s phone that makes them an energetic , engaging listen .
The PSB ca n’t hold a torch to the likes ofSonyand Bose with their ANC , which is peculiarly dissatisfactory since they be more .
Final Thoughts
The PSB M4U 9 are a disappointing span of headphones . From the creaky build timbre , miserable barrage life , and timid noise - cancellation ; these earphone do n’t feel like they occupy the premium tier up of wireless headphones as the price indicates .
They do make up some ground with good - tone phone , but that ’s not enough to make up for the shortfall in other areas . These headphones ought to have been adept , especially for the terms . And given the level of competition , they do n’t exemplify as good economic value as you ’ll discover elsewhere . correspond out ourBest Headphoneslist for better choice .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every set of headphones we retrospect thoroughly over an prolonged period of time . We use industry standard tests to liken lineament properly . We ’ll always order you what we discover . We never , ever , accept money to review a Cartesian product .
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FAQs
you could only get the M4U 9 in one colour : jet Black person .
