Macworld USA – August 2019

108 MACWORLD AUGUST 2019

PLAY LIST REVIEW: PSB M4U 8 HEADPHONES

was superb, with deep
but tuneful low bass,
sharp drums, and
well-defined
harmonica.
To test the
RoomFeel feature of
the M4U 8, I compared
the sound of
“Frontiers” via
Bluetooth and a
3.5mm analog-audio
cable with the
headphone power off.
With the cable, the
sound was somewhat veiled, and the
drums seemed recessed in the
background. Switching to Bluetooth, the
sound was more open and expansive with
greater richness and clarity.
I also performed the same comparison
with “Every Breaking Wave” from U2’s
Songs of Innocence. This is a bass-heavy
track with a clean, full sound via Bluetooth.
Using the cable with the power off, the
sound was more veiled, and the bass was
less well defined.
I have one minor concern here: The
analog-audio cable that comes with the
M4U 8 fits in the gap within the support
structure for the earcups, but another such
cable I had lying around did not. Its plug is
too big to fit, so I had to make sure the
earcup was angled to avoid the gap,

reducing the effectiveness of the gyro

suspension. That gap should be a bit

larger to accommodate larger plugs.

In addition, I compared the

performance with ANC on and off as I

listened to “Trouble in Mind” from my wife

Joanna Cazden’s album Living Through

History. On that track, I play the solo

trombone and synthesized sax-section

backgrounds. With ANC enabled, the bass

became somewhat bloated. After

disengaging ANC, the sound settled down,

becoming nice and clean with excellent

balance between the instruments.

Cazden’s vocals and my trombone were

both rendered faithfully, as were the

acoustic piano and bass.

When I first had a demo of the M4U 8 at

CES last January, I was quite surprised at the

The M4U 8 have an adjustable headband that’s clad in faux leather.