The KEF Mju7 wireless headphones have that quintessentially British sound

It took me a while to get my hands on a pair of KEF Mju7s. Somehow this pair of wireless ANC headphones slipped under my review radar, but I thought I’d review them, having recently been blown away by Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100 headphones I wondered how the Hi-Res Mju7 would compare.

KEF is one of the oldest and most traditional British speaker brands, born at a time when the UK was the world leader in audio technology. Founded in Kent, England in 1961, KEF has built an enviable reputation for producing exceptional loudspeakers. Today, the brand is thriving and has even opened stunning exhibition galleries around the world.

Like other speaker brands, such as B+W, KEF entered the headphone sector with the launch of the Mju7 about a year ago. These wireless Bluetooth headphones are designed by Ross Lovegrove, the designer who collaborated with KEF on products such as the Muon floorstanding speakers and KEF’s first wireless headphones, the Mju3.

As you would expect from a KEF product, the build quality of the Mju7 headphones is exemplary. Lovegrove’s design features teardrop-shaped earcups. The generously padded ear cushions are covered in soft leatherette and filled with memory foam. The earcups can be rotated 90 degrees so they can be stored flat in their zipped hard case. The headphone stand doesn’t fold in on itself, which isn’t a bad thing in my opinion and means less risk of the frame creaking.

The Mju7’s comfort level is excellent. The clamping pressure isn’t as gentle as Sony’s WH-1000XM5, but the headphones feel secure when worn. Weighing in at 309g, the Mju7 doesn’t feel too heavy, thanks to a padded headband and adjustable arms that ensure a snug, secure fit. The ear cushions seem to wick away sweat, keeping the listener’s ears cool. Finally, there’s a choice of silver or charcoal grey colours.

It’s fair to say that the Mju7 earbuds aren’t exactly feature-packed, but most of the things you need are there. For starters, the Mju7s are built around a Qualcomm chipset that supports SBC, AAC, and aptX HD. There’s no support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon audio platform with the new aptX Lossless codec.

The Mju7s are great for Hi-Res listening on Android and use with iOS thanks to AAC support. However, if you want Snapdragon Sound support, there are now excellent headphones like the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 and Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100.

Each earbud is equipped with custom 40mm drivers. A built-in battery provides up to 40 hours of battery life on a single charge. While that’s not exactly “best in class,” it’s more than enough for a long-haul flight there and back. Using Bluetooth 5.1 means you also get multipoint connectivity support, allowing you to connect two devices at the same time so you can listen to music from one device while taking phone calls from, say, your company smartphone.

Since the Mju7 earbuds use Qualcomm technology, you also get CVC noise-canceling mic technology, which means quieter, more intelligible speech when making phone calls or participating in video conferences.

The microphones built into the earbuds are also used to sample sound for the active noise-canceling features. A simple press of the ANC button toggles the feature on and off, with most unwanted sounds being adequately filtered out. The Smart ANC feature instantly adapts to the outside noise level and does a great job. Is it as good as Bose or Sony’s ANC? Not quite, but it’s not bad at all.

Oddly, there is no transparency or listen-through mode, but that’s not a problem for me as I rarely use it, but for someone who wants to be aware of their surroundings when jogging or exercising, it might be an issue. One handy feature I liked was the auto-pause feature when you lift an earbud. This is useful when someone is talking to you; just lift an earbud and the music stops.

The Mju7’s controls are all located on the right earcup. There’s a power switch and a Bluetooth pairing button for connecting to your smartphone or music player. There’s also an ANC button for turning noise cancelling on and off, as well as a USB-C charging and data port.

You can use the USB port to charge the Mju7’s rechargeable battery as well as connect the headset to a computer via a USB data cable for a high-resolution wired connection. For traditional connections, there’s a 3.5mm AUX jack that takes a cable to connect the headset to a hi-fi system or digital audio player.

Next, we move on to the surface of the right earbud. It’s a hollow, touch-sensitive surface arranged in a cross shape. The touchpad lets you swipe forward to skip to the next track or swipe back to repeat the last track. You can pause and play music with a single tap, and increase or decrease volume levels. It works well, and is one of the few touch controls on headphones that I’ve enjoyed using.

One of the major omissions of the Mju7 is the lack of a smartphone app to customize things like EQ and controls. There’s also no way to update the firmware. It’s a strange omission and a well-designed app can add value to a pair of wireless headphones. I think KEF missed a trick here.

Now we come to the most important part of the review: how does the KEF Mju7 sound? KEF makes excellent speakers, and its 60 years of audio experience certainly shows in these headphones. The sound is muscular and well-defined. If these headphones were human, they would have a six-pack. To test the Mju7, I streamed from TIDAL using aptX HD via Bluetooth.

Rhiannon Giddens is always a top artist to test out a pair of headphones with. Her clear vocals can give any driver a good workout. Giddens’ track “At The Purchaser’s Option” Freedom Highway The album was a good starting point. The Mju7 headphones handled the intro kickdrum with authentic style. It’s an exciting sound although the presentation of the track as a whole seems a little laid back. That’s not necessarily a criticism, but these aren’t headphones that will slap your ears and give you a headache, but they have enough drive and resolution to produce a convincing, if not particularly wide, soundstage.

There’s plenty of bass with the Mju7, but things never get out of hand. Restrained in places, the sound has plenty of definition in the midrange, which presents vocals well. It’s perhaps in the crossover between the bass and lower mids that things can get a little muddy, but that depends on the source. If you feed the KEF Mju7 with a well-recorded track and play it on a good source, you’ll be rewarded with quality sound. If you like the signature KEF sound, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Verdict: The ANC wireless earbud market is a brutal one these days. It’s a competitive space and that’s largely due to Qualcomm’s superb chipsets and the help they give audio companies when designing headphones and earphones. As a result, there are plenty of headphones available at great price points. KEF has never been a budget brand, but it does have its loyal following. If you like the KEF sound and appreciate the Ross Lovegrove style, you’ll enjoy the Mju7. There are a few oversights such as transparency mode and the lack of an app, but if you can look past that, then these comfortable, clear-sounding earbuds are worth a listen, even if they’re a little pricey.

Rates and availability: The KEF Mju7 wireless ANC headphones are available now and cost $399.99 / £349 / €399.

Technical specifications:

• Conductors: 40 mm.
• Maximum output power: 15 mW.
• Bluetooth version: 5.1.
• Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD
• Bluetooth Power: Class 2.
• Bluetooth range: 10 m.
• Battery: 1100mAh.
• Battery life: 40 hours (BT + ANC on).
• Fast charge: 15 minutes = 8 hours.
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 199 x 153 x 89 mm.
• Weight: 309g.