This year, British high-end speaker maker KEF celebrates 60 years of producing superb-sounding and distinctively designed speakers. Last February, the company expanded its portfolio with its first headphone, the Mu3, a true wireless in-ear model. And today, the Mu3 adds a charcoal gray option to the currently available silver.
Designed by Ross Lovegrove, who’s also responsible for KEF’s stunning Muon speaker, the Mu3 sports an elegant, curvaceous profile. Inside, an 8.2mm full-range dynamic driver has been tuned by KEF’s engineering team to deliver what the company calls “an exceptionally dynamic and well balanced, coherent sound with rich midrange, detailed bass, and crisp high tones.” The frequency range is specified to extend from 20Hz to 20kHz (no tolerance given) with a sensitivity of 104dB/1 mW at 1kHz.
KEF
As with most high-end true wireless headphones, the KEF Mu3 come with a case that can reacharge the headphones while they’re in storage.
The Mu3 comes with four different sizes of silicone eartips, which is important, because selecting the right size for your ears is critical for obtaining the best performance and sealing out ambient noise. Even better, active noise cancellation (ANC) further reduces the intrusion of environmental sound. And when you need to hear your surroundings, an ambient mode disables ANC and pipes outside sound from the microphones into your ears.
Audio is delivered via Bluetooth 5.0 using the SBC and AAC codecs. According to KEF, with most true wireless earphones, the audio is received by one and relayed to the other. But both Mu3 earpieces receive the signal at the same time, which the company claims results in more seamless and stable performance with iOS and Android devices.
Onboard battery life is an impressive nine hours with Bluetooth and ANC enabled, and the included charging case adds another 15 hours to that. If the battery is drained and you need a quick fix, a 5-minute charge gives you a full hour of play time.
Now available in silver or the new charcoal gray, the Mu3 lists for $229.99. I’ve always loved the sound of KEF speakers, so I can’t wait to try this new expression of KEF’s pursuit of audio excellence for myself. Stay tuned for a full review!