The KEF Mju7 wireless headphones have that signature British sound

It’s been a while since I got my hands on a pair of KEF Mju7. Somehow this pair of wireless ANC headphones has slipped under my review radar, but I thought I’d give them a look anyway. I was recently blown away by Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100 headphones and was wondering how the Hi-Res Mju7 would fare.

KEF is one of the oldest and most traditional British loudspeaker brands, dating back to a time when the UK led the world in audio technology. Founded in 1961 in the county of Kent, England, KEF has built an enviable reputation for making great loudspeakers. Now the brand is booming, even opening stunning showroom galleries around the world.

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

As you would expect from a KEF product, the build quality of the Mju7 headphones is exemplary. Lovegrove’s design features earcups with a beautiful teardrop shape. The generously padded ear cushions are covered in soft leatherette and filled with memory foam. The earcups rotate 90 degrees, allowing them to be stored flat in their hard zipped storage case. The headphone yoke does not fold in on itself, which in my opinion is no bad thing and means less chance of a creaking frame.

The comfort level of the Mju7 is excellent. The clamping pressure isn’t as soft as that of Sony’s WH-1000XM5, but they feel secure when you’re wearing them. Weighing in at 309g, the Mju7 don’t feel too heavy, thanks to a padded headband and adjustable arms that make for a snug and secure fit. The ear pads seem to wick away sweat, keeping the listener’s ears cool. Finally, there’s a choice of Silver Grey or Charcoal Grey colour options.

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

The Mju7 are fine for Hi-Res listening on Android and use with iOS thanks to AAC support. If you want Snapdragon Sound support, however, there are some great headphones available now, including the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 and Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100.

Inside each earbud are custom 40mm drivers. A built-in battery offers up to 40 hours of playtime on a single charge. While that’s not exactly “best in class”, it’s more than enough for a long-distance round trip. The use of Bluetooth 5.1 means you also get support for Multipoint connectivity, allowing two devices to be connected simultaneously, so you can listen to music from one device while taking calls from, say, your company smartphone.

Because the Mju7 headphones use Qualcomm technology, you also have the cVc noise canceling microphone technology. This means that you can speak softer and more clearly during phone calls or video conferences.

The microphones built into the earcups are also used to sample sound for the Active Noise Cancelling features. A press of the ANC button toggles the feature on and off, adequately filtering out most unwanted sounds. The Smart ANC feature instantly adjusts to the external noise level and does a great job of it. Is it as good as Bose or Sony ANC? Well, not quite, but it’s certainly not bad either.

Oddly enough, there is no hear-through or transparency 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 while jogging or working out, it could be an issue. One handy feature that I did like is the auto-pause function when you lift one ear cup. It’s handy when someone is talking to you; simply lift one ear cup and the music pauses.

The controls for the Mju7 are all located on the right ear cup. There’s a power switch and a Bluetooth pairing button to connect to your smartphone or audio player. There’s also an ANC button to turn the noise canceling on and off, plus a USB-C charging and data port.

You can use the USB port to charge the Mju7’s rechargeable battery and connect the headphones to a computer via a USB data cable, allowing you to experience a Hi-Res wired connection. For older connections, there is a 3.5mm AUX jack which requires a cable to connect the headphones to a Hi-Fi system or digital audio player.

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

One major omission on the Mju7 is the lack of a smartphone app for tweaking things like EQ and controls. There’s also no way to update firmware. It’s a strange omission, and a well-designed app could 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 great speakers and their 60+ years of audio experience certainly shine through in these headphones. The sound is powerful and well-defined. If these headphones were a human, they would have a six-pack. To listen to the Mju7, I streamed from TIDAL with aptX HD via Bluetooth.

Rhiannon Giddens is always a great artist to test a headphone with. Her clear voice can give any driver a good workout. The song “At The Purchaser’s Option” from Giddens’ Freedom Highway album was a good place to start. The Mju7 headphones handled the intro kick drum with real style. It’s an exciting sound, although the presentation of the song generally sounded a little laid back. That’s not necessarily a criticism, but these aren’t headphones that will punch you in the face and give you a headache, but they have enough drive and resolution to produce a convincing soundstage, although not particularly wide.

There is plenty of bass on offer with the Mju7s, but it never gets out of hand. The sound is restrained in places, but there is plenty of forward definition in the midrange, which helps to portray vocals well. It is possible that it can get a little muddy in the crossover between the bass and lower midrange, but that depends on the source. Feed the KEF Mju7 a well recorded track and play it back to a good source and you will be rewarded with a very good sound. If you like the signature KEF sound, you will know what I mean.

Pronunciation: The wireless ANC headphone market is a brutal one right now. It’s a competitive market, and that’s largely due to Qualcomm’s killer chipsets and the help they give audio companies when designing headphones and earbuds. As a result, there are plenty of headphones on the market at competitive prices. KEF has never been a bargain brand, but it does have its loyal following. If you love the KEF sound and appreciate Ross Lovegrove’s style, you’ll love the Mju7. There are a few omissions, such as transparency mode and the lack of an app, but if you can look past those, these comfortable, clear-sounding headphones are worth a listen, even if they are a little pricey.

Prices and availability: The KEF Mju7 wireless ANC headphones are available now, priced at $399.99 / £349 / €399.

Technical specifications:

• Drivers: 40mm.
• Maximum output power: 15 mW.
• Bluetooth version: 5.1.
• Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD
• Bluetooth power: Class 2.
• Bluetooth range: 10m.
• Battery: 1,100 mAh.
• Battery life: 40 hours (BT + ANC on).
• Fast charging: 15 minutes = 8 hours.
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 199 x 153 x 89 mm.
• Weight: 309 g.