ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) uses an array of microphones in a headphone to detect the frequency of the sound coming at the listener, with the ANC chip creating an inverse wave (i.

Available in “Silver Grey” and “Charcoal Grey,” the Mu7 ANC wireless headphones come with an aluminum construction and leatherette memory foam pads. Five minutes in the company of a TIDAL-derived stream of Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos allows the Mu7 to explain a lot of what they’re all about – and a lot is a lot of what they’ve got. There’s not a huge amount of extension or, more accurately, presence to the low frequencies the Mu7 generate, though. Available in two finishes (Silver Grey and Charcoal Grey), the KEF mu7 headphones have beautiful, flowing lines that are particularly appealing.

Described as an exercise in engineering and aesthetic excellence, KEF has worked with Ross Lovegrove, a designer renowned for his innovative approach and flowing, sculptural forms; Lovegrove has created an over-ear headphone that is sleek and cool. Matching KEF’s class-leading ability for sound quality with outstanding design and functionality, the KEF Mu7 headphones raise the bar for noise-cancelling headphones. Add in the relative lack of control options, and it becomes apparent you’ll have to be very keen indeed on those ‘designer’ earcups to put the Mu7 near the top of your shortlist.

And if you choose to hard-wire them to a source of music, then naturally even higher-resolution playback is possible.

This last setting seeks to assess your ambient environment in real time, and trim the ANC accordingly – KEF suggests specific areas of the frequency range can be targeted in response to the information the Mu7 pick up.

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A world-leader in speaker design, now producing headphones
Now in its seventh decade, KEF has an enviable reputation for speaker design. Bass sounds are reasonably well controlled where entry into and exit from individual hits and/or notes are concerned, and those detail levels are as high here as anywhere else - but the low-end is relatively short of substance and body.The arms that attach the headband to the earcups don’t feel flimsy and they also allow for a good amount of movement, so you can get the 40mm full-range drivers angled properly and fit over the whole of your ear without any gaps where sound can leak out and noise can leak in. It’s a tough assignment, and, to be honest, you’d forgive the company for concentrating more on its excellent, modern, all-in-one hi-fi solutions such as the five-star LSX II and LS60 Wireless and giving premium wireless headphones like the KEF Mu7 a swerve.