When it comes to headphones these days you have a whole world of choices out there. Along with those choices comes an array of features and price points. Bluetooth is one of the features becoming more popular, but wireless connectivity usually comes at a higher price. Mpow is bucking that high price trend by introducing the Muze Touch Bluetooth headphones.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
To be honest with you, I had never heard of Mpow before they offered us a chance to review their headphones and aside from what I have read on their web page, I still know very little. That being said they do have a rather large product offering on Amazon and that is where I ended up doing a bit of my research on this particular model of headphones (upon my initial research, the Mpow website did not have any information on the Muze Touch, but at the time of my editing you can now find them listed).
Besides, the Mpow Muze Touch headphones you also get a USB to micro USB charging cable, a 3.9 foot 3.5 mm headphone cable with males ends on both ends of the cable, a warranty book and an instruction manual.
The thing that makes the Muze Touch headphones different from a lot of the competition is the unique touch controls built into the right side of the headphones. Instead of having a bunch of buttons to increase the volume or switch tracks, you use your finger to swipe the side of the headphone to do this. I will get into this feature later in the article. The Muze Touch has the following specifications as listed on Amazon:
- Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
- Range: Up to 10m/33ft
- Battery: 3.7 V,350 mAh
- Charging: About 2 hour
- Play / Talk time: 12 hours
- Sound pressure level: 118 dB
The Muze touch also has a built-in mic for hands free-calling and online chatting.
Like a lot of headphones these days, these headphones fold for easy storage.
The right side of the Muze Touch is the business side of these headphones as this side has all of the controls. The on/off switch (the frosted white button on the upper front of the head phones), the volume up/down swipe touch area and the track forward/back touch area. On the bottom of the ear cup is the Micro USB port used to recharge the headphones. You can see in the picture the graphic printed on the right side showing the volume and track controls.
The left side of the headphones has the 3.5mm jack receiver so you can listen to your music even if the headphone battery is dead or your music device does not have Bluetooth capabilities and the Mpow logo. The outside frame of both side of the headphones has a rubber like coating as do the outer sections of the ear cups. The ear cups are covered in a leather like material and are well padded. Inside the ear cup is a mesh like liner covering the speaker output holes.
The top of the headband has the same rubber like coating as the left and ride sides of the headphones. The underside of the headband is padded and has the same leather like covering over the padding.
The power button which is located on the right side of the headphones performs multiple functions. The button lights up red when charging and flashes blue when connected to a Bluetooth device. The button also functions as the power button and has the ability when using the Muze Touch with your phone to answer calls, reject calls, end calls and re-dial the last number. The power button also functions as the pause play button.
On the right side of the headphones is the charging port for the Muze Touch. The Muze Touch can be charged using the included USB to Micro USB charging cable.
Like a lot of other Bluetooth headphones, the Muze Touch can be used even if the battery dies. This is done by plugging the included 3.5mm cord into your headphones and the device you want to use to listen to your music. A nice feature of the cord is its flat design, this should help with cord tangles. None of the touch features will work when the Muze Touch is plugged into a music device.
Time to take these bad boys for a spin. Form, fit and comfort are good, but I could see how they could be a little tight if you have a larger head. The ear cups are comfortable enough, but could use a little more or even stiffer padding. You may notice this in situations where you use them for long periods of time. The swipe functions works well, but can be finicky, especially if you don’t swipe straight up and down or forward to backwards. Now for the question all of you are probably asking, how do they sound? First, let me say, I am not a fan of bass boosted headphones, and the Muze Touch touts that as one of its features. That being said, the Muze Touch are not terrible headphones. As I said I am not a bass boost fan and the Muze Touch has it and you can tell. For more modern music I don’t think it is as big of an issue because a lot of it tends to be bass heavy anyway, or at least what I listen to does, but for older (think Stones, Beatles, Cream) or classical the bass can be a little much. The Muze Touch handle high volume surprisingly well. I cranked my iPhone up to the max and the sound was still clear.
So, what’s my bottom line here? For these headphones I have to take not only the sound quality, but the “bang for the buck” factor, and with all that factored in, I would say these are not a bad buy if you are looking for a budget pair of Bluetooth headphones. Honestly, if I had to judge these on sound quality alone I would probably give them a 5 or 6 out of 10, but judging them on the overall package they would be a solid 7 or possibly a 8 based on the current $69.99 price. If price and bass boost are major factors for you, the Mpow Muze Touch are a decent choice, but if you are willing to spend in the $100 range and are not a bass boost lover, the Supertooth Freedom headphones I reviewed may be a better choice.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by MPow. Visit their site for more info or Amazon to order.
