UK Audio specialist, KEF, has just introduced the Mu3: the company's first set of true wireless headphones that also boast noise cancelling. They're designed by Ross Lovegrove – of KEF's high-end Muon speakers and bijou Bluetooth Muo fame – and engineered by the firm’s Maidstone acoustic team.
2021 sees KEF celebrating its 60th anniversary too, so why not mark it with some new high-spec wireless earbuds to rival Apple's AirPods Pro? The audio performance benefits from KEF's specially tuned active noise cancellation technology, promising to eliminate external noise without altering the details that bring your music to life.
Each sculptural enclosure contains an 8.2mm full-range dynamic driver and the ergonomic design also promises a comfortable and secure audio experience. The Mu3s are apparently balanced in the ears by smart weighting, which KEF assures us stops them from falling out. They also come with a choice of four subtly different sized ear tips to give the most tailored fit for your ears – ie. the perfect seal for noise isolation and security.
The Mu3 wireless earbuds also boast Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity further enhanced by the introduction of simultaneous transmission, where both earphones receive a signal at the same time (rather than the more common approach where audio is sent to one earpiece and relayed to the other, therefore running the risk of latency) for improved true wireless audio on both Android and iOS devices.
KEF promises a simple setup, automatic pairing and an ambient mode too, where at the touch of a button active noise cancellation is disengaged and instead, the audio picked up on the microphones is filtered in, providing the wearer with instant awareness of their surroundings. The IPX5 splash-proof rating actually beats the AirPods Pro's IPX4 rating for water ingress and the high-capacity, quick-charge batteries boast a full day’s listening (a claimed nine hours of playtime with a further 15 hours in the charging case) even with noise cancellation engaged.
They'll be available by the end of February, priced at £199 ($230, AU$300) – slap bang in AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM3 territory. Are they set to become the best AirPods alternatives on the block? There's tough competition at that level, but we're very interested to find out...
MORE:
Read all our KEF reviews
See our pick of the best wireless noise-cancelling headphones 2021
Touch of insomnia? Peruse the best headphones for sleeping 2021: wired wireless and noise-cancelling
