Earlier this year, we tested Master & Dynamic’s MW08 true wireless earphones, which offer solid audio performance and active noise cancellation (ANC) for $299. The new MW08 Sport model offers the same sound quality and ANC, but bumps the price up to $349. For the extra $50, the charging case sports a Kevlar coating and supports wireless charging, and the earpieces feature shatterproof, scratch-resistant sapphire glass enclosures with a metallic finish. Considering this is the Sport edition, you would expect better water resistance than the original, but it’s the same IPX5 rating. Ultimately, these earphones look and sound good, but none of the changes here are worth spending $50 more when you can still pick up the originals.
Where’s the Sport?
The MW08 earphones are available in black, blue, green, or white models, and it’s good that the outer panels of the earpieces are resistant to scratches, because they’re glossy and slippery—the first thing I did after opening the box was accidentally let one of the earpieces slip out of my hand and onto the floor. I can attest to the fact that there were no scratches, but the glossy surface is less than ideal for sports-focused in-ears, which usually have a surface with some sort of grip.
There are no earfin sleeves or anything to add more fit security to the design. We did find the in-ear fit to be secure enough as is for regular everyday use, but even with a generous array of eartips (eight pairs in total), the earpieces don’t feel quite as locked in and secure as many of the exercise-friendly models we test.
The right earpiece has a multifunction button that handles playback, track navigation, call management, and voice assistants, while the left earpiece has a dedicated volume rocker. The volume buttons also activate or disable Ambient listening or ANC when held down. It’s a lot harder to misfire with these buttons than it is with touch-sensitive controls, and we wish more manufacturers adopted this sensible, easy-to-operate approach.
We’re confused by the IPX5 rating here, which is the same as on the original earpieces. If you’re going to include the word Sport in your product name, it should at least be IPX6, and ideally IPX7. That said, nearly every ANC true wireless pair we’ve tested is IPX4 or IPX5, so it seems it’s still difficult to fully waterproof earpieces that have ANC circuitry and mics. If you’re looking for a completely waterproof pair, consider the identically priced Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Sport, which look every bit as stylish, offer a transparent listening mode (but no ANC), and deliver an IP57 rating, making them resistant to dust and fully waterproof. You can wash the Beoplay E8 Sport off under a faucet without issue after using them—don’t try that with the MW08 Sport.
The relatively compact charging case is handsome, with a black Kevlar body that has a matte look and a soft feel. A flip-top lid reveals the charging docks inside, while three status LEDs on the front panel display battery life. There’s a USB-C port on the side panel for the included USB-C cable. A USB-C-to-USB-A cable adapter is also included so you can charge without a USB-C port available.
Master & Dynamic estimates the MW08 Sport’s battery life to be roughly 12 hours, with an additional 30 hours in the charging case. These numbers are excellent, but your results will vary with your volume levels and ANC usage.
Internally, 11mm Beryllium-coated drivers deliver the audio. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2, and support AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs, as well as AptX—which isn’t always the case, even in this high price range.
The free M&D Connect app is simple to operate. It has ANC and Ambient mode controls, as well as an auto-off timer and the ability to enable/disable in-ear detection. The app also provides firmware updates. What’s missing? There’s no EQ, which seems like a major missed opportunity—if you want to adjust the bass or treble a bit, you’re out of luck.
MW08 Sport Noise Cancellation and Audio Performance
There are two ANC modes, selectable in the app, including Max and All Day. Max ANC delivers good results against loud, deep low frequencies, like airplane and train rumble. It also does a decent job with mids and highs like you’d hear in a loud restaurant, dialing them back to a degree, though we can hear a bit of added hiss make it through. All Day ANC provides a more subtle level of noise cancellation, which is less effective against deep lows, but does a decent job of dialing back mids and highs to a degree, though once again there’s some added hiss (think very subtle white noise). There are also two Ambient listening modes, Voice and Awareness. Voice mode focuses mostly on conversation nearby while Awareness lets in a wider array of audio frequencies. Compared with the best-in-class Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279.99), the ANC here isn’t really in the same league, which makes the gulf in pricing hard to accept.
See How We Test Noise-Cancelling HeadphonesSee How We Test Noise-Cancelling Headphones
For audio, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver a full-sounding low-frequency response with no distortion at top, unwise listening levels. At more moderate levels, the bass depth is still substantial, but the earphones don’t boost things like many bass-forward pairs do, particularly those intended for exercise.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the MW08 Sport’s general sound signature. The drums here sound full and round, with a little bit of added body, but they’re not heavily bass-boosted. They sound natural, and there’s plenty of treble presence so that they also have a nice tap. Callahan’s baritone vocals are both rich in the low-mids and crisp, and the overall balance of lows and highs here is ideal—this makes the lack of EQ a little easier to stomach, though if you tend to like a little added bass depth, these earphones might not pack enough thunderous punch.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives plenty of high-mid presence to retain its punchy attack, but we hear even more of the vinyl crackle and hiss that’s typically relegated to background status. So there’s plenty of boosting and sculpting in the high-mids and highs, which pairs nicely with the rich bass depth, but they don’t go to fully thunderous subwoofer depth like many bass-forward in-ears do. The vocals are delivered with ideal clarity in the high-mids and highs, and not much added sibilance.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound fantastic through the MW08 Sport—rich in the lows and low-mids, with ideal higher-register definition. The balance between lows and highs is excellent; things may be sculpted to a degree through the frequency range, but the higher-frequency clarity and bass response are both strong points.
The mic offers solid intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone, we could understand every word we recorded. Though there was some typical Bluetooth distortion in the mix, the mic’s overall signal is strong, and delivers a bit of added low/midrange-frequency body. On a decent cellular signal, callers should have no problem understanding you.
Stick With the Original
Yes, the MW08 Sport earphones sound great. They also sound identical to the standard MW08, but with wireless charging capabilities for $50 more. If you’re willing to spend $350, Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay E8 Sport earphones are truly waterproof, and the better option for high-end sports-focused true wireless in-ears. If it’s the top noise cancellation you’re after, Sony’s $280 WF-1000XM4 earphones are significantly less expensive and offer the best ANC we’ve tested to date. But if you like the mix of features in the MW08, we say pick pick up the non-Sport version, which is a better buy at $50 less.
