[yoshizakura]

I find that the noise cancelling works best when there is a lot of noise - did you try using it on planes, public transport, or a crowded street?

Unlike the Bose, it doesn't work well on its own - if you just turn on noise cancelling in a relatively quiet environment it has no advantages.

I haven't tried them in a very noisy environment yet as I've not had the chance but I'll give them a real tryout tomorrow. Thanks for the reply.

 

[intlsubband]

I haven't tried them in a very noisy environment yet as I've not had the chance but I'll give them a real tryout tomorrow. Thanks for the reply.

 
The other thing to note is that it can make a strange sound when "listening" to the ANC without any playback. That sound/hiss disappears once the device you're connected to starts playing.
 
So, it's true the ANC is not quite at Bose level - but the passive isolation is excellent both ways. Often when I listen to music which is quite loud, once I take the headphones off in public I can't hear it even if it's still around my neck!
 
And the sound quality, I really cannot find any portable that comes near it- something just so tactile/ realistic about its sound reproduction. Percussions in particular sound scarily tangible sometimes! Enjoy your new headphone mate, it's a real gem!!

 

[Moreezy]

   
I had this happen on more than one unit already. The internal wiring is really poor, and it seems to be the left channel all the time.

 
I agree 100%!  Something internal in these is very prone to interference.  I have had my set for about a week and noticed that if ANC is on and I'm not actively listening to a music source, the headphones give terrible feedback.  It mostly comes from the left side, which is where the battery is housed.  When I play music, the feedback goes away.  That seems like a basic thing they would have ironed out.
 
Other than that they sound great!  To put them in perspective, I'd say they are more detailed than the V-Moda M-80's and approach the Shure SE425s for clarity. 
 
That being said, given they aren't even wireless and give this much feedback, I will likely return these and try the Zik 2.0.  

 

[Moreezy]

   
I agree 100%!  Something internal in these is very prone to interference.  I have had my set for about a week and noticed that if ANC is on and I'm not actively listening to a music source, the headphones give terrible feedback.  It mostly comes from the left side, which is where the battery is housed.  When I play music, the feedback goes away.  That seems like a basic thing they would have ironed out.
 
Other than that they sound great!  To put them in perspective, I'd say they are more detailed than the V-Moda M-80's and approach the Shure SE425s for clarity. 
 
That being said, given they aren't even wireless and give this much feedback, I will likely return these and try the Zik 2.0.  

 
Following up on the above, I just received the Zik 2.0s and still have the M4U2's, so I've been doing a quick back to back comparison.  I've had the Zik's only about a day, but they already sound very impressive based on my early listening.
 
So far it seems like the Zik's have very full, tight bass that hits low frequencies in a way the M4U2's just can't match.  When it comes to the highs, both are very good, but the M4U2's may have a slight edge.  Given the Zik's are also wireless, hopefully PSB will decrease the price of M4U2's soon, as I'm not sure they're worth $400 in comparison. 
 
Oddly, I am seeing a weird interference issue when putting the Zik 2.0's into their airplane mode.  They produce a similar sounding popping noise to the issue I described above in the M4U2, but it's not nearly as severe or loud.  I haven't heard anyone else mention this issue in reviews or forums, so I may swap this pair out.  If anyone else has heard both of these sets, let me know your thoughts.

 

[ztsen]

I love and bought this headphone when it first came out. Built in amp and good sound, however bad built quality. This headphone doesnt last. I not a heavy user, only occasinally use i, most of the time will put back to case. But after few years the fake leather will peal off. The rubber material melt and somehow the switch have issue between the mode. So i end up with a ugly headphone. Good sound and really useful built in amp with noise cancellation, (noise cancellation not so efficient as i still hear noise outside) but let down by the built quality.

 

[Bart147]

Originally Posted by Yoshizakura
 Hi everyone.
Today I took delivery of a brand new set of PSB M4U2 headphones.
I bought them because I have a pair of PSB speakers so I thought I knew what to expect.
And while the sound of these headphones is gorgeous, the noise cancelling is really poor to the point where I'm not sure it does anything at all.
It seems like the only noise cancelling going on is from the very good insulation from the pads.
I know the batteries are working because there a slight hiss and the amplified setting works a treat.
So I just thought I'd ask you all if I'm expecting too much from the noise cancelling or have I got a duff pair?

I'm afraid you've got a duff pair.
I am listening right now to my second pair of PSB M4U2 (first one sold due to crack in headband).
In direct comparison  i would say the ANC of the PSB M4U2 is 90% compared to the Bose QC25 .
On a daily commute it blocks out all low frequency noises (i.e. engines ...) to a very satisfactory level and human voices at a decent level.
I hope this helps...

 

[Citizen13469]

  Any news on the cracking issue fix? Do we know when they will be sending out the updated versions?

 
I just got a pair tonight. The first two things I noticed are:
 
1. Much more comfortable than I expected them to be
2. Creaking (not cracking). The headband "pops" loudly sometimes when on my head and it's LOUD thru the headphones. I'm not happy about this at all. The good news is that once they settle in on my head the creaking/popping goes away, but I do have to be careful when first putting these on as the loud plastic pop that happens sometimes is I'm pretty sure not good for my ears.

 

[Citizen13469]

Hi everyone.
Today I took delivery of a brand new set of PSB M4U2 headphones.
I bought them because I have a pair of PSB speakers so I thought I knew what to expect.
And while the sound of these headphones is gorgeous, the noise cancelling is really poor to the point where I'm not sure it does anything at all.
It seems like the only noise cancelling going on is from the very good insulation from the pads.
I know the batteries are working because there a slight hiss and the amplified setting works a treat.
So I just thought I'd ask you all if I'm expecting too much from the noise cancelling or have I got a duff pair?

I just got my M4U 2's today and have only used them around the house but I thought the same thing. The noise cancellation doesn't seem to do very much. I have the Bose QC-15's sitting here as well (and also a pair of QC-25's laying around) and the Bose cancellation is quite a bit "better" around my house. It's possible that on a plane the PSB may "kick in" and be more noticeable but for now the Bose kicks its butt.
 
Sound quality, the PSB is better BUT I'm a little underwhelmed to be honest.

 

[Citizen13469]

Well, got these today and here are my initial thoughts, posting not because I think I have golden ears but maybe it might help others for a point of reference.
 
I have a few sets of headphones that I own and have used all of them for a few years..except the AKG 553 which is about 4 months old. The headphones I'm comparing are:
 
HD650
Amperior
AKG 553
Beyer DT770 (600ohm)
Bose QC-15
Hifiman HE-400
PSB M4U2 (got these today)
 
Sources:
2015 Moto X headphone jack
Fiio X3 headphone jack
Fiio X3 Line out to Fiio e12a amp
Schiit Asgard 2 (not tested yet so won't comment on this, haven't gotten around to it, but it's my normal home rig)
 
First, the e12a amp makes the biggest difference to the sound quality (not just quantity) of ALL of the headphones. Second, EASILY my favorite combination is the HD650 paired with the e12a and X3.
 
Now quick initial impressions of the PSB. Out of the box I thought they sounded awful. High end was a little recessed but still tinny. Happy to say that either my ears are adjusting or the sound is improving with about 3 hours of play time on them. My biggest problem with them still is that everything sounds "slow and veiled". There is decent resolution but it's almost like the headphones kind of plod along. I don't have this problem with the HD650, HE-400, Amperior, AKG553 or the DT770. Has anyone compared these to any of these other headphones and had any thoughts like this?
 
For EDM I'd say they sound great though. It's not really my typical genre of music but they have nice kick to them and are a fun listen. oh, before I forget, I think the internal amp is pretty mediocre. I've ended up up using them mostly in passive mode out of the e12a for now. The e12a easily outclasses the amp in the PSB.
 
Anyway, I need to find out more about this "room feel" tech. If room feel is basically to make them sound a bit slow and sluggish like a middle of the road set of speakers in a room, well then...maybe that's the signature that works for a lot of people. I'm REALLY hoping things will sound different over a few days of listening. As I said, these are first impressions and while they are "good" I'd not say they were in the same class as the HD650 or even the HE-400 (and yes, I know open back vs. closed). I'm just comparing them since those other two headphones are very popular and will give many people a reference point.
 
Also, my brain is having problems with the presentation of the  sound stage. I'm not sure what it is about it, but something doesn't sound right. I'm guessing my brain will have to adjust. The AKG553 seems to have a deeper stage (although the sound quality is not as good as the PSB overall, lacks bass but at least they don't sound veiled), even the Amperior which I always considered as pretty much no sound stage doesn't sound substantially worse than the PSB. I'm half convinced that whatever "room feel" is is messing with my brain and I need to learn how to listen to the PSB's. So, I'm not calling them a fail, it's way too soon to feel conclusive. One other note about the 553 is that even though it is missing low end I find them more listenable right now. Again, this may all change with more time on the PSB's.
 
Anyway last note, nothing on the PSB's blows me away. I'd say they sound very good, but sort of bland. All of the above are my thoughts with only a few hours of listening time. I HAVE in the past completely realized that I needed time to adjust to new headphones and have learned to appreciate different sound signatures, even ones that I didn't like in the beginning. So, if my feelings about them change over the next few days I'll update this post.
 
I might pick up some Blue Lola's tomorrow or P7's. I liked the P7's when I quickly tested them in Best Buy, but I bought these PSB's for noise cancellation as I wanted something better sounding than the QC15's for traveling. Oh, regarding the QC-15, they are not that far worse than the PSB sound wise and the noise cancellation is quite a bit better. And why haven't I mentioned the QC25's? Well because I'm returning the pair I have. They have a very recessed mid range compared to the QC15 but that's another story..

 

[227qed]

Can these be used with a portable amp and noise cancelling mode? Or does it have to be run in passive mode to use a separate amp?

 

[Bart147]

All 3 modes can be used on the M4U 2 irrespective of the source.
A couple of years ago my source used  to be an ipod classic combined with a fiio e11 , i got the best sound quality with the M4U 2 in passive mode and only used the noise cancelling in very noisy environments .

 

[227qed]

All 3 modes can be used on the M4U 2 irrespective of the source.
A couple of years ago my source used  to be an ipod classic combined with a fiio e11 , i got the best sound quality with the M4U 2 in passive mode and only used the noise cancelling in very noisy environments .

Thanks, I'm hoping to get these for work and the active noise cancelling is their selling point for me and will always be on. But I also wanna use one of my portables to increase SQ so I'm glad to hear that.

 

[JWolf]

Thanks, I'm hoping to get these for work and the active noise cancelling is their selling point for me and will always be on. But I also wanna use one of my portables to increase SQ so I'm glad to hear that.

 
You don't always need the noise cancelling. Sometimes just the amplifier is enough.

 

[227qed]

You don't always need the noise cancelling. Sometimes just the amplifier is enough.

I wish that were true, but my desk is about 15 feet away from a crazy loud air compressor room. And I listen to a lot of books on tape and classical so noise cancelling is pretty important for those. Of course SQ is paramount and these seem like they will be perfect for me.

 

[mbze430]

Are there fixes to isolate the ANC from getting interference from cellphone and other wireless devices?  like may using copper tape in the battery compartment ...etc...??