This M&D x Leica collaboration is what you get when one company truly admires another’s design principles.
Leica rarely licenses the use of their trademark red dot and font in products other than cameras, but Master & Dynamic gained access to the signature trade dress by launching a new brand with Leica, called 0.95. The 0.95 brand includes the MW60 wireless headphones, as well as the older MH40 headphones and ME05 earbuds.
When I first heard about this collab, I asked M&D CEO, Jonathan Levine how a young audio company founded in 2014 could team up with the storied and time-tested Leica Camera AG., founded in 1924. He answered, “If Leica made headphones, they would share traits with Master & Dynamic’s.”
Nothing has changed….except the colorway
Cards on the table: nothing has changed on the performance side since I last reviewed the MW60, besides the look. There’s still no noise cancellation, but there is quite a bit of isolation. They’re a great sounding, balanced pair of headphones with not too many quirks; I’ve said all this before.
So, while it may really be a marketing arrangement designed to drive sales by generating hype within the disparate audiences of both companies, it’s also truly sort of materialized demonstration of mutual appreciation.
The familiar Leica red dot is new, however, as is the font, and heavy use of black. A matching black zipper case comes in the box, so you can store your pricey headphones, along with a micro USB charging cable and 3.5mm aux cable. That’s all, doc.
What’s the bottom line here? If you like the Leica aesthetic, there’s an opportunity here to wear it on our sleeve – or your head, rather. Or, if you don’t have a pair of balanced headphones and are willing to spend a handful of Benjamins for good sound, I can safely recommend the MW60s.
Price as Reviewed: $549 at M&D
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