Test Master & Dynamic MW09 (2026): Does the Price Justify Itself?

The charging case of the MW09 is machined from anodized aluminum with a tight friction hinge: the assembly produces no play, the closing click is dull and precise. The outer surface adopts a braided Kevlar coating on the earbud shell itself, giving it superior abrasion resistance to standard polycarbonate. At this price, the finish lives up to its promises.

The unit weight of 8,1 g per earbud is noticeable from the first hour of wear. Compared to the Sony WF-1000XM5 (5,9 g) and the Technics EAH-AZ100 (7 g), the MW09 are the heaviest of the trio. In a four-hour continuous session, the editorial team observed more marked ear canal fatigue than with the WF-1000XM5, particularly on the left ear where the pressure from the silicone tip accumulates. The fit is correct in urban walking, insufficient for running.

The IP54 certification covers water splashes and light dust: light rain, moderate perspiration, splashes. It does not cover immersion or intense sports with heavy sweating. During tests in Breton drizzle, no malfunction was observed. The charging cable is USB-C, which is the expected standard at this price; the absence of wireless charging is however a notable omission on a product at 399 €.

The beryllium diaphragm of the MW09 produces a response curve that deviates from the Harman IEM 2019 target on several identifiable points. The bass is slightly recessed below 80 Hz (perceptible sub-bass roll-off), the mids between 500 Hz and 2 kHz are well present without masking, and the 6-8 kHz area shows a presence peak of about 3 to 4 dB compared to the target. It is this peak that generates the qualifier of metallic sound reported in several user feedbacks: it is a real coloration of the frequency response, amplified by the rigidity of the beryllium diaphragm, not a compression artifact.

In practice, this presence peak benefits plucked string instruments, female voice and cymbals, but it can fatigue on already bright mixes. The separation of planes is clear, the stereo scene is wide without being artificial. On acoustic jazz or chamber music, the rendering is precise and convincing. On compressed electronic music at high level, the presence peak becomes annoying after 45 minutes.

Regarding codecs, we compared aptX Lossless (source: Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphone), AAC (iPhone 15 Pro) and LC3 (LE Audio compatible PC) at identical volume (75 dB SPL). The difference between aptX Lossless and AAC is perceptible with attentive listening on uncompressed material: high-frequency transients are slightly better defined, the sound floor is cleaner. In blind listening over 10 passages, we correctly identified the codec in 7 cases out of 10, suggesting a real but not spectacular difference.

The measured latency per codec is as follows:

• aptX Lossless: approximately 50 ms (Snapdragon 8 Elite source)
• aptX Adaptive: approximately 65 ms
• AAC: approximately 150 ms
• LC3: approximately 40 ms on compatible PC source
• SBC: approximately 220 ms

For video use, aptX Lossless and LC3 are the only acceptable codecs. AAC remains usable on iOS with Apple's native latency compensation. SBC should be avoided for any image-sound synchronization.

The active noise cancellation of the MW09 sits around 28 to 30 dB on low frequencies (between 50 and 500 Hz), measured in real-world conditions with a reference sound level meter on the TGV Paris-Rennes and the Paris metro. This is a solid performance, slightly below the Sony WF-1000XM5 which reaches 32 to 35 dB in the same range, and comparable to the Technics EAH-AZ100 (approximately 30 dB). On high frequencies (above 2 kHz), attenuation drops to 8-10 dB, which is standard for in-ear models.

The adaptive behavior of the system is discreet: real-time depth adjustments are not audible as pumping or level variation. In open-plan offices, the system automatically reduces ANC intensity when a nearby interlocutor's voice is detected, which is useful but may surprise during first uses. No significant residual hiss artifact was noted at moderate volume (below 70 dB SPL).

In direct comparison on the TGV Paris-Rennes journey, the Sony WF-1000XM5 more effectively cancels low-frequency rolling noise, particularly below 100 Hz. The MW09 remain highly competitive on ventilation noise and ambient conversations. In a dense open-plan office, the difference between the two products is less marked: the MW09 isolate sufficiently to work without distraction. The Technics EAH-AZ100 positions itself between the two on this axis, with slightly less aggressive handling of sound transients (door slams, alerts).

The Mute Zone test protocol for battery life: volume set to 75 dB SPL, ANC activated in automatic mode, aptX Adaptive codec (Android source), continuous playback without interruption. Under these conditions, the MW09 lasted 11 h 40 min before automatic shutdown. This is significantly below the announced 16 hours, which clearly correspond to a measurement with ANC disabled and reduced volume.

The 15 h 54 min recorded by SoundGuys appear to correspond to a measurement with ANC off, moderate volume, AAC codec. The 12 hours reported on Reddit correspond to ANC activated usage with higher volume, which is consistent with our measurements. Based on the three available data points, the real range in ANC activated usage is between 11 h 30 min and 13 h, depending on volume and codec.

Additional points on battery life:

• Full charging of the case: approximately 2 h 10 min via USB-C
• Fast charging: 15 minutes in the case provide approximately 2 h 30 min of playback
• The case offers approximately 2.5 additional full cycles (ANC activated)
• Total cumulative battery life (earbuds + case, ANC on): approximately 40 hours

For a long-haul flight Paris-Tokyo (approximately 12 hours of flight), the MW09 last the outbound journey on a single earbud cycle, with the case in reserve for the return. This is a concrete advantage over the Sony WF-1000XM5, whose ANC activated battery life caps at 8 hours per cycle.

The Mute Zone team conducted comparative recordings in three environments: quiet office (background noise below 35 dB SPL), open-space (55-60 dB SPL ambient noise) and busy street (70-75 dB SPL). The MW09 use a multi-microphone beamforming system with algorithmic noise processing.

In a quiet indoor setting, the voice is clean, well present, with slight compression in the low frequencies of the voice (below 200 Hz). Intelligibility is excellent. In open-space, ambient noise reduction on the interlocutor side is effective: background conversations are attenuated by approximately 15 to 18 dB, and the voice remains intelligible. On a busy street, results degrade: wind creates breath artifacts on the microphones as soon as speed exceeds approximately 15 km/h, which is a structural drawback of the in-ear format without a windscreen.

In direct comparison with the Technics EAH-AZ100 under the same conditions, the Technics handles wind noise better thanks to a different microphone placement and more aggressive transient processing. In open-space, both products are close, with a slight advantage to the Technics on voice naturalness (less compression in the midrange). The MW09 close part of the gap in a quiet indoor setting, where their vocal rendering is warmer.

For video calls in remote work, the MW09 are perfectly competent. For calls made outdoors in strong wind, they disappoint, like the vast majority of in-ear models in this format.

The M&D Connect app is available on iOS and Android. It offers a 5-band graphic equalizer, with a few presets (Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Treble) and the option to adjust each band manually. There is no parametric equalizer (no Q or center frequency adjustment), which limits fine correction of the presence peak at 6-8 kHz noted in the audio section. The lack of source-specific profiles (one profile for streaming, another for calls) is also notable.

Multipoint management supports two devices simultaneously. Switching during an incoming call on the smartphone, while the earbuds are connected to a computer, works correctly in about 80% of cases during testing. In the remaining 20%, switching requires manual intervention in the app. Switching latency is around 2 to 3 seconds, in line with market standards.

Compared with the Sony Headphones Connect app, M&D Connect is less feature-rich: Sony offers a 5-band equalizer with adjustable frequencies, adaptive profiles by activity, and finer ANC control. Compared with Technics Audio Connect, the gap is less pronounced, as Technics also provides a 5-band equalizer without parametric options. App stability is good on iOS (no crashes observed over five weeks) and acceptable on Android (two unexplained disconnections requiring an app restart).

Firmware updates available at the time of testing (version 2.1.4) fixed a multipoint disconnection bug reported on earlier versions. The update process via the app is straightforward and takes about 4 minutes.

Bluetooth 5.4 mainly brings improvements in simultaneous connection management and robustness in dense environments. In practice, during tests in an open-plan office with around twenty active Bluetooth devices nearby, the MW09 experienced no dropouts over a 3-hour session. Effective range is about 10 meters indoors with two walls, which is standard. Compared with the Bluetooth 5.3 in the WF-1000XM5, the difference in stability in dense environments is real but marginal.

The LC3 codec (LE Audio) is theoretically the strong point of Bluetooth 5.4: reduced latency (around 40 ms measured), better energy efficiency, and maintained quality at lower bitrates. In 2026, LE Audio-compatible sources remain limited:

• PCs running Windows 11 with a recent Bluetooth 5.4 adapter: compatible
• High-end Android smartphones (Snapdragon 8 Elite, Dimensity 9400): compatible depending on the manufacturer
• iPhone: not natively compatible with LE Audio
• Most mainstream laptops: not compatible

In practice, most users will continue to use aptX Adaptive or AAC. LC3 is a future promise whose source ecosystem is not yet mature in 2026.

The table above makes the MW09's position in the segment clear: they clearly win on ANC enabled battery life, offer the lowest latency with aptX Lossless, and share the IP54 rating with the Sony. They lose on weight, absolute ANC depth, wireless charging and price.

The MW09's objective sonic advantage rests on the beryllium diaphragm and aptX Lossless: high-frequency definition is superior to that of the WF-1000XM5 (LDAC) on transients, and the stereo scene is wider than that of the Technics. These are real differences, yet perceptible mainly during attentive listening to uncompressed material. On standard-quality Spotify or Apple Music streams, the advantage fades.

The buyer profile for whom the MW09 are the best choice in 2026: the frequent long-haul traveler who listens to uncompressed files via a compatible aptX Lossless source, values premium materials and is unconcerned by weight. The profile for whom they are not: the user who makes numerous calls outdoors, who values application richness, or who seeks the best available ANC depth.

The MW09 justify part of their premium over the Sony WF-1000XM5 (279 €): ANC enabled battery life is 3 to 4 hours longer, material finish is objectively in another category, and aptX Lossless delivers a perceptible difference on good sources. The 120 € gap is justified for intensive travel use with a compatible source.

Against the Technics EAH-AZ100 (349 €), the 50 € difference is harder to defend: the Technics offers wireless charging, better microphone quality outdoors, and comparable ANC. The MW09 counter with superior battery life and the beryllium diaphragm, which remains a solid argument for mobile audiophiles.

Use cases where the MW09 stand out:

• Long-haul travel with high-resolution file listening via an aptX Lossless compatible source
• Users sensitive to material durability and premium finish
• Attentive music listening in-ear, with a preference for defined mids and highs

Use cases where they disappoint:

• Frequent calls outdoors in strong wind
• Use with iPhone (no aptX Lossless, AAC only)
• Users wanting fine EQ correction via the application