M by Maxell MXH-DBA700S review

For its MXH-DBA700S headphones, Maxell has managed to include both a balanced armature and an 8mm moving coil dynamic driver in each earbud. Maxell claims this hybrid design allows enhanced vocals and more powerful bass. Balanced armature transducers don’t require external air to operate, which can mean a lack of bass response as they typically perform better with mid and high frequency sounds. With the MXH-DBA700S, the addition of a more traditional dynamic driver helps to boost bass sounds.

In testing, we found that MXH-DBA700S produced a pleasant sound. Although we found that the MXH-DBA700S did need to be burnt in, and the audio quality improved with use. Once burned in, the MXH-DBA700S’s bass response was tight but not overpowering. Mid-range and high-frequency sounds were acceptable and sounded particularly good during our acoustic rock test tracks. However, we did find that these frequency ranges became slightly sharp and harsh at louder volumes.

As Maxell has squeezed two transducers into each conically shaped earbud, the MXH-DBA700S is large, and each protrudes around 2cm when inserted into your ear canal. Fortunately, the MXH-DBA700S was comfortable to wear despite this large size, even after longer listening sessions. We also think the silver on black design is smart and attractive.

They also come with four different-sized silicone sleeves, from XS to L. The XS sleeves are particularly small and will likely only fit a child. The headphones also come with a soft carrying pouch for transportation and storage, but we’d prefer to have a hard case. The headphones use a flat, tangle-free, rubberised 1.2m cable with an inline, one-button remote and microphone to pause and skip tracks on Android or iOS devices.

We like the MXH-DBA700S, and especially like the way the dual-transducers complement each other. However, you may want to pay more for the Philips Fidelio S2, which has slightly better sound quality.