M-1 Personal Monitor

Tried so many different headsets while working from home - wired and wireless, over-ear and in-ear, consumer-grade and professional-grade, casual and audiophile, etc... Without spending a lot of money on interface modules, there were not many choices for headsets. I've been looking at M-1 for more than a year because I don't know whether I need a sound-mixing style headset. Then, I found a used one (almost new condition) at reduced price. So I snatched this for a trial. Comfortness: I was hesitant on "on-ear" style headset because it might cause fatigue or discomfort after long uses (4-5 conference calls a day, 30- 60 mins duration). Previously I used Sennheiser and Jabra headsets (callcenter style) and in-ear style headset (Razer ifrit) - I switched back and forth so that I didn't end up with ear infection... after long hours of usage with M-1, it does give you some discomfort, and little sweats as well. However, it was actually quite comfortable to wear for an hour-long call (not so bad at all). This might be varied among people since we have different sizes of head. It does have enough compression feeling so that earpieces are securely placed, but not have too much force to squeeze your ears/head (I wear a 7 1/4 football helmet with a beanie). I need to extend the earpieces all the way to the end and it will fit me (again, this would be up to your head size/shape). Overall, it was okay for me (lucky!!). Sound: audio quality would be the most positive aspect of M-1 - rich, not too much bass, somewhat neutral, almost no enhancement. Well, this is what I really like since I am not a musician. I wanted to hear others' voice clear without any enhancement via whatever smart people invented over years. Just plain and simple. Mic quality is decent, not perfect, but good enough for crisp conversations (no distortion, echo, static noise, none). I think it is an uni-directional mic since it would not pick up surrounding sounds too much. Boom mic is long enough to locate the mic at the optimal location (for me, it would be just below the lower lip so that it would not pick up "p" too much, and I can sip my coffee easily). I use this for all communications (computer, tablet, phone) and sound quality is great in both inputs and outputs. There is some sound bleeding, but acceptable (not so much as open-back headphones). Its sound feels like weaker Grado SR80e (just my personal opinion). Build Quality: metal frame with cushioned earpieces. It feels like 80s' Walkman headset with fancy form earpads. For carrying purpose, earpieces can be folded inward. Not So Good: wire is little short. I am using usb audio enhancer (from Razer ifrit since it has a mute button) and its would be okay. If you connect this directly to your laptop or computer, you might have only one sitting position, unable to stand and move. Another thing I need to address is limited function of its universal button. It seems working on phone/tablet (pause/play/next/previous), but didn't work on computer. Not a deal breaker. Overall, this is a reasonably-priced tiny workhorse headset with rich sound and good mic - not only for great conference calls, but for music lovers while working. This would be for music creators, but also for people who work from home and love music!!! Enjoy!!!

Hinges are metal pins through a plastic piece on the ear cup and one on the head band. Also the detent that keeps the headphones unfolded is another plastic nub which wears away with use. These flaws are unacceptable in a product this expensive, but I must like their sound quality and style enough to overlook these flaws, because I went ahead and bought a second pair when my first broke.

If you are considering these as a pair of daily-driver rough and tumble headphones, seriously look elsewhere. These are not a replacement for the Bose Quietcomforts and the Sony WX-whatever's of the world. IF however, you don't have $300-400 to spend on headphones, are sick of in-ear buds, and rue the day that aesthetic audio equipment went away due to airpods, these are for you. This headset is SMALL (mini soda for scale). Like unbelievably compact, to the point where I got it as part of a multi-piece order and straight up thought amazon forgot to ship the headphones in the box. These are a design piece, part of the experience is not about the sound quality with this set; it has a retro-modern aesthetic in line with other Teenage Engineering products, and if you are a fan of their designs like me (but can't quite afford an op-1 yet...) then these provide a taste of that experience for a much more manageable price. Let's talk sound. I'm no audiophile, but will be as poetic as I can be, keeping in mind that I listen to everything from EDM, to Classic Rock, Funk, Soul, Blues, Piano Ballads, Chiptune, etc.. As a few other reviewers have noted, these are very "warm". The lower tones are quite prevalent, and I understand for some people could be quite distracting. In my experience however, I should note that the rest of the soundstage is clear and crisp, it's simply that the bass is standing closer to you. After I went and enabled Dolby Atmos on my S21 ultra and customized the EQ a bit, I arrived at a soundstage that fit my music better. Comfort-wise, I could wear these for several hours without noticing as the pads are quite soft and plush. The aux cable is not that long, but long enough to get the job done if you are sitting at a notebook or using these with your phone. The headphone attachment wasn't the greatest when used with my phone, (although this could be due to the usb-c adapter I'm using). Vocals are a bit soft, but despite being close to my mouth the gain was never grating despite being maxed when I projected my voice. Also, there seems to be a natural "de-esser" (reduces the hiss on "S") due to the pop-filter foam. Other quirks: you really have to make sure the aux cable is fully inserted into the headphones - I've had an issue where the volume on the cup opposite to the cable is lower than the "active" side. This of course is a quirk of using cables again, so if you've been exclusively bluetooth buds for a while, just be aware. Also, if you have big fingers like me, these require a dainty touch; inserting the cable can be a trick, but I leave these at home and thus leave the cable inserted so problem averted. Con: the only con I would list is the fact that these seem to be made mostly of durable materials, but then they went and made the folding/latch part out of plastic... Why? I like these enough that I want to own them for a long time, and would assume that given Teenage Engineering's background these will be of more limited availability. Plastic being used in the most wear-and-tear area somewhat undermines my confidence of these lasting, although to be fair the mechanism seems pretty robust. Would love to see a v.2.0 of these with this latch addressed, and a *fractionally* larger scale (or relocated 3.5mm insert) to make inserting the cable less of a chore. All in all, if you are looking at these because you wanted to try something aesthetically minded and have a little money to spend, I would recommend them and love that they exist!

pro: - looks cool - mic is good - good enough sound con: - on ear fit is sometimes not comfy for long term use - mic is sometimes quiet on computer - where you put the mic/aux cable is a tight fit, wider cables might not fit.

The sound is bass dominant which makes the treble a bit dark and recessed, but with how the treble is tuned vocals shine coming through it. I use this for phone calls all day. The weight and ability to bend headband to desired tension make this incredibly comfortable. You can dial in how hard they clamp down. The boom mic is excellent once you get it out of the way of your nasal and mouth breathing paths. The boom mic picks up all of the body in your voice as well as the treble. My voice has never sounded so good on the phone, and with the 15kHz limit on phone calls, the muted nature of the sound tuning really softens the sharpest of cellular voices. I havent used the built in mic because I want the best sonic translation I can get through calls. Build is top notch, and aesthetics are on point. I use this for gaming now too which works well when I don't want to sonically isolate myself with over ear cans or earbuds.

I was so hopeful for this product but it has been a very disappointing product. I have always wanted to buy from Teenage Engineering and was excited to buy from them and not sony or another large company. But from the beginning have found these headphones to be mid-grade. they sound okay but nothing special. they are not very comfortable and have no twist built in so they apply uneven pressure on the ears. They have recently just snapped on the hinge and it is un-repairable. I am so disappointed. I have not even used them very much this year and now they are broken beyond repaint because of a shoddy hinge detail. I am so disapointed and will not be buying anything from them again. I will go back to the big companies with more rigorous testing and quality.

My dogs ate my Platronics headset that I was using for 8 hours a day working from home during COVID. So, I went looking for my 'dream headset'. I wanted something over the ear with a boom mic and a non-proprietary 3.5mm cord. It took me forever to stumble on this one, but I am glad I found it. This turned out to be an IDEAL headset for conference calls. People can hear me clearly on the boom mic and with it's breath guard I can have a fan blowing nearby without sounding like I'm in a wind tunnel. Since all of these calls are done through my cell phone, having the answer/hangup buttons on the headset are quite handy too. The audio quality for music playback is pretty darn awesome as well. If you're looking for a light weight over the ear headset for working from home - you found it. Weighs nothing on the head, you'll sound FAR better than you do on any bluetooth earbuds or on any form of in-line mic on the cord of your jogging earbuds. Hard wired to phone with easy to find 3.5mm plug replacement cables. I don't own any of Teenage Engineering's other products, but this headset is perfect for what I needed for the endless parade of meetings I'm in. The price might seem high for my purpose, but -good- office headsets are often more expensive than this and won't hook up to a cell phone anyway. This is the best headset I have found for doing conference calls and talking on the phone for extended times. If you're sick of crappy $30 'office headset for phone' options, this $80 option might be just what you are looking for. It was for me.

I absolutely LOVE the way these headphones look, and really like the useful functions built into them! My only complaint is their build quality. These are not travel headphones. I feel that even if I packed them in a case in my bag, they would immediately break.