Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear Review

The Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear is a set of low budget wireless headphones that still manage to provide a good level of convenience and comfort. If you're ok with somewhat average sound quality, the Mpow is an inexpensive way to get rid of those pesky headphone wires.

Performance Comparison

After our grueling series of side-by-side tests, the Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear ended up towards the bottom of our overall scoresheet. However, due to their low price, they still represent a great value for those looking for a bargain. Below you can read about how they fared in each of the tests we conducted.

Sound Quality

The Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear shared the score of 5 out of 10 in our sound quality testing with multiple other headphones.

That score of 5 out of 10 corresponds to the lowest score in our testing, but that doesn't mean it's bad. These headphones have enough clarity and can produce enough bass to create a fairly full sound. However, they're kind of akin to those cheap earbuds you buy when you lose the ones your phone came with. They don't sound great, but they sound good enough.

Obviously paying more can get you much better sound quality. The best models from Bose can make you feel like you're constantly sitting in a concert hall. For budget-minded shoppers, the next logical step up from the Mpow is the TaoTronics TT-BH060. The TaoTronics headphones add active noise cancellation, which can make any pair of headphones sound better. They also provide noticeably better bass and much better clarity than the Mpow. If you want the most sound quality per dollar, you may want to consider the TaoTronics over the Mpow.

Noise Isolation

With a score of 4 out of 10 the Mpow was again towards the bottom of the scoreboard in our noise isolation testing. However, we would still call this score not great but good enough.

The Mpow generally delivers the kind of noise isolation one would expect from a set of over ear headphones without active noise cancellation. When listening to loud music the outside world is almost completely drowned out, with quieter music you'll notice some of the louder sounds happening around you, and with no music you'll hear pretty much everything but in a more muffled tone.

If you're looking for great noise isolation on a budget, the TaoTronics TT-BH060 is again a worthy upgrade. For a bit more than the Mpow you get active noise cancellation that can block out most ambient noise. This noise cancellation can't compare to that of the much more expensive Bose or Sony models, but it's a huge step up from the Mpow.

Comfort

The Mpow was one of the most comfortable pair of headphones that we tested, earning a high score of 8 out of 10 in this metric.

The Mpow has large ear cups with nice, supple padding. The headband also has just enough padding that it's comfy but not bulky. This is also one area where it outperforms the TaoTronics TT-BH060, which have comparatively shallow ear cups and slightly thinner padding. They're not uncomfortable, but the Mpow is a clear step up.

User Friendliness

The Mpow was fairly average in our ease of use testing, picking up a score of 6 out of 10.

The Mpow offers the standard on headset controls: play/pause, volume, and track forward/back buttons. We found Bluetooth pairing to be quite easy. It also has a microphone for making phone calls. It missed out on a higher score because it lacked an app that lets you fine tune EQ settings (something most higher end models have) and a way to summon virtual assistants like Siri and Google Assistant directly from the headset. The Mpows's main rival, the TaoTronics TT-BH060, is almost identical in this respect.

Portability

The Mpow was one of the lower scorers in our portability testing, earning a 5 out of 10. The headphones don't fold up in any way and only come with a thin drawstring pouch. On the plus side, they are relatively light at 9 ounces. The TaoTronics TT-BH060 outdo the Mpow in this metric, weighing in at just 7.5 ounces and coming with a padded travel case.

Value

The Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear represents quite a good value among the top-rated over ear headphones. If you can stand to spend a bit more, the TaoTronics TT-BH060 provides a better overall value, but if you're not fussy about sound quality you won't be disappointed by the Mpow.

Conclusion