I tried high-end headphones that could read my mind for two weeks. Here's how it went

You’ll often hear me say that a pair of headphones that best suit your audio needs is an integral part of your personal tech arsenal. Whether your personal needs relate to your budget, noise-canceling desires, or device compatibility, the right headphones can be your best friend.

As much as I love headphones, I must admit that aside from incremental audio upgrades and basic voice commands, we don’t regularly receive new ways to interact with our favorite cans. We’re entering an era where we want our tech to add value to our lives, so why are headphones so far behind?

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The Master & Dynamic MW75 Neuro headphones debuted at CES 2024 and wowed personal audio enthusiasts with their unique and innovative features. These headphones have electroencephalogram (EEG) monitors inside the earcups that can measure brain activity when worn.

Since CES, I’ve been eager to get my hands on the MW75 Neuro. I wore them for two weeks to see if the brain activity tracking was a gimmick or the most innovative thing to happen to the personal audio industry in years. Here’s what I found.

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First, let’s clarify what the technology is with the MW75 Neuro. Master & Dynamic released the MW75 headphones in 2022, so the hardware isn’t new. The brain-computer interface (BCI) technology was created by Neurable, a software company specializing in BCIs, neuroscience, and machine learning.

The two joined forces, and Neurable’s proprietary BCI is embedded into Master & Dynamic’s MW75 headphones, resulting in the MW75 Neuro. 

How it works

Metal conductors woven into the ear pads gather electrical signals from your brain. The signals are sent to receivers under the ear pads, which send the information to a chip inside the ear cups. The chips in the ear cups use AI and machine learning to run Neurable’s algorithm, which deciphers the signals from your brain, which you can read in the companion app.

The conductors on the ear pads must have contact with the skin around your ears to accurately receive your brain’s electrical signals. Thus, the MW75 Neuro are over-ear headphones. The ear cups are narrower, and the clamping force is harder than I prefer, so I had to wear these without my glasses to avoid discomfort. The MW75 Neuro have noise cancellation and transparency mode, so they can act as normal, everyday headphones when you don’t have the brain-reading software enabled.

The app experience

To use the MW75 Neuro’s brain-reading technology, you must download the Neurable app. It was still in beta when I tested it, but I didn’t run into any bugs or issues. In the app, you can start a Focus Session, check your headphones’ battery, read your Focus Insights, and receive tips to improve your daily workflow.

After your first three Focus Sessions, the app will create insights based on your previous focus habits. You can find out what time of day you’re most focused, which activities hold your focus and attention the best and collect Focus Points based on your attentiveness.

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If you have sessions with bouts of intense focus, you’ll receive more points, and sessions with lower levels of focus will receive fewer points. You must stay in a Focus Session for at least ten minutes for the app to record your results.

Once you finish a Focus Session, you’ll see how long you were in high, medium, and low focus. Neurable says the headphones decipher brain activity, and the wearer’s brainwaves determine how “engaged and challenged you are while attempting to accomplish a task.”

High focus means you were locked into one task, dedicating all of your attention and brain power to it. When I could sit and focus on writing an article, I stayed in high focus.

Medium focus means being intently focused on two or more tasks while regularly switching your attention from one thing to another. I stayed in medium focus when I was productive in writing an article but frequently interrupted my writing to answer an email or a Slack message.

Low focus likely means you’re distracted, and I was in this state when I brainstormed how I was going to write this article. My brain jumped from idea to idea, and my attention was easily diverted to something unrelated to the task at hand.

According to Neurable, the MW75’s main goal is to help people avoid mental burnout. Office workers and students oftentimes push themselves through periods of mental burnout throughout the day in the name of completing a task to move on to the next one. 

However, the MW75 headphones can purportedly identify when your attention and focus levels are decreasing before your brain registers it needs a break. When the headphones sense you need a break, you’ll hear a notification prompting you to take a 10-minute “Brain Break.”

I sometimes ignored the Brain Break prompts and shortly after, I noticed my attention and writing quality declining. I typically refuse to stop a task before I complete it, especially when I feel like I’m in the writing groove. I also ignored the prompts because I felt like I could keep going – I wasn’t mentally tired yet.

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However, the quality of my work increased when I succumbed, took a Brain Break, and returned to my work instead of trying to power through. After a ten-minute break, I picked up right where I left off and usually completed my task shortly after.

You may think, “Isn’t taking a break when you feel mentally tired common sense?” It is, but I can guarantee most people don’t know when they should, and that’s how the MW75 Neuro helps. When I ignored the Brain Break prompts and took my break once I was mentally spent, it was difficult to start another task, and I wanted more than ten minutes to rest.

When I took the Brain Break immediately after hearing the notifications, I returned to my work with mental clarity and worked intently until it was time for the next break. The prompted breaks also helped me find more dedicated time throughout the day to drink water, eat a snack, or use the restroom — things I would usually withhold from myself as a reward for finishing a task.

Who these headphones are for

Neurable says the MW75 Neuro headphones are best for knowledge workers or people who sit at a desk for the entire workday working on high-focus tasks. However, I also see them being helpful for students who study or write essays for hours on end.

It’s easy to sit and study for hours, especially when a big exam is coming up. But if your brain is fried, you’re likely just blankly staring at study material without absorbing any information. Knowing when to take breaks is key to preserving your mental stamina, and the MW75 Neuro can help you understand that.

Neurable also says the MW75 Neuro are ideal for people who want to know more about their attention spans and focus levels. I already knew I had a short attention span, and gamifying my focus levels with an app and daily goals helped me hold myself accountable and avoid distractions.

My results

After two weeks of wearing the MW75 during my workdays, I found that it is possible for me to be productive in the afternoons. Before the headphones, I frequently worked through lunch because I wouldn’t allow myself to step away from a task. However, the 3 PM slump would hit me like a freight train, and I’d lose a lot of productivity in the last two hours of the workday. As a result, I’d pick back up working in the evenings to finish my day’s work.

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Knowing when to take breaks throughout the day (and actually taking them) helped me stay focused throughout the entire workday. Because of my high productivity during work hours, I rarely worked after hours like I used to. By not feeling as tired or having to work late, I was more motivated to exercise, socialize, or do household chores right after work. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

The MW75 Neuro headphones aren’t for everyone; if your job requires physical labor or interacting with customers, you probably won’t use them to their full potential. But if your job or hobby requires you to intently focus on something for hours on end, you’ll find lots of use for them.

Additionally, these headphones retail for $699, so they aren’t cheap. I don’t recommend purchasing them if you can’t see yourself regularly using the Neurable software. Effective noise-canceling tech can also help you decrease distractions and stay focused on your work.

If you want headphones with strong noise-canceling properties that are a few hundred dollars cheaper than the MW75 Neuro, consider the Sonos Ace, Sony WH-1000XM5, or Bose QuietComfort Ultra.