Mpow X6 Truly Wireless Headphones [Review]

The Mpow X6 are noise-canceling in-ears that are genuinely wireless. They’re small, sturdy, and quite comfortable. They also include an on-board low latency mode that helps to reduce Bluetooth audio latency across a variety of devices. Their ANC system, on the other hand, isn’t very effective, and their limited continuous battery life may be an annoyance for some users. They also have a bass-heavy sound profile that can’t be altered out of the box, which may not be to everyone’s taste.

Style

The Mpow X6 has a luxury appearance, thanks to its dark color scheme, which is available in dark blue or purple, and lighter contrast highlights. Their overall design and size, however, are not dissimilar to the Mpow X5 Truly Wireless.

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Comfort

The Mpow X6 are really pleasant to wear. They feature a shallow fit and don’t put too much pressure on the interior of your ear canals. Making an input also doesn’t shove them any farther into your ears because their controls are touch-sensitive. Their variety of ear tip sizes, on the other hand, is quite limited.

Controls

These in-ears offer a good control mechanism that operates quite close to that of the Mpow X5 Truly Wireless. A double-tap on either bud pauses and plays media. A single tap on the right earbud raises the volume, a triple tap skips forward, and holding it for two seconds activates the voice assistant on your phone. Four taps on the right bud activates their low latency mode, which lowers Bluetooth audio latency. A single touch of the left bud lowers media volume, a triple tap reverses your track, and a two-second hold cycles through the ANC on/talk-through/ANC off settings. Single taps to modify volume might be inconvenient because turning up the volume in many increments can be misinterpreted as a double or triple tap. It’s also difficult to put these headphones into Bluetooth pairing mode without first manually detaching them from the previous device with which they were paired.

Breathability

The Mpow X6 are very breathable, as are most truly wireless in-ears. They let your ears to breathe while trapping very little heat. While wearing them, you shouldn’t notice much of a temperature change or sweat any more than usual.

Portability

The Mpow X6 is a very portable device. They’re small enough to fit in your pocket or a backpack, and their carrying case doesn’t take up much space.

Case

The charging case on the Mpow X6 is quite good. It’s a little shorter than the TOZO NC9 Truly Wireless case, but it’s a little taller. It has a magnetized top that keeps it snugly locked, and it’s made of high-quality plastic. On the front of the device are two LED lights that indicate how much battery life is left.

Build Quality

The Mpow X6 is a well-made device. The buds are constructed of solid-feeling plastic and are water resistant to IPX6, however we haven’t tested them yet. Their case is likewise extremely solid. Their silicone ear tips, on the other hand, appear to be prone to tearing.

Stability

The fit of these in-ears is secure. They should stay put when you’re out and about or doing low-intensity activities, however violent head shakes may cause them to move around a little.

Sound Profile

The sound profile of the Mpow X6 is particularly bass-heavy. Some fans of EDM or hip-hop may enjoy this, but others may find the increased bass response overwhelming, since it can muddy and clutter vocals and lead instruments. Fortunately, thanks to their well-balanced treble range, most mixes aren’t excessively dark. Unfortunately, there are no sound adjustment options with these in-ears.

Bass Accuracy

The bass accuracy of the Mpow X6 is bad. It’s aggressively accentuated throughout the range, resulting in an abundance of rumble, punch, and boom. Some bass-hungry listeners may appreciate this, while others may find it too boomy and muddy.

Mid Accuracy

The mid-accuracy of these headphones is amazing. While the bass response is overemphasised in the low-mids, slightly muddying vocalists and lead instruments, the rest of the spectrum is well-balanced, resulting in good clarity and detail. Vocals and lead instruments may be pushed to the rear of the mix by a little dip in the mid-mids, but this shouldn’t be too obvious.

Treble Accuracy

The treble precision of the Mpow X6 is excellent. A tiny increase in the low-treble range can give some singers and lead instruments a slightly harsh quality, although this shouldn’t be too noticeable overall.

Peaks/Dips

The Mpow X6 performs well in terms of peaks and dips. Vocals and lead instruments are pushed to the rear of the mix by a dip in the mid-mids, while a dramatic surge in the low-treble range can give them a harsh feel. Sibilants, such as S and T sounds, can be dulled to a degree by a slight dip in the mid-treble.

Imaging

The stereo image performance of the Mpow X6 is superb. Their weighted group delay is completely below audibility, giving in a tight bass and clear treble. The phase, amplitude, and frequency response of the L/R drivers are also well-matched, so items like voices and footsteps should be precisely placed inside the stereo image. However, these findings are only valid for our test unit, and your experience in the real world may differ.

Passive Soundstage

The passive soundstage on the Mpow X6 is horrible. This is frequent with in-ear headphones that avoid any interaction with the outer ear, which is necessary for producing an out-of-head listening experience. Their closed-back enclosure also contributes to a closed-off soundstage, with music emanating from inside your head rather than all around you.

Noise Isolation

The Mpow X6 does a poor job of removing background noise. The headphones’ ANC system isn’t particularly successful, and they perform a poor job of filtering out bass-range ambient noise, such as the rumble of a bus or plane engine, and aren’t much better at isolating you from background chatter. They do, however, block out a fair bit of high-pitched background noise.

Recording Quality

The built-in microphone provides adequate recording quality. Speech that has been recorded should sound natural and be mostly distortion-free, but it should also be slightly thin and muted.

Noise Handling

The built-in microphone does a mediocre job of distinguishing voice from background noise. If you call from a noisy or congested setting, those on the other end of the line may struggle to understand you.

Battery

The battery life of these headphones is dismal. Their continuous battery life of under four hours with ANC turned on is much less than the Mpow X5 Truly Wireless’s seven-hour-plus continuous runtime. However, depending on your usage habits, power consumption can vary dramatically, and these in-ears come quite close to the four-hour battery life stated. Their case holds around four additional charges, which is convenient, and you may listen to music on one bud while the other recharges in its cradle. They don’t have any power-saving features, such as a standby mode or an auto-off timer, which is unfortunate.

Bluetooth

The Bluetooth connectivity on the Mpow X6 is adequate. They support Bluetooth 5.1 but not NFC or multi-device pairing, so you won’t be able to listen to music from your phone while connected to your PC. On PCs, their latency is extremely high, which can be annoying when streaming video, but they work better on mobile iOS and Android devices. When you enable their low latency option, which reduces latency to 152ms on PC, 103ms on iOS, and 83ms on Android, they run substantially better on all devices. However, because different apps and devices compensate for latency in different ways, your real-world experience may differ.

Verdict

The Mpow X6 are suitable for a variety of applications. They offer a compact, solid feel, a steady, comfortable fit, and an easy-to-use yet comprehensive control system, making them ideal for on-the-go use. Their limited continuous battery life, on the other hand, may be an irritation throughout the workday, and their lack of noise isolation makes them unsuitable for lengthy flights or long bus excursions. Although its low latency mode reduces Bluetooth audio latency, making them a suitable choice for watching videos or movies, it is unlikely to meet the needs of most gamers.