After nearly a decade, Master & Dynamic has updated a classic. The company’s new ME05 wired earphones take the familiar formula from the original, like an elegant brass design with audiophile sound. But the new model is more compatible with today’s (headphone-jack-less) mobile devices with a bundled USB-C adapter (with DAC). Fortunately, the 2024 model costs the same $199 as its now-discontinued 2015 predecessor.
The updated ME05 has the same solid brass design and in-line volume remote as the old version. But Master & Dynamic says the new model has an “updated dynamic sound,” thanks to “acoustic refinements.” Some of that comes from a switch from 8mm titanium drivers in the 2015 original to high-excursion 8mm bio-cellulose in the 2024 model.
Maybe the most notable change in this generation is the inclusion of a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter with a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) for listening on modern mobile devices. The bundled DAC supports up to 32-bit / 384kHz res
