Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless

It was only a matter of time. There was a gap between the MMX 100, the MMX 150 and the top-of-the-line MMX 300 that needed to be filled in style. The Heilbronn-based manufacturer has now done this with the MMX 200 wireless, a gaming headset costing about 250 euros and featuring cutting-edge equipment: The latest version of Bluetooth 5.3, a low-latency wireless dongle, Augmented Mode (transparency mode) and a microphone with a 9.9mm capsule that is designed to set standards in gaming with studio-quality. Otherwise, these closed headphones do without bells and whistles such as LEDs, software connection, and surround sound.

Package

The Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless comes with a 240 cm USB cable (C to A), a wireless dongle with USB-C and USB-C to USB-A adapter, as well as a detachable gooseneck microphone including pop protection. Of course, the usual documents such as safety instructions and a quick start guide are included, and if you want to use the hybrid mode, connection via optional USB-C to mini-jack cable is also described. Why this cable is not included with a headset costing 249 euros remains a mystery. At the time of publication, there was no indication of costs and availability from the Beyerdynamic webshop. So for the time being, the only option is to use a third-party cable.

Design and wearing comfort

The Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless, available in black or light grey, are closed over-ear headphones with dynamic 40 mm drivers.

In typical Beyerdynamic fashion, the MMX 200 wireless is solidly made, with much of the material used being plastic. The headband cushion made of memory foam is covered with artificial leather and firmly connected to the bracket. The headband accommodates the aluminium suspension, which is somewhat stiff and allows the size to be adjusted in eleven ratcheted steps. The speaker pods are suspended from this; their ear pads are also filled with memory foam and covered with artificial leather.

Unfortunately, the replaceable ear pads (diameter approx. 5.5cm) make for sweaty ears after a few hours, and if you press firmly on the ear cups, the air underneath escapes with a loud squeak. As a spectacle wearer, I’ve had smoother-feeling headsets on my head. Here, I felt the pressure of the ear pads on the arms of my glasses, which led to slight discomfort in the long run.

On my medium-sized head, the contact pressure was good, so there was very good passive external noise attenuation.

The left plastic ear pod did, however, pick up noise when the thick rubber-covered USB cable rubbed on clothing.

The battery performance of the MMX 200 is mid-range: At moderate volume the headphones last about 35 hours, and our practical test just about confirmed this. However, these headphones do not offer a quick charging option.

Operation

In addition to the mini-jack for the microphone and the USB-C socket, the Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless has a power button, a button that switches between low latency and Bluetooth and a continuous rotary control for the volume. This has several sub-functions that offer different modes when it is pressed for several seconds or more. Mute and arm the microphone, change the wireless link or switch Augmented Mode on or off. The multi-coloured LED border around the volume wheel indicates the different modes. With nearly 20 different flashing states, it was neither possible to remember which colour does what at which flashing speed, nor was this self-explanatory. Here, the Quickstart Guide was indispensable.

How flexibly can the Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless be used?

The Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless offers these three connection modes – Low Latency Mode, Bluetooth Mode and Hybrid Mode. The first requires the dongle that is included in the package (META LINK CONNECT) and can be used on PCs, Macs, PlayStations and the Switch. Pairing was quick, and we had no drop-outs, even after more than 25 metres and through a closed patio door.

The Bluetooth mode allows connection with a Bluetooth-enabled device, using SBC or LC3 as codec depending on the equipment. The latter is the higher quality compression method, although not many smartphones or tablets support it yet (see guide). Still, it’s good to be prepared for the future.

If calls come in or you want to listen to music, the Bluetooth button takes over the management of phone calls (answer, hang up, reject), or control functions such as play and stop.

Meanwhile, the Hybrid Mode allows the simultaneous use of the headphones via Bluetooth plus with a game console or a PC. In this case, the headphones mix both signals in a 50:50 ratio. Unfortunately, we were not able to test this because – as already mentioned above – the cable required must be purchased as an optional extra. Beyerdynamic should change this so that users can use one of the main features that they are advertising.

While the headphones can also be operated digitally and thus lossless with a PC via the supplied USB cable, the Hybrid Mode unfortunately does not work in this combination.

The Augmented Mode is a useful addition: It transmits sounds from outside via two microphones in the ear cups and mixes them live to the playback signal. This allows you to continue speaking at normal volume, which would otherwise not be possible with a closed system. The amplification works subtly; the background noise is unobtrusive. According to the instructions, a voice prompt confirms activation of the mode, but this was not the case with the headphones we tested.

Sound

The MMX 200 wireless definitely shows whose brand they come from. Beyerdynamic’s expertise in studio tuning can be “heard” here, too.

With a frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hz, the MMX 200 do not operate in such a wide frequency range as their colleagues MMX 100, MMX 150 or the MMX 300. They offer a subdued, crisp bass range that plays cleanly but doesn’t get carried away with deep explosions or sub-basses. As with their smaller colleagues, this often comes across as a bit well-behaved. If you want to change this, you can use a third-party equaliser on your smartphone, but this doesn’t help on the PlayStation and the like.

The mids and highs seem to be nicely present so that, for example, in “Horizon Forbidden West”, dialogue and all kinds of noises were wonderfully understandable and distinguishable. Of course, this ensured very good precision: considering this was just a stereo headset, we never had any trouble localising the movements and sounds of our opponents on the virtual stage. Even game scenes in which things were extremely hectic did not throw the MMX 200 wireless off its stride.

Thanks to the very nice reproduction of spatiality, I noticed shortcomings in games far more than with comparable competitors such as Razer or EPOS.

This quality was almost reminiscent of an acoustic magnifying glass, whereas in a self-produced track with Shure SRH1540 studio headphones, the extremely subtle gated reverb effect on the sound of a handclap was simply lost in the overall mix, the MMX 200 wireless headset brought this out in such a way that it remained subtly perceptible. Very nice!

META VOICE microphone

We were also very satisfied with the microphone quality: Equipped with a 9.9mm capsule and cardioid pickup pattern, my voice sounded quite natural, while keyboard noise was only quietly perceptible in the background. My test recordings showed the high sensitivity of the microphone: Positioned too close to the mouth, my voice quickly caused clipping. Thanks to a frequency range of 50 Hz to 18,000 Hz, it was suitable even for semi-professional podcasts or even for making music. Although I admit, it would not replace a “big” studio microphone for really professional recordings.

Conclusion

The Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless is a wireless gaming headset that does a lot right, but unfortunately, not everything. While we really liked the sound, the precision, the spatiality and the quality of the microphone, we unfortunately did not like the range of functions. The hybrid mode, i.e. simultaneous use as a gaming headset and Bluetooth receiver, can only be used with the optional USB to mini jack cable. For a pair of gaming headphones costing just under 250 euros, this was a bitter pill to swallow, as there are some competitors out there that can do this better.