Beyerdynamic MMX 100 Review

Beyerdynamic MMX 100 Review

While Beyerdynamic may be primarily known by audiophiles for creating flat and analytical studio-grade over-ear headphones, the company does in fact produce headphones designed for more casual and everyday purposes as well. The MMX 100 is a closed back, over-ear gaming headphone from Beyerdynamic that came out in November of 2021. This is not the first gaming headphone released by the company, with the Custom Game having come out in 2017 and the TYGR 300 R in 2019. While I am very familiar with Beyerdynamic and usually love what they make, I have never tried a gaming headphone from them before; I’m curious to see what we have in store with the MMX 100.

Whats In the Box?

-Beyerdynamic MMX 100 closed-back headphones

-Detachable electret condenser cardioid boom microphone

-1.2 meter analog wire for devices with 4 pin jack connector

-2 meter analog cable for PC (pluggable)

-Instruction Manual

Look and Feel

The classic Beyerdynamic look is definitely still present, but has been crossed over with a signature gaming look as well. The headband is a dark grey plastic with leather cushioning on the underside, with grey metal sliders that are able to wiggle but not swivel or fold. The plastic that went into the headband feels like a high quality and is reasonably bendable. The ear cushions, made of Softskin with memory pad filling, are very comfortable but maybe not the most isolating. One of my favorite features is that the arm on the microphone is extremely flexible and can be adjusted accordingly to just about anybody’s needs.

Orange buttons on the bottom of the left phone give it the pop of a gamer headphone. One button mutes and un-mutes the mic, while a small knob controls volume. These are standard features for a gaming headphone, but they are convenient and good to see regardless.

Design

-Impedance: 32 ohms

-Frequency response: 5 Hz to 30 kHz

-Microphone: Electret Condenser (Cardioid Polar Pattern)

-Driver: 40 mm Dynamic

Sound Impressions: Speaker and Mic

In the absence of video games at the office, I watched some recorded game streams on youtube to give the MMX 100 a test. I find gaming headphones tend to swing warm, which can make them sound soupy and unclear when it’s done wrong, but big and cinematic when it’s done right. I’m happy to say that we’re dealing with the latter in the case of the MMX 100; though a bass boost was noticeable, it was not as drastic as I was expecting, and produced a fairly balanced sound (it is still Beyerdynamic, after all). Mids were moderately scooped, but this is also fairly typical of gaming headphones, which are concerned with enhancing and texturing a very specific category of sounds.

Gunshots as well as engines were particularly satisfying with a touch of added warmth, and had some extra body and boom. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much high end was present in the MMX 100: the click clack of guns being reloaded and the dinks of bullet casings hitting the ground were particularly crisp and impactful, benefiting from the slightly scooped EQ.

Perhaps most importantly for any gamer reading this, the MMX 100 has excellent imaging and the same wide sound stage characteristic of Beyerdynamic. I tested out some 3D audio videos which the headphones rendered perfectly, evidenced by the fact that I could easily tell the difference between a sound approaching from the front versus from the back, something you’ll obviously be appreciative of while playing first person shooters.

If you’re the type of person who likes to have your music streaming in the background while you play, you should definitely want to check these out. I was shocked by just how balanced and natural mixes sounded on these. I’d venture to say that a lot of people who bought these for gaming are going to find themselves using them as their casual, all purpose headphones.

Finally, the microphone was crisp and clear, especially considering it came with a pair of $99 gaming headphones. The clarity likely comes from Beyerdynamic’s decision to include a condenser mic, rather than the cheapest possible dynamic mic that way too many gaming headphones come equipped with. The sound quality was podcast-like, with an emphasis on the deeper fundamental tone and smooth, satisfying vocal fry buzzing lightly over it. Though I’m not certain of the mic sensitivity, that all-too-common gamer mic distortion was non-existent on the MMX 100 when spoken into at a normal volume. (Reminder: be nice to your teammates).

Overall

The high quality sound character from the Beyerdynamic MMX 100 really does have the uncanny warm-yet-balanced sonic texture of a movie theater, and the microphone is insanely good considering it’s a secondary accessory. I’ve listened to casual-use headphones that cost twice as much as the MMX 100 that don’t sound nearly as good, and I am borderline perplexed by the highly affordable $99 price tag. Beyond being used for just gaming, anyone who is in the market for quality and affordable over-ears should keep an ear out for these.

Beyerdynamic Headphones are available for purchase at Audio46.