TWS true wireless earphones - under $150
FOUR STARS - The Shanling MTW300 is a hugely comfortable pair of earbuds with energetic sound and great battery life, but the lack of noise-cancelling or app-support feel like misses for its price.
Shanling MTW300 specs:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AptX and AAC codec
IPX7 waterproof (heavy rain, shower and sweat resistant)
9 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Comes with 7 rubber ear tips and USB-C cable
$130 - check latest price on AliExpress
Below this Shanling MTW300 review, you will find comparisons between the Shanling MTW300 vs Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+, Sennheiser CX 400BT, Lypertek Soundfree S20 and Edifier Uni-Buds.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Shanling MTW300 looks like the 1,5-years old Shanling MTW100 in every single way. Both have a compact, square charging case with a finicky hinge and a USB-C port and a little charging LED light on one side.
The shape of the earbuds remained the same as well, meaning the 300 also boasts delightfully compact and comfortable round earbuds. It's easy to put them in thanks to the downward-facing drip in the design; they're so tiny they should fit smaller ears fine, and the soft rubber on the inside makes them feel pleasant.
The MTW300 in dark grey metallic; the MTW100 Balanced Armature in plastic black-orange
The MTW300 does make a more premium impression than its predecessor. Both the case and the outside of the earbuds are made from dark-grey metallic instead of shiny plastic, and the earbuds have a soft round inlay to indicate where the touch panel is. Both the case and the earphones are noticeably heavier, though. In fact - it's one of the heaviest cases tested on Scarbir.com so far, weighing around 100 grams - even if it can only recharge the earbuds fully 3,5 times.
Happily, the earbuds' specs are heavy hitters as well. The earbuds reach up to 9 hours of battery life on low to medium playing volume and can be recharged 15 minutes for another two hours of listening. They're also IPX7-waterproof, meaning they withstand heavy rain, sweat, and even the shower.
Connectivity and controls
Unfortunately, the Shanling MTW300 has a connectivity issue. While the earbuds pair and connect fast and the Bluetooth connection is solid enough up to ten meters away from your device, the sound can crackle or even fall out a moment when you tilt your head left or right. Sometimes it happens once, other sessions, you can encounter it multiple times in a row. It's something you shouldn't expect and get for this price.
Pairing and connecting fares well. It's easy to switch from listening to two earbuds to listening to one earbud and charging the other, to listening to two buds again. Music doesn't automatically pause when you take a bud out.
The MTW300 responds well to your touches, as long as you touch the round middle part of the earphones. The control scheme is convenient as well:
Tap R to increase the volume
Tap L to decrease volume
Tap L or R twice to play/ pause music
Tap R three times to skip to the next song
Tap L three times to return to the previous track
It's impossible to activate the voice assistant on the earbuds, and there isn't an app to change controls to your liking.
Calling and watching movies
It's easy to watch videos with the Shanling MTW300. It delivers good synchronization between audio and video on both iPhone and Android, including the challenging YouTube app. On Android, you may have to pause and then resume a video first to achieve this sync.
Playing games does come with a noticeable delay in the sound effects, as is the case on almost all TWS wireless earphones.
When it comes to phone calls, you sound loud and clear enough when you're in quiet indoor scenarios. Outside, background noises like trains, chatter, and traffic passing by, are reduced in volume, but they cause some beeps and crackles on the line. Wind noise is the hardest enemy of calls - it isn't audible by itself, but the clarity in your voice takes a heavy hit, and you start to sound extremely tinny.
Video calls are handled okay by the MTW300. Your voice could sound a little louder, but you will sound clear and without too much compression in Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, and other apps.
ANC quality/ app support of Shanling MTW300
Unlike many wireless earbuds with an asking price above 100 dollars, the Shanling MTW300 lacks app support and functionality like ANC active noise-cancelling. A Transparency mode that lets you hear traffic or people chatting also misses. There won't be a subscore for this part, but it does influence the overall score of the MTW300.
That said, the MTW300 does have convincing passive noise isolation. Just wearing the buds is enough to soften some sounds like the static humming of electronic devices, even when you're not playing any music. A great seal and fit still are half the effort for noise reduction, the MTW300 proves again.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $100
Sound quality of Shanling MTW300: <3 Treble
The Shanling MTW300 is a more versatile-sounding pair of wireless earphones than the MTW100 - but that may not be enough in today's market.
The MTW100 came in two tastes 1,5 years ago. The MTW100 with Balanced Armature represented mids wonderfully, thanks to its neutral tonality and space around the higher frequencies, but it also lacked bass body and punch. It was fantastic for acoustics and classical music - not so much for modern pop and dance. The MTW100 Dynamic Driver version should have filled that void but didn't - it was tuned to sound like the Balanced Armature version, but with the wrong driver. It lacked both bass and finesse in the mids.
The brand new Shanling MTW300 is more likely to please you. Well, if you love treble, that is.
The MTW300 generously paves the way for upper-mids and highs. Higher-pitched vocals are full-frontal in your face. Both males and females sound powerful and come with a vast amount of detail and dynamics. Even though vocals sound brighter than average, they still hit both their higher and darker notes.
The same applies less to other upper-mids and highs. Acoustic instruments like violins, trumpets, and cymbals sound bright and upfront, but don't really get in touch with the darker notes. Typical center-mid instruments like guitars and piano play join in on the treble party and sound clear, but not as natural as on the MTW100 Balanced Armature. While this focus on treble makes for a powerful and energetic sound with a great airy vibe, it can be too much. You may want to turn the volume down the moment a song bursts into its refrain.
Sadly, music can strike as a bit thin too, as the Shanling doesn't offer the same body in the lower-mid frequencies. The bass also just doesn't sound very deep. The mid-bass has a quick, energetic slam that can make anything sound uplifting, and the sub-bass isn't afraid to stab a little. You can even feel it in your chest sometimes! Yet, somehow, the body in the bass is relatively small - the bass doesn't sound very full, and it's not very textured or layered either.
The Shanling MTW300 boasts a powerful combination of rapid bass and impactful treble, but its brightness and energy may not be for everyone.
Shanling MTW300 comparisons
Shanling MTW300 vs Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+
The Shanling and Melomania 1+ both have clear, only slightly forward vocals and a balanced sound. When you turn the volume up, differences start to appear. The Melomania 1+ has a fuller mid-bass and boosts the lower mids more, making for a warmer sound while also displaying more details in the center mid-tones. The MTW300 sub-bass can stab more, yet it shows less segmentation in the bass. The Shanling pronounces higher-pitched vocals and extends highs further, creating a brighter and sometimes thin, almost piercing sound. The Shanling is more comfortable than the Cambridge Audio, though.
Shanling MTW300 vs Edifier Uni-Buds
Premium look, wonderful comfort, great battery life, and a desire for treble? The Edifier Uni-Buds answers the same questions as the Shanling MTW300, but with a slightly warmer tonality, as it rewards mid-bass and lower-mids with just a bit more presence. The Shanling isn't afraid to empower upper-mids and highs even more, giving them an advantage in nuances; higher-pitched vocals can sound more dynamic, detailed, and gripping in the lower frequencies than the 'flatter' Edifier. Both TWS are geared towards treble; the Shanling infuses more dynamics within its abundance of it.
Edifier Uni-Buds review ($70)
Shanling MTW300 vs Sennheiser CX 400BT
The Sennheiser CX 400BT sounds much warmer, noticeably less bright than the Shanling MTW300. Both place vocals center stage, but the Shanling draws them towards the highs much more, making them more engaging, but also more intrusive and thinner than the CX 400BT. The Shanling boosts upper-mids more and gives them more air. The Sennheiser has a more intimate soundstage, more precise instrument placement, and while its bass is less stabby, the added weight to the lows makes the sound warmer and easier to listen to.
Sennheiser CX 400BT review ($100)
Shanling MTW300 vs Lypertek Soundfree S20
When it comes to an uplifting bass and clear treble, you can't look past the SoundFree S20. This brand new Lypertek also puts upper-mids and higher-pitched vocals out there, but in return for a little less nuance in the highest outbursts, the S20 gives the overall music more body. Lower mid-tones have more presence, and center-mids remain more in the mids, instead of being drawn towards the highs like on the Shanling. The MTW300 sounds brighter and more piercing in typical modern dance songs with strong female vocalists. The Shanling bass has a quicker pace; the Lypertek bass is fuller and more textured.
Shanling MTW300 vs MTW100
Compared to the MTW100 with Balanced Armature (the better version of the predecessor; avoid the Dynamic Driver version), the MTW300 is more versatile for more genres. Both have a comparable extension of upper-mids and highs, and both can overwhelm you with the power in voices or strings in classical music. The MTW100 BA has a more natural and more spacious presentation of center- and lower-mids, which is beneficial for drums, guitars, or piano. The MTW300 adds more bass punch and quickness, but at the cost of these fuller mids - sometimes causing a thinner sound, despite the added bass fullness.
Shanling MTW100 review ($80)
Verdict
The Shanling MTW300 is a hugely comfortable pair of earbuds with energetic sound and great battery life, but the lack of noise-cancelling or app-support feel like misses for its price.
Four stars - Very good
Buy Shanling MTW300:
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