A week with the McLaren edition earbuds
A car brand on the case usually means a paint job and a markup. This time the tuning changed too, and not always for the better.
Co-branded audio has a bad reputation, and it is mostly deserved. You pay 20% more for a logo and a color. So the first thing worth saying about this pair is that the sound is genuinely different from the standard model, not just the finish.
The tuning
The bass is tighter and drops off earlier. On a commute that reads as clarity: bass lines stay separate from the kick drum, and podcasts sound less boomy. At home on a good recording it reads as thin, and you notice what is missing under 60 Hz.
The midrange is where the money went. Voices sit forward without getting harsh, which is the hardest thing to get right in a bud this small and the reason these are worth hearing before you dismiss them.
Fit, noise, and battery
- Noise cancellation is a step behind the class leaders on a plane, and level with them on a street.
- 6 hours with cancellation on, 3 more charges in the case. 5 minutes on the pad buys about an hour.
- The stems are shorter than the standard model, which helped 2 of the 3 people who tried them and hurt the third.
Buy these for the midrange, not the badge. If the badge is why you want them, buy the cheaper pair and spend the difference on a case.
Worth it?
At full price, no. The standard model does 90% of this for meaningfully less. On offer, the tuning is a real argument, and it is the rare co-branded product where somebody clearly listened to it before signing off.
Tom Vance
Reviews editor
Lives with everything for a week before writing a word about it. Believes most gear is judged too early and returned too late.
