PSB Speakers, a company recognised internationally for its excellence in loudspeaker design, is pleased to introduce the ‘M4U 2′ (Music For You) its first ever set of headphones.

The new M4U 2 ‘Active Noise Cancelling’, over-the-ear, headphones are the culmination of a multi-year research program, led by PSB’s Paul Barton, at the Acoustics Laboratory at Canada’s National Research Council.

The result is a more accurate way of interpreting how people perceive music when listening to headphones. The PSB design team believes that the M4U 2 sets an entirely new standard for musicality in headphone listening.

PSB products are distributed in the UK by Armour Home. Its brand manager, Jack Fox stated:

“A lot of high level science has gone into the design of the new M4U 2s and it has clearly paid off. By any standard they are simply wonderful headphones which unquestionably deliver an excellent musical performance. Beyond this however, I believe they will become the premier choice for anyone listening to music outside the confines of a quiet home environment. They are a ‘closed back’ design which also benefits from state-of-the-art ‘Active Noise Reduction’ technology. This combination allows you to blissfully enjoy your music in places where conventional hi-fi headphones would fail to perform. When you are listening through a pair of the new PSB headphones you won’t be disturbed by what’s going on around you and, equally importantly, you won’t disturb others.”

With a personal product like headphones, comfort and style are as relevant as sound quality. For unsurpassed comfort, the M4U 2 features an ergonomic four-point gyroscopic ear pad mount that automatically adjusts to the precise contours of the listener’s head. Soft ear pads and light weight make the M4U 2 headphones seem to ‘disappear’ when worn – only rich, detailed sound remains.

David Farrage, of New York’s award-winning design company ‘DF-ID’, designed the elegant form. As a result, they have the same high level of fit and finish you’d expect in any premium accessory. Combining durable materials with tactile textures, these folding headphones make a strong design statement and will be available in striking black or white finishes.

There are also a number of useful features not commonly found in other headphones. For example, thanks to a PSB developed four-microphone system, the Active Noise Cancelling function covers a broader spectrum of noise reduction, which measures the sound both inside and outside the ear cup. The external microphones allow for a handy monitor function at the touch of a button making it easy to suspend music listening in order to hear the outside world without removing the headphones. Since the microphones are placed at both ears, the sound is natural and allows listeners to hear all the spatial cues that let them know what is going on around them. The active amplifier used in the M4U 2 design improves the sound of portable music devices such as an iPod, iPhone or MP3 player. By allowing the internal amplifier of those devices to work into the “easy load” of the M4U 2 input, distortion is actually lowered, and the battery life of the portable music player is extended. Unlike many other headphones that utilize active amplification, the M4U 2 can also be enjoyed in ‘passive mode’, a relief for those who forget to change depleting batteries before a long trip.

The new PSB M4U 2 has a Suggested Retail Price of £299.00 inc vat. The black finish model is available now from PSB authorised dealers throughout the UK. The white version will appear in August 2012. The beautifully presented system includes a protective travel case, two accessory cords, and stereo and flight adaptors for both home and mobile listening. Battery life with ANC active is around 55 hours and the two headphone cables are 1.5m in length.

PSB loudspeakers are distributed in the UK by Armour Home. Alex Munro its channel director responsible for the brand stated:

“The Mini is the newest member of the ultra-stylish Imagine Series. Deceptively small, the mini produces a large soundstage and impressive bass, along with the true-to-nature sound for which PSB is renowned. With its high-performance and compact size, the mini is as versatile as it is cute and is a perfect loudspeaker choice for home cinema enthusiasts as well as music lovers.”

The mini is a two-way, rear ported reflex design with a low distortion, 102mm diameter, clay/ceramic filled polypropylene coned woofer. The tweeter boasts a 25mm titanium dome and a ferrofluid cooled, ‘Neodymium Turbo Magnet™’. The result is a startlingly big and commanding sound with fine detail and emotion. In addition, PSB’s designers engineered the crossover frequency, between the bass/midrange unit and the tweeter, to be lower than is usual for this size of speaker, which allows the two drive units to be positioned closer together without causing interference. This means the Mini delivers class leading dispersion, enabling listeners to enjoy the full sonic experience across a larger than usual area of their listening room. Measuring just 146mm wide by 235mm high and 211mm deep, the Mini integrates well as part of a stereo music or multi-channel home theatre ‘Imagine’ system or even as the high quality speakers of a very good desktop system.