Kef M500: Size and build
Build quality is also spot on, and for once we can understand the £250 price point. They just secrete style and despite all the finely crafted metal at 208g they're light enough to wear for long periods.
The 1.3m flat cable - with in-line Apple remote - is also mercifully tangle resistant. But they are big. Amazingly this bulbous-headed reviewer didn't need to adjust the headband more than a few millimetres so anyone with a narrow noggin may be swamped.
Verdict
The Kef M500 headphones are good, really good. The combination of high class looks, luxury build and sensational audio performance has us sold. £250 is steep considering the lack of noise cancelling and wireless wizardry, but if you want a hi-fi quality commute you'll not find much better.
Sure, sizing may be an issue for a few unfortunate souls, and the slippery headband may frustrate at times, but after listening to the M500s we can't think of many more enjoyable reasons to walk slower to work.
Sure, sizing may be an issue for a few unfortunate souls, and the slippery headband may frustrate at times, but after listening to the M500s we can't think of many more enjoyable reasons to walk slower to work.
The Kef M500s are stunning. The combination of black leather-effect and precision-milled brushed aluminium puts them a class apart and leave even the drool-worthy B&W P5 looking a little down-at-heel. Already a Red Dot 2013 Design award winner, we fully expect these modern-retro cans to grace the pages, and models in many a fashion magazine.
