SINGAPORE — While KEF might be best known for its home-theatre expertise, having recently released its latest E305 system in July, the British brand also recently launched personal audio products in Singapore in the form of the M500 headphones and M200 earphones.

But are they able to bring the brand’s famed home-theatre sound to your ears?

The M500 headphones are circumaural — they rest directly on, and not around one’s ears — and the most comfortable I have tried in a while. The great-looking aluminium body with KEF’s special Smart Hinge provides sufficient clamping force to keep the headphones moulded to one’s head, and the fit feels just nice, making the M500 a dream for long-term wear. That said, these are not for jogging. But they are great for mobile use and fold into a hard case for storage.

Audio-wise, the M500 is bound to put a smile on one’s face. While it will not be exactly the same as sitting in a home theatre, the headphones have lush, textured bass and warm, smooth vocals. The highs could do with a little more brightness, but the overall sound presentation is great and easy to listen to, regardless of the genre.

The M200 earphones feature the same aluminium finish as the M500, and come with hooks so they fit nicely over one’s ears and help ensure a good fit. It also comes with an in-line remote to use with one’s phone, just like the M500, but unlike the latter, the M200’s plug sticks out from one’s phone by 1.7cm, which makes me worry about it catching on something and being damaged.

The M200 stands out from many other in-ear earphones with its two dynamic drivers — as most dynamic earphones only feature one. KEF’s Dual Dynamic Driver technology allows each driver to handle separate parts of the music, with the larger 10mm driver handling the bass, and the 5.5mm driver handling the mids and highs. While this sounds like an amazing idea in theory, sadly, music from the earphones does not quite sound as good as from the headphones.

While the bass is still thumping and strong, compared to the M500, the M200 does not seem to deliver much sparkle in the highs or clarity in the mids, leaving the audio to sound bass-heavy and, at times, even a little muffled.

Comfort-wise, KEF had to make the M200 a little longer to fit in the two drivers, so fitting the earphones is a little trickier, especially for those with tiny ears, and they are just not as comfortable as the headphones.

Despite the shortcomings of the M200, KEF’s first stab at the portable music world looks to be successful, with the M500 bringing KEF’s renowned sound to one’s ears. The M200 could do with some refinement, but that said, the dual-driver technology is an interesting one and could be one to watch in future.

The KEF M500 retails at S$475 and the KEF M200 retails at S$299.

ALVIN CHONG