Shanling MTW200 TWS Earphone Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shanling MTW200 TWS Earphone Review

 

 

 

Introduction:

Shanling was founded in 1988 in China and began to develop audio products and launched their first Hi-Fi stereo amplifier in the same year. Shanling is a high-tech company combining R&D, production, processing and sales of products, including Hi-Res portable music players, portable amplifiers, Hi-Fi headphones/In-Ear Monitors, SACD/CD players, Hi-Fi amplifiers, power conditioners and many other Hi-Fi products.

 

 

The MTW200 is a True Wireless (TWS) HiFi earphone is equipped with a pretty large 10mm diameter Dynamic Driver and offers some interesting features such like IPX4 Weather Resistance, Qualcomm’s latest QCC3040 BT Chipset with Bluetooth 5.2 and aptX, AAC & SBC codec support, up to 42 hours of battery life and touch control.

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Shanling for providing me the MTW200 TWS earphone as review sample. I am not affiliated with Shanling beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered, opinions about the product.

  

 

 

Price & Availability:

The Shanling MTW200 is available in two different color options one in Grey and one in Silver color. The MSRP price for the Grey color is $89.00 USD, while the Silver one is sold for about $99.00 USD. More information’s can be found under the link below;

 

 

 

 

 

Package and Accessories:

The Sahnling MTW200 came in a pretty small cardboard box with the illustration of the product on the top and some product related technical details at the bottom.

 

Inside the box are the following items/accessories;

  • 1 pair x Shanling MTW200 True Wireless Earphones
  • 1 pcs x charging case
  • 4 pairs x Silicone Ear Tips (1 pair came pre-installed)
  • 1 pcs x USB Type-C cable
  • 1 pcs x Print Material (Quick User Guide)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Design, Build Quality, Fit & Comfort:

The Shanling MTW200 is one of the most premium looking TWS earphones I have tested at below the $100 USD price tag. Especially the charging case looks very premium and expensive. The MTW200 features a 10mm diameter Dynamic Driver with a Composite Diaphragm and is equipped with Qualcomm’s New QCC 3040 BT Chipset.

The MTW200 earphones are very lightweight with about 3.9grams for each earpiece and do have a very ergonomic shape with a design language that reminds me to those of the Apple Airpod’s and Huawei FreeBuds with its protruding stem. The monitor housing of the Shanling is made of plastic in black and metallic grey color.

The touch metallic grey faceplate features the Shanling brand logo and an opening where you can find that supports Qualcomm’s 8th gen CVC (Clear Voice Capture) technology and an LED status indicator. On the top part of the metallic grey faceplate is the multifunctional touch surface that is available on both earpieces.

On the rear side of each stem are the left and right markings.

At the bottom of each earphone stem are two metal dots which are the charging connectors for the MTW200.

The rear sides of each earpiece are the sound nozzles that do have a fine filter in black color on the top to avoid the insertion of any unwanted particles such like dust or earwax. Near the sound nozzle is a small opening for the 10mm Full Rage Dynamic Driver unit.

 

 

 

 

Charging Case:

The first thing you will see before the earphones its self is the “Ultra Premium” looking slim and small charging case made of solid metal material with a matt grey finish (also available in sliver color).

The charging chase has a 450 mAh built-in battery that offers an additional battery life for on the go that is about 32 – 33 hours, impressive for such a small charging case.

On the front of the case is the Shanling brand logo near the lid and a status LED indicator that is behind a small hole.

On the rear side of the case are some product related specifications and certifications.

At the bottom is the USB Type-C female charging port that offer a tight and secure connection to the male connector on the charging cable.

When you open the case you will see the left and right indicators and the seats for the earphones. These seats have a magnetic surface to ensure the right connection for the charging process and to avoid that the earphones drop out.

All in All, the charging case of the MTWS200 looks so compact and classy that you can’t believe that you have a product under 100 USD in your hands, just fantastic!

 

 

 

Noise Isolation & IPX4 Weather Resistance:

The MTW200 doesn’t feature any Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), while the passive noise isolation offers an above average performance thanks to the wide variety of silicone tips selection, which is quite enough for the use in fairly noisy environments such like a bus, metro or train.

The pretty deep insertion ability thanks to the shape of the silicon tips and the IPX4 Weather and Dust resistance makes the Shanling MTW200 also to an ideal TWS earphone for on the go and for outdoor exercising.

 

 

Technical Specifications:

  • Driver Type                : 10mm diameter Dynamic Driver with Composite Diaphragm
  • Frequency Range      : 20 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Sensitivity                   : 104dB ± 3dB
  • Impedance                 : 32 Ω
  • Bluetooth Chipset       : Qualcomm QCC 3040
  • Bluetooth version       : BT5.2
  • Bluetooth Codec’s      : aptX/SBC/AAC
  • Bluetooth protocol      : HSP / HFP/ A2/AVRCP /SPP/PBAP
  • Bluetooth distance      : approx. 10 meters
  • Microphone                : supports Qualcomm’s 8th gen CVC (Clear Voice Capture) technology
  • Battery Capacity        : 450mHa for the Charging Case
  • Battery Life                 : fully charged + charging box fully charged: 42 hours
  • Continues Playtime    : up to 8.5 – 9 Hours (volume set to %60 with AAC/SBC codec)
  • Charging time             : about 1.5 hours for the Earphone / 1.5 hours for the Charging Case
  • Control                        : touch operation
  • Weight                        : 3.9g (single earphone)

 

 

 

Battery Life:

The built-in batteries of the Shanling MTW200 do offer an average battery life of approx. 8 hours when you set the volume to 60% and use it with the SBC or AAC codec, while the continues playback is about 5.5 – 6 hours when you use the aptX codec/volume set to 60%.

The battery case on the other hand adds the MTW200 an additional playback time of 32 – 33 hours that means up to 40 hours in total which is a solid performance for such a small package.

 

 

 

Pairing & Controls:

The pairing process of the Shanling MTW200 is quite simple, just like with any other TWS earphones these days!

You only need to push the pairing button that is located inside the charging case near between the seats. After you put them out your player, phone or tablet, etc. with shows the earphones so that you can pair it with your device.

After you have done the pairing for the first time, you only need to push the pair button whenever you put the out of the case, your device will automatically recognized the MTW200 earphones.

 

When it comes to the touch controls, I can say that I have mixed feelings. The multifunctional touch surface is very responsive, but also very sensitive, sometimes too sensitive, which means even the smallest contact of your fingers will be recognized. However, I like the touch functions of the MTW200 more than hardware buttons that are much more uncomfortable to use.

 

Here is a complete list of the control options:

 

Playback Controls:

 

  • Play/Pause: Double tap on left or right earphone.
  • Previous: Hold for 2 second on left earphone.
  • Next: Hold for 2 second on right earphone.
  • Volume up: Single tap on right earphone.
  • Volume down: Single tap on left earphone

 

Call Controls/Answer a call:

 

  • Single tap on left or right earphone.
  • Hang up: Double tap on left or right earphone.
  • Dialing cancellation: Hold for 2 second on left or right earphone.
  • Reject a call: Hold for 2 second on left or right earphone.

 

 

 

 

Signal Strength, Call Quality & Bluetooth Latency:

The operating distance of the MTW200 is approx. 10 meters that works fairly stable when you don’t have a wall between the earphones and your source. However, the signal strength drops to about 5 – 6 meters when you have are behind a wall.

The MTW200 comes with a microphone and BT Chipset that supports Qualcomm’s 8th gen CVC (Clear Voice Capture) technology with both Android and iOS devices. The call quality of the MTW200 is just outstanding, maybe one of the best in its price range.

 The MTW200 is a successful TWS earphone when it comes to BT latency performance. I didn’t have notice any significant lip sync issue, while I have watched to some Netflix Movies or YouTube videos with my Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and Apple iPad Air2 tablet.

 

 

 

 

Equipment’s used for this review:

  • IEM’s                          : Shanling MTW200, HiFiMAN TWS600, Lypertek TEVI
  • Source                       : Samsung Galaxy Note10+, Apple iPad Air2


 

 

Albums & tracks used for this review:

  • Lunatic Soul – The Passage
  • Metallica – Sad but True
  • Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
  • Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone
  • Slayer – Angel of Death
  • Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain
  • Lorde – Royal Massive Attack – Angel
  • Toutant – Rebirth
  • Really Slow Motion – Deadwood
  • Massive Attack – Angel
  • Muse – The Handler
  • Twerl – Lishu
  • U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
  • Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien
  • Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
  • Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer
  • Hayley Westenra – Odyssey Album
  • Dionne Warwick – Walk On By
  • Sarah McLachlan – Angel
  • Sting – Englishman in New York
  • Barry White – Just The Way You Are
  • Isaac Hayes – Walk On
  • Elton John – Rocket Man
  • Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
  • Sting – Englishman in New York
  • Casey Abrams – Robot Lovers
  • Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live)
  • Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor
  • Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Seasons”
  • Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River
  • Gogo Penguin – Raven

 

 

 

 

 

The Sound:

The Shanling MTW200 is a TWS earphone with a slightly warmer than neutral tonality that offers a fairly linear and controlled bass response, while the midrange is transparent and mildly bright. The upper midrange and treble region on the other hand is in general pronounced with good sense of airiness and sparkle.

 

Bass / Midrange / Treble / Soundstage & Imaging

The Shanling MTW200 shows a clean, controlled and fairly linear bass response with moderate subbass depth and intensity and a pretty impactful yet controlled midbass tuning. The subbass region of MTW200 stands out with its sense of control and decay that is quite good for a TWS earphone, however you won’t hear an ear-shaking type of subbass rumble and depth.

The midbass region on the other hand shows more intensity and depth compared to the subbass area, while the general character is pretty linear, fast and clean.

Instruments like electro guitars are mildly bright and do have moderate fullness without to show any remarkable negative situations like mixings. Bass guitars on the other hand are reproduced with an average amount of body. I did not noticed any negative situations such like a midbass-hump or muddiness and mixings.

 

The Shanling MTW200 shows a quite transparent, neutral, and clean midrange character that is neither very upfront nor too to recessed. Female vocals are slightly more forward and detailed compared to male voices.

The lower midrange has an average sense of depth and body when I do listen to male vocals or instruments like an acoustic guitar, viola or contrabass. The upper midrange on the other hand is more highlighted and quite detailed for a TWS Earphone, especially for one at this price range. Female vocals such like Edith Piaf to Aretha Franklin and instruments from clarinets to pianos are pronounced and are shown with a good sense clarity and airiness.

The upper midrange transitions are in general controlled if you do listen to the MTW200 in moderate volume levels, which is about 70% of the max. volume that I do think is loud enough for a comfortable listening experience. The same goes for the treble region that is nicely pounced.

Things do change if you crank the volume level of the MTW200 to maximum, this will make the sound of the MTW200 much brighter, less controlled and sharp especially when you listen to treble intensive genres like metal music or to female vocals.

 

The general treble presentation of the Shanling MTW200 is airy, bright and with nice sense of sparkle. Instruments like Hi-Hats are slightly in the background, while the hits of the crash cymbals are tight and entertaining.

The Shanling MTW200 offers a pretty good sense of soundstage wideness and overall expansion, while the level of depth and height is on an average level, which is quite sufficient for a True Wireless Earphone.

The separation of instruments and vocals is again fairly successful for a TWS earphone thanks to the pronounced upper midrange and treble tuning that is able to produce a good sense of neutral air and headroom.

 

 

 

Some Comparisons:

 

Shanling MTW200 versus HiFiMAN TWS600:

The HiFiMAN TWS600 was one of the most talked TWS earphones under the audiophile community when it launched, which makes it to a good rival for the Shanling MTW200.

The MTW200 has some technical advantages over the TWS600 such like a newer Qualcomm BT Chipset with the latest BT 5.2 standard vs. BT 5.0, it supports the aptX audio codec while the TWS600 offers only AAC and SBC, it has a slightly better battery life with up to 42 hours with its charging case, while the TWS600 is pretty close with about 38 hours. The MTW200 has a also more premium look and feel.

The TWS600 on the other offers an impressive operating distance up to 150meters, but only in open environments, while the MTW200 is limited with 10 meters such like almost any BT headphone on the market.

When it comes to the sound performance I can say that they do show a quite different tonality and presentation. The Shanling MTW200 has a slightly warmer tonality and in general fuller and more musical presentation, compared to the TWS600 that shows a brighter and a bit too dry tonality, with less body and fullness.

The MTW200 offers more subbass depth and extension, with higher sense of rumble. The midbass on the other hand has more depth, intensity and impact, while the TWS600 shows a slightly better level of speed, decay and control in this area.

The midrange of both TWS Earphones is transparent and airy, with good sense of clarity and resolution. However, the TWS600 sounds a bit unnatural and dry compared to the MTW200 that shows a warmer, fuller and more musical presentation.

Both male and female vocals do sound more emotional and musical when I do listen to the MTW200. The upper midrange of the TWS600 sounds a bit dry and unnatural that is more natural and realistic with the MTW200.

The treble range of the TWS600 shows slightly more intensity and extension compared to the MTW200, while the tonality is a bit dry and thinner than those of the MTW200.

The soundstage Shanling MTW200 has the slightly edge in terms of soundstage wideness, while the depth performance of both TWS earphones is fairly close.

 

 

 

Shanling MTW200 versus Lypertek TEVI:

The Lypertek TEVI is a popular TWS Earphone and also one of my favorites under the $100 USD price tag. It offers a solid battery performance with about 8.5 – 9 hours of continues playback same like the MTW200. It supports the aptX audio codec like the MTW200, but has an older Qualcomm Chipset with BT 5.0 support, while the MTW200 offers the latest BT 5.2 version.

Both TWS earphones do have a solid build quality, while the MTW200 offers a more premium look and feel. The charging case of the MTW200 is also slimmer a compact that fits even in you smallest pocket. The TEVI comes with mechanical multifunctional hardware button, that easy to control, however I do prefer the touch controls of the MTW200 since this is more comfortable. The Bluetooth range of both TWS Earphones is about 10 meters with similar performance. The microphone of the MTWS200 offers a better voice transmission and call quality.

How about the sound? The Lypertek TEVI shows a slightly warmer tonality with and overall darker sound signatures and tad more fuller presentation.

The subbass region of the Lypertek TEVI shows a bit more rumble, depth and intensity, while the Shanling MTW200 has faster subbass decay and a bit more authority in this area. The midbass of both earphones are nicely pronounced and sound in general pretty fast and controlled for TWS products. The TEVI shows a slightly bit more depth and intensity, while the resolution is on par.

The midrange of the MTW200 shows a higher sense of transparency and airiness compared to the TEVI, which has a slightly warmer and darker midrange presentation that has more lower midrange depth and body. The MTW200 on the other hand shows stronger upper midrange intensity, with better sense of clarity and brightness.

The treble range of the MTW200 is more highlighted, a bit more detailed and has a slightly better level of upper treble extension. The TEVI sounds smoother and more relaxed in this area, with slightly better sense of control, especially in higher volume levels.

When it comes to the soundstage performance, I can say that the Shanling MTW200 is more successful when it comes to the airiness and wideness of the stage, while the Lypertek TEVI has a slightly advantage in terms soundstage depth.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

The Shanling MTW200 offers a pretty good performance for a TWS earphone in terms of sound quality. It has a nicely linear and controlled bass response, transparent and lively midrange presentation, and a treble tuning that offers a good sense of airiness and sparkle. What I also really like about the MTW200 is the comfort of the earpieces and the premium look and feel, especially of the charging case that is simply classy, so much you can’t believe that you hold a 100 USD product in your hands, simply fantastic!

 

 

 

Pros & Cons: 

  • + Linear Bass Response with Good Speed & Control
  • + Lively & Transparent Midrange Presentation
  • + Nice Sense of Treble Sparkle & Airiness
  • + Premium Look & Feel
  • + Great Battery Life & Good Voice Transmission
  • + Fit & Comfort

 

  • – Upper Midrange & Treble Sounds a bit Sharp at Higher Volume Levels
  • – Touch Controls are a bit too sensitive
  • – No Active Noise Cancellation

 

Thank you for the Read!

 

 

 

 

 

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