Mitchell and Johnson – MJ2 Headphone – Electrostatic Elevation

Mitchell & Johnson - MJ2

GBP499

8.9

Sound Signature

8.9/10

Build Quality

8.8/10

Value

9.0/10

Pros

• Smooth coherent signature. Electrostatic sound without specialised amp required
• No Sibilance or harshness
• Great value and easy to drive

Cons

• Bass could be a little smooth for some
• Sound stage is not expansive
• Stock cable kinks

Mitchell and Johnson have recently been gaining a positive response from the audiophile community for their design ethos and approach to providing reference quality sound for the consumer market. They are not afraid to implement new technology in their products (or tweak existing approaches) and aspire to create well crafted affordable priced headphones without any compromise to the sound quality.

So we at earphonia.com are excited to be reviewing both the MJ2 and GL2 high quality headphone models.

On this post we will review the MJ2 model, the GL2 model review can be found on this link.

The MJ2 headphone is their flagship model and it uses their own hybrid technology. A combination of traditional 40mm dynamic drivers and an electret-electrostatic diaphragm. This unique diaphragm stores the charge from standard usage, meaning a charge is not required from specialised amps like traditional electrostatic headphones. This approach is called ‘Hybrid Electrostatz Technology System’ by Mitchell and Johnson.

We can now have a much more compact setup and use standard amps to drive these directly, providing many options to drive these headphones.

The MJ2 headphones feature:

• An over-ear design
• Real cherry wood enclosure
• Naturally tuned response

Technical Specifications:

• Frequency Response: 6 to 50,000Hz
• Sound Pressure level: 120dB
• Impedance: 32 ohms
• Acoustic System: Closed back
• Total harmonic Distortion: <=0.1%

The Hybrid Electrostatz Technology System concept/design is very appealing on paper but do these live up to the claims, we will find out shortly in this review.

Packaging/Presentation/Accessories/Cables

The MJ2 headphone comes in well presented professional looking packaging, with the coveted – ‘Hi-Res Audio’ stamp of approval.

On the back of the packaging is the frequency response for the headphone along with technical specifications.

It is a very welcome sight to see the FR curve freely available and it would be great if many more companies provided this as standard. Currently only a few companies provide this, so well done to M & J for being transparent and supplying this.

Inside the packaging there is a hard cardboard box protecting the headphones securely when in transit.

The accessories supplied are:

• Protective carry case
• ¼” to 3.5mm adaptor
• Detachable high quality woven cloth Y cable with 3.5mm plug
• Airline adaptor

The protective hard case has the Mitchell and Johnson elegantly designed brand name in white on the case.

The case is surprisingly small and inside are the MJ2 headphones. They are compact and can fold at the base of the headband for portability.This compact aspect makes these very appealing for everyday use and for travelling.

The detachable cable is woven and feels well made. My only gripe is that they have a little memory of the kinks that were present out the box. Hopefully these will smooth out over time. The cable has a high quality texture, it is slightly weighted and feels strong when handling, I find it unlikely these will break easily.

Thankfully the connectors fit tight to the headphone, they are not marked with left or right indicators as can be used with any polarity. The MJ2 cable has 2 sockets, one for each earphone.

These fit over the ears, feel comfortable and stay in-place.

I experienced hardly any micro phonics and these stayed secure while on the move.

Overall I think the presentation and portable case are sufficient to protect your headphone and transport in a compact way. The option to use aftermarket cables is also a possibility, for different source terminations and signature preferences.