Review – Cooler Master MH710 earbuds

A while back, Cooler Master released both the MH703 and also the MH710 together in the Malaysian market. In terms of specs and marketing materials, they both seem to be very similar to each other. The main difference seems to be the ability to adjust the bass on the MH710, which Cooler Master is calling it the Focus FX 2.0.

Since we now have both of them on our hands, we discovered that there are even more differences between the MH703 (which we reviewed) and MH710. Let’s take a deep dive and look at what these differences are.

Specifications

Product Name	MH710
Warranty	2 years
Earphone
Driver Diameter	10mm
Frequency Response	20-20,000 Hz
Impedance	16Ω
Sensitivity (@1kHz) FFX 2.0 on	98 dB ± 3 dB
Sensitivity (@1kHz) FFX 2.0 off	112 dB ± 3 dB
Input	Maximum 5mW
Cable Length	1.3 m 3.5mm connector 0.3m 3.5m to dual 3.5mm cable
Connector	3.5mm 4-pole jack
Materials	Silicone ear tips with brushed aluminum
Microphone
Pick-up Pattern	Omni-directional
Frequency Response	100-10,000Hz
Sensitivity (@ 1kHz)	-42 ± 4dB
Signal to Noise Ratio	58dB
Microphone Type	In-line
In-line controller
1 click: Play/Pause, Pick up/hang up calls 2 clicks: next track 3 clicks: previous track

Unboxing

Upon first look, I think many people will just look at these two and be like “oh, they aren’t the same?” and I wouldn’t blame them. In terms of packaging, they are very similar to each other. The only one big difference here is obviously it’s written MH710, and also the presence of the “Focus FX 2.0” logo at the top right corner.

At the back, it once again looks similar – but once again, the focus is on the Focus FX 2.0. The list of packaging contents is also present on the lower left corner – and it’s a longer list compared to the MH703 too.

Digging everything out of the box, we find the same contents too – user manual, the carrying case (which I appreciate a lot) and also the MH710 itself.

However, opening up the carrying case this time reveals more accessories. It comes with an airplane jack, two more sets of eartip sizes, a mic/headphone splitter, and also a USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack dongle.

The overall build and design of the MH710 is the same as before – still a pair of earphones with braided cable and the cans look the same too. Keyword here is look as this is where the Focus FX 2.0 comes into play.

That CM logo on the earbuds can be press. It toggles the Focus FX 2.0 on and off, thus changing the frequency response. Cooler Master has an illustration that shows how much the response change.

As you can see, it changes the frequency response quite drastically. The bass gets enhanced significantly but it affected the vocal range as well. How well does it actually sound with Focus FX 2.0 off and on?

Testing

Honestly speaking, it sounds generally louder than the MH703. I connected both the MH703 and the MH710 to the same laptop and tried – and I realized that the volume does differ a lot. But then again, there are a few major differences.

Firstly, I have no idea how I can determine if I have Focus FX 2.0 turned off and turned on. The earbuds look the same when I turn it off or on – only the clicks sound different.

Anyway, I first tested the MH710 without the bass enhancement and I was surprised to hear that the bass is basically nonexistent at this point. It might be good for podcasts, but definitely not for music.

Toggling the bass enhancement on, we get a completely different feel. After all, that’s the point of this Focus FX 2.0. With the bass enhancement turned on, it sounded like the vocals are muffled – suppressed by a cloth on a person’s mouth. The bass sure sounds intense now. Even more intense than the MH703.

Concluding the Cooler Master MH710 gaming earbuds review

It’s a little difficult to say anything concrete here. To me personally, I love the MH703. It has a very well-balanced frequency response, and does not have any frills yet it sounded great out of the box. No need for fiddling with any Focus FX 2.0 or whatever the case may be.

Depending on your personal preference, you might like the extra bass that the MH710 is able to provide but at the price of the mids. I let someone else tried it and they liked the MH710 more, whereas another person said they liked the MH703 better.

To Cooler Master’s credit, the MH710 is indeed better in terms of accessories included. Perfect for many smartphones of current generation that does not have any 3.5mm audio jacks as it includes a dongle for you. There’s also an airplane jack too. But with that said, these dongles aren’t expensive to begin with.

The Cooler Master MH710 is priced at RM189 which is RM50 higher than the MH703. Are those two extra dongles and the Focus FX 2.0 worth RM50? Maybe. It really depends on how much bass you like. If you want your gaming experience to be booming with bass or to hear your enemy’s footsteps, then the MH710 is definitely for your.

Pros