Nixon Master Blaster Review

We’ve seen everyone from Dualit to Porsche have a go at crossing over to the hi-fi market, and now it’s fashion’s turn: behold, Nixon’s new high-performance headphones, the Master Blaster.

Big sound
Now, let’s be clear. Calling your headphones ‘Master Blaster’ amounts to a statement of intent, and not a particularly subtle one at that.

But heave them from their substantial box, and you can see what all the fuss is about – kind of. These are big, heavy headphones, their substantial over-the-ear earpieces playing host to equally hefty 50mm drive units that certainly kick out plenty of energy.

There’s no active noise-cancellation on board, but the Master Blaster’s design also helps cut out some background noise simply by virtue of its shape and fit.

Born in the seventies
In style and build terms, Nixon has gone to great efforts to make its headphones stand out from the crowd, and they certainly do that, not least because, thanks to their leather trim, you can smell them from half-a-mile away.

The overall effect, especially in the brown-and-silver finish of our review sample, looks appealingly retro. It also seems largely well made – we especially like the ball-joint hinges on the earpieces, which allow for plenty of adjustment range.

But while it’s a neat idea, the rotary volume knob surrounding the right-hand earpiece felt disappointingly sloppy.

Bass fishing
As to sound quality, well, Nixon describes it as ‘insane’. We’re taking that to mean ‘good’, and essentially, it is, even if the bass is on the hefty side, which means sometimes bass guitars can dominate in the mix.

It’s not a subtle sound, or a particularly accurate one, but it is fun, and that’s pretty much all you can ask from some Nixon headphones.