Mu6 Scenes Lifelike 2

Practical

Due to the straightforward design of the Scenes Lifelike 2, practical use is delightfully easy. The headphones themselves fit comfortably, sit securely and have a good seal in the ear thanks to ear tips angled at 45 degrees and the three silicone fitting pieces which are supplied. The wearing comfort is good even during longer listening sessions. A somewhat clunky remote control with three buttons is integrated into the cable, which presumably also contains the necessary electronics for the recording option, especially since it heats up during operation. The volume and the start/stop function for music playback can be controlled from here. However, the usual additional functions of multiple clicks and longer key presses are missing and you also have to do without telephone functions.

In our test, I operated the headphones with iOS devices using USB-C, sometimes with the Lightning adapter supplied. In principle, the Scenes Lifelike 2 can also be used with Android and computers, as long as they have a USB-C connection, so it’s useful to have a look at the manufacturer’s compatibility list. The documentation itself is rather scanty.

The built-in dynamic microphones are immediately available for stereo recordings and do not require a dedicated app. Rather, the device is registered as an input in the respective operating system and can be used correspondingly across the board.

Sound

The dynamic 12.5 mm composite diaphragms with powerful magnets provide a thoroughly appealing sound result. As headphones, the Scenes Lifelike 2 deliver a balanced, powerful and high-level result that is absolutely respectable for the price range of around 100 euros. Pop and rock in particular were impressive and fun to listen to. The same also applied to harder genres with aggressive guitars. Here, the test headphones delivered the necessary fullness in the mids and didn’t have unpleasant harshness in the highs. However, the dynamics and the sound structure of an orchestral recording were also thoroughly enjoyable.

In the bass range, these headphones demonstrate good definition and identifiable tonality without annoying overemphasis. At the same time, there are shortcomings in the deep bass. But there is no booming. In the naturally tuned midrange, voices convey intimacy and are well intelligible, while acoustic instruments like a grand piano have an open and at the same time realistic, acoustic feel. Detail resolution is good across the entire frequency range, and this is also reflected positively in the build-up of the stereo panorama. Panning effects are clearly comprehensible, but not extreme. Reverberation chambers are recognisable, but like almost all their competitors, these headphones tend more towards width than towards the reproduction of real depth. Finally, the device we tested also delivered good results at the top end, considering the price range. The ultimate audiophile gloss was missing from the design, but this was to be expected.

Recording

The special feature is the ability to use a recording function, this is done via two 4-mm microphones with up to 45 dB pre-amplification. This is supposed to make it easy to create three-dimensional sounding recordings, thanks to the arrangement of the microphones in the ears – kind of like an inexpensive dummy head recording.

In fact, the procedure is completely straightforward and in my case was tested via an iPhone 8 with an adapter to Lightning. The Scenes Lifelike 2 was recognised directly as a stereo microphone by Apogee’s “MetaRecorder” app. Of course, one should not expect the results of a Neumann Dummy Head microphone, but the results are nevertheless very impressive: you get an absolutely three-dimensional recording result with only low background noise. It is a real pleasure to move through the environment while recording and to find the sounds reproduced later in a correct and sometimes irritatingly realistic localisation – left, right, up, down, front, back. Considering the price range, this is simply spectacular. Optionally, Mu6 even offers a small tripod with windscreen. And by the way: the recording also works in the same way when using the video function of a Smartphone.