INTRODUCTION

   Ever since COVID-19 hit in early 2020 i stopped using public transportation (as i imagine most people) and instead walked large distances daily, either to pick up samples or buy things (I'm not one to use a car if a place is within walking distance). Needless to say, this situation gave me the extra time required to test TWS (true wireless stereo) earphones something which I’ve been doing to this day. Unfortunately, the lack of such reviews lately is a clear indication that not many models have piqued my interest as of late, not just because of their features but also their design and build quality. Still, there's always light at the end of the tunnel and although they may not be their flagship model the MTW200 True Wireless Earphones by Shanling do seem to tick many of those boxes.

   Founded in 1988, Shanling began to develop audio products and launched their first Hi-Fi stereo amplifier in the same year. For over 30 years, Shanling’s employees kept integrity, innovation, team spirit and hard work in mind. There is no doubt that our employees are our treasure and that without them, we would never get to the Shanling of today. We believe customer’s satisfaction and quality of products are the highest priorities, the realization of user’s dream and sharing profit with our partners are our development power.

   The Shanling MTW200 is currently available in gray and silver colors and is a very compact TWS model which typically consists by two Bluetooth v5.2 wireless earphones (thanks to the Qualcomm QCC3040 Audio SoC - offers support for the HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP/SPP/PBAP profiles and the AAC, SBC and aptX audio codecs) and a charging/storage case. Each earphone features an IPX4 certified housing inside which Shanling has placed 10mm composite diaphragm dynamic drivers with a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz, 32Ohm impedance and 104dB sensitivity. Touch controls are placed on the exterior of each earphone, the dual built-in microphones feature Qualcomm's cVc 8.0 Echo Cancelling and Noise Suppression technology (ECNS) and as for the 30mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery located inside each earphone according to Shanling it can provide them with up to 9 hours of playback time. The charging case on the other hand is made out of aluminum and features an 450mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery which can provide the earphones with up to 33 extra hours of audio playback. So, let's see what Shanling is capable of by testing their MTW200 TWS Earphones.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Shanling uses a small blue and white box to ship the MTW200 in the front of which typically has a product picture, main product features and the company logo.

A sticker with the serial number and barcode of the product is placed on the left side right over contact information for Shanling.

The main product features are listed at the rear in 3 languages and just over the product specifications.

Opening the box reveals the charging case placed inside a formed piece of black foam.

Along with the MTW200 (the earphones are in the charging case) inside the box you'll also find a USB-C charging cable, 4 sets of silicon eartips (including the pre-installed one) and the user guide.

THE MTW200

Each earphone weighs roughly 3.9g and as for material they are made out of aluminum (front plate), plastic and rubber.

Here you can see how the MTW200 compare to the EHD9001TA by 1MORE, Free Pro 2 by Earfun, EVO by 1MORE, Elite 85T by Jabra and the Live PRO+ by JBL.

On the exterior of each earphone Shanling has placed a microphone, activity LED and touch controls.

Two charging contacts are located at the front of each earphone (left and right markings are printed on the interior).

Taking a look at the interior we also find two air ports/vents.

Shanling has used 10mm composite diaphragm dynamic drivers which are among the largest I've ever seen used in such tiny earphones.

The charging/storage case is made out of aluminum and has a charging LED at the front and electrical details printed at the rear.

Here you can see the MTW200 charging case next to the charging cases of the EHD9001TA by 1MORE, Free Pro 2 by Earfun, EVO by 1MORE, Elite 85T by Jabra and the Live PRO+ by JBL.

As expected, the USB-C charging port is located at the base of the case.

Inside the charging case we also find left/right markings.

MUSIC APP

Shanling has a free music app available and although it does lack some features found in others it's actually quite good.

This music app offers a total of 10 available equalizer presets which actually work very well.

Needless to say, the app fully supports FLAC playback and even though the aptX wireless codec is not quite on par it does produce very good results.

As i said earlier the app may lack some features and settings offered by others but still it should be more than sufficient for most people.

For this review i used v2.3.0 of the Shanling music app (along with several other apps on my Redmi Note 11 Pro+ and of course the FiiO M15 Music Player).

CONCLUSION

   Before i continue with my final thoughts i need to point out that Shanling send this sample roughly a year ago but due to re-structuring my 2 storage areas not once but twice (mainly due to the arrival of two cockpits by Next Level Racing) their sample (along with a couple of others) was misplaced and so i feel i should apologise to Shanling for taking this long to release my review (i just hope they don't hold it too much against me). With that out of the way Shanling has been a name I’ve known for years now but never had the chance to use one of their products so even though the MTW200 is not their flagship TWS model i was very interested in its performance and well, it didn't let me down. This is clearly one of the best TWS to ever arrive in the lab, acoustically speaking always. Highs are very detailed and crisp (too crisp sometimes so i do suggest using the EQ function), mids sound natural and as for bass no complaints here although a bit more could do wonders (would also help balance the excessive highs at times). Volume levels are also very good and clearly above what I’ve encountered with several TWS models to date, even by companies like Jabra and JBL (this of course could be both a safety feature and also the why highs seem too much sometimes). The dual microphones may not be great in terms of performance but i didn't have any issues that really stood out while calling people. Yes, they are not as good as those of the JBL Live PRO+ model but if you don't use the MTW200 in very noisy environments they are quite good. Moving to build quality both the carrying/charging case (especially the charging case since it does stand out compared to most) and the earbuds look and feel great but i have to admit that the touch controls don't always work accurately (still this is always the downside with such controls). Fit is also something that could be better, it's not bad for when walking around but if you start running or decide to work out, they will probably not stay in your ear for long. Yes, this is something that happens quite a bit with TWS models but it still needs to be pointed out. As for battery life Shanling claims the MTW200 can last up to 9 hours and although at even at 80% volume i didn't see over 7 this is not a bad number, quite the contrary after taking into account the size (and weight) of the earphones.

   Currently the MTW200 TWS by Shanling retail for around USD80 inside the USA and 90Euros inside the EU a price tag which is quite balanced for this model (could be slightly better I guess). Unfortunately, since the MTW200 have been around for quite a while already availability is far from great and that’s probably their sole drawback. That aside there’s not much else I can say about the MTW TWS by Shanling, they are very compact, build quality is very good, audio performance is better than expected and battery life is plenty and for that they get the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (IPX4 Certified)
- Design / Available Colors (Gray / Silver)
- Very Good Audio Quality (10mm Dynamic Drivers)
- Battery Life (Up To 9 Hours / 33 Hours Total)
- Bluetooth v5.2
- Audio Codec Support (AAC/SBC/aptX)
- Compact Size
- Shanling Music App

CONS

- Current Availability
- Fit (Not Very Stable)