CREATIONS OF NOTE


New York-based premium audio company Master & Dynamic blends sound quality and stylish design in a product range that is celebrated by customers and critics alike


The last few years have seen humble headphones transformed from a simple consumer item into an accessory that combines great sound with high fashion and state-of-the-art functionality. But when American entrepreneur Jonathan


Levine and his then 18-year-old son, Robert – who is heavily into music production, design and technology – were looking for their ideal headphones in 2013, they drew a blank. “The market for headphones was gravitating as a whole to very modern designs that made use of plastic materials,” says Jonathan. “We saw an opportunity to design a beautiful, timeless, high-quality, well-designed set of headphones.” And so the New York-based Master & Dynamic


(M&D) was formed. In the two years since its creation, and one year since its launch, M&D has produced a range of headphones, as well as audio accessories such as its very clever and useful boom microphone (Boom Mic) and elegant headphone stands. “Both of us felt this was the making of a global luxury audio brand that would stand the test of time for 40 or 50 years,” says Jonathan. “The aim was to create a product that had one foot in the audiophile world and another in the luxury accessories world.”


HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS Part of M&D’s success comes from the fact that it uses high-quality materials, which combine functionality and luxury. These include a forged aluminium body, stainless steel components,


premium cowhide on the headband exterior surface, and soft lambskin on the headband interior and ear pads. A lot of care is also put into the detailed specifications, such as the magnetic ear pads that detach to reveal the longitude and latitude coordinates of New York’s Grand Central Station. Dual headphone input jacks also allow for shared listening. “The details and nuances we give to our products are very important to us,” says Jonathan. Even the name of the company is the


result of careful consideration, with a nod to those Jonathan saw as the most venerable names in audio products. It also plays on the musical term “dynamic mastering”. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, “we are celebrating any masters of their chosen field of endeavour, as well as dynamic people and up-and-comers in all creative pursuits,” says Jonathan. M&D now ships its products to retail meccas


across the world, including Selfridges in London and Colette in Paris, as well as global Apple stores.


GLOWING REVIEWS Jonathan is particularly proud of how the music community, performers, producers and engineers have embraced the product. Indeed M&D’s products, which are branded as “sound tools for creative minds”, have received positive reviews from the audio, technology and fashion sectors, as well as mainstream media outlets from Esquire through to the Wall Street Journal.


AMBIANCE 287


Technology journalist Jonathan Margolis, who


writes the Technopolis column in the Financial Times magazine How to Spend It praised M&D’s headphones and boom microphone, noting that each product “works beautifully, providing the perfect storm – fine audio along with handsome looks”. The company has even had the honour of producing custom vegan-leather headphones for Sir Paul McCartney. M&D also has a passion for collaborating with like-minded brands and has worked with, for example, Proenza Schouler, the acclaimed New York City-based fashion house. In the long term, Jonathan has ambition


to find a place for his brand in the in-car audio market. “We want to continue to create state- of-the-art, high-quality products that the market wants to engage with,” he says, “and maintain our position as leader in audiophile luxury.” www.masterdynamic.com


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