The Mpow CH9 are brightly-colored kids headphones with a switch that lets you limit their max volume to either 85dB or 95dB. They can be used wirelessly or with a 1/8" TRS audio cable. Their bass-heavy sound profile adds an extra boom and punch to audio. They're lightweight, but their ear cups don't have a wide range of motion, so they may not be comfortable for kids with larger heads. Also, they don't block out a lot of background noise, so they may not be suitable to use in noisier environments. However, they come in lots of bright color variants that are well-suited for young listeners.
Our Verdict
The Mpow CH9 are mediocre for mixed usage. These kids headphones have a bass-heavy sound profile that adds extra boom and punch to audio. They can be used wirelessly or with a wired connection. However, they don't block out a lot of background noise, so they may not be the best choice for bus or airplane travel.
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Decently stable.
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16.5-hour continuous battery life.
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Disappointing noise isolation performance.
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No sound customization features.
The Mpow CH9 are unremarkable for neutral sound. They have a bass-heavy sound profile and they lack some detail in the treble range, resulting in a muddy sound that may be overwhelming for some listeners. They don't have any sound customization features, either.
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Consistent sound across different users.
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No sound customization features.
The Mpow CH9 are passable for commute and travel. They have a long continuous battery life that can last through bus rides to school or long international flights. However, they have a bulky design, and they may not be comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Also, they don't really block out background noises like bus and plane engines.
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16.5-hour continuous battery life.
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Disappointing noise isolation performance.
The Mpow CH9 aren't bad for sports and fitness, though they aren't designed for this use. They're stable enough to stay on the listener's head during casual listening sessions, but they may fall off during more intense exercises. They have a bulky design, and they may not be comfortable for all listeners.
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Decently stable.
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Bulky design.
The Mpow CH9 are mediocre for office use, though they likely won't be used for this purpose since they're designed for kids. Their 16.5-hour continuous battery life should be enough to get through a work or school day, however, they may not be comfortable to wear for long periods. They also don't block out a lot of background noise, so listeners may hear chatter from people working nearby.
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16.5-hour continuous battery life.
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Disappointing noise isolation performance.
The Mpow CH9 are compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs, but their latency is likely too high to be suitable for wireless gaming. They can't be used wirelessly with PS4 or Xbox One consoles.
The Mpow CH9 are acceptable for wired gaming. They can be plugged directly into Xbox One or PS4 controllers using their 1/8" TRS cable; however, they can only receive audio and listeners can't use their microphone. Their ear cups aren't adjustable, so they may not be comfortable for longer gaming sessions. On the upside, they have very low latency over their wired connection.
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Low latency.
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No microphone compatibility over wired connection.
The Mpow CH9 are fair for phone calls. Their integrated microphone has a passable recording quality, so voices are understandable but a bit thin and muffled. The mic performs well in noisy environments, too. However, they don't block out a lot of background noise, which may be distracting during calls.
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Very good noise handling.
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Disappointing noise isolation performance.
- 6.2 Mixed Usage
- 6.3 Neutral Sound
- 6.3 Commute/Travel
- 6.7 Sports/Fitness
- 6.0 Office
- 4.8 Wireless Gaming
- 6.5 Wired Gaming
- 6.5 Phone Calls
- Updated Nov 04, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Oct 29, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 30, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 25, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 21, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Mpow CH9 come in three different color variants: Blue/Black, Pink, and Blue/Green. We tested the Blue/Black variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect the other color variants to perform similarly.
If you come across another variant of these headphones, let us know in the discussions and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Mpow CH9 are wireless on-ear headphones designed for kids. Like many kids' headphones, they have an adjustable volume limiter that lets you set the maximum volume at either 85dB or 95dB. They have a bass-heavy sound profile and a more consistent audio delivery than many other on-ear headphones for kids. If you're looking for other headphones, check out our recommendations for the best on-ear headphones, and the best wireless Bluetooth headphones.
The Mpow CH9 Wireless are slightly better on-ear headphones for kids than the JBL JR300BT Wireless. The Mpow have a more stable fit, a longer continuous battery life, and a more consistent audio delivery. Also, their integrated microphone performs better than the JBL's mic. However, the JBL have a more neutral sound profile compared to the bass-heavy Mpow, and they're also more comfortable.
The Mpow CH9 Wireless are better on-ear headphones for kids than the iClever BTH02 Wireless. The Mpow have a more stable fit and a more consistent audio delivery. Also, their microphone has a better overall performance. That said, the iClever are better-built, and they have longer continuous battery life.
The Puro JuniorJams Wireless and the Mpow CH9 Wireless are similarly-performing on-ear headphones for kids. The Puro are better-built and leak less noise. They have an excited sound profile, while the Mpow have a more bass-heavy sound. However, the Mpow are better-suited for phone calls as their microphone has a better performance, and they have a more stable on-ear fit.
The Mpow CH9 Wireless are better headphones for kids than the Mpow CH1. The CH9 are better-built, and they have a more stable fit. They also delivery audio more consistently. Unlike the CH1, you can use them wirelessly, and they come with a microphone.
The Mpow CH9 Wireless are better kids' headphones than the Mpow CH6. The CH9 can be used wirelessly, unlike the CH6. They have a bass-heavy sound profile, and their microphone has a better performance. That said, the CH6 are better-built, and they leak less noise.
Test Results
The Mpow CH9 are colorful headphones designed for kids. They have small ear cups that are suitable for young listeners, and they come in several different color schemes.
The Mpow CH9 are passably comfortable. They're lightweight and don't clamp the head too tightly. However, their silicone headband can be uncomfortable for long listening sessions, and the ear cups aren't adjustable, either.
These headphones have passable controls. There's a power on/off switch, volume control, LED button control, and music/call control. There's also a switch that lets you limit the volume to either 95db or 85db, which is designed to help protect kids' hearing. Unfortunately, the volume limiter and the on/off switch feel the same, which can be confusing. Also, you can't use the controls (including the volume limiter) when listening to audio over a wired connection.
The Mpow CH9 have mediocre portability. The ear cups fold in to make them easier to store, but like most on-ears, they're still a bit bulky.
These headphones don't have a case or a pouch.
The Mpow CH9 have an acceptable build quality. They're made of plastic, with faux leather ear cups and silicone padding on the headband. However, the hinges are a potential weak point, and they make a clicking noise when folded inwards.
These headphones are decently stable. They should stay on the listener's ears during casual listening sessions, but they likely fall off during high-intensity workouts.
The Mpow CH9 have a bass-heavy sound profile. The overemphasis in the bass range adds extra boom and punch to audio, making them ideal for listening to bass-heavy genres like hip-hop. However, the underemphasis in the treble range can hurt the clarity of some vocals and lead instruments.
These headphones have impressive frequency response consistency. Unlike the Mpow CH1, their audio delivery shouldn't vary, regardless of their fit, seal, and positioning on the listener's head.
These headphones have acceptable bass accuracy. The entire range is overemphasized, resulting in boomy, punchy bass response. However, it may be overwhelming for listeners who prefer a neutral sound.
These headphones have very good mid accuracy. The range is pretty balanced and even, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, the underemphasis in the high-mid can make vocals sound a bit weak and distant.
These headphones have poor treble accuracy. The low-treble is underemphasized, which hurts the comprehensibility of vocals and lead instruments. The overemphasis in the mid-treble can make sibilants like cymbals sound piercing and painful.
These headphones have passable peaks and dips performance. The peak in the high-bass adds a boomy, muddy quality to the mix, while the dip in the low-mids can thin out vocals and lead instruments. The peak in the mid-mids can make some of those instruments sound forward and boxy. The dip in the low-treble hurts the comprehensibility of vocals and lead instruments, while the peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like S and T sounds piercing and painful.
These headphones have very good imaging performance. Their weighted group delay falls mostly below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude and phase response, but there's a bit of mismatch in frequency response. As a result, some objects like voices and instruments may not be accurately placed within the stereo image. These results are only valid for our test unit, and yours may perform differently.
The Mpow CH9 have a poor passive soundstage. The soundstage is small and unnatural, and audio seems like it's coming from inside the listener's head, rather than all around them.
These headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.
These headphones have a decent weighted harmonic distortion performance. Aside from a peak in the treble range, most of the frequency spectrum falls within good limits, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction.
Note:They have a 95dB max volume limiter meant to protect young listeners' hearing, so this test was conducted at 95dB and 85dB rather than the conventional 100dB and 90dB.
These are the settings we used to test these headphones. They have a volume limiter that prevents them from exceeding 95db, which had an impact on tests where the volume is normally set to 100dB and 90dB. Our WHD test was conducted at 95db and 85db instead of 100db and 90db. Our results are only valid using this configuration.
The Mpow CH9 have a disappointing noise isolation performance. They barely block out any sounds in the bass range, like bus and plane engines, and they struggle to block out mid-range sounds like voices. On the upside, they do a better job blocking out higher-frequency noises like AC units.
These headphones have adequate leakage performance. At high volumes, they leak a bit of noise. Due to their 95dB volume limit, we tested them at 95dB instead of 100dB, which may have had an impact on leakage performance.
The Mpow CH9 have an integrated microphone.
The microphone has a mediocre recording quality. Speech sounds thin and muffled, but it should still be understandable.
The mic has a very good noise handling performance. Whoever's on the other end of the line should be able to understand the caller, even if they're calling from a noisy environment.
The Mpow CH9 have a decent battery performance. They last around 16.5 hours on a single charge, which is great for long days on the go. However, they take over three hours to charge, and you can't listen to them while they charge, which is a bit inconvenient.
These headphones don't have a companion app.
These headphones have decent Bluetooth connectivity. They support Bluetooth 5.0, but not NFC or multi-device pairing. Their latency on PCs is likely too high to be suitable for wireless gaming, but they perform better with iOS and Android devices. However, some apps compensate for latency, so a real-world experience can vary.
The Mpow CH9 only support Bluetooth wireless connections.
The Mpow CH9 come with a 1/8" TRS cable, as well as a micro-USB cable for charging.
These headphones can connect wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled PCs for full audio and microphone compatibility. However, when they're plugged into a PS4 controller, they can only receive audio.