MSI Maestro 500 Wireless: ANC and 90 Hours of Battery Life for 70 Euros

Seventy euros. This is the price with which MSI enters the wireless gaming headset market with ANC, and this alone merits a moment of attention. The Maestro 500 Wireless is not a niche product nor a marketing gimmick: it is a headset that genuinely tries to cover everything, from gaming to calls, smart working, and travel, all on a budget that in most cases isn’t even enough for a wireless headset without ANC from more well-known gaming brands. The outcome isn’t perfect, but it’s much more convincing than the price would suggest.

Design, Fit, and Portability

The Maestro 500 Wireless weighs 280 grams with the dongle and has an over-ear design with rotating ear cups and a foldable headband. The cups rotate downward, and the whole structure compresses itself to reduce bulk. A soft carrying case is included in the package, which complements the idea of a headset designed for portability. The structure makes extensive use of plastic, which helps keep the weight low but doesn’t convey the same feeling of sturdiness as higher-end products: it’s an acceptable compromise at this price, not a significant flaw.

The fit is good for most users. The cups fit well on the ears, and the pressure of the headband is sufficient to keep the headset in place even during fairly intense gaming sessions. One detail to note: those with particularly wide heads might find the fit a bit excessive during longer sessions. It’s not a structural problem but rather a matter of individual anatomy, and it’s worth keeping in mind before purchase. What holds true for everyone is that these headphones remain quite rigid in all cases, with limited adaptability to the head.

ANC and Transparency Mode

Active noise cancellation is one of the most pleasant surprises of the Maestro 500. In a work environment with the air conditioning on and the usual office background noise, the ANC noticeably reduces ambient noise—not entirely but enough to allow concentration without being disturbed. We also tried them on a plane, which is an ideal condition for using ANC, and the results were absolutely convincing: we’re not at the level of Sony WH-1000XM5 or premium in-ear headphones, but for a 70 euro over-ear headset with built-in ANC, the result is respectable and usable in real life without reservations.

The Transparency Mode serves to amplify ambient sounds when you need to hear what’s happening around you, such as in the case of a conversation, an announcement at the airport, or a doorbell. How it works in practice: it amplifies the frequency range in which human voices are found, which means that someone speaking near us sounds indeed clearer. The downside is that everything that falls within the same frequency band is amplified accordingly, which can happen with air conditioning, background noises, and traffic: so, don’t expect magic. It’s a useful mode for situations where you need to remain aware of your environment without taking off the headphones, not an intelligent filter that isolates only the human voice.

What’s appreciated in use is that switching between ANC, Transparency Mode, and standard mode does not introduce perceivable audio artifacts: frequencies are not amplified, distorted, or audibly altered during the transition. The sound remains consistent, which is a sign of implementation quality not to be taken for granted at this price.

Audio and Volume Control

The drivers are 40 mm with a declared frequency response from 20 to 40,000 Hz. The default sound profile is balanced, aimed at covering games, music, and videos well without excessive bass emphasis or aggressive high frequencies. It’s not a sound that impresses with detail or instrument separation, but it’s a correct, pleasant sound suited for both gaming sessions and casual music listening.

Volume is managed on two distinct levels, as many products in this category do: the system volume percentage on Windows and the physical headphone volume via the wheel on the ear cup. The wheel only affects the internal headphone volume, without changing Windows settings. The most practical way to use them is to set the headphone volume to 100% and manage everything from Windows, ensuring the maximum output signal from the device and flexibility for OS management.

On the software side, MSI offers Nahimic for Headset on Windows for EQ presets, audio profiles, and virtual surround sound. It’s a useful tool for those wanting to explore options without too much complexity. Those who want granular control over the equalization with the ability to intervene on individual frequency bands precisely will find third-party solutions like Equalizer APO with the Peace EQ graphical interface more useful. These free tools allow complete freedom to work on the entire frequency response of the device, but they require a basic understanding of how equalization works: modifying frequencies without knowing what you’re touching can worsen the sound rather than improve it. For those seeking simplicity, Nahimic is more than sufficient; for those wanting full control, the route is different.

Microphone

The microphone is the weakest point of the Maestro 500, and it’s worth stating this clearly. The capsule is omnidirectional with beamforming technology for ambient noise reduction (ENC), and it works through an adjustable stem with a flip-to-mute system: when lowered, it’s active; when raised, it’s muted. The mute system is immediate and practical, one of the best-done details of the headset. The issue lies in the vocal pickup quality: the output is significantly worse than that of a regular phone call, with a voice that sounds compressed, lacking detail, and unnatural. The primary reason is not so much the quality of the capsule itself but the length of the stem: it’s not long enough to bring the microphone really close to the mouth. The distance from the voice source reduces the signal-to-noise ratio and impoverishes the captured quality, regardless of the capsule used. For gaming and voice chats during games, where microphone quality is often secondary to comfort, the result is acceptable. For work videoconferences where you want to make a good impression, or for any professional voice use, it’s better to rely on an external dedicated microphone. Those listening to you will indeed perceive an insufficient voice quality.

Battery Life

Instead, battery life is one of the major strengths of the Maestro 500. In Bluetooth mode, the battery lasts up to 90 hours; in wireless 2.4 GHz mode with dongle up to 60 hours. These values are measured at 50% volume and with ANC turned off, so you can realistically expect slightly lower values, but they remain very generous nonetheless. The fast charging feature is an added advantage: 5 minutes of charging is enough to get up to 6 hours of battery life in Bluetooth or 4 hours in wireless. For those who forget to charge their headphones at night, it’s a lifesaver.

To give a concrete measure of battery life, here’s what happened during the last weeks of use: we used them in the office in the days leading up to Computex for editing and gaming, then wore them for a good portion of the flight to Taiwan. In Taipei, we used them daily for music listening and editing videos from the event with ANC active. On the way back, again, for a good part of the journey. And again in the office in the following days for editing and gaming. Charged just once before leaving, at the end of all this, they are still at 50% charge. The battery never runs out.

To put this into context: at 70 euros, among the most well-known gaming brands like Logitech, Corsair, SteelSeries, or Razer, finding a wireless headset with ANC and 60-90 hours of battery life is practically impossible. Most products in that price range offer at most wireless connection, without active noise cancellation and with much more limited battery life. The Maestro 500 are therefore a unique product because they deliver a set of features that are normally found at significantly higher prices.

We’re talking about headsets compatible with PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox (via 3.5mm jack on the controller), Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. The versatility in terms of supported platforms is a significant added value for those using multiple devices, although it’s worth noting that on consoles the microphone only works via the jack cable.

Connectivity and Device Management

The Maestro 500 Wireless supports three connection modes: 2.4 GHz via USB-C dongle, Bluetooth 5.4, and 3.5mm jack for passive wired listening. The dongle + Bluetooth combination provides the best results: indeed, headphones can be connected simultaneously to the PC via the dongle and the smartphone via Bluetooth. With this connection mode, for example, while gaming, a phone call comes in, and you can answer directly without touching anything; when the call ends, the sound automatically returns to the PC as soon as the mobile device stops transmitting audio. It’s a convenience that can change the routine for those using the same headset for everything throughout the day.

However, there’s a small precaution to be aware of upon powering on: if the smartphone is nearby and its Bluetooth is already active, it may happen that the headphones latch onto the phone before completing the pairing with the PC. The easiest way to avoid this is to temporarily disable Bluetooth on the smartphone during power-up, wait to hear the connection signal to the dongle in the headphones, and then reactivate it. In just a few seconds, both connections are active and the system works exactly as expected. It’s not a design flaw, but a behavior to know to avoid some unnecessary moments of frustration.

It’s worth noting that the wired mode via the 3.5mm jack supports only listening: to use the microphone, you need to be in wireless mode, whether via dongle or Bluetooth. A limitation to keep in mind, though in practice it rarely changes anything significant.

Verdict

In conclusion, the MSI Maestro 500 Wireless may not excel in anything, but they offer everything. Functional and high-quality ANC, wireless 2.4 GHz + Bluetooth connection, foldable design, up to 90 hours of battery life, fast charging, balanced sound, and compatibility with virtually every device: it’s a package that at 69.99 euros has no direct rivals among traditional gaming brand products. There are compromises that need to be understood, starting from the microphone not suitable for professional uses, the extensive plastic in the structure, and a sound quality that cannot be compared to that of more expensive products, but they are compromises proportionate to the price, not flaws that undermine the user experience. For anyone looking for a complete wireless headset and doesn’t want to spend much, the Maestro 500 is one of the most interesting offers available on the market today.

The product is already commercially available, users can check here where it is available and in which color.