Meelectronics

Meelectronics M6

Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 9mm
Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
RRP: $49.99, now on sale for $36.49
Colours: Black, clear and maroon

Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of plastic and the cable is 140cm/55in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable has a so called ”memory wire” built in where it runs over the ears. This means that it has a bit of metal wiring attached to it, which can be bent into the shape you wish, to help them stay put. The cable is quite soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it and it looks very nice in clear, it also has a shirtclip attached.
The included accessories are, four pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L and triple flanges), a pouch, airline adapter and a cable manager. All in all a generous amount of accessories.

Comfort and fit.
The M6’s are light and about average size. They are to be worn with the cable running over the ear. The memory wire can be an advantage as well as an disadvantage, unfortunately I’m in the latter group, I find it too fiddly and generally unnecessary for comfort and fit, but that’s just me. Isolation from ambient noise is good and microphonic noise is minimal thanks to the clip.

Sound quality.
Being a dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best. Once settled the M6 offer a dynamic sound experience, with a tight and punchy bass that does not over-power the rest of the soundspectrum, the mids are lively, the highs are crisp and the soundstage is wide. The laidback and pleasing warmth is very nice sounding and one can listen to them for hours on end, without any fatigue. The detail in the overall sound is impressive for a dynamic IEM in this price range.
The M6 will make all music styles sound lively and enjoyable, with their dynamic sound nicely wrapped into a large soundstage, they make for a great listening experience that soon will have you tapping along to the music. It can also be noted that they respond well to the use of DSP’s and EQ’s.

To sum up.
The good: excellent and involving/fun sound, build quality, design, price.
The bad: the memory wire (but that may be a good thing for some).

Verdict: for the price they offer a combination of well thought out accessory pack, overall sound quality and glorious looks/design, especially for the clear model, that is very hard to beat. Highly recommended.

Meelectronics M9

Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 9mm
Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
RRP: $24.99, now on sale for $17.49
Colours: Black

Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of aluminium and the cable is 120cm/48in, with a straight jack. The cable has a more rubbery feel to it than the one on the M6, and feels softer and smoother in use.
The included accessories are, four pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L and double flanges), a semi-hard zippered case, a airline adapter and a cable manager. All in all a generous amount of accessories.

Comfort and fit.
The M9’s are light and quite small. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Isolation from ambient noise is good and microphonic noise is minimal thanks to the clip.

Sound quality.
The M9 use the same driver as the M6, and sound identical when used with same sleeves.
Being a dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best. Once settled the M9 offer a dynamic sound experience, with a tight and punchy bass that does not over-power the rest of the soundspectrum, the mids are lively, the highs are crisp and the soundstage is wide. The laidback and pleasing warmth is very nice sounding and one can listen to them for hours on end, without any fatigue. The detail in the overall sound is impressive for a dynamic IEM in this price range.
The M9 will make all music styles sound lively and enjoyable, with their dynamic sound nicely wrapped into a large soundstage, they make for a great listening experience that soon will have you tapping along to the music. It can also be noted that they respond well to the use of DSP’s and EQ’s.

To sum up.
The good: excellent and involving/fun sound, build quality, price.
The bad: may not offer best fit for all ears.

Verdict: for the price they offer a good overall sound quality and generous accessory pack as well as a build quality that, I dare say, no other IEM can match. Highly recommended!!

Meelectronics M11

Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 7mm with a tuned bass-reflex system
Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
RRP: $49.99, now on sale for $44.49
Colours: Black, red, silver

Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of aluminium and the cable is 140cm/55in, with a 45 degree jack, and a shirtclip. The cable is not quite as soft and smooth as on the M6, but it is of high quality and looks very nice in clear.
The included accessories are, five pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L, double and triple flanges), a pouch, a airline adapter and a cable manager. All in all a generous amount of accessories.

Comfort and fit.
The M11’s are light and small. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Isolation from ambient noise is good and microphonic noise is minimal thanks to the clip.

Sound quality.
Being a dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best. Once settled the M11 offer a dynamic sound experience, like the M6 and M9, but with added detail and more forward mids. They offer a tight and punchy bass that blends perfectly with the rest of the soundspectrum, the mids are smooth, detailed and forward, the highs are crisp and the soundstage is big. They are not as laidback as the M6 and M9, but they do sound excellent, and they can be listened to for long periods without any fatigue.
The M11 suits all music styles, and will make them sound lively and natural. The dynamic sound with a clear mids focus offer a detail that is normally found only in much more expensive IEM’s. Overall the M11 are highly enjoyable and they have a great combination of detail and energy wrapped into a big soundstage. Just as the M6 and M9 the M11 also respond well to the use of DSP’s and EQ’s.

To sum up.
The good: excellent and involving/fun sound, build quality, design, price.
The bad: very subtle L and R marking is easy to miss.

Verdict: for the price they offer stylish build and sound quality, that can match much more expensive IEM’s. Highly recommended.



Top M6, left M9, right M11

Phiaton

Phiaton PS200

Even if Phiaton are a newcomer on the high-end earphone market they are part of Cresyn Company, a very well renowned name on the audio scene. Their new Phiaton PS200 dual balanced armature IEM is ready to take a share of the market.

Specs.
Dual balanced armature, one for low and one for mid/high frequencies
Frequency range: 8 Hz – 30 KHz
Impedance: 39 Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
RRP: $249 / £150

Build quality and accessories.
The housing is all aluminium as well as the splitter, the build quality is very impressive, to say the least. The cable is 120cm/47in with a straight jack, the cable itself is quite stiff with what appears to be a plastic coating. The included accessories are, three pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M and L), a airline jack/adapter and a excellent case with cable management and accessory storage.

Comfort and fit.
The PS200’s are quite large but the shape of them makes the fit perfect, they are light and thanks to the design they are very comfortable. The PS200’s can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Isolation from ambient noise is very good and the cable has minimal microphonic noise.

Sound quality.
The purpose built dual armatures, that are specifically designed for handling the lower and upper frequencies with the help of a passive crossover, produce a full bodied sound. The PS200’s have a nice rumble and attack down low and smoothly involving mids as well as clean and sparkling highs. The high quality bass is tight and fast but even so, the amount may not be enough for the bass lovers. The detail in mids and highs is good, but the most impressive feature of the PS200’s sound is the soundstage. The soundstage is very wide and has good positioning with a nice presentation and a clear instrument separation. One could say that they sound more like full-sized headphones instead of IEM’s. My favourite tracks, and any other music that I tried with the PS200’s sound crisp and full of energy, and big so to speak. As an added bonus they respond very well to the use of EQ and DSP.
Overall the sound they produce is highly enjoyable and has a great combination of detail and energy wrapped into a big soundstage.

To sum up.
The good: sound quality and soundstage, build quality, comfort and noise isolation are all top class and the excellent case deserves a special mention.
The bad: they are not cheap, the bass response may not be enough for bassheads, they are not easily available to purchase in store.

The Phiaton PS200 are rather expensive, but at the $250/£150 pricepoint they offer a combination of sound quality, build quality, comfort/isolation and accessory pack that very few, if any, other IEM’s can match.