MEElectronics M9-BK Hi-Fi Sound-Isolating Earphones (Black)

First I'll start by listing all the details:
Current Price: $10-$15 from amazon.com (MSRP: $24.99); $18-24 for M9P with microphone
Specs: Driver: Dynamic | Imp: 16 Ω | Freq: 18-20k Hz | Cord: 4’ 45-degree plug
Nozzle Size: 5.5mm | Preferred tips: Triple- Flange
Wear Style: Straight down, Over ear can be bothersome due to the deep fit needed for best sound.
Accessories (4/5) – Hard clamshell case, shirt clip, single-(3 sizes) and bi-flange silicone tips
Build Quality (5/5) – Rock Solid, One of the best cables on an Iem I've seen, better then Iem's costing 10x as much.
Isolation (4/5) – Longer housings and included bi-flange help achieve deeper insertion and greater isolation despite the vented design
Microphonics (4/5) – Low when worn cable down; nonexistent otherwise
Comfort (4/5)– Light Weight Construction adds to long term wear, This would be a 5 star rating but you really need Triple-Flanges to get the best fit for the sound.
These need deep insertion to sound their best.
Sound (4.5/5) First thing you notice is the Bass, It hits hard and has a very nice depth to it. At first has some "Boom" Factor to it but after about 50hrs of burn in it settles down quite nicely. It doesn't have any bleed into the Mids that I noticed. It stays right in line. Very nice at this price point. The Mids are a little recessed but not in a bad way, The Bass and Treble do not crowd them out, They have that slight V-Shape, but it works quite well. The Mids are nice and smooth with amazing detail for such a low price. Quite pleasing. The Treble has amazing crispness to them, it extends out quite far. It can step out on certain tracks but never is harsh.
Tip Selection helps here, to get that slight sizzle out...
Soundstage is decent as well, Not super wide or tall, It gives a lot of air around the sound. Very nice 3-D effect. I've used several MEE Iem's and these have just a fantastic quality to the space and air.
I must mention tho these do require a deep insertion to get the best sound. These are ported/vented and need it to sound their best. Try the include Double-Flange first, then move to a Triple-Flange.
Value(5/5) I Highly Recommend these. Meelectronics (MEE) is a little known company to most( average customer) But are hands down better then anything you can pull off the shelf at your local chain store. Top notice build quality, AMAZING sound, and a Customer Service Dept. that's second to none.

 

Let me begin by saying that this is my first review, so try to be nice! 

Let's begin with build quality....
 

The twisted cable  is covered in a nice, thick, clear black cover that should fight against abuse very well.  The black metal housings should handle a lot . One thing I didn't like about the build is it's strain reliefs. It tends to get slightly loose. It shouldn't affect the durability much since it still covers the cables, but it can bother you.  Overall, the build is excellent, except for the strain reliefs..

Comfort and Isolation

Comfort was sort of a weaker part of the M9's. The stock single flanges are actually very comfy, but all existing isolation disappears and sound quality is slightly decreased. Very deep insertion is required for the best sound. The double flanges or the Sony Hybrids improves the sound and isolation, but neither of them have the same comfort as the stock single flanges. 

Microphonics

Yeah, it's still there, but isn't quite noticeable. No microphonics when worn over the ear however.

Sound

The M9's seem to do quite a difficult feat. They achieve a mainstream sound signature that non-audiophilics love, while still being able to appeal to audiophiles.

Bass:

Can be a tad bit excessive sometimes. Every once in a while, the bass shows up when uncalled for.  Should satisfy bassheads.

Mids:

The M9's is quite satisfying in clarity, though the mids might feel recessed or pushed back.

Treble:

Unsurprisingly, the highs of the M9's is its weaker point. Although of the astounding detail put out from the M9's, they can be quite harsh at times.

Soundstage:

Excellent, thanks to the M9's vented design.

In conclusion...

Mee might have released new and possibly better IEM's that probably beat the M9's in just about every way, but with the lowered street price ( I've seen newegg go as low as $10! ) these still can't be beat. It pretty much destroys anything near it's price range, ( like the Skullcandy Ink'd or the JVC Marshmallows ) 

Thank you  taking your time and reading my review, however amateur it may be, and I hope this helps..!

( Used Un-rockboxed Sansa Fuze with 320 kbps quality and no less. )

It's been a long time since I've gotten these. Before these, I was using the more expensive mainstream IEMs like EP630 and CX300 (which, if you recognize these, are actually the same **** IEMs) and the disappointing CKM50. When I got these, its like I suddenly realized there were actually additional notes in the songs I had been listening for the last couple of years! The clarity is awesome for a under 20 pair of earphones.

SoundQ:

Bass: after reading other's reviews and personal experience, I'd say the bass is not for bassheads, but decent enough if you can get a good seal (this is critical). Unfortunately the double flange doesn't quite fit in my ears so I cannot get the maximum bass intended by the manufacturers and this might be why I don't understand the people who say M9s have too much bass, but I did a earplug mod on my pair, replacing the single flange with earplugs for a perfect seal on both ends, and the bass is still at acceptable levels.

Mids: Basically, there is some level of clarity for the mids, enough for you to discern individual guitar strings being plucked, but in some other parts they end up mashed together and you cannot, not really sure how to describe this.. However overall the mids are much better than the EP630's recessed mids. It's as if my songs became brighter and more lively.

TrebL: Rolloff is rather obvious here, the highs often sound diminished. More distressing is the sibilance that occurs in some songs, especially for those with a lot of cymbals or computer generated treble sounds (think korean pop). For female voices though, these M9s handle them quite well, altho the sound can become a bit bright at times.

Microphonics:

There is some cable noise, over the ear doesn't totally cut it out, but the shirt clip, when used, reduces the noise a lot, so that you won't notice it when the music is playing.

Price/Meelec:

its an outdated pair of phones with Meelec coming up with a new series of earphones, but that just means that the M9 is now even cheaper! I paid 23 after s/h for these off the main site, now they're selling for about 15 off amazon. While Meelec often has much overpriced MSRPs, their customer service was great. Also comes with a decent set of accessories (altho i use none of them)

In summary, if you're looking for an decent upgrade from brandless earbuds without throwing more than 25, consider the M9s. These also come with a mic in the M9P variant.