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MEElectronics M11P+ Review
Note: I don’t use a Jesus phone so I’m pretty much ignoring that this has a mic.
First Impressions: Oh it’s a nice looking package. I am so very glad MEElectronics listened to my moaning and bitching about doing away with their little hard case in favour of the little baggie. The small had case is back and here to stay which is a very wise move. It’s a great little case. As always they come with a huge selection tips, it’s a really nice package. Oh and the buds themselves look every bit as gorgeous as the old M11 (no +, the P means phone i.e. it has a mic on it.) They are just simply gorgeous and oh so very tiny. The cable is similarly very pretty.
Time to listen. Holy crap that’s a lot of bass!!! I wasn’t expecting that, away to the burn in machine you go.
Source: Source 1G iPod Shuffle with a 75 ohm adapter added (mostly)
Lows: There is simply no way to dance around the issue; these are bass monsters plain and simple. I had hoped that a good long burn in would diminish this but it hasn’t so let’s just accept I’m never going to love these and move on. Quantity wise, oh lordy it’s a whole ship load of bass going on here. It feels like someone is playing music through a 2.1 system and cranked the sub all the way up. The bass is just huge and on some songs it just utterly dominates it ways it should not. Now it’s not all bad as sometimes the bass and its boosting works mightily well and I could see many a bass junkie have a right good romp with these bad boys. While the bass doesn’t bleed up into the mids it does have a habit of completely over shadowing them anytime there is a bassy song playing. The bass is a nice combination of bloom and control. It isn’t punchy naturally, of course it can have impact but its inclined to be softer and more gentle bass. It has the sound of sub woofer bass, big and expansive not so much high impact super fast bass of some IEM’s.
This is an IEM for being used with the Icon Mobile, it tames the bass a bit and brings the mids and highs out a slightly, not enough for me to love but it’s an improvement. It is enough for me in the short term to actually really like. The bass is still too much for me all the time but it is actually an enjoyable sound.
Of course many out there love far more bass than I do and I’m sure that it is to that market that MEElectronics have aimed this product and I think they really might just have a winner on their hands. The bass and its abundance is just what many are looking for and while it far too much for me I can’t deny that its pretty good quality. It really is very nice quality when you pair it up with some impedance and the Icon Mobile, giving just enough of a slap round the face to keep that gargantuan bass in check and well behaved. In short, with the Icon Mobile I like the bass, without it I don’t really.
Mids: The mids tend towards the dryer end of things. No soft smooth buttery goodness that BA things can offer but a fine showing nevertheless. The mids like the bass really do benefit from the Icon Mobile, so much so that I’m reluctant to go back the just the shuffle and impedance adapter but I must. The mids are okay but unamped they just have no life to them. They are adequate but they just don’t fair well in the face of their competition. Vocals also sound a bit off, that bass pulls the mids towards them and makes vocals sound deeper and richer than they ought to be. On male vocals this can work well but on higher female vocals it doesn’t really, it just feels like it’s that bass dominating and gravitationally attracting everything. Once you get used to it its fine but should you change to listening to something else you really notice it. Vocals elsewhere sound so thin and light in comparison, if you only listen to one thing then your ears will get used to the M11+ but I cannot deny they just aren’t the most faithfully sounding things out there. Strangely these could occasionally become sibilant too, not on many things but at volume they really disagreed with Natalie Imbruglia.
It’s not at all unpleasant sounding but it’s just not really right and others do better.
Highs: Like the mids the highs are clearly behind the bass but they do come through fairly cleanly and have no harshness to them. They have a nice decay on them too. Once more with the Icon Mobile they improve greatly but that’s unrealistic to think they will be regularly attached to one in the wild. While I can’t really find any complaint with the treble here I can’t really sing its praises either. It’s good and decent but it isn’t really besting its immediate rivals for detail and clarity. It does beat the M6 but you may not notice since its treble is much more forward and in your face, with the M11+ you have to listen out for it and try to look past all that bass. Oh and the louder they get the less controlled the treble gets
Soundstage: Not at all bad, it was a little song dependant but on the soundstage was very full and expansive sounding. Very nice.
Comfort: Just like its predecessor the M11 these are superbly comfortable. The things are ungodly tiny, weigh nothing and I can only assume MEElectronics have singed some pact with the devil to produce these.
Fit: Effortless in every way, both the uber tiny tips and the big biflange were simply a case of shove in ears and I was done. Perfect. I never tried the rest.
Microphonics: None, maybe if you wore them down you might get some but I didn’t.
Isolation: Very good for a dynamic. It may not be enough to worry Etymotic but it’s good enough for general out and about activities.
Cable: Clearly the work of Angels or the Devil, it’s just impossibly good. I also like the 45 degree angle jack.
Value: Hmm, its pretty good value for money but I can’t say it’s outstanding. The trouble is that these are sitting at the upper end of the gaggle of IEM’s that sit circa US$50 and they aren’t really offering you more. Acoustically they are comparable if you like all that bass but they aren’t better. If you have trouble with comfort and fit then these must surely gain points with you as they are just fantastic in that regard. If you want a super comfortable bass beast then for you yes but for others not so much.
Conclusion: At times I really enjoy these and others I just want to pull them out of my ears. Some songs just let the bass on these take over and dominate to the point I can’t hear the rest of the music as my ears are just screaming at me to turn it down. The mids and highs may technically remain clear and present but they are so behind that massive bass that they just don’t compare. The mids and highs are to the lows as hand grenades are to nuke’s. It doesn’t really matter how good they can be (and they are pretty good) because all that matters is do you want loads of bass? If you are the sort of chap who heard the M6 and thought “where is that bass boost button” then these may be for you but for me no. That bass is just so huge I don’t care how good it is (and it is good) I just keep wanting it to please please please go away. I had hoped these would be a better M6 but instead these are a better R1.
When Icon’ed these do balance out a touch and really clean up (strange so did the M11) and actually then they become really pretty good. I still don’t love their sound signature but they take on a new level of control and that visceral, rampantly powerful bass becomes much more impressive. These sound like being a club with a high class sound system. Clarity and control but there is no mistaking that the lows dominate and will smack you square in your sinuses. Part of me actually finds this rather fun, it’s a gloriously potent and powerful sound that I could never stand to use day in day out but from time to time it is very fun. If you already have an Icon Mobile and want an “in a club” sounding IEM then definitely give these a try.
The big problem is that these are unlikely to be regularly amped so I must judge them on them being unamped and I find them lacking. They may equal the M6 in quality, maybe beat them a little even but they just are too bass orientated. The Icon takes them to another level but without it they just don’t beat the competition. Not that they are bad, the competition out there that they face is simply outstanding and these don’t excel to command their higher price tag. If you want huge bass then yes these have the biggest out of its rivals also if you have fit trouble then these may solve a problem for you. Those two factors are what makes these stand out, physically tiny, bass behemoths.
Note: I don’t use a Jesus phone so I’m pretty much ignoring that this has a mic.
First Impressions: Oh it’s a nice looking package. I am so very glad MEElectronics listened to my moaning and bitching about doing away with their little hard case in favour of the little baggie. The small had case is back and here to stay which is a very wise move. It’s a great little case. As always they come with a huge selection tips, it’s a really nice package. Oh and the buds themselves look every bit as gorgeous as the old M11 (no +, the P means phone i.e. it has a mic on it.) They are just simply gorgeous and oh so very tiny. The cable is similarly very pretty.
Time to listen. Holy crap that’s a lot of bass!!! I wasn’t expecting that, away to the burn in machine you go.
Source: Source 1G iPod Shuffle with a 75 ohm adapter added (mostly)
Lows: There is simply no way to dance around the issue; these are bass monsters plain and simple. I had hoped that a good long burn in would diminish this but it hasn’t so let’s just accept I’m never going to love these and move on. Quantity wise, oh lordy it’s a whole ship load of bass going on here. It feels like someone is playing music through a 2.1 system and cranked the sub all the way up. The bass is just huge and on some songs it just utterly dominates it ways it should not. Now it’s not all bad as sometimes the bass and its boosting works mightily well and I could see many a bass junkie have a right good romp with these bad boys. While the bass doesn’t bleed up into the mids it does have a habit of completely over shadowing them anytime there is a bassy song playing. The bass is a nice combination of bloom and control. It isn’t punchy naturally, of course it can have impact but its inclined to be softer and more gentle bass. It has the sound of sub woofer bass, big and expansive not so much high impact super fast bass of some IEM’s.
This is an IEM for being used with the Icon Mobile, it tames the bass a bit and brings the mids and highs out a slightly, not enough for me to love but it’s an improvement. It is enough for me in the short term to actually really like. The bass is still too much for me all the time but it is actually an enjoyable sound.
Of course many out there love far more bass than I do and I’m sure that it is to that market that MEElectronics have aimed this product and I think they really might just have a winner on their hands. The bass and its abundance is just what many are looking for and while it far too much for me I can’t deny that its pretty good quality. It really is very nice quality when you pair it up with some impedance and the Icon Mobile, giving just enough of a slap round the face to keep that gargantuan bass in check and well behaved. In short, with the Icon Mobile I like the bass, without it I don’t really.
Mids: The mids tend towards the dryer end of things. No soft smooth buttery goodness that BA things can offer but a fine showing nevertheless. The mids like the bass really do benefit from the Icon Mobile, so much so that I’m reluctant to go back the just the shuffle and impedance adapter but I must. The mids are okay but unamped they just have no life to them. They are adequate but they just don’t fair well in the face of their competition. Vocals also sound a bit off, that bass pulls the mids towards them and makes vocals sound deeper and richer than they ought to be. On male vocals this can work well but on higher female vocals it doesn’t really, it just feels like it’s that bass dominating and gravitationally attracting everything. Once you get used to it its fine but should you change to listening to something else you really notice it. Vocals elsewhere sound so thin and light in comparison, if you only listen to one thing then your ears will get used to the M11+ but I cannot deny they just aren’t the most faithfully sounding things out there. Strangely these could occasionally become sibilant too, not on many things but at volume they really disagreed with Natalie Imbruglia.
It’s not at all unpleasant sounding but it’s just not really right and others do better.
Highs: Like the mids the highs are clearly behind the bass but they do come through fairly cleanly and have no harshness to them. They have a nice decay on them too. Once more with the Icon Mobile they improve greatly but that’s unrealistic to think they will be regularly attached to one in the wild. While I can’t really find any complaint with the treble here I can’t really sing its praises either. It’s good and decent but it isn’t really besting its immediate rivals for detail and clarity. It does beat the M6 but you may not notice since its treble is much more forward and in your face, with the M11+ you have to listen out for it and try to look past all that bass. Oh and the louder they get the less controlled the treble gets
Soundstage: Not at all bad, it was a little song dependant but on the soundstage was very full and expansive sounding. Very nice.
Comfort: Just like its predecessor the M11 these are superbly comfortable. The things are ungodly tiny, weigh nothing and I can only assume MEElectronics have singed some pact with the devil to produce these.
Fit: Effortless in every way, both the uber tiny tips and the big biflange were simply a case of shove in ears and I was done. Perfect. I never tried the rest.
Microphonics: None, maybe if you wore them down you might get some but I didn’t.
Isolation: Very good for a dynamic. It may not be enough to worry Etymotic but it’s good enough for general out and about activities.
Cable: Clearly the work of Angels or the Devil, it’s just impossibly good. I also like the 45 degree angle jack.
Value: Hmm, its pretty good value for money but I can’t say it’s outstanding. The trouble is that these are sitting at the upper end of the gaggle of IEM’s that sit circa US$50 and they aren’t really offering you more. Acoustically they are comparable if you like all that bass but they aren’t better. If you have trouble with comfort and fit then these must surely gain points with you as they are just fantastic in that regard. If you want a super comfortable bass beast then for you yes but for others not so much.
Conclusion: At times I really enjoy these and others I just want to pull them out of my ears. Some songs just let the bass on these take over and dominate to the point I can’t hear the rest of the music as my ears are just screaming at me to turn it down. The mids and highs may technically remain clear and present but they are so behind that massive bass that they just don’t compare. The mids and highs are to the lows as hand grenades are to nuke’s. It doesn’t really matter how good they can be (and they are pretty good) because all that matters is do you want loads of bass? If you are the sort of chap who heard the M6 and thought “where is that bass boost button” then these may be for you but for me no. That bass is just so huge I don’t care how good it is (and it is good) I just keep wanting it to please please please go away. I had hoped these would be a better M6 but instead these are a better R1.
When Icon’ed these do balance out a touch and really clean up (strange so did the M11) and actually then they become really pretty good. I still don’t love their sound signature but they take on a new level of control and that visceral, rampantly powerful bass becomes much more impressive. These sound like being a club with a high class sound system. Clarity and control but there is no mistaking that the lows dominate and will smack you square in your sinuses. Part of me actually finds this rather fun, it’s a gloriously potent and powerful sound that I could never stand to use day in day out but from time to time it is very fun. If you already have an Icon Mobile and want an “in a club” sounding IEM then definitely give these a try.
The big problem is that these are unlikely to be regularly amped so I must judge them on them being unamped and I find them lacking. They may equal the M6 in quality, maybe beat them a little even but they just are too bass orientated. The Icon takes them to another level but without it they just don’t beat the competition. Not that they are bad, the competition out there that they face is simply outstanding and these don’t excel to command their higher price tag. If you want huge bass then yes these have the biggest out of its rivals also if you have fit trouble then these may solve a problem for you. Those two factors are what makes these stand out, physically tiny, bass behemoths.
