I have owned a vast number of Me Electronics products, ranging from the famous M9 to the M11+. Yet neither of them have been as unique as their Sound Preference model: the SP51.
With the SP51, you are able to tune your IEM’s to your preferred sound signature.
Want Monstrous Bass?
Got it.
Want Some Extra Clarity?
Got it.
It really is almost like magic. However, it is as simple as taking the back port and replacing it with something else. Each port has different amounts of bass and is differently coloured. The “Extreme Bass” port is black, while the “Enhanced bass” is gunmetal, and the “neutral” port is silver.
Interesting right?
Build Quality:
Quite amazing actually, especially for the price. The housing is made entirely out of quality metal. The cable is covered with Teflon and clear plastic and is very flexible, while keeping microphonics and tangling out of the way. I wish all IEM cables were like this…
Comfort:
Fairly Average at best. The comfort of an IEM is different for everybody, and is also dependent of the type of tips you use. ( I personally use the funky double flanges the M11+ provides, and I get a very nice seal ) For example, using the smallest single flange tips when you have large ear canals isn’t going to get you a good seal.
Isolation:
Once again, only average and can be completely dependent on the seal you get.
Sound:
Notes:
Used Sansa Fuze with 320 kbps with no amplification and equilization to try to keep it as accurate as possible.
Okay, this is the big one: Sound.
I will go by ports, as each one of them sounds quite different.
Extreme Bass:
When it said “extreme bass”, it wasn’t kidding. The base on these is absolutely ridiculous. Bowel enducing, impactful, almost painful bass. Whenever there is even a touch of bass, it starts farting out earthquakes of deep bass. It comes out when uncalled for almost everytime. Really, despite the monstrous bass, I really couldn't find a way to really enjoy the extreme plates.
Enhanced Bass:
This is when things get good. A large amount of bass is cut from the extreme bass, giving it more balance.The bass suddenly tightens up. The treble is nice and clear but unfortunately there is lots of sibilance that comes with the treble. Most of the time, it is fine and out of the way, but when it shows up, things end up very bad. Listening the Lil' Wayne's extremely squeaky voice in " 6 foot 7 foot" was nearly unbearable. Despite the sibilance, I feel that this is still very good sounding with a slight V- Shaped sound sig with slightly recessed mids and vocals and a powerful low end and treble. If only it were less fatiguing...
Neutral Bass:
Well, yes, the bass is very neutral on these and clarity is very decent. Mids are much less recessed and bass is well contained. The sibilance is much lessened. These (obviously) are the most balanced of the three, offering excellent clarity. However, if you are looking for tip-top clarity, these aren't your top choice. These are decent, but if clarity and balance is all you are looking for you are better off with something like the HiFiMan RE0 and the Sunrise Xcape or maybe even Mee's own A151. In the end, these still are quite clear, but it isn't at the top of the competition.
Verdict:
Yes, these can be muddy bass monsters, but at the same time these have the ability to have great clarity. You can think of these as an "all rounder", or a "starter IEM.". You can learn which your favorite sound preference is, or that more bass isn't always better. In the end though, while these do perform extremely well, won't be in the top of the competition.