Meelectronics A151P MKII & M6 Pro Review
Let me start off by saying a huge thanks to Mike from Meelectronics for sending me the M6 Pro and A151P 2nd Gen to review. From now on, I will simply them as the M6 and A151P respectively, but please don’t confuse them for the original M6 and A151. The A151P is an earphone that I have reviewed a while ago and I remember that I really enjoyed it after a brief transition period where I got used to the sound. The M6 on the other hand, is something that I have never heard before so I cannot give any comparisons to the normal M6 unfortunately.With the original A151P being one of the most impressive $50 IEMs I had heard at the time, I was very interested to see how Meelectronics changed it up and made improvements. There were a few areas that I felt could be a bit better on the original and I am pleased to say that the main issues have been resolved, the two not only sound very different, but are a little different aesthetically as well. More on that later though.
I usually don’t do dual reviews like these, but considering that I had both the M6 Pro and the A151P on hand at the same time and with them being priced so similarly, I felt like people would be interested in how the two compared. Both have a street price of around $50, their MSRPs are $60 and $80 respectively, but currently on the Meelectronics website they are $50. However, the target audience of these two IEMs are very different despite their similar prices. Whereas the A151P is made for the general Head-Fi and your average consumer, I get the impression from Mike that the M6 Pro, as the name might suggest, is something of a professional stage monitor.
Anyway, let’s get on with the review now.
**Disclaimer** These were provided to me by Meelectronics in return for an honest, unbiased review.
Packaging & Accessories
he A151P’s box is about as basic as it gets, serving as ample protection for the earphones, but don’t expect it to be pretty. Standard cardboard box with a plastic drawer that slide out. It actually came to me a little beat up and somewhat crushed, but the earphones themselves were not damaged. The M6 Pro’s box is fancier, with a lot more information on the box, including a see through window which allows you see the IEMs. When you open the box, there is a cardboard insert which comes out and there is the box with all the accessories except for the tips, which are in a separate compartment. Quite a different design, never really seen it before, but it looks pretty cool, so it is definitely welcome.
Both the IEMs are not showered with accessories, especially the A151P, so let’s start there. It comes with a manual, some tips and a nice small clamshell case. Quite basic, but it serves its purpose very well. The M6 Pro comes with a few more bits and pieces, such as 2 interchangeable cables, one with a mic and one without. There is also a cable clip on each of them as well as an adapter, a few tips including a set of Complys and finally, a clamshell case. The case is a little bit annoying for me, I’m not sure why it is so big. Personally, I prefer if I can fit a case into a jeans pocket relatively easily and the M6 Pro’s clunky case definitely isn’t the best for portability. Maybe it is larger to accommodate for the different things that professionals have to use with their gear, but I’m not a fan. Other than that, everything is very good.
Design
There have been a few very minor changes made to the A151P’s exterior that are quite obvious, the most major being the right angle jack. Though this may not seem like a large change, I can see less people having problems with the plug with long term use. Running music off your phone or music player when it is in your pocket can really damage a straight plug in the long run. The strain reliefs on the A151P are very good and effective, very flexible and not rigid whatsoever. The earpieces are made out of plastic, and feel like they are well made. These should be able to last a good while, I don’t see any issues with its durability. The cable is awesome, it is very similar to the Westone cables, but is softer and not microphonic whatsoever. The isolation is not great, but it isn’t too bad either. On Joker’s scale the isolation would probably be 3-3.5, acceptable, but these wouldn’t be my first choice on a plane ride.
The M6 Pro is a very unique IEM in a number of ways. As far as I know, the M6 is one of two IEMs from reputable companies that have a detachable cable under $50, the other being the VSD3. Unfortunately I have not heard the VSD3 so I can’t compare them, but the M6 is very well thought out and even includes 2 cables! Replacement cables for Shure cost $30 or so each and the M6 which costs $50 includes 2. The build is very good, plastic, but again, it feels very well made and more durable than the A151P. The detachable cables are not MMCX or 2 pin unfortunately, so you will not be able to use these cables with other IEMs. The cables themselves are rubber coated and a little bit microphonic without a cable clip, but silent with one and they have memory wire. In terms of isolation, they are not quite Shure level just yet, but they are definitely more isolating than the A151P, perhaps between a 3.5 and 4. Should be fine for everyday use as well as use in louder areas. Oh, and also do not that these have an interesting “Lifetime Replacement Program” where if you lose these or break these you can buy another one for half price.
Testing Gear
The A151P is not something that scales a lot, or at all with more upstream gear. I found this to be the case with the original and also with the revised version. They do not need a lot of juice to sound good and here was minimal difference between my Z2 and DX90. Off an IP6 they sounded very good as well. The M6 Pro on the other hand, did scale quite a little. I found that with the DX90, the soundstage and overall sound was much more refined, which was interesting for such a budget priced IEM. Separation got better especially and everything sounded clearer and much cleaner. The treble was also less sharp, but still quite bright. I wouldn’t recommend going and buying a DX90 for your M6, but if you have an amp or dedicated source, try it out before you judge it, it really does change!
Sound Quality
I’ll go on the record and state that personally I prefer the A151P’s sound over the M6, but it isn’t better by a lot and some people may actually prefer the M6 depending on what type of sound they are after. Whereas both are technically V shaped, the A51P sounds very neutral despite the slight midrange recession, which in reality is hardly noticeable. The M6, however, is significantly more V shaped and warmer sounding compared to the A151P, but it has a rather emphasized treble as well for that exciting and fun sound. So before I go more in depth to the review, I would suggest that people who want a more neutral sound signature look towards the A151P whereas those who are seeking a more energetic earphone to pay more attention to the M6. There will be some comparisons later on with the RE-400 and A151P 1st Gen as well as the TF-10.
Bass
Though I wouldn’t classify myself as a basshead, I do enjoy my bass and prefer a slightly emphasized bass section. Luckily, both are not lacking bass in any way, the M6 is much more bass heavy compared to the A151P. To be honest, I was actually expecting more bass from the M6 than what I got. From what other people said, I thought the M6 was a very bass heavy IEM which sounded warm and veiled, but that was not what I got at all. Initially the M6 was too bass heavy for my taste, being a little flabby and bloated, but with a few days of burn in the bass seems to have settled down, not sure whether this is brain burn in or actual burn in, but I didn’t listen to them during that period. Detail is decent, but I feel like the cleaner A151P’s bass just edges it out. In the sub-bass department, the M6 was ridiculous linear for the price, I did not detect any low frequency roll off at all. They actually reminded me a little of the Audeze range of headphones in the way they presented bass, of course they aren’t as good, but for $50 you wouldn’t expect they to be. It is quite fast, but not the quickest. The A151P’s sub-bass is quicker and also very linear, but I did enjoy the extra kick that the dynamic driver of the M6 gave me. Both earphones are very competent in the bass department and they produced much more than one would expect for the budget price.
Midrange
Looking at Meelectronic’s frequency graph for the M6, I feel like it very accurately reflects what the IEM actually sounds like. The midrange is undoubtedly recessed and I found myself having to turn the M6s up a little more than I usually do to enjoy them. But keep in mind I listen to music at a quite a soft volume. At times I found myself wishing that the midrange was just pulled forward a little, but for most songs I did not have any issues with the midrange. Whereas some earphones may sound veiled because of their recessed midrange, the colder tonality of the M6 means that I never felt like they sounded veiled. Vocals sounded very crisp, but instruments sounded a little bit thin due to the brighter midrange. As I have found with many headphones, midrange clarity usually means a slightly off tone. However, I don’t find this to be a major issue with the sound and whether you will like it depends on your preferences. The A151P is a totally different story. While the frequency graph shows a little bit of a dip in the midrange, I did not hear any midrange recession and it was very smooth overall. Detail was as good as the M6 and on a whole I found the midrange to be mostly flat with maybe a hint of brightness. Both earphones don’t have an issue in vocal sibilance. Overall they are both solid here as well.
Treble
The only thing that annoyed me with the M6 was the lower treble peak, which could make the earphones a little fatiguing during long listening periods. This unfortunately also introduced a bit of sibilance. It wasn’t bad compared to some other IEMs I have heard, but some people who are more sensitive to treble may want to stay away from these. Cymbals have a nice tone to them, if not a bit sharp, but to me they were relatively accurate and I had no major problems with the treble. Despite the M6 being a budget dynamic driver IEM, the treble extends quite far and didn’t roll off early on. The treble energy is great, they inject that excitement into the M6s that make them a very enjoyable IEM to listen to. Detail is excellent for the price, I think the M6 might be better in terms of treble detail than the A151P. The A151P has a much flatter treble response though, without the peak that the M6 has. This is the area that it has improved the most from the 1st Gen and the treble is much more extended and detailed. It has no sibilance at all and was very detailed as well, just falling short of the M6. There is still a little bit of roll off though, but this is likely to make these more polite and inoffensive to cater for everyone.
Soundstage & Imaging
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with the M6, with it being a budget dynamic driver. I have had some experiences with cheap IEMs that have a very large soundstage, but the M6 isn’t one of them. That is not to say that the soundstage is small, because it isn’t at all, but I simply would not classify the soundstage as large. It is quite wide, but lacks a little bit in depth and height. At this price point, this is to be expected though, and very few budget IEMs have an impressive soundstage. The M6 is good, but not great. The same story goes for the A151P, the soundstage is OK, but not that good. Smaller than the M6, but that is understandable given it is a BA IEM. Not bad, but it doesn’t stand out here.
The imaging is a bit better on both, the A151P edging out the M6 this time. Whereas both do not have large soundstages, they actually have surprisingly good imaging. The A151P is more accurate and I found it easier to judge where instruments were during complicated pieces of music. The M6 does come very close though, and puts up a very god fight indeed. Both are excellent in this area, the new A151P is even better than the old version which was already very competent here.
Separation & Detail
Both earphones do superbly in this field, being both detailed and clear. The separation was very good on the A151P, but only with the Sony Hybrid tips for some reason. They seemed to add that little something that made the A151Ps sound a lot better than any of the stock tips. They were very strong with vocal separation especially, they sounded as good here as the RE-400s, which I will do a full comparison with later on in the review. The M6 was excellent as well, but this time they were stronger with instrument separation due to that recessed midrange which let the vocals down a bit. Both pass with flying colours here, no complaints at all.
Once again, the tuning of both these earphones means that the detail really shine though. The A151P is particularly improved from the original because of the updated drivers with the better upper frequency response. Detail on these are comparable to many $100 IEMs and it falls just short of the RE-400, quite a feat for something that costs just half of what the RE-400 does. The M6 is about equally detailed, but the stronger bass response does mask some of the detail. The prominent treble allows a lot of the upper end details some through though. Both are very god in terms of detail and it is very impressive what these achieve considering their $50 price point.
Comparisons
In this section I will be comparing the two IEMs to other choices that are somewhat similar in one way or another. Starting off with the original A151P vs the A151P 2nd Gen, I found the 2nd version to be significantly better. The bass seemed to be a little bit stronger, the midrange was better balanced and lost that slightly nasal tone and the treble is much more extended. It is also more detailed and had a slightly bigger soundstage. In short, it improved on every area of the original, and while it do not sound like a totally different earphone, it does sound significantly better. Now let’s move on to the other comparisons.
Meelectronics A151P vs HiFiMAN RE-400
I was looking forward to this comparison and very interested to see how the underdog in the A151P would do matched up against an earphone many recognise as the best $100 IEM. In short, it does very well, even beating it in a few areas – in terms of bang for your buck, these are likely to be the better choice, you may even like these more. I feel like the A151P is better-rounded than the RE-400, mainly down to the better bass and treble extension. The RE-400 is a little A (?) shaped where the midrange is emphasized. Though this may appeal to some people, I personally fund them to be lacking in the bass department, which was quite light. The midrange is awesome on the RE-400 and it hands down beats the A151P, but the Meelectronics IEM takes the bass just as easily for me. The treble is a bit more of a toss-up, I’m not entirely sure which one is better, they all sound very good, but the A151P is a little brighter, I’ll let you decide what you prefer yourself. The RE-400 is a bit better with separation and detail, but this is marginal and the RE-400 isn’t a very detailed IEM on a whole. Soundstage is about the same, both are on the intimate side of things. The imaging is a bit better on the RE-400. Again, this is marginal. So you might be thinking that the RE-400 wind comfortably right? Not quite, not for me at least. I prefer the sound signature of the A151P more than the RE-400 and despite the RE-400 being more technically proficient, I get more enjoyment listening to the A151P so I’m going to have to say that the A151P is “better” than the RE-400. Obviously YMMV, but the fact that the A151P comes so close to the RE-400 is no mean feat.
Meelectronics M6 Pro vs Logitech TF-10
Ah, the good old TF-10, nothing can ever replace it in my heart, It is the earphone that started it all, the reason why I began to love music. After a while, I finally chased down a pair and when I first heard the M6, I straight away felt like it was like a mini TF-10. You might think it is pointless comparing the M6 to something that is long discontinued now, but many people have had some sort of experience with the TF-10, and also I want to J. The bass is not quite as good as the TF-10, but it does have more sub-bass rumble. The midrange is a tad more recessed than the Logitech and has a similar metallic tone to the TF-10, which I actually happen to like, but again, the TF-10 is a bit cleaner and takes this as well. Treble is once again, quite similar, except the treble spike on the M6 is sharper, which introduces a bit of sibilance the TF-10 does not have. Soundstage is something the M6 seems to be a bit better in, it is wider, but imaging is better on the triple driver TF-10. Separation and detail is the same story, the TF-10 is a bit better. Overall, the TF-10 is a better IEM without a doubt, but the point that I am highlighting I that the M6 has a similar tonality and you can experience the now extinct TF-10 for just $50. It is probably the closest IEM I have heard to the TF-10.
Summary
This review is finally drawing to an end and to sum it up, both the A151P and M6 Pro are very impressive IEMs from Meelectronics. Both punch above their price range and the A151P really hits my sweet spot. The cheapest IEM I have heard that bests it is the Dunu Titan 1, which costs over twice its cost. It is truly the jack of all trades. The M6 on the other hand, is a very unique IEM that was possibly never meant for the Head-Fi market, but found its way in anyway. Designed as a professional monitor, it does a remarkable job at simply allowing you to enjoy he music. If I had to choose one, it would be the A151P, but luckily I don’t. The cost of both is the only a mere $100 and I feel like they would bring you much more enjoyment than any $100 IEM would. The A151P gains a perfect 5 stars from me whereas the M6 Pro is awarded an excellent 4.5 stars.
Star tips though are really difficult to put on, they bend and dont stretch much, foam one dont bend at least. You can put them on with a side on push.
If its nicely on, these tips sound awesome!!