[jant71]

MEElectronics AI-M9 Hi-Fi Sound-Isolating Earphones

Pics from the Meelec site...

These are usually around/under $25 shipped either from Overstock.com or Meelec themselves down from $50 when they first came out. The accessories are better than the PL30; more slender/nicer case, bi-flanges that are thicker, like UE bi-flanges, airplane adapter(gold plated), and lighter slimmer cord wrap made of nicer rubber. They are slightly smaller than the RE0 with thicker but shorter stems and a slightly smaller housing. Those who have the RE0 know that they are quite small. For those who don't, the pic above shows them with medium tips which gives a good idea of the size. The housings are aluminum with rubber strain reliefs. These have a cord draw which is not usually found on cheaper phones.

I got these used but they still need some burn in. The ones I got are the P version with mic and music playback control. The quick start guide says the P comes with an adapter for use with a standard 3.5mm earphone jack. The "adapter" is a 9" gold plated extension with 3.5 jack and 3.5 plug. Not sure what it adapts since the phones have a 3.5 jack also. The only difference is the third ring for the mic is not on the adapter so it is really just an extension unless some players/phones won't work correctly with stock three ring plug. Sorry, don't have an iphone myself to test the mic or playback controls.

Soundwise, and from memory, these are the equivalent or maybe slightly better than the Sennheiser CX95. Tight, quick bass with good punch and very well balanced. From memory but I might say a bit less bass, slightly more treble reach and a wee bit more detail than the CX95. Good clarity through the whole range and some nice transparency. I really think these have better mids and treble, especially mids.

Soundstage is larger than average and combines with a decent amount of separation to give a nice size image. Depth is okay, nothing great. With the nice bass punch the sound is full but clear, very smooth with no dips or spikes to my ears. No bass bleed into the mids and the bass is on the quick side and stays nicely composed on more complex stuff so far(I'll throw more at it to test it better).

Their 95dB sensitivity kills hiss well. Say the RE0 takes 23-24 volume, the AI-M9 takes 20-21 on the same player so they are not very easy to drive.

I will put some more hours on them and see if there are any changes. Very happy with them as is!



.

 

[jant71]

First quick comparison: AI-M9 w/bi-flanges vs. my Awwan cabled UHP336 with Head-Direct bi-flanges.

AI-M9 seems to be the better phone. More headphone-like bass that is tighter and has more detail. Mids are better. Treble is more extended. More clarity and more fun.

If the Altecs are a good deal at $40, the AI-M9 are a better one at $25. I got mine for $12 shipped and lightly used!

Unamped versus the RE0, I am not so happy. Treble reach is quite impressive on the AI-M9. Pretty competitive overall soundwise. I'm sure they will take some ear time from the RE0 and be more than a usable knock around phone esp. unamped. With my last two purchases being the Phonak and RE0, not looking for more treble on the AI-M9 is a surprise. Quite happy with the extension on both ends.

 

[ChroniCali]

Nice review, looks like a new contender in the low end IEMs.

 

[chinesekiwi]

I guess the success of the Nuforce NE-7M pushed the market in a bit.
Better than CX95/MX550 you reckon?

We have the NE-7M, the ADDIEM and now this?

When will the insanity end!

 

[InspireD]

These are looking nice -- is anyone gonna give them a try for $25?

 

[SantinoSan]

How do these compare to the M6? I think you had done a review of those previously, right?

Thanks,
SantinoSan

 

[jant71]

I did have the AI-M2 a while back. They were pretty good back then but there was less quality budget stuff on the scene. They had mids that were a bit distant so they are not as balanced or cohesive sounding. The AI-M9 are more extended, more detailed and resolved. They share good separation and similar bass amount and good comfort.

I called the M2 baby Denon's since the shape and sound could make them a poor man's C551. The AI-M9 might be as good as the C751's. The C700/751 are always compared to CX95 and come out as a bit better which is what I think the AI-M9 are also. A bit better esp. in the mids and treble than the CX95.

MEE hunts down some good phones and players to put their brand on. I think the M6 would be a good bet to be good sounding phones. They are over the ear style with a memory wire. They do come in a nice maroon color and look to come with foam tips instead of the bi-flanges.

 

[jant71]

I did find that the M9 don't work when plugged in conjunction with my Ety P->S adapter. I only get one channel so the adapter does come into play and they work fine through the adapter.

Through my Penguin Caffeine Ultra(bass boost off) -> S-adapter the M9 gives a very enjoyable sound from most any of my sources. Seriously thinking of selling my RE0 and funding a Zino or UF-30 plus another pair of regular version M9's.

 

[jant71]

Came home today to two packages. A pair of the new Maximo IM-590(thanks, Andrew) and the pair of non P version AI-M9's I ordered from Overstock.com.

Time to start burning these guys in!

 

[InspireD]

Cool, how long do you plan on burning them in before impressions?

 

[jant71]

Funny, the 590's have a little tag on them that says for best performance to burn them in at moderately high volume for 8-10 hours. Also the M9's do not sound as good as the other pair(looser bass, less clear, treble less apparent).

I'll check em after 24 but most likely about 50 hours.

The non-P M9 has a shorter plug 15mm vs. 20mm(relief included) and has an all black housing. My P version M9 has a darker Triple.fi blue metallic front part. Of course no mic means the cord drawer can go up fully.

If any one wants I will sell the one unused set of accessories from the new M9. The case, 4 pairs of tips, cord wrap, airline adapter and cleaning tool.

 

[InspireD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jant71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Funny, the 590's have a little tag on them that says for best performance to burn them in at moderately high volume for 8-10 hours. Also the M9's do not sound as good as the other pair(looser bass, less clear, treble less apparent). I'll check em after 24 but most likely about 50 hours. The non-P M9 has a shorter plug 15mm vs. 20mm(relief included) and has an all black housing. My P version M9 has a darker Triple.fi blue metallic front part. Of course no mic means the cord drawer can go up fully. If any one wants I will sell the one unused set of accessories from the new M9. The case, 4 pairs of tips, cord wrap, airline adapter and cleaning tool.

Haha, how convenient for the 590's.

As far as the M9, do you think that the sonic differences are due to the lack of burn in, or do they actually have slightly different drivers? Because the difference between the non-P and the P version is almost $10.

 

[jant71]

The two pairs of M9's are now very close to sounding the same.

The P version is usually $5 more on the Meelec site and sometimes they are the same depending which are on discount at the time.

The price difference would just be for the mic/control and the adapter cable. The drivers are the same.

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jant71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif MEE hunts down some good phones and players to put their brand on. I think the M6 would be a good bet to be good sounding phones. They are over the ear style with a memory wire. They do come in a nice maroon color and look to come with foam tips instead of the bi-flanges.

Those would look stunning!... without the white logo.

 

[h1a8]

What I don't like is when people say things like "Tight, quick bass with good punch" when actually the phones don't have it. I just got a pair and the bass doesn't have good punch. It is somewhat dull and weak. The SE530 bass punches stronger than these. Its ok to say "tight, quick bass (not good punch though)" but at least comment on how the bass quantity is below average (assuming SE530's bass is around average). Now these aren't bad phones. Its just comments like that caused me to waist my money on a pair when I was looking for something with good level bass. I was mainly looking for something under $100 that have stronger bass than the SE530 but also had respectable mids and is fairly balanced. This phone isn't the one (because of the bass issue). Bassheads stay away. Those far from being a basshead then these are a good bargain indeed. Fairly balanced.

I guess I must continue to use my amp to get more bass out of the SE530.
Does the Nu-force model have stronger bass than the SE530? Maybe I'll try that next.