sushibowl
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2010
- Posts
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Hi Guys this is my first-attempt at writing a full-blown review besides my first-impressions stuff that i usually write. Hope i get your support!
Packaging:
No different from the other Meelec's earphones. Everything exactly the same except for the insane 10 pairs of tips. And the snazzier new packaging sticker look.
Design:
If this were the first time i have seen the M11s, i would have went... WOW. But I already have an original pair of M11s so that impression has worn off. Still, the M11+ REDs are still the best looking earphones i have ever seen besides the M6 and all those custom earphones. And they are just so small! They feel like nothing in my ears. Very comfortable. Their size makes it just so easy to insert. They are tiny!
M11 and the M11+. Which is which? Can you tell?
There is no difference between the M11 and the PLUS. Zilch. I cant tell the difference. There has been no change to the shell, 3.5mm jack, nothing. The cables are slightly different. There is a different 'feel' to the cables now, less plasticky, smoother to the touch. But im not sure how this will impact the microphonics. The cables are of a different texture and look different as well. So the PLUS basically identical to the M11 except for the cables.
The M11+ is using the angled plug thats found on the M9 as well. I wish they would use the tiny L plug that they use on the M6. Smaller is better.
Fit:
Easy as one, two, three. No fiddling around, no nonsense. They are just so absolutely tiny. The most comfortable IEMs i have ever had. They can go really deep into your ear, depending on the tips you use. Isolation is above average. Everythings good.They should be good for sleeping in.
Build Quality:
Meelec build quality. Need i say more? They feel rock solid. The casing is aluminium so of course the feel solid, well built. The strain reliefs on the earphones are pretty long too. This is one earphone that will last.
Tips:
Yeah a crapload of tips they have there. They all feel really soft and nice to the touch. Most probably nice in the ear too. I don't think anyone would have any fit problems with the PLUS. The standard biflanges ( the one that comes on the M9/M11 and are prefitted on ) seems to have had an improvement. Seems kind of softer and more isolating. Scratch that i just compared the tips. And yes the standard biflanges on the PLUS is softer, and much more comfortable. Kudos to meelec for improving the tips. Very nice. I dont think anyone would be unable to find a seal that they dont like.
I personally reccomend people to use the smallest tips for deep insertion and bringing the drivers closer in your ear. Improves isolation.
Soundstage:
For the first listen, the soundstage seems nothing very special. Its a very intimate soundstage which is of average size, but airy enough. Good instrument seperation, instruments are quite distinct in their placements. But i started noticing some things when listening some songs, particularly KT Turnstall's Big Black Horse & The Cherry Tree. The soundstage of these earphones are slightly different from what i have experienced from other earphones. I will try to illustrate it as well as i can.
For normal earphones i have used, the soundstage curves around the head in a oval shape, opening out when it reaches the side of your head, so sound coming out from the side is further from you, while sound coming from the front seems to be nearer.
The Plus has a circular shaped soundstage which means that instruments at the L/R sound much closer than others. Its like sitting in the middle of an orchestra, with all the musicians sitting around you in a circle. Everything sounds right beside you. Very close to you. All very intimate, very nice. I seriously haven't have heard such an initimate soundstage.
Sound Quality:
So 100+ hours on this baby. Should have had enough time to burn in already.
So what was the thing i first noticed?
If you guys have been using the other Meelec earphones, you would already have noticed the Meelec house sound signnature of slightly recessed vocals. its prominent on every model existing meelec model( cant say for the R1 and SX-31). However once you put on the Plus, you would find that the slightly recessed vocals have dissapeared. The vocals are now quite intimate, and forward. its prominent enough for me, i think the balance between instruments and vocals are done well, no complaints here, only praise.
Size Comparison: M6 M11+ and M9
The sound signature is hanging on the brighter side. With its emphasis on the low-end. A very peculiar sound signature which i will explain later. With the sound emphasis on the low-end, the bass guitar and all things bass will be much more prominent. Bassheads should be VERY sastified with the amount of bass the Plus puts out. The bass on the Plus is not heard, it is felt. The impact is more prominent that the sound of the bass, just how it should be. Its tight and well-controlled, and extremely enjoyable to listen to. Rarely does it invade into the mid-range, even on very complicated tracks. Actually, i never experienced that before so yeah. So people take note that these are bassy earphones. The general consensus should be that it is an extremely enjoyable sound signature.
Moving on to the midrange, i mentioned earlier that the vocals have been brought forward. And vice versa, the instruments have been recessed just a bit, compared to the rest of the Meelec range. This results in a much more balanced mid-range, which are very lively. The mids are also slightly warm, coupled with the low-end emphasis, makes for a very pleasant sound. The mids are also quite smooth. There is no scratchiness to them, which i normally pick out on my other earphones. Microdetails are prominent and easy to pick out.
Treble is smooth and warm. These earphones are non-fatiguing and are made for long listening periods. And now for that special Meelec touch! The "sparkle" that existed very prominently and that i liked very much on the M6 is still found on the Plus, but toned down by quite a bit. The sparkle was quite overbearing on the M6 so having it toned down is fantastic. The Plus do cymbals quite well as well. So its all good.
And now its time to explain why i felt the bright but low-end focused sound signature is so peculiar. I have noticed that most earphones which were bassy and low-end orientated are also dark as well. The Eternas come to mind, JVC Marshmellows, CX300 etc. I have never encountered an earphone that can be bright and so bassy . I am not a fan of dark sound signatures. They hide all of the details away. There is a feeling that the darkness was deliberately made to conceal the shortcomings of the earphones. You would have to listen really hard to pick out all the details.
Why must more bass = darker sound signature? it feels like they are trying to conceal the loss in clarity. With a bright sound signature, it is much easier to pick out imperfections with a bright sound sig. than a dark sound sig. as with a dark sig, all the details are buried deep within the darkness. You really have to listen to really tell the difference. I remain impressed by the PLUS by being bright yet bassy at the same time.
Sound Quality Conclusions:
The best Meelec earphone so far, and the best earphones i have had by far. Everything that the M11 should have been. The sound signature hits the sweet spot, being bright, bassy, and most importantly of all, FUN. Using the Plus always made me want to sing along, tap my feet to the rhythm and basically just sit back and enjoy the music. The sound signature makes it extremely suitable for mainstream music and is versatile enough to handle almost everything you throw at it and do it with style. The sound signature it has is sure to sastify almost everyone. It is my favourite sound signature by far.
Conclusions
These are FANTASTIC earphones. No question. If you are looking for fun earphones, this definitely should be at the top of your list. The sound signature is the most entertaining one i have come across by far. I can see this earphones being my main-use earphones for a very long time to come. Bulletproof build quality, superb sound and bass, whats there not to like?
At their current price of $59.99, i would wholeheartedly reccomend them to everyone looking for a very fun, mainstream bassy sound signature. Actually i would reccomend it to everyone in the market for new earphones.
Packaging:
No different from the other Meelec's earphones. Everything exactly the same except for the insane 10 pairs of tips. And the snazzier new packaging sticker look.
Design:
If this were the first time i have seen the M11s, i would have went... WOW. But I already have an original pair of M11s so that impression has worn off. Still, the M11+ REDs are still the best looking earphones i have ever seen besides the M6 and all those custom earphones. And they are just so small! They feel like nothing in my ears. Very comfortable. Their size makes it just so easy to insert. They are tiny!
M11 and the M11+. Which is which? Can you tell?
There is no difference between the M11 and the PLUS. Zilch. I cant tell the difference. There has been no change to the shell, 3.5mm jack, nothing. The cables are slightly different. There is a different 'feel' to the cables now, less plasticky, smoother to the touch. But im not sure how this will impact the microphonics. The cables are of a different texture and look different as well. So the PLUS basically identical to the M11 except for the cables.
The M11+ is using the angled plug thats found on the M9 as well. I wish they would use the tiny L plug that they use on the M6. Smaller is better.
Fit:
Easy as one, two, three. No fiddling around, no nonsense. They are just so absolutely tiny. The most comfortable IEMs i have ever had. They can go really deep into your ear, depending on the tips you use. Isolation is above average. Everythings good.They should be good for sleeping in.
Build Quality:
Meelec build quality. Need i say more? They feel rock solid. The casing is aluminium so of course the feel solid, well built. The strain reliefs on the earphones are pretty long too. This is one earphone that will last.
Tips:
Yeah a crapload of tips they have there. They all feel really soft and nice to the touch. Most probably nice in the ear too. I don't think anyone would have any fit problems with the PLUS. The standard biflanges ( the one that comes on the M9/M11 and are prefitted on ) seems to have had an improvement. Seems kind of softer and more isolating. Scratch that i just compared the tips. And yes the standard biflanges on the PLUS is softer, and much more comfortable. Kudos to meelec for improving the tips. Very nice. I dont think anyone would be unable to find a seal that they dont like.
I personally reccomend people to use the smallest tips for deep insertion and bringing the drivers closer in your ear. Improves isolation.
Soundstage:
For the first listen, the soundstage seems nothing very special. Its a very intimate soundstage which is of average size, but airy enough. Good instrument seperation, instruments are quite distinct in their placements. But i started noticing some things when listening some songs, particularly KT Turnstall's Big Black Horse & The Cherry Tree. The soundstage of these earphones are slightly different from what i have experienced from other earphones. I will try to illustrate it as well as i can.
For normal earphones i have used, the soundstage curves around the head in a oval shape, opening out when it reaches the side of your head, so sound coming out from the side is further from you, while sound coming from the front seems to be nearer.
The Plus has a circular shaped soundstage which means that instruments at the L/R sound much closer than others. Its like sitting in the middle of an orchestra, with all the musicians sitting around you in a circle. Everything sounds right beside you. Very close to you. All very intimate, very nice. I seriously haven't have heard such an initimate soundstage.
Sound Quality:
So 100+ hours on this baby. Should have had enough time to burn in already.
So what was the thing i first noticed?
If you guys have been using the other Meelec earphones, you would already have noticed the Meelec house sound signnature of slightly recessed vocals. its prominent on every model existing meelec model( cant say for the R1 and SX-31). However once you put on the Plus, you would find that the slightly recessed vocals have dissapeared. The vocals are now quite intimate, and forward. its prominent enough for me, i think the balance between instruments and vocals are done well, no complaints here, only praise.
Size Comparison: M6 M11+ and M9
The sound signature is hanging on the brighter side. With its emphasis on the low-end. A very peculiar sound signature which i will explain later. With the sound emphasis on the low-end, the bass guitar and all things bass will be much more prominent. Bassheads should be VERY sastified with the amount of bass the Plus puts out. The bass on the Plus is not heard, it is felt. The impact is more prominent that the sound of the bass, just how it should be. Its tight and well-controlled, and extremely enjoyable to listen to. Rarely does it invade into the mid-range, even on very complicated tracks. Actually, i never experienced that before so yeah. So people take note that these are bassy earphones. The general consensus should be that it is an extremely enjoyable sound signature.
Moving on to the midrange, i mentioned earlier that the vocals have been brought forward. And vice versa, the instruments have been recessed just a bit, compared to the rest of the Meelec range. This results in a much more balanced mid-range, which are very lively. The mids are also slightly warm, coupled with the low-end emphasis, makes for a very pleasant sound. The mids are also quite smooth. There is no scratchiness to them, which i normally pick out on my other earphones. Microdetails are prominent and easy to pick out.
Treble is smooth and warm. These earphones are non-fatiguing and are made for long listening periods. And now for that special Meelec touch! The "sparkle" that existed very prominently and that i liked very much on the M6 is still found on the Plus, but toned down by quite a bit. The sparkle was quite overbearing on the M6 so having it toned down is fantastic. The Plus do cymbals quite well as well. So its all good.
And now its time to explain why i felt the bright but low-end focused sound signature is so peculiar. I have noticed that most earphones which were bassy and low-end orientated are also dark as well. The Eternas come to mind, JVC Marshmellows, CX300 etc. I have never encountered an earphone that can be bright and so bassy . I am not a fan of dark sound signatures. They hide all of the details away. There is a feeling that the darkness was deliberately made to conceal the shortcomings of the earphones. You would have to listen really hard to pick out all the details.
Why must more bass = darker sound signature? it feels like they are trying to conceal the loss in clarity. With a bright sound signature, it is much easier to pick out imperfections with a bright sound sig. than a dark sound sig. as with a dark sig, all the details are buried deep within the darkness. You really have to listen to really tell the difference. I remain impressed by the PLUS by being bright yet bassy at the same time.
Sound Quality Conclusions:
The best Meelec earphone so far, and the best earphones i have had by far. Everything that the M11 should have been. The sound signature hits the sweet spot, being bright, bassy, and most importantly of all, FUN. Using the Plus always made me want to sing along, tap my feet to the rhythm and basically just sit back and enjoy the music. The sound signature makes it extremely suitable for mainstream music and is versatile enough to handle almost everything you throw at it and do it with style. The sound signature it has is sure to sastify almost everyone. It is my favourite sound signature by far.
Conclusions
These are FANTASTIC earphones. No question. If you are looking for fun earphones, this definitely should be at the top of your list. The sound signature is the most entertaining one i have come across by far. I can see this earphones being my main-use earphones for a very long time to come. Bulletproof build quality, superb sound and bass, whats there not to like?
At their current price of $59.99, i would wholeheartedly reccomend them to everyone looking for a very fun, mainstream bassy sound signature. Actually i would reccomend it to everyone in the market for new earphones.
