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  • Introduction

  • Product Overview

  • Speakers

  • Back

  • Cable

  • Additional Features

  • In the Box

  • Durability

  • Aesthetics

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Leakage

  • Maximum Usable Volume

  • Short-Term Use

  • Extended Use

  • Customizability

  • Cable Connectivity

  • Portability

  • Maintenance

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Product Overview
  • Speakers
  • Back
  • Cable
  • Additional Features
  • In the Box
  • Durability
  • Aesthetics
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Leakage
  • Maximum Usable Volume
  • Short-Term Use
  • Extended Use
  • Customizability
  • Cable Connectivity
  • Portability
  • Maintenance
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Product Overview

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Get to know the M6 in-ears from MEElectronics.

Speakers

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Here you can see the nozzle of the {{product.name}}, with very little at all protecting the speaker element. Thankfully, the sleeves have only a small opening, so you're unlikely to get anything in there, but just be aware that these headphones are most likely to short at the end of their life than break.

Back

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The backs of the {{product.name}}'s earbuds aren't all that interesting to look at, but they are uniform with the rest of the product for whatever color you choose. MEElectronics sent us orange, a fun color.

Cable

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With a cable length of a standard 3.93 feet, there isn't much of interest to report in terms of cord features. There's a standard plug, and no remote for smartphone use.

Designed for mobile use, the plug of the {{product.name}}s is a straightforward 1/8th inch affair that will work with just about any smartphone or MP3 player.

By using a combination of rubber an memory wire to bolster the cord guards, the {{product.name}} see their heavy cable protection used as a means to hold the earbuds on your ear. Just bend the wire leading out from either earbud around your pinna and you now have ear-hooks.

Additional Features

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The {{product.name}}s also ship with a bi-flange set of sleeves, two sizes of tri-flange sleeves, and three different sizes of single-flange sleeves.

In the Box

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Along with your headphones, the {{product.name}}s ship with a carrying case, and six total sets of removable sleeves.

Durability

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Despite the lack of advanced durability features like a replaceable cable, the {{product.name}}s are actually fairly durable. The rubber and wire doesn't feel like it's ready to break at any moment, and the solder points are well-guarded. Obviously, they won't be able to survive the level of abuse some other headphones can, but at their price point, you really can't ask much more of them.

Aesthetics

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With a slew of color options that you can check out here, the {{product.name}}s allow you to choose what your headphones will look like. While there really aren't many other aesthetic features to point out, you should give the MEElectronics site a look to see if you like the look of their options for the M6.

Frequency Response

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Despite the wildly erratic nature of the higher notes, the response we see here is among some of the better results for sub-$50 headphones we've seen. You may notice that the headphones are a bit louder than you initially, especially among the higher notes, but you may or may not mind this so much. Definitely not for dubstep listeners though, as the sirens and glitches will be a lot louder than the rest of your music.

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Distortion

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Yikes. The distortion with the {{product.name}}s is not only very high, but audible even at low volumes in the mid-range of frequencies. While this may not be as objectionable if you're listening to podcasts or the radio, audio nerds will recoil in horror at this measure, though that can be said about a lot of things.

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Tracking

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Overall, the tracking response, or channel preference, of the {{product.name}} isn't all that bad, though it isn't perfect. You'll notice at either end of the graph that there are a couple deviations that stray beyond the 3dB mark, meaning that you may notice that some sounds appear more often in one ear than the other.

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Isolation

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Using the triple-flange sleeves included in the packaging, you can expect the {{product.name}}s to make the world around you all but disappear. While this is a great thing for joggers and gym rats, we caution you to maintain awareness of your surroundings, lest you end up the subject of a news article when headphones attack.

Click here for more information on our isolation test.

Leakage

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In conjunction with great isolation, the {{product.name}}s do not leak virtually any noise at all, making them ideal for those of you who like to take your in-ears out into the world. Nobody will know what you're listening to.

Click here for more information on our leakage test.

Maximum Usable Volume

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While it's theoretically possible to listen to your tunes at a level of 114dB without hitting a 3% total distortion mark, we advise anybody reading this article not to test the limits of these headphones, as you will undoubtedly damage your hearing.

Click here for more on our maximum usable volume test

Short-Term Use

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Despite the fact that there are no obvious points of discomfort, at the end of the day you're still jamming bits of plastic and rubber into your ear canal, which was never meant to have anything inserted into it. Consequently, even after finding the correct size sleeve for you, the in-ears may feel uncomfortable still.

Extended Use

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Over an extended period of time, the fit does not change all that much, even if you are running. Identical marks here.

Customizability

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Aside from buying the color you want and having the ability to swap sleeve sizes and types, there isn't a whole lot one can do to customize their {{product.name}}s. That's not inherently a bad thing, just something to note before buying. Perhaps you wanted to use these with a smartphone? Without a mic, these are not the best choice.

Cable Connectivity

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Sporting a rather generic 1/8th inch plug, the {{product.name}}s can be used with just about any MP3 player or smartphone, though they do not have a remote or mic, meaning you will not be able to use these as a headset.

Portability

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While it's very easy to carry the {{product.name}}s around on their own, for your convenience MEElectronics included a carrying case for users of their headphones to carry around their in-ears and extra sleeves in. While it's not that thin, it should fit into most large pockets or bags.

Maintenance

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Because these are a relatively inexpensive pair of in-ears, there really wasn't much put into the {{product.name}}s in the way of maintenance. That's okay though, because even if these don't last all that long, they're pretty easy to replace financially speaking. Still, take care to not yank these out by the cables, and also be wary of the amount of earwax that makes it into the nozzle, as these will cause issues for you that most likely cannot be fixed.

Design

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Where the EarPods sit outside of your ear, the {{product.name}}s actually enter your ear canal, offering a better seal, and less noise getting in. However, the EarPods can be used as a headset for a smartphone if you elect to do so, where the {{product.name}}s can't.

Frequency Response

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While both responses are respectable, the wild inconsistency of the {{product.name}}'s response makes some instruments sound overly loud and obnoxious. The EarPods take this one.

Distortion

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Here too, the EarPods have the much better result, and the {{product.name}}s have problems.

Tracking

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Both have their issues here, though for a longer stretch of frequencies, the EarPods actually do a better job.

Isolation

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The Apple EarPods don't really attenuate much noise at all, whereas the {{product.name}}s can make the world seem like it's melting away (from an audiological standpoint). If you care about isolation, the {{product.name}}s are much better for going out and about.

Comfort

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This one's a tossup: while the EarPods are comfortable if they fit well, there's only a certain segment of the population with the perfect ear shape for that, and these are really bad for running. The {{product.name}}s, on the other hand, are great for moving around a lot, but they do put pressure on your ear canal, so that may be more unconfortable for you. This one's a wash.

Verdict

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The comparison between the two really comes down to your intended use of either. If you're looking for audio quality in a relatively noise-free environment, the EarPods are the way to go. If you're looking to take your headphones jogging or on the street, you're going to want the far superior isolation that the {{product.name}}s offer.

Design

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The designs of each in-ear set is a bit different even at first glance, as the {{product.name}} fits in your concha, while the XBA-1s do not. Neither can be used as a smartphone headset.

Frequency Response

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Hands-down the Sony XBA-1s have the better response here, as they stay within our ideal limits very well. Additionally, the {{product.name}}s do tend to overemphasize the high end quite a bit.

Distortion

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Both have some distortion issues, but the {{product.name}}s have far more.

Tracking

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The tracking of the XBA-1s is more even, and you'll probably notice some problems with the channel preference of the {{product.name}}s.

Isolation

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Both are fantastic isolators, and you really won't go wrong with either.

Comfort

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While in-ears are never all that comfortable, the XBA-1s have more sleeves to choose from should the stock sleeves not fit you well. However, the only way you're going to know for sure is to try them out for yourself!

Verdict

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This one comes down to cost, really. There's a very clear improvement in audio quality from the {{product.name}} to the Sony XBA-1s, but also a very clear difference in price with the Sony in-ears coming in at around $100. If you're only looking for a pair of earbuds to abuse while jogging or exercising, the {{product.name}}s fit the bill quite nicely.

Design

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While both of these are in-ear headphones, the Klipsch S4i offers users a volume dial and microphone for use with smartphones, though it does not offer the same variety of sleeve types and sizes.

Frequency Response

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The S4is take this one, as they have a more even response overall, and do not wildly overemphasize or underemphasize any frequencies as badly as the {{product.name}}s do.

Distortion

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The {{product.name}}s have audibly more distortion than the S4is do.

Tracking

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With very minor errors, the S4is also have better tracking than the {{product.name}}s do.

Isolation

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{{product.name}}s are better at blocking the outside world from your ear canals, as they are very good isolators, while the Klipsch S4is are thoroughly mediocre in this regard.

Comfort

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Because both of these in-ears put pressure on your ear canal in order to stay in, what set of headphones is more comfortable really comes down to which has sleeves that fit the individual better. That being said, you'll have a greater chance of liking the {{product.name}}s more simply by virtue of the fact that there are more sleeve types and sizes, however that may not be entirely true. If you want to know which is more comfortable, you'll have to try each on for yourself just to be sure.

Verdict

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The Klipsch S4is offer a huge bump in audio quality and versatility, but a set of more expensive in-ears isn't always what you want for a variety of situations, so some might feel that the {{product.name}}s are a bit more attractive from a cost standpoint alone. Which headphones are better depends entirely on how you'd like to use either.

Conclusion

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If you're looking for a set of headphones to take with you exercising, you're probably going to want a pair that doesn't cost much, sounds relatively okay, and blocks out a good amount of outside noise. While they definitely don't score the best, the {{product.name}}s fit this bill to a T, and should satisfy most people looking to grab a pair of in-ears that they can abuse while they get swole.

Given that they're relatively inexpensive, it's not surprising that there are a few performance points that are a bit lacking: the distortion is relatively high, the highest frequency notes are overemphasized, and there are some minor channel preference errors. Any one of these issues would deter an audiophile, but for certain roles it's acceptable.

Due to the fact that these isolate the user from outside noise very well, they're ideal for the casual user who doesn't want to invest a lot of effort into their in-ears, and just need something to use while exercising. Considering their price point, these are a solid choice if you don't want to shell out a bunch of money you might break soon anyways, so the {{product.name}}s will probably suit this role well.

Meet the tester

Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas

Staff Writer, Imaging

@cthomas8888

A seasoned writer and professional photographer, Chris reviews cameras, headphones, smartphones, laptops, and lenses. Educated in Political Science and Linguistics, Chris can often be found building a robot army, snowboarding, or getting ink.

See all of Chris Thomas's reviews

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