MEE has decided to break into wireless in-ear phones segment with the affordable M9B. But can it deliver the goods or is it just another compromise? We find out.
Finding a good pair of wireless in-ear phones can be an expensive affair, but if you’re a casual listener and not a hardcore audiophile then MEE has come up with an affordable option, the M9B Wireless. The retail price of these ear pods is Rs. 4,189, but if you go online, you will definitely get cheaper deals on them.
We used these in-ear phones for over a month, and they left us quite impressed. They use Bluetooth 4.0, which ensures that the ear pods sync in a jiffy with your smartphone or music device and at the same time it also consumes less battery. Coming to the build quality, the M9B is made of solid plastic, while the control panel gets three soft touch buttons for changing tracks/ volume and the power button, which can also be used for receiving incoming calls. MEE provide 3 additional sets of ear tips, which ensures that pods perfectly fit in your ears and cancel out outside sound. It also comes with a pair of behind-the-ear cable guides, which is a boon when you’re working out in the gym or out on a run. Another feather in the M9B’s cap is that it comes with a 27-inches long anti-tangle wire. So say good bye to tangled nightmares. It can be charged via a micro USB slot and the battery gets charged fully within 1.5-2 hours. You can listen to music non-stop for roughly 4 hours, though we would have liked the battery to last a bit longer.
Now comes the acid test – the sound quality. We decided to throw the M9B in the deep end as we played Iron Maiden’s ‘Wasted Years’. The solo guitar piece in the start was crystal clear as you could hear each and every note. Then with the percussion kicking in, the balance of the song got even better thanks to 9mm high-performance drivers and a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz. Unlike most Bluetooth based ear phones, which are usually treble high, we could enjoy the bass playing in background. Personally, we were impressed with this, but this acts as a double edged sword as the vocals sound slightly muffled and not as crisp as one would have liked. A special mention goes out to its noise isolating feature as it easily cancels out any unwanted outside sound.
The M9B’s control panel comes with an inbuilt mic. As you have to place it on the back of your neck, this does not affect the call quality when you’re talking on the phone. Our only grouse is that the control panel is on the heavier side, so if you are out taking a walk, you have to get the balance right otherwise one of the ear pods tend to pop out. Keeping the price in mind, we think the MEE M9B is a very good buy. It manages to tick mark most of the boxes, which itself is quite an achievement.
