The MEE Audio M9B are super affordable wireless in-ears with a mediocre and bass-heavy sound. They have a lightweight, portable design, and they're stable enough to take to the gym. Unfortunately, they don't have the best wireless range, and although they isolate decently well, they won't be the best headphones for very noisy commutes. Their in-line control module is also surprisingly bulky.
Our Verdict
The Mee M9b are a decent, budget wireless in-ears for mixed usage. They have a somewhat bass-heavy sound that won't be ideal for critical listening, and they do not have the best battery life or wireless range. On the upside, they're compact and easy to carry around on your person at all times. They're also stable and decently comfortable which makes them a good option for sports.
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Portable and stable design for sports.
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Very low leakage.
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Poor battery life and active features.
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Mediocre, bass-heavy sound.
Mediocre for neutral listening. The MEE M9B have a bit too much bass and a poorly balanced mid-range. They also have a closed-back, in-ear design, which can't create a spacious soundstage. This means they won't be ideal for neutral listening but should be okay for more casual use.
Average for commuting. They're compact and fit into most pockets. The in-ear fit also blocks a decent amount of noise but won't be ideal for very noisy environments.
The Mee audio M9b are good headphones for sports. They have a stable in-ear fit, they're wireless and small enough to carry around on your person wherever you go. Unfortunately, though functional, their in-line remote is a bit too large and may cause the earbuds to slip out of your ears during intense physical exercises.
Decent for office use. The MEE audio M9B don't leak much and block noise moderately well, so you can mask the ambient noise of a lively office by playing your audio at higher than average volumes.
Sub-par for gaming. They have a mediocre-at-best mic, lack customisation options and have a bit too much latency to be suitable for gaming.
- 6.6 Mixed Usage
- 6.3 Neutral Sound
- 7.1 Commute/Travel
- 7.6 Sports/Fitness
- 6.4 Office
- 4.9 Wireless Gaming
- 5.0 Wired Gaming
- 6.5 Phone Call
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Jan 10, 2018: Review published.
- Updated Jan 08, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 08, 2018: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 06, 2018: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Oct 26, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Betron YSM1000 and MEE Audio M9B Wireless are similar headphones, but the MEE are wireless Bluetooth headphones. They perform quite similarly with bass-heavy audio reproduction, but the MEE have a more sibilant treble range and worse isolation performance. However, their wireless design is convenient, especially for sports. Unfortunately, they don’t have a very long battery life, so the wired Betron might be a better option if you often listen to audio content in a day.
Test Results
The Mee Audio M9B have a straightforward design and simple aesthetic that will work for most. The earbuds are a lot smaller than typical in-ear headphones, making them look somewhat like the Jaybird Freedom. Unfortunately, the in-line remote is considerably larger on the M9B and looks cheaply made. That and thin audio cables further emphasize the budget aspect of the headphones.
The Mee M9B are super lightweight in-ear headphones with a decently comfortable fit. The earbuds are small enough to not touch the outer parts of your ear canal which makes them a bit less fatiguing to wear for long listening sessions compared to typical in-ear headphones. Unfortunately, they do not come with as many tip options as some of the other in-ears we've tested which could have improved their comfort level overall.
The Mee M9B headphones have a basic three button set up that's efficient and well spaced out but doesn't have the best feedback. They provide track-skipping, call/music and volume controls. They're easy-to-use but their in-line remote is surprisingly large and cheaply made which in parts causes the poor button feedback.
The Mee M9B are super portable headphones. Their earbuds are smaller than typical in-ears but the in-line remote is a lot larger than most even for a wireless design. On the upside, they're still easy to carry on you at all times since they will easily fit into most pockets and bags.
The Mee Audio M9B are decently built but feel a bit cheap. The earbuds are lightweight and made of a tough plastic that won't easily break even after multiple drops. Unfortunately, the in-line remote feels a bit plasticky and the audio cables are thin and not as rubberized as more premium in-ears. The audio cable is also not removable so while they're decently durable they won't last as long as some of the more high-end in-ears we've reviewed so far.
The Mee audio M9B are decently stable headphones. They're lightweight, wireless and don't move much once in your ears. Unfortunately, they do not come with any additional stability or foam tip options, which makes them a bit less stable than other similarly designed in-ear headphones. They should be okay to take to the gym, but the earbuds will occasionally slip out of your ears during more intensive exercises.
- MEE Audio M9B Headphones
- Earbud tips (x3 sizes)
- USB charging cable
- Carrying pouch
- Manual
Excellent frequency response consistency. Like most other in-ears, if the user is able to achieve an air-tight fit with the MEE audio M9B, then they should be getting very similar performance each time.
Good bass range performance for the MEE audio M9B. Low-frequency extension is at 10Hz, which is excellent. However, low-bass and mid-bass are over our target by 7dB and 2dB respectively. This results in excess thump and rumble in bass, which some my like.
Mediocre mid-range performance for the MEE M9B. The response is relatively flat, but consistently under our target by about 5dB. This pushes vocals/leads to the back of the mix and gives more emphasis to bass and treble frequencies.
Average treble range performance for the MEE audio M9B. The dip in low-treble is in continuation of the recessed mid-range of the M9B. The narrow but large peaks at 6KHz and 10KHz make the sound of these headphones noticeably sibilant and piercing.
Decent isolation. The M9B achieves 7dB of isolation in the bass range, which is mediocre. But in the mid and treble ranges the MEE audio M9B reduces outside noise by 16dB and 33dB respectively, both values being good.
Excellent leakage performance. Like most other closed-back in-ears, the M9B doesn't leak in the bass and mid ranges. The significant portion of their leakage is between 2KH and 5KHz. The overall level of leakage is also very quiet.
Mediocre microphone performance. Speech recorded with the microphone of the Mee M9B will sound rather thin and muffled, but will be relatively easy to understand. In noisy environments, the M9B doesn't fare too well as it won't be able to effectively separate speech from ambient noise in moderately loud situations, like a busy street.
Mediocre recording quality. With LFE at 289Hz and HFE at 3.4KHz, speech recorded with the microphone of the M9B sounds rather thin and muffled. However, the region between LFE and HFE is captured well.
Mediocre noise handling. The microphone of the MEE audio M9B isn't very good at separating speech from ambient noise and achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 16dB.
The MEE M9B headphones have a below-average battery life. They do not last very long on a single charge and take quite long to charge for an in-ear headphone. Also, they don't have an auto-off timer, so if you forget to disconnect or turn them off once paired with your Bluetooth device, they will quickly run out of power.
No compatible app.
The M9b are not suitable for watching movies or gaming due to their relatively high latency.
