Audio Technica ATH-2: Retro Awesomeness

The ATH-2 is a strange headphone. It was Audio Technica’s best efforts at making an orthodynamic, and it looked like they knew what they were doing, but for some reason, they stopped about half-way to avoid cannibalizing their dynamic headphones, I presume. Ironically, the new RE70’s by AT are based off the ATH-2’s. I wonder why. However, if they kept pursuing better sound, the ATH-2 could probably have been as good as their electrets at the time. In addition, this is one of the few well executed open orthodynamics (well, before these new-fangled Hifimen and Audeze’s came out). I have the Vectorsonic VSH-5, which is basically an ATH-2 without green accents. They still have the ridiculous headband though, as shown here:

On my head

(Forgive my grossness, I’d just woken up and the day before was kind of rough.)

Now, I can’t do any unboxing or such, since these were bought used (I’m not from the 70’s, sadly. I’m two decades too late), but I can talk about how these look. They…are pretty ugly in all honesty. They feature…brown all around, and orange accents. They work better in a pumpkin patch than on a headphone. Pads are supraaural, and lack a lot of stuffing.

The pads

I’ve modded these a good bit (added mass, felt, cut off the unsightly front grill that’s detrimental to the sound), so I can’t speak much about how these sound stock other than what I’ve included below, but my mods did nothing but bring it closer to my preferred sound signature, which is slightly elevated mids, with the treble being slightly more than smooth, and tight bass. Basically this:-^-, rather than a V
The surprising thing about the ATH-2 is that they are very sensitive, so volume is easy to coax out, making these a very nice prospective portable, which I have done, and to date, I haven’t heard a better portable headphone within sane price.

Treble is perhaps one of the hallmarks of the orthodynamic principal. The drivers are much faster than typical dynamic headphones, so treble is much sweeter than most dynamics I’ve heard, and detail is abound. And this is a low end orthodynamic! Presentation is a bit less than the midrange, but far from recessed, and I strain to call it smooth, because it’s just south of prominent. It’s a far cry from the dark stock sound though.

The midrange is forward and colored, and not in the sweet typical Audio Technica coloration. I’ve worked on fixing the coloration of the midrange, but it seems that the pads are suspect. The result of the coloration is wonky vocals and messed up timbre, but that’s in an absolute scale. For what the ATH-2 is, the midrange beats out almost every new $175 headphone (DT770, D2000, M50, SR80, V6, A500, Fanny Wang, Aviators, and the list goes on) I’ve heard in terms of detail and sweetness. Still, I feel that they can be better.

Bass, surprisingly, is pretty impactful. One of the main gripes about the ATH-2 is that it’s too bassy for its own good. In stock form, I’d say that rings true, however, when modded, the bass gains control, but is still a bit too loose.

Conclusion
Like I said, the ATH-2 is a strange headphone. It has so much potential, but seems to have been stopped short by AT. Luckily, the ortho ninjas are extremely helpful in giving the rest of us tips on how to improve sound. Thanks to them, the ATH-2 is my main portable headphone, and will probably stay like that until I can compare them to the HD25. Even then, I think the ATH-2 may be able to beat the lauded HD25’s at their own game. The easiest place to find them is on eBay, and they rarely go for over $40. I got my VSH-5′s for $20. Steal of the year? Probably.

Gear used
Harman Kardon HK430 (Vintage Receiver with mucho power)
EMU 0204
NaNite N2
Blackberry Tour

Phiaton PS20 NC: Noise Canceling Miscreants

Noise cancelling? On an IEM? What is this!? Well, the Phiaton PS20 NC is a half in-ear dynamic IEM, that happens to have noise cancelling to make up for the fact that it doesn’t isolate as much as a full-fledged IEM. It is advertised to have great bass, while still retaining excellent mids. Does Phiaton fudge the true story a bit? Read on to find the answer!

Packaging:




The packaging of the PS20 is decent. It’s a plastic box with paper insets. Nothing special. Inside is the IEM, 3 extra pairs of silicon tips, airplane adapter, and a funky textured pouch. It’s a meager set of accessories, but one doesn’t really need much for IEM’s other than tips and a pouch.

Build:




The PS20 is a beautifully design IEM. The plastic used for the housing is a deep glossy black, the gold accents are metal, but the thing that worries me is that the two sections of the IEM are held together merely with a band. Not even any glue. I’ve had to baby these so the band doesn’t come off, exposing the driver (which looks really really cool). There is a bit of exposed wire, but I see no reason how it could be a big deal. The plug is a straight plug (which I rather dislike on IEM’s because it puts more stress on the plug than a RA) that is strained decently enough, though I’d be careful. Wire is of respectable gauge.

First Impressions:
First impressions weren’t that great. Stock tips (which happen to be the only tips that work with the PS20 for me) hurt, so I switched to Monster Foam Supertips. Bad idea. There was no bass to speak of. I was thinking I had a faulty pair. I tried every tip I had, and the only pair that gave me a nice bassy sound was the painful stock tips. Guess it was time to man up.

With the stock tips, I found the sound to be quite…interesting. It reminded me most of the Monster Beats Pro. The mids sounded artificially boosted, while having nice, impactful bass. Treble sounded smooth and free flowing. I put on Downward Spiral to test for these first impressions because, well to be blunt, it’s the most interesting album I can think of that I have in my N2 at all times.

Review:
For this review, I will be using a NaNite N2, a warm sounding player with a nice bit of powah. Music will be in 320kbps, like they should be!

Sound:
As said in the first impressions, I find the highs to be wonderfully smooth. I prefer the smoother highs to the CC51 though. The treble, while smooth, is detailed. Cymbals are flutes are rendered a bit too muffled for my liking though. With tips other than the stock tips, the treble is more clear, but can get grating with some tips. For best sound, stay with stocks until further notice (I find better tips). About the mids…I might get some wristslapping from Phiaton, but to be perfectly honest, I dislike the mids of the PS20. They just sound totally…wrong. They’re grainy, artificial sounding, and too forward, much like the Beats Pro (then again, the fact that I’m comparing them to a $400 headphone might be a good thing) Although with as much hate as I make it sound like, if you haven’t heard much better, they may very well be quite good. It’s just that I’m a total mid freak and mentally compare every headphone’s mids to a much better headphone. On their own, they have their merits. The mids are definitely sweet, and make vocals, especially male vocals with their warmed up mids, sound wonderful if you don’t mind a slightly artificial tone to them. Now to appease those who are wondering about the bass. This is where Phiaton gets some brownie points. For everything that the highs and mids don’t get right, the bass is done right—for a commercial target IEM. It’s not the most detail, or the deepest, but it has great attack and decay. Sure, it warms up the mids a tad, but that’s exactly what is expected of a consumer IEM. The MEElectronics M31 has a leg up on it in pure quantity, and can’t compete with the luscious bass of the Turbine Pro Golds, but for what it is, it is splendid.

Detail is surprisingly good on the PS20. Microdetails aren’t its specialty, but minute sections of songs are audible, which impressed me for a $100 MSRP IEM with a convoluted design. The upside to being a half in-ear design is a spectacular (for an IEM) soundstage. The soundstage has great depth and width, but positioning is a trifle sloppy.

Noise Cancelling:



As I stated before, the PS20 NC is very special because it has active noise cancelling to make up for the fact that the half in-ear design is ineffective for blocking sound out. Unlike most other noise cancelling headphones, the PS20 NC works even if you don’t have the NC activated, and without a noticeable decrease in sound quality either. The hiss is rather minimal if music is playing, and even if music isn’t playing, it isn’t very noticeable. The box advertises 95% of noise reduction. While I can’t exactly prove that, I do have to admit most background noises are very much suppressed. The downside to this is that the NC box is prohibitively large and unwieldy. The box also has a “Monitor” button, which stops sound from pumping into your ears when you need to hear something happening around you, but taking out your DAP is too inconvenient.

Genres:
Now for this section, I will post my impressions for separate genres, since the PS20 is rather picky for which genres it will sound good in.

Pop:
For pop, I’ll be using Fame Monster, since it’s a popular pop album, and plays to the PS20’s strengths. I think I’ve grown to an immunity to Gaga at this point to where listening to it is actually fun now. Vocals are sweet and grain is nonexistent; bass is fat and impactful, creating a fun listen, which the PS20 lives for.

Electronic:
For electronic, I’ll be using 4×4=12 by Deadmau5. The PS20 absolutely LOVES synth, and produces it in a wonderfully euphoric way that blends excellently with the bass, which never overpowers the mids. The smooth treble does prove to make the PS20 stutter at a few songs though.

Rap/Hip Hop:
Atmosphere’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Yellow will be used here since I really don’t have too much rap, but this album was given to me by a friend, so I’ve been using it for a few reviews. While it isn’t the best recorded, it’s still a fun listen. Anyways, vocals are a trifle grainy, piano is artificial, even though an electric piano is being used, it still sounds…wrong. Bass blends in with the mids, but can be overpowering at times.

Indie:
Age Of Rockets’ Hannah for this section. It’s a gentle, free flowing album, and the tenor vocals are downright beautiful with the right IEM. Unfortunately, this isn’t the right IEM. Vocals are a bit hazy and digitalized. Bass is a bit uncontrolled, but the general sound is pleasing if you don’t pay too much attention to detail.

Rock:
Tool’s Lateralus for this section. It’s a wonderful album to test on because it’s so complicated and quick. Guitars are nice and crunchy, vocals are grungy, but lack texture. The PS20 fails to keep up in some strenuously busy sections, but all in all, the PS20 can rock out.

Metal:
Weltenkraft by Finsterforst is up for this section. Mostly to see how well the PS20 can integrate an accordion with thrashing guitars. Sadly, the accordion gets lost in the mix at times, and the guitar riffs tended to smear. Drums smeared a bit too, but retained decent impact.

Female Vocals:
A Fine Frenzy’s One Cell In the Sea for this part. Female vocals are a weak point to the PS20. They’re muffled for basically every female vocalist I tried it on. Pianos are also disliked by the PS20. But what’s there is somewhat pleasing. Don’t expect great results though, to be totally honest.

Conclusion:


The Phiaton PS20 NC is a compelling new product for those that want noise cancelling for planes and trains and automobiles that also want a warm and fun sound. For those people, I recommend this over the MEE CC51 for pop and electronic, but I can’t help but feel for the same price, the CC51 is a better bang for buck all around. The Phiaton doesn’t have great build quality because of the lack of real sturdiness in the combining of the driver and housing, and a weaker cable. Although I do recommend the PS20 over the CC51 if you want a larger soundstage, more forward mids, and less deep insertion. Would I recommend it to my friends? I’d say yes, if only because they look downright awesome with a sound to match. Even if it isn’t perfect, they do have some redeeming qualities with the right genres.
Thanks a lot to Phiaton for the review sample!

The retail price of the PS20 NC is $150, but it can be found for around $120 online.

Brainwavz B2 Vs. Monster Turbine Pro Gold: Venus Vs. Mars

Alrighty boys and girls! Time to compare some apples and oranges! What could I possibly mean by that you say? Well, what I mean by that is the Brainwavz B2, an energetic balanced armature IEM and Monster Turbine Pro Gold, a sensual dynamic driver IEM, are gonna throw down! Who’s going to win? Read on!

Now, for those of you that are new at this, the Brainwavz B2 is Brainwavz’s new product, and their first balanced armature based IEM, and my, my, my, is it a home run! My review of them is here. The Monster Turbine Pro Gold is one of Monster’s finest attempts at creating sonic nirvana. My review of them is here. While these have totally different sound signatures, they do compete very well against each other. How? Patience, young grasshopper. There are things that need to be taken care of first. This guide was meant to be more of less of a guide on the general differences of dynamics versus armatures.

The build of the two are very different from each other, for better or for worse. The Turbines are a two piece metal housing that is rather hefty, although when inserted, does not account for much weight at all. On the other hand, the B2 housing is plastic, and meant to conform better to the ear than the Turbines, which just stick out. The nozzle is angled into the ear, which is a very nice touch; the B2 is basically flat against my ear because of this. The B2 cable is meant to be routed up and over the ear, while the Turbines can go either way. The B2 requires a reversal of channels for that privilege, sadly. I cannot comment on the cable of the B2 because I have a preproduction pair with a different cable than the production one.

The sound of the two couldn’t be more different. The B2 has amazing speed in everything thrown at it, with tight, yet punchy, bass, marvelously lucid mids, and extended treble, whereas the Golds have far-reaching, heavy bass, romantic mids, and somewhat subdued treble, while being somewhat slow because of the bodacious bass.

What? You thought that was it? Of course not! While the two are basically polar opposites, they are in the same price bracket, for the most part. They both cost about $180 new, and both are good enough to be considered top-tier. How ever will you decide? Well I’ll compare genres for y’all that are losing sleep at night wondering what $180 IEM you should get. This should be able to help you cross one off.
My source is a NaNite N2, a warm sounding player with a class A amp inside. Music files are 320kbps, like they should be!

Electronic
I used Hallucinogen’s In Dub for this section. This album is pretty varied, ranging from HEEEEUUUUUGE and deep bass, which the Turbines absolutely smother the B2 in because of the magnitude of bass it can put out, to complex strains, where the B2 shines. The B2 isn’t the biggest fan of electronic, because, well, they just can’t keep up with the amount of bass impact and texture the Turbines give, and because of that, the Turbines win this round!

Female Vocals
I used A Fine Frenzy’s One Cell in the Sea for testing female vocals, alone with a couple songs off the Chesky Ultimate Demonstration CD. Now, the Turbines have the wonderful ability to warm up and romanticize vocals, but because of this, make them sound a tad unnatural. This isn’t to say that they’re bad, just don’t expect the Turbines to be the most accurate. They are for fun and fun only. The B2 on the other hand, presents vocals smooth as silk, and for accuracy, it wins without breaking a sweat. However, there is occasional sibilance. Despite this, I give the round to the B2.

Indie
I don’t even really know what “Indie” is at this point. Sure, it’s a shortened version of independent music, but it’s almost become synonymous with music with a slight electronic-inspired background with vocals and “regular” instruments. Regardless, I’ll be using the Age of Rockets’ Hannah. It’s not the best recorded album, but it’s dear to me and I know it inside and out. This album is an equal playing field for the two rivaling IEM’s, because the album contains gentle, ethereal vocals and instruments to benefit the B2, but also contains some bass, and the smoothness of the Turbines sounds “right” with this album. The B2’s relative brightness works better with synth than the Turbines, but the Turbines add some nice chestiness to vocals—something the B2 doesn’t do for the sake of accuracy. Overall, however, I really can’t decide. Maybe give a slight edge to the B2 for one-upping the Turbines in general atmosphere.

Jazz
I used Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew for this. I had a gut feeling the B2 would win out in this round, but also thought the Turbines’ warmness would lend to a soothing sound to make the decision harder. I was almost correct. The B2 has much better transient response and accuracy, along with better positioning. The trumpet sounded divine, almost real, while the Turbines warmed the sound too much for my liking, and the positioning sounded off in comparison. B2 wins this round easily. Jazz is an absolute joy to listen to with the B2’s.

Hip Hop/Rap
Okay, no need to waste time here. Turbines win. The B2 just doesn’t really do this genre. Now an R&B-off would be more interesting, but I don’t have any R&B albums sadly. Although listening to the odd Boyz 2 Men song, the B2 is much more enjoyable.

Metal
This, I assumed, would be an interesting match up. The Turbines have the potential advantage due to more bass, which is nice to have in metal, while the B2 has its amazing speed. I used Orphaned Land’s The Beloved’s Cry. The Turbine had the upper hand in visceral impact, and grittiness in vocals, while the B2 has the upper hand in speed, where the Turbines tended to trip up at times. The winner of this round is a bit of a toss up. I’d like to say the Turbines, but the fact that they can’t keep up at times makes it hard to definitely call a winner. Let’s make it a hesitant win for the Turbines

Pop
I decided to use a Lady Gaga album because, well, I have nothing else that’s poppy enough to use here. Again, I had my assumptions that the Turbines would have the advantage due to its relative bulbousness in comparison to the B2, and I was correct. While the B2 was better with vocals than the Turbines, along with having more PRaT, they sounded anemic for the album. The Turbines, while having worse vocals and being slower with less PRat, were a much more fun listen, which is the basis of modern pop, not that most people considering to buy either of these would listen to exclusively pop, I hope…

Prog Rock
For prog rock, I used Tool’s Ӕnima. I kind of expected the Turbines to win this round for being much more visceral. Although I did have high hopes for the B2 since it has more PRaT than the Turbines. The B2 is actually a beast with this album. It has soooo much energy that it’s hard to keep up with it. They did lack the impact of the Turbines though—something I missed in them dearly. The Turbines sounded basically perfect, simple as that. So as much as I want the B2 to win this round, I have to say the Turbines win because of the character they add to the album.

Ska Rock
For this, I used Streetlight Manifesto’s Somewhere in the Between. I really wasn’t sure which would win this album. While ska like this usually has an electric bassline, it also requires accurate mids, which left me at a loss until I actually listened for a winner. The B2 does have its merits. Mids are downright infectious. Instruments are very realistic, cymbals are very close to accurate. Now for the Turbines, they sounded warm, as always, but something about them sounded totally wrong. They were too warm for their own good. B2 wins this round!

So let’s make a tally!
Electronic-Turbines
Female vocals-B2
Indie-B2
Jazz-B2
Hip Hop/Rap-Turbines
Metal-Turbines
Pop-Turbines
Prog Rock-Turbines
Ska Rock-B2

So…B2 won 4, Turbines won 5. Does this mean the Turbines are the better IEM? Hardly. Like I said in the beginning, the B2 and Turbines are total opposites of each other, each doing their own things with different strengths. While the B2 is easily the better technical performer, there is something about the Turbines’ bass that makes for a much more enjoyable listen. Basically, if you are a detail/accuracy freak, go for the B2 and never look back. It seems like you’ll have to pay twice its price to do any better for that (south of the ER4. I really wish I owned a pair to compare to). If you want a fun IEM, but still want accuracy, I’d find it hard to do much better than the Turbine Golds.

If I had to pick one, which would I pick? Well…I think I’d have to go against my philosophies as a midrange lover and pick the Turbines. (HEEEEUGE EDIT: It’s been almost two months since I’ve used the B2′s, and I have to say, I really, really miss them. The Golds have actually started to bore me with their predictable bassy presentation. So much so that I’m thinking of trading the Coppers I have for an ER4 to get the sheer detail I’ve been missing. I’d like to change my original statement. The B2 wins. As fun as the Golds are, the B2 was much more exciting.) As much as I love the B2, IEM’s are meant to be used outside, where I don’t analyze music as much and rock out instead, and the Turbines do that beautifully. In short, dynamics tend to replicate bass better than armatures, giving a certain “oomph” that’s hard to do for armatures, whereas balanced armatures easily have speed and detail over dynamics. Again, this is a basic synopsis, not meant to be an end all be all. There are anomalies, such as the RE0/RE252 for dynamics, and the Image X10 for balanced armatures.

Brainwavz B2: Bargain of the Century?

Luscious mids, expeditious bass, sweeping treble. The recipe for success? Well, these are all attribtes of the Brainwavz B2, so you be the judge!

The Brainwavz B2 is Brainwavz’s latest creation. It, like the name implies, is a dual balanced armature design. Yes, it is from the same OEM the Fischer Audio DBA-02 is from, presumably. Will you see a comparison here? Unfortunately not. Although I will be comparing it to the M1, the bottom of the Brainwavz collection, and the M3, the former top of the line, to present the question of if the B2 is truly worth your consideration. You can find the answer out if you read on!

First Impressions:
When I first used the B2’s, I found them to be rather bright, have a slight unnatural tinge in the mids, and decent bass—fast and tight. Soundstage is rather small, but positioning was very good. Compared to my Turbine Pro’s, (Gold and Copper) these one-upped them in mids and treble, but fell short in bass, soundstage, and sheer listening pleasure. All in all though, it seemed like Brainwavz had a solid new flagship. I’d already rank them equal, maybe even slightly higher than my Turbine Pro’s.

Review:
To conduct this review, I’ll be using a NaNite N2, a warm sounding player, and all my music is 320kbps. Standard procedure. These are a loaner program pair, so they have likely been burned in a few hundred hours. Oh, and I’m using Comply tips for most of the review. I’ll say why later in the review.
Quite honestly, I think for the $140 presale price, Brainwavz/MP4Nation is offering downright robbery.

Here’s why:
The B2’s bass, while not huge, is very, very impressive in a technical sense. There is not one track that I had that made the B2 sweat—be it a bass range test or a bass speed test. Although it occurred to me that to people that aren’t used to balanced armatures, the bass may be a little lacking. Coming from Turbines to the B2 takes a while to adjust. It sounds rather anemic in comparison. However, if you know what you are getting into, be in for a treat. Not surprisingly, the mids of the B2 are pretty good. I do still detect a tinge of unnaturalness, but all in all, the mids of the B2 are forward, yet accurate and don’t take control of the sound spectrum like I’ve experienced with other mid forward headphones. It’s bordering on liquid, and amazingly sublime. Vocals sound marvelous, strings are beautiful, and orchestra instruments sound sublime. The highs are a bit of an iffy subject though. It, is not veiled or recessed, and reaches wonderfully high, so technically, it is good treble. There is one caveat though. It can be harsh with bad recordings. Now, for those of you wondering why Comply tips are my preferred tips for the B2, here’s why. With silicon tips, the treble is accentuated a good deal. It can also get sibilant, depending on the track. Comply tips, however, attenuate a bit of treble, leading to a much more pleasing listen. The treble is never grating, and is decreased just about perfectly for my tastes. However, there are still a few albums the B2 has sibilance on, like A Fine Frenzy’s One Cell In the Sea.

The B2 lives for music like jazz, folk, acoustic/indie, and classical, but is right at home with any type of rock or metal. However, if you’re looking to get these to use with bass-driven tracks like most electronic or rap/hip hop, you may be disappointed. I like them for electronic, but that’s because I prefer speed to sheer bass impact. If you’re like me, the type that would take a Sony SA5000 over say an Ultrasone for electronic, the B2 would certainly work for you!

How does the B2 compare to the M1 and M3? Well, to put it bluntly, it embarrasses both. But if you’d like some specifics, direct your eyes down a line.

M1:
Well, for $100 less than the B2, the M1 holds its ground, not being allowed to be totally shunned. That is not to say they compare favorably. The most noticeable difference in the M1 is significantly muddier mids. The mids are hazy and lacking in comparison. The B2 has wonderful realism, something the M1 does not have nearly as much of. Although what the M1 does have more of is bass impact, albeit less clean bass. Treble is of much less quantity in the M1—dare I say veiled—in comparison to the B2, which has copious amounts of treble relative to the M1’s. Soundstage is actually in the M1’s favor for depth, but the B2 has more accurate placement.

M3:
I had higher expectations for the M3, considering it’s twice the price of the M1’s. Sadly, they disappointed me a bit. The M3’s were much less accurate than the B2’s. The treble, while not as recessed as the M1’s, sounded less coherent than the M1’s. The mids had a lack of absolute finesse that the B2’s have. Bass on the M3 is much heavier and hard hitting than the B2. There is a tradeoff though. It’s much slower and cannot even begin to keep up with the B2’s bass speed. Soundstage is the same deal as the M1.

All in all, the Brainwavz B2 is a marvelous product. It does very little wrong other than occasional sibilance and lack of bass for some. However, to those of you who don’t mind a little sibilance, or are accustomed to a somewhat bass-light sound, you will be rewarded. In exchange for what little flaws it has, the B2 has marvelous mids and very nice treble, along with wonderfully quick bass. Do I have any other qualms? Well, yes. There is the previously mentioned midrange tinge, but that’s a minor quibble. I do have a feeling that those who prefer a darker sound would abhor these, since their sound signature is an upward slope, but if I may make a prediction, those of you that buy these just to try them won’t lose much by selling them. The B2 is a top tier product at an upper-mid-fi price—who can complain about that?

The price of the B2 as of now (preorder) is $140, minus $10 if you are a loyal Brainwavz owner. After the presale, the regular price will be $170, which is still pretty dang good.

MEElectronics CC51 Review: Clear, Ceramic Masterpieces

So, MEElectronics, from their humble roots, has finally created an IEM that’s firmly mid-fi, while putting the brilliant micro-driver MEE has tuned into a sleek, ceramic housing. Interested? Read on to learn more!

 

The MEElectronics CC51 is a very cool new IEM made by (obviously) MEElectronics. While from a distance, they look like they’re made of nice, shiny plastic, when you hold them in your hands, it is apparent that they are not made of plastic, but of ceramic. The CC51’s are the second IEM of recent memory that is made of ceramic. The first is the Nakamichi NEP-XT1, of which the MEE has OEM’s the housings of for the CC51’s. Why ceramic you might ask? Well, the ceramics used in the CC51 is dense enough to kill any unwanted resonance in the IEM. That means that there is a purer sound, and for those of you that are into the nitty gritty, resonance causes extra coloration in the sound because the vibrations that occur in the backwaves are slightly different than the original backwaves, and when they reflect back to your ear, they add coloration, usually for the worse.

I’d like to thank MEElectronics for the review sample.
Packaging:


The packaging of the CC51 is more “premium” looking than the old line of MEE boxes. Instead of a thin plastic box, the CC51’s have an elegant looking black paper box. Inside, there are four sets of tips—one double flange and small, medium, and large. Also included is the standard MEE case.

Build:

Like I said before, the CC51’s are made of ceramic, which is about equal to quartz in the Moh’s hardness scale, so I’d assume that the housings of these isn’t exactly a weak point. The wires are different than the rest of the MEE IEM’s which is odd, but they still seem sturdy, and they’re more flexible and retain less than the standard MEE cables. There is proper strain relief in both the plug and the housing, so you should be safe with these. There is a bit of driver flex with the CC51, but I cannot find a reason as to why that could be a deal breaker.





First Impressions:
When I first tried the CC51’s, I noticed something very strange. They were very bright, which went against everything that’s been said about the CC51’s. I used fun.’s Aim and Ignite, which is already a bright album in the first place, but there was an insane amount of sibilance, which left me dreadfully confused. I let them burn in for about 50 hours, just to see if burn did exist, because I had another, mistuned pair of CC51’s on hand (they were much darker than they were supposed to be. It was a preproduction problem, so new ones won’t have this problem at all) and to my surprise, the new CC51’s totally mellowed out after the 50 hours. They were much smoother, and more coherent. The mids, while not as prominent as I’d like, are balanced with the rest of the spectrum. They are not overly detailed, yet exhibit nice timbre. The bass, which MEE is known for in IEM’s, is not as accentuated as my M9 or M21, but instead, is more controlled and deeper. The treble is smooth, yet crisp and detailed.

Review:
For this review, I shall be using a NaNite N2, a warm sounding player that has a pretty powerful Class A amp inside of it. Music is in 320kbps, as it should be!

Sound:
While good bass was the focus of MEE’s original M series of IEM’s, the CC51’s take on a more balanced role. That is not to say that these are slouches in the lows—the opposite in fact. These have pretty spectacular bass in fact. It is controlled, yet punchy, and absolutely excels in genres that call for tons of bass. They can go incredibly deep as well. They present 30hz with ease. The decay and speed of bass is impressive at this price range, nearing my Turbine Pros. Concerning the mids–they’re favorite part of the spectrum, so I’m pretty strict in this aspect. The mids, while not as recessed as the M9’s, are slightly warmed up and pushed back in comparison to the bass, so they aren’t my favorite. That is not to say the mids are less than ideal. To the average consumer, these have amazing mids. They are warm and enveloping, while being accurate and mostly balanced. If I wasn’t partial to forward mids, I’d give these my full blessing. It would be hard to find mids as romantic sounding as these at this price. Detail is abound, and the texture of vocals and instruments is almost spot on. The treble on the CC51’s is smooth, but not quickly rolled off. Sibilance is incredibly rare on them. It takes a very sibilant album to coax even the smallest bit of sibilance from them. While these aren’t RE-0’s (nor do they try to be), they still have good detail in the high end, and cymbals sound almost right on them.

While these do not have the biggest soundstage, it has very good positioning, which in my opinion is a more important aspect of any given headphone than knowing how far a flute is from you. Microdetail is presented, but not forced onto you, somewhat like a high end headphone that isn’t treble happy.

Now that you all have a general gist of the sound signature, you’re all probably interested in how they perform in various genres. Well today is your lucky day!
Rock:
This section will feature Tool and RHCP. I chose Californication to test how forgiving the CC51 is. The album isn’t exactly painful to listen to, but it still wasn’t completely enjoyable. Cymbals were downright shrill. Vocals were hazy, guitars were veiled, clipping was very evident. Now to switch from a poorly recorded album to a decent one. In Ӕnima, everything gets better. The vocals are intimate and growly, guitars display a crunchy warm tone to them. Drums are impactful, while having natural decay, and the bass line, while easy to follow, does not overwhelm the rest of the instruments.

Electronic:
Tiesto and Deadmau5 here. The CC51’s keep up with any complex bass passages wonderfully, and convey female vocals quite well. There is also a surreal aspect the CC51’s add to the music, which I’m sure everybody would like. Synth is a tiny bit shrill in the Tiesto album. At times, the bass can get to be a bit too much, but it isn’t bloated, just a testament on how well the CC51’s can control its bass, yet provide a wallop when called upon.

Indie:
Age of Rockets, Data Dog, and Sufjan Stevens for this section. The CC51’s render the gentle intro track of Hannah wonderfully, giving it a suspended feeling. The rest of the album is amazing, the vocals are true, the bass is far from accentuated, treble is smooth and inviting, instrumentals are enveloping, just great. The Data Dog album is equally marvelous. The high keys never sound piercing, just great all around. The Sufjan Stevens album is just as great, subtleties are easily heard, and while not the most detailed and accurate, the CC51’s do a great job at making the album enjoyable.

Rap/Hip hop:
Representing these genres (which are admittedly not my favorite) are Vinnie Paz and Atmosphere. Vinnie’s deep and growly voice is a tiny bit veiled, bass beats are powerful, but not loose, instruments are a bit lost in this album. The Atmosphere album is more of the same, but the music is less smeared and veiled, so it shows the CC51’s are pretty revealing of bad recordings, yet again.

Female Vocals:
A Fine Frenzy and Hayley Westenra are the test artists here. The CC51’s aren’t the best at picking up microdetail in the albums, but it’s still decent for the price. Timbre is very good, but the vocals a bit warmed up by the slightly emphasized lows, but it’s comforting and adds a fun factor to the sound. Hayley’s voice isn’t rendered as nicely as I’d like though. The lack of sparkle in treble is the CC51’s downfall here.

Metal:
Lykathea Aflame and Converge here. Complex passages are rarely smeared, vocals/screams are coherent and discernable. Drums are a bit recessed, which is odd. Guitars are aggressive and detailed. Bass is clear and easy to follow.

Chesky: (I’ll skip the tracks that work against the CC51 like the ones that test for atmosphere and depth)
Spanish Harlem—The soundstage is a bit too compressed, but still good. Vocals are good, but not enough air. Violins are decent, but not great. The shaker is as the narrator explained.
Grandma’s Hands—For less than optimal (in my opinion) mids, this track is very very good. There is a good chestiness to vocals, and the backup singers have good air between them.
Correnteza—This track is performed pretty well on the CC51’s. Vocals are natural, if a bit warm; violins sound woody and resonant. The guitar is detailed and warm.
Ask Me Now—This track is pretty much as how it’s supposed to sound. The buttons are heard clearly and tonguing is apparent.
Sweet Georgia Brown—This track is downright brilliant on the CC51’s. There is impact abound, and the random spots of talking are easily distinguishable.
I Love Paris—This track focuses on PRaT, and there is copious amounts of PRat, while being warm.
Flute Concerto In D—The flute is realistic, and every note is distinct
Te Deum—Imaging is decent, but not spectacular, vocals are good, the air leak from the organ is apparent.
The Soldier’s Tale—Transients are pretty good, horns are realistic

Conclusion:

The MEElectronics CC51 is a far cry from the M9 which had gained so much press here as a budget IEM. It improves in absolutely everything. The mids are much more impressive and detailed, the bass is less bloated and tighter, the treble is a heck of a lot more detailed, detail is a good bit better. All in all, MEE definitely has a winner on their hands. Now, this may not be for you if you take midrange clarity over everything else—that’s a different IEM’s territory—but if you’re looking for a smooth, enjoyable IEM for $80, the CC51 should be one of the top IEM’s under $100 you should consider. Heck, I’d buy another without a second thought. I gave them to borrow for a while when his only pair of headphones broke, and he said they’re “aural sex,” so don’t just take my word for it, take it from a complete newbie’s perspective—you don’t need to be an audio geek to fall in love with these.

The CC51 retails for $80 for the non-mic version, and $90 for the mic’ed version.

MEElectronics M31: Bombastic Budgeteers

Big, beefy, burly, bounteously bassy…bass. That’s what the MEElectronics M31 does best, but is it all fun and bass until the cows come home? Read on to find out!

I’d like to thank MEE for providing me with a review sample.

Build:








The housing of the M31 is very sturdy feeling two toned metal, although they’re pretty monsterous, even in comparison to Turbine housings, as shown. They do stick out of my ears more than I’d like, but it’s a trivial negative point. The cable is a standard MEE cable, but very attractive for the $45 you’ll pay. They do retain some memory though, but it’s hardly something to cry about. The plug, unlike previous MEE models, is right angled, instead of the hockey stick 45° type, and feels like it would take a fair amount of abuse.

First Impressions:
Knowing that these would be a fun sounding IEM, I first used the M31’s with…wait for it—a Lady Gaga album (Fame Monster) for the heck of it, and it’s hard to contest that it isn’t a fun album. I must say, it’s nigh on impossible not to tap my foot to the album, as much as I might not particularly like Gaga, the M31’s sure make music involving. They don’t have the best mids, best treble, or even tight bass, but they don’t try to sound perfect; instead, they focus on, as Rebecca Black has said, “FUNFUNFUNFUN.” First impressions are pretty positive. The average consumer would love these.

Review:
To review the M31’s, I’m using a NaNite N2, a DAP with a class A amp section, so while it isn’t as optimal as an actual external amp, it’ll do well enough. The N2 is already a warm player, so keep that in mind.  Tracks are 320kbps. Tips used are the MEElectronics “Balanced” double flanges. To me, they provide the most bass (which is the M31’s main thing) while not overly masking mids and treble in the stock package. I’ll include a tip comparison at the end.

Sound:
Bass is the hallmark of the M31. It is probably the bassiest IEM I’ve ever heard, and people that know me would assume I hate that, considering my favorite headphones have “No Bass™,” but the M31 manages to be super-bassy without murdering the mids in the process, for the most part. I can hear a bit of bass bleed, but it’s rather negligible. It is boomy and uncontrolled, even bordering on tasteless and undetailed, but something about it draws me to it for anything pop or electronic. The CC51 murders the M31 in bass detail, even the lower M21 is more detailed and controlled, but the M31 bass is just fun. I expect a Head-Fi mod burning my lawn, but I don’t care—the bass is fun, and I like it. Despite my gushing about the bass, it is mostly midbass. They struggle at 35hz and lower. Then again, this is a $45 IEM, with a 9mm driver at that, so I’ll let that slide. However, the mids is where the M31’s struggle a bit. Frequency graph of any sound device is akin to a body of water. If there is a rise/wave in the water, some parts of the body have to lower. The same principle applies here. The bass of the M31’s is very accentuated, so the mids and treble suffer. The mids are warmed up by the bass, and that’s extremely apparent in any track. Instruments are warmed up way too much to be called accurate, and tone of voices is totally off. However, the mids aren’t as recessed on the M31’s as they are on the M9’s. The treble of the M31’s is smooth, but with the wrong tips, can change drastically and be painfully sibilant, to the point where snakes and dolphins can get headaches. With the balanced tips however, it’s  smooth, but nothing special at all—even veiled. Still, it’s one of the tradeoffs for their boomy, bodacious bass.

The soundstage of these is peculiar. The stage is very wide (for an IEM) but not very deep at all. About a foot of depth max, while the width is about 2-3 feet across. I somewhat expected this with the huge port, but surprisingly, it doesn’t leak any sound that I could tell. Detail is pretty average at best. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that, especially considering it’s a bass monster and it’s a miracle there’s any detail, but I’d like a little more. The veiled treble is probably at fault for that. Timbre and tone, as mentioned before, are a bit below average because of the bass bleed.

Rather than state how specific genres sound with the M31 (spoiler alert—electronic, rap/hip hop, pop and indie sound good, while metal and anything involving many instruments or vocals tends to sound smeared and unimpressive.) it’d probably be more beneficial to have another tip comparison.

Stock Single Flange: The mids are a bit more prominent on these than the double flanges, and bass impact is sloppier. Treble can get piercing. Soundstage is more compressed.


Balanced Double Flange: Surprisingly, the sound is less balanced on these. The bass reaches deeper, but the mids are more recessed. Treble smoothens out, and the soundstage grows a bit.


Ultimate Ears Single Flange: The midbass increased, vocals sound digital and wrong, instruments sound plasticky, and treble can get harsh and sibilant. Soundstage is between the MEE tips.


Monster Foam Supertips: Bass is more impactful than all but the Sony’s, but the mids are balanced. Treble is smooth. Soundstage is moderate.


Monster  Gel Supertips: Bass is less than the Foam tips. Mids are equally balanced, treble is laid back. Soundstage is rather small.


Comply Tips: These are the darkest of the tips I have. The mids are the most recessed, and the treble is rolled off at the cost of some booming bass.


Sony Hybrids: The bass is the most impactful of the tips, and the mids are still balanced, moreso than any of the other tips. The treble is very smooth, but a bit veiled at times.


Conclusion: It’s no secret that I like the M31’s. I probably like them a bit too much. They’re inaccurate, bloated, and headache inducing, but that’s exactly why I like them. I don’t analyze my music when using them. I just rock out to the music. Sure, they don’t do well with complex music, but these love synth and bass centered tracks, and if you’re in the market for a bassy IEM under $50, the M31’s should be on the top of your list! In a perfect world, these would be sold at any given electronics store, taking any and all business away from Beats if people could actually try them.

The M31 retails for $45 for the non-mic version and $50 for the mic’ed version.

MEElectronics M21: Bargain Bin Miracles

Hmm, the MEElectronics M21. Clear? Yes. Detailed? Yes. Durable? Yes. Cheap? Well is $35 dollars cheap for a metal IEM that looks like it belongs in an art museum, never mind the fact that it’s the most balanced sounding IEM I’ve ever heard for around $30? Have I gotten your attention? Read on!

I’d like to thank MEElectronics for providing me with a review sample. The M21 is the middle child of the new M series line.

Build:




The M21 has a very pretty two tone metal housing that could probably handle some nasty stepping-on of. The wire is the standard MEE wire. The plug is a right angled plug instead of the hockey stick plugs on the old line. They do protrude a bit from my ears, making it look like I have red bullets in my ears, but it’s no big deal.

First Impressions:
The first album I tried the M21’s on is The Age of Rockets’ Hannah. It isn’t a particularly great mastered album—it’s brickwalled, like every other modern album—but it’s gentle music that has rather hard to render spectacularly by most headphones, with a few different instruments other than the standard guitar/drum/bass section. The album sounds pretty on the M21’s, but not perfect. The M21’s sound laid back in presentation. The bass is a tiny bit accentuated, but that’s what the standard MEE IEM sounds like. The mids are a bit veiled, and treble is rolled off. Soundstage is wide, but depth is lacking. The sound all in all is calm and pleasing, while not trying to impress anyone.

Review:
To review the M21’s, I’m using a NaNite N2, a DAP with a class A amp section, so while it isn’t as optimal as an actual external amp, it’ll do well enough. The N2 is already a warm player, so keep that in mind.  Tracks are 320kbps. Tips used are the MEElectronics “Balanced” double flanges, which are my favorite provided tip. I’ll include a tip comparison at the end.

Sound:
The bass of the M21, like every other MEElectronics IEM I’ve heard, (I haven’t heard the A151) is a bit north of neutral. It can get boomy at times where the music calls for tons of bass, but it generally is controlled and detailed. Like the M31, the bass emphasis is concentrated on the midbass, and doesn’t reach down low. It isn’t particularly offensive unlike the M31 can get, but it’s still there. The mids of the M21 aren’t exactly recessed or veiled, just sound a couple decibels south of neutral. They’re a tiny bit warmed up by the bass, though still manage to be plenty clear and accurate, especially for $35, which, considering MEElectronics’ claim to fame was a $20 IEM with HEEEEUUUUUUUGE bass, is a very impressive transition within a few years. Now, the treble of the M21 is average at best. It has no special attributes—it doesn’t sparkle, but it’s pleasant and detailed, extending decently high. While the treble isn’t special, it also doesn’t do anything obviously wrong, which is fantastic.

The soundstage of the M21 is wide, but not deep. It is about 2-3 feet wide and a feet deep to my ears, which may or may not be your experience, but you’re not the one with rulers in front of his face. The detail is very good on the M21, typical of MEElectronics IEM’s. Tone and timbre is decent overall. For the price of an M21, it’s hard to do better. It’s hard to do better even around $70 south of a certain Hifiman’s creation.

Tips:
I shall be comparing tips, because there aren’t enough comparisons of tips around, and the M21’s are surprisingly transparent. Tips are an often overlooked part of an IEM, but it can really alter the sound of an IEM.

Single Flanged stock tip: These are your average tips, nothing special. The sound, however, is not a good indicator of how balanced the M21’s can sound. Bass is loose, mids are veiled, and treble is rolled off.


Balanced Double Flanged: These are probably the best tips you’re going to get stock. With these tips, they are, obviously, the most balanced. Compared to stock tips, the mids are much more coherent, bass is tighter, and treble isn’t as rolled off.


I lost the regular double flange tips so…moving on to aftermarkets!

Monster Foam Supertips: These tips set the mids free. The mids are actually forward using the Supertips, but can get grainy. The bass gets tighter too. Treble is a bit peaky though. Soundstage gets wider and has height.


Monster Gel Supertips: Yikes, there is some sibilance with these tips, and the treble appears from nowhere. Mids are much more balanced than with the foams, and bass is about flat. Soundstage kinda collapses though.


Ultimate Ears Silicon: The mids take a bit of a hit here in exchange for more treble, which gets slightly harsh. The bass is a bit north of neutral.


Comply Foam: The overall sound darkens. The bass has more impact, and begins to get boomy. Mids are as recessed as with the stock single flanges. Treble is veiled, and rather disappointing in general. Shame, I like foamies’ comfort.


Sony Hybrids: Bass is stronger than Complys’. The mids are about as recessed, and the treble is a bit less veiled than the Complys’. This is another unfortunate case because the Hybrids are really comfy.


Of the group, the foam Supertips and Balanced double flanges tie for my favorites, but considering the Supertips are really pricy, just stick with the Balanced double flanges. They are, as their name calls for, the most balanced tips for the M21.

Conclusion:
I really like the M21’s even though it might not be apparent in the actual review. They are very balanced, but at the same time, give a nice kick in the bass. For $35, you can’t really do wrong with these. The Brainwavz M1’s are a tiny bit better, but at the cost of some durability and some style points. Overall, if you aren’t sure if you want something neutral, but you are sure don’t want something bassy, the M21’s are a serious IEM to consider.

The M21 retails for $35 for the non-mic version, while the mic’ed version is $40.