MEE Audio was kind enough to lend me a review unit of their new M7 Pro, and this is certainly an interesting IEM. Priced at 150USD, it is MEE’s first dual-driver IEM, sporting both a 10mm dynamic driver and one balanced armature. They did drop the proprietary connector used on the older M6 in favor of MMCX connectors, which is a welcome change for sure. They have an impedance of 16 ohms, and a sensitivity of 96dB/mW, which means these can of course be powered by a smartphone, however, for this review, it is being powered by my Schiit Magni 2.

The M7 includes many accessories, including a 1.3m audio-only cable, a 1.3m microphone/remote cable, 4 pairs of standard silicone tips, 1 pair of double flange tips, 2 pairs of foam tips, 2 shirt clips, a quarter inch adapter, and a very large carrying case. Both cables are nearly identical in build, both having memory wire and a chin slider, however, they have very different approaches to the memory wire. The audio-only cable has a more traditional metal wire wrapped in a covering with the cable itself, which holds its shape when deformed, whereas the remote cable simply stays in one shape, resisting deformation slightly, very similar to the Tennmak Pro’s cable in that regard. Both cables experience a bit of microphonics, but only when motion occurs above the Y-split. The microphonic are quite annoying, which is a negative for sure. All included silicone tips are white in color, fitting with the clear aesthetic of the M7. The carrying case is quite large, measuring approximately 6in long, 3.5in wide, and 1in tall, with 2 pockets inside, closing with a zipper. I would have preferred a smaller case, but it is certainly going to protect your IEMs.

The M7 itself, while made of plastic, feels extremely solid. I am once again impressed by the sturdiness of their IEMs. Both cables feel very well built, and while the cables hold their shape a little too much, feeling a little rubbery, they are well made, and will likely last a very long time. Overall, this IEM is going to last a very long time. The comfort of the M7 leaves a bit to be desired. The housing pressing a little bit against the backs of my ears sometimes, feeling slightly too large. The memory wire is also a negative in my book, however, that is purely opinion, as I know some people strongly prefer it.

The sound of the M7 is quite interesting, being very different than the P1. Where the P1 is slightly v-shaped, leaning to the brighter side of things, the M7 is quite bassy, with slightly quelled highs. The M7 is also quite sensitive to different tips; I will go into this in more detail later. While they are sensitive to tip rolling, I could not hear any difference between the foam tips and the stock silicone. I could not properly test the double flange tips, however, as they would not seal properly in my ear. With the stock silicone tips, the bass is considerably north of neutral, but is not overbearing. While it is not as clean as the P1’s bass, the M7 provides plenty of thump without intruding on anything else. It can sometimes sound slightly boomy in particularly bassy tracks, but overall I enjoy the M7’s bass. The midrange is a little bit forward, sharing the spotlight with the bass, and sounds plenty lush and rich, while maintaining accuracy in details. Vocals sound slightly thick and meaty, but yet do not lose the higher tones. Instruments can sound slightly off at times, but in general sound plenty natural. It sounds like the lower midrange is emphasized a bit more than the upper midrange, but yet nothing is lost in the upper midrange. The treble is a bit subdued, but is plenty detailed and fast, owing to the balanced armature driver. While the treble does sound reduced overall, there seems to be a bit of a peak in the mid to upper treble, but this peak does not sound unpleasant, instead bringing a bit more life to the sound. The soundstage of the M7 is not wide, it is quite narrow; however, the M7 manages to seldom sound congested or cramped. The imaging is a little bit hazy, much like its brother, the P1, but, also like the P1, it is accurate enough that I do not notice it usually unless I am actively paying attention to the imaging.

I mentioned that the M7 is quite sensitive to different tips, and I tried both Spinfits and JVC Spiral Dots, to interesting effect.

With the Spinfits, due to the different fit, they stick out a bit further from my ears, and do not touch my ears at all, increasing comfort. While the comfort is increased with the Spinfits, I wish I could say the same about the sound. The bass comes up on this already bassy IEM, and loses its definition, becoming quite muddy. The midrange suddenly sounds a bit strange and uneven. The treble gets very lost as well, losing the precision that made it good, and being further reduced near to the point of being drowned out entirely by the now monstrous bass. I cannot recommend putting Spinfits on the M7, by any stretch.

With the JVC Spiral Dots, however, pump some more life into these IEMs. These tips also increase the comfort, much like the Spinfits, but instead of butchering the sound, these are what I would consider an improvement over the stock tips. The bass gets slightly quelled, but only by a hair, remaining quite pronounced. The treble opens up a little bit, bringing even more life to the music. While it loses a little bit of precision, it is still accurate enough to certainly not sound confused. The only thing to suffer by switching to Spiral Dots is the midrange. The upper midrange is increased, but there seems to be a narrow dip somewhere, leaving some vocals sounding dulled, but others sounding more lively. Instruments too suffer in this way, being sometimes a bit dull, but other times nice and lively. I would recommend trying Spiral Dots on the M7, but you may prefer the stock tips.

In summary, the M7 with stock tips is a little lacking in comfort, and has big pleasant bass, beefy midrange, and slightly quelled, but still accurate treble. Overall, the M7 sounds very good.

Now, when I saw the first announcement of the M7, the first question I had was, “How does it compare to the P1?” With the M7 priced at 150USD, and the P1 priced at 200USD, these are set to compete a bit with each other. Let’s compare the two.

In comfort, the P1 is the better of the two, for my ears at least. The P1 nearly disappears in my ears, being one of the most comfortable IEMs I have used.

Sound is where these two IEMs differ much more. The M7 certainly has more bass than the P1. The bass on the M7 is a little less controlled than the P1’s bass. This is not to say the M7 has sloppy bass; it does not, but the P1 just has an edge in bass quality. The P1’s midrange sounds a bit more relaxed than the more aggressive M7, but both sound wonderful. The treble on the P1 is certainly elevated, where the M7’s is reduced. Both treble regions sound very nice, but I cannot say either treble is objectively better, as both are clean and accurate. I personally prefer the P1’s treble, as I enjoy a slightly brighter sound.

Given a choice between the P1 and M7, I personally would choose the P1 every time; however, they are both excellent IEMs well deserving of the price tag attached to them. If you prefer a bass heavy sound without accentuated treble, the M7 may be your new favorite IEM.

-TheOmegaCarrot