MEE Audio M6 Pro 2nd Gen In-Ear Headphones Review

The fact that MEE Audio have been able to keep the updated model at exactly the same price as the original, the bang-for-buck value of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen seem to currently be the best out there
Pros
  • Improvement over 1st generation
  • Great value
  • Comfort
Cons
  • At this price, nothing
Final Rating
calcRating
Rating Details
Bottom Line
The fact that MEE Audio have been able to keep the updated model at exactly the same price as the original, the bang-for-buck value of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen seem to currently be the best out there
Table of Contents

Specs

  • Impedance: 16Ω
  • Frequency response: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
  • Sensitivity: 100dB / mW

Packaging

The packaging for the M6 Pro 2nd Gen very similar to what we got with the original iteration, except this time around there’s no clear window on the side. The white, grey, and gold colour-scheme has been carried over, giving the M-line of product packaging a distinctive look.

What’s in the box?

  • MEE Audio M6 Pro 2nd Gen
  • Storage/carrying case
  • 1x stereo cable
  • 1x stereo cable with in-line remote and mic
  • 1/4″ adapter
  • 1x pair of Comply memory foam eartips
  • 6x pair of silicone eartips

Accessories

Generally speaking, MEE tends to include a whole bunch of extra bits with their products, and the M6 Pro 2nd Gen is no different.

First up we get the exact same type of carrying case that we got with the original M6 Pro, and we also get two different types of cables. The first type of cable is a no-frills stereo cable which is meant to pass the signal from the source into each earpiece without having to pass through any other seemingly unnecessary components. If, however, you have a need for a cable that has an inline remote and/or mic, then MEE’s got you covered with the additional included cable.

The number of eartips that MEE includes goes to show that they understand that there are a vast array of ears out there. Not only are everyone’s ears different sizes, but our canals have different shapes too. As such, the included eartips come in a variety of different sizes and shapes in an effort to accommodate as many people as they can. Lastly the usual quality 1/4″ adapter is included too.

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Design

Mee Audio m6 pro (6)

In terms of the design, MEE Audio have made some genuinely great changes for the 2nd iteration of the M6 Pro. Let’s start off with the cable.
Whilst the original M6 Pro had a “nice cable”, the newer version is a vast improvement. I’m hesitant to call the new one “stiffer”, but it has a certain rubbery texture and springiness that seems to prohibit it from becoming a tangled mess like the previous version. The new one is way more resistant to kinks and tangles. Overall the cable also looks nicer too. The new version features a silver braided sheath, whereas the older one was simply a twisted-design.

  MEE Audio M6 Pro 2nd Gen In-Ear Headphones Review

Moving on to the housing, the design of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen’s housing has been given some much appreciated improvements. Whilst the overall profile is a bit longer, the thickness has been trimmed noticeably. This gives the 2nd Gen a negative profile in the ear, as opposed to one that sticks out a bit.
The advantage of this is that, if you’re the type of person who likes to fall asleep listening to music, or just generally would prefer to lie down on your side when listening to your favourite relaxation tunes, the M6 Pro 2nd Gen’s updated housing design will allow you to rest our head on a pillow without feeling any pressure from the earpiece pressing against your ear.

But overall I personally felt that the comfort of the 2nd Gen was superior to the original. Where the original’s housing would sit in my ear and I would be aware of it being there, the new housing just feels like more of a “fit and forget” deal. But, of course, everybody’s ears are different, so your mileage may vary in this regard. What I also found interesting is that, to get a proper seal, I needed smaller eartips for the 2nd Gen than what I did for the original M6 Pro. So, if you have a preferred type of eartips (JVC Spiral Dot in my case), you might want to consider getting a smaller set than what you’d usually use.

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There’s also a new feature to the design of the housing. For the 2nd Gen, MEE Audio has decided that, should you want to, you should be able to personalise your pair. As such, the “faceplate” section of the housing has an indented profile to accommodate an additional custom faceplate. Whilst the standard M6 Pro 2nd Gen will cost you around $50, you can create and order a pair of customised faceplates for an additional $25 directly on MEE Audio’s website at this link.

Sound

In all honesty, MEE Audio really did a fantastic job here. Not only did they manage to objectively refine and improve the sound of the original M6 Pro, but the fact that they kept the M6 Pro 2nd Gen at the same price has just elevated it’s bang-for-buck value to a whole new level.

  MEE Audio M6 Pro 2nd Gen In-Ear Headphones Review

The M6 Pro 2nd Gen offers a reasonably well-balanced signature and an overall more refined and smoother character compared to it predecessor, but I’ll get more into that with a direct comparison between the 2.
There’s only one area really that I felt I needed to pick at, and that’s the fact that the Bass tends to bleed into the mids a bit. This can lead to the mids getting masked a fraction, and as a result there is some detail lost. But, I have to keep reminding myself, this is a $50 set of IEMs, and for that reason their short-comings (relatively speaking) are perfectly acceptable.
M6 Pro 2nd Gen vs Original M6 Pro
As briefly mentioned, the M6 Pro 2nd Gen offers a smoother and more refined presentation over the original. Where vocals tends to come across as a bit “shouty” on the originals, the 2nd Gen’s sound is not only clearer, but less fatiguing at the same time. One test for me is usually to pay close attention to how a set of headphone/IEMs portray cymbals. Here the 2nd Gen definitely showed off it’s refinement as the original M6 Pro portrayed cymbals in a more splashy manner, whereas the M6 Pro 2nd Gen offers better detail retrieval and texture to the sound. It just sounds more realistic on the 2nd Gen. One thing to note is that the 2nd Gen can perhaps seem a bit more bassy than the original M6 Pro, but I suspect that this may simply be due to the fact that, because the M6 Pro 2nd Gen doesn’t have quite such a forward mids and treble response, the upper mids and treble aren’t trying to overpower the lower regions.

M6 Pro 2nd Gen vs RE-400
Whilst the MSRP for the RE-400 is $100, they’ve been available on various online retailers for $50 for quite some time now, and so it seems appropriate to compare these 2 products.
Simply put, from a strictly sound quality perspective, the RE-400 is one of the best value IEMs out there. HiFiMAN were able to produce a set of IEMs that measure incredibly well and their tagline of “waterline” is very appropriate. It’s just such a shame that the RE-400 has such a flimsy build quality. Here the M6 Pro 2nd Gen easily has it beaten all shades of blue and purple.
But, how do these compare in terms of sound quality against each other? The M6 Pro 2nd Gen has a wider sound stage and definitely an elevated bass response. Comparing the 2 side-by-side made the RE-400 feel like it lacks a certain “fullness” to the sound. The RE-400 indeed does measure incredibly flat, but that lack of just a little bit of extra bass does tend to give it a “boring” character. I suspect that the M6 Pro 2nd Gen’s bass response follows the Harman target curve more closely. What the RE-400 does have in its favour, though, is it’s vocal clarity and smoothness. There’s just a bit more refinement in this area for the HiFiMAN. But as an overall character, my preference goes towards that of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen.

M6 Pro 2nd Gen vs FH1
OK, so whilst the Fiio FH1 does technically cost 50% more than the M6 Pro 2nd Gen, it also isn’t such a huge jump to be entirely out of budget. The FH1 is one of, of not the, best value option from Fiio, so in that regard a comparison between these 2 products is entirely appropriate.
It was while listening and swapping between the FH1 and M6 Pro 2nd Gen that the value of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen started becoming apparent to me. Yes it’s cheaper, but I honestly prefer the sound of the MEE.
Overall the MEE just sounds more balanced than the Fiio. The FH1’s signature is definitely more v-shaped in character and also offers a warmer sound. But, as a result of that v-shaped sound, the FH1 would also often times sound more sibilant, whereas the MEE remained detailed but behaved much better.
Sometimes the FH1 would sound “smoother” than the M6 Pro 2nd Gen, but then that treble spike would creep in and remind me that the MEE is just overall better refined and balanced.

M6 Pro 2nd Gen vs M7 Pro
This is perhaps the most important comparison to make, as it serves to illustrate an exceptionally valuable lesson to learn and keep in mind.
There are few things I hate in life, but one of them is the phrase “you get what you pay for”. We could perhaps consider it to only be our natural instinct to assume that this idea must be true, but we need to learn, accept, and often remind ourselves that, in reality, it often does not apply and so it simply makes no logical sense to continue to think this way.

It would’ve been great if we could use the figure on a product’s price-tag as a quick reference to how similar products will perform against each other, but out in the real world that connection just isn’t something we can reliably rely upon. Often product X will cost you more simply because of the “prestige” associated with the brand-name. Or, you might end up paying more for a product that is created around a more complex design, but that doesn’t mean that it’ll actually perform objectively better than a similar product using a more simplified design. A comparison between the M6 Pro 2nd Gen and the M7 Pro fits perfectly into that latter example.

Yes the M7 Pro has a hybrid driver setup. So yes, ideally it should be better. But it just simply isn’t.
I reviewed the M7 Pro a few months back but I was quite disappointed with it, to say the least. I was super impressed with what MEE Audio was able to pull off with the original M6 Pro, so when the M7 Pro came out (and at triple the price of the M6 Pro), my expectations were high. And now, being able to compare the latest iteration of the M6 Pro against the M7 Pro just further cements my original perception of the M7 Pro.

Honestly, it feels like the price tags of the M7 Pro and that of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen should’ve been swapped.
Compared to the M6 Pro 2nd Gen, the M7 Pro’s sound genuinely is a far cry from anything I would consider to be even remotely “Hi-Fi”. The M7 Pro’s bass bloat is boomy, and it’s overall character is too smooth and rolled off. It’s actually got this really weird “dark” presentation. This is especially apparent in the vocal region where voices seem distant and hollow.

In stark contrast, the M6 Pro 2nd Gen has way better vocal presence, and just an overall more lively and “correct” signature.

It’s genuinely hard to think that the M6 Pro 2nd Gen costs a mere third of what the M7 Pro does, and yet its absolute sound quality is just so much better.

M6 Pro 2nd Gen vs Pinnacle P1
OK, no, when it comes to outright sonic quality, the M6 Pro 2nd Gen is no substitute for the Pinnacle P1. But it is quite interesting to see how it performs against MEE Audio’s flagship IEM nonetheless.

Here the refinement and fidelity of the Pinnacle P1 really does show, but what’s equally apparent is that the M6 Pro 2nd Gen really does offer a fantastic value.

The Pinnacle P1 offers a smoother, more refined, and better balanced sound compared to the M6 Pro 2nd Gen. One aspect of the P1’s sound that always draws me in is its stage width and depth. No, it’s not exactly on par with a set of open-back headphones, but still very commendable for a set of sealed IEMs nonetheless.

Vocals is again an area where I picked up the biggest difference in quality, as the P1 presented vocals with a better sense of clarity and definition. It’s as though words are just enunciated better and sound a touch more realistic compared to the M6 Pro 2nd Gen. Overall the M6 Pro 2nd Gen, when compared directly to the Pinnacle P1, just has a slightly more veiled signature.

But really, for the cost, the M6 Pro 2nd Gen truly performs admirably, especially considering the fact that I feel perfectly comfortable to put it head-to-head against MEE Audio’s flagship IEMs.

Value

The original M6 Pro, with a price tag of $50, represented one of, if not the best value option out there. Now, considering all of the changes and improvements for the 2nd Gen, and the fact that MEE Audio have been able to keep the updated model at exactly the same price as the original, the bang-for-buck value of the M6 Pro 2nd Gen seem to currently be the best out there.

I personally would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending the M6 Pro 2nd Gen to anyone who is looking at getting their first set of “Hi-Fi” IEMs. Heck, at this price, I could also happily say to anyone who owns the original M6 Pro that the 2nd Gen is an upgrade that’s worth more than every single penny you’d end up spending.

From the improved cables to the improved fit and comfort, and of course the refinement in sound, the M6 Pro 2nd Gen is an absolute gem.MEE Audio did a stellar job here, and I am yet again in awe of how much value they manage to pack into the majority of their products.