MEE Audio may not be as well known as the likes of Sennheiser and Beats, but the company has slowly but surely been building a fan base and releasing headphones. We reviewed one of their pairs of sports buds a few months ago, but now we’re taking a look at a new pair in a different genre — the MEE Audio Matrix3 over-ear wireless headphones.
The Matrix3’s have a lot to prove — previous iterations in the Matrix series of headphones have been well-received. Can the Matrix3’s live up to the hype? We put them to the test to find out.
Design
The first thing to notice about the headphones is how they look, and we were pleasantly surprised. Rather than using a cheap plastic on the ear cups to cut down on costs, MEE Audio went a different route — using a dark, denim-like fabric, and it looks great and gives the headphones a unique spin. That fabric also makes an appearance on the top of the headband, helping keep things consistent.
The shape of the headphones is also pretty sleek. While they’re technically over-ear, the MEE Audio Matrix3’s are super thin, and coupled with the hard carry case they’re ultimately pretty portable. No, they won’t fit in your pocket, but they’ll certainly fit into your backpack or purse pretty well.
Apart from the carry case and the headphones themselves, you’ll also find a charging case and an aux cable, which slots into the left earcup. On the right earcup you’ll get the controls — a power button that doubles as a play/pause button, as well as a fast forward and rewind buttons that double as volume up and volume down.
In general, we love the design of these headphones. Sure, some of the materials feel a little cheap, but those super light materials also help make the headphones themselves light, and cut down costs too.
Comfort
The MEE Audio Matrix3’s don’t just look pretty — they feel pretty nice too. The memory-foam padding on these cans feels great, and helps you forget that your wearing headphones at all. That’s a pretty nice feat, especially considering the fact that the padding on the earcups is really quite thin — but with the memory foam used, that really doesn’t matter.
We only wish the same attention to the earcups was applied to the headband. We’re not sure if MEE Audio used the same kind of padding in the headband, but if so a lot more of it was needed. After an hour or so of listening, it’s not the sides of your head that will get irritated, its the top. Still, it could be worse, and the fact that these headphones are so light helps keep some of the pressure off.
Sound
So they look great and feel pretty nice, but how’s the sound? Certainly not bad, especially at this price. The MEE Audio Matrix3 headphones are closed-back, meaning that they won’t let out much sound, nor will they let much in — just in case you were wondering.
First up is distortion, and even at really high levels these cans managed to keep their cool and deliver a reasonably consistent sound. That’s true even at dangerously high volumes — which is a good thing.
The bass is perhaps the best thing about these headphones — it’s clear and defined, yet it doesn’t wonder into muddy territory, which can be a real concern for bass-centric cans. If you’re looking for a pair of headphones with great bass and don’t care much about anything else, then these headphones will be great for you.
That’s not to say that the other frequencies sound bad — they don’t, but they do leave a little to be desired. The mids are in general pretty well sculpted, however there are a few radio frequencies in the low-mids area that are a little problematic.
The highs are the worst thing about the sound of these headphones — because there simply aren’t enough. Vocals sound a little subdued and cymbals don’t shine like they should. That’s a real bummer, because some great high-end could really compliment the low-end that these headphones provide.
In general, however, the MEE Audio Matrix3’s sound pretty good. Sure, we would have liked some more high-end, but the low-end, and even most of the mids, sound pretty great. If you’re looking for some bass-heavy headphones and are generally into hip-hop and rap then these will be a good fit — in fact, Forgot About Dre sounded particularly good run through these cans.
Performance
MEE Audio claims that the Matrix3’s offer up to a hefty 28 hours of battery life, and while we experienced a little less than that, we still got plenty of use out of them before finding the need to charge. Even at 24-26 hours, these headphones offer an excellent battery life — a wonder considering how sleek the headphones look and how light they feel.
Bluetooth connectivity is pretty standard — with Bluetooth 4.0, we never experienced any stutters or ticks with these headphones unless we really went a few rooms over.
Conclusions
The MEE Audio Matrix3’s aren’t without their imperfections, but in general we strongly recommend them. With a great design, good comfort level, pretty decent sound, and excellent performance, for the price of $120 they’re a great buy. On top of that, they’re pretty portable, so if you’re looking for a pair of over-ear headphones to take on-the-go, these may well be the choice for you.
Of the reviews we’ve posted so far, the MEE Audio Matrix3’s main competition are the JLab Audio Omni headphones, which come in at a little cheaper. Still, we think the Matrix3’s are worth the price jump — they’re a little more stylish, and sound a little better too.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$119.99 |
 |
$119.99 |
| MEE Audio | $119.99 |
| Frequency response | 20Hz – 20kHz | Active noise cancellation |
No |
| Driver size | 40mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type |
Dynamic | On-ear controls | Yes |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 96dB | Earpad material | Memory foam |
| Rated impedance |
32Ω at 1kHz | Magnet material | Unknown |
| Total harmonic distortion |
Unknown | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power |
Unknown | Battery life | 28 Hours |
| Maximum input power |
Unknown | Wireless distance | 10m (30ft) |
| Wireless connection |
Bluetooth 4.0 | Cable length | 1.5m (4.9ft) |
| Wired connection |
3.5mm | Case type | Hard case |
| Detachable cable |
Yes | In-the-box | Hard case, charging cable, 3.5mm cable |
| Weight | 199g (7.0oz) | Colors | Black |