This is a review of Meelec Air-Fi Touch wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones with headset functionality. http://www.meelec.com/Air_Fi_Touch_Bluetooth_Wireless_Headphones_p/hp-af65-bk-mee.htm , also available on http://www.amazon.com/MEElectronics-Advanced-Bluetooth-Headphones-Functionality/dp/B00S5F3Y6Y/
Meelec is always pushing the limits of headphone technology combining unique design elements with a great audio performance at a budget price. Usually it’s not an easy task because often manufacturers loose a focus making their headphones stand out from the crowd with fancy looks while lacking in sound quality. Try to search for wireless headphones on Amazon or eBay and you’ll get a ton of similar looking results from companies you never even heard of. The problem with “similar looking” products creates a lot of confusion because people assume they all perform the same. Or for example, lately I’ve noticed a number of wireless on-ear headphones with a slim folding headband and small rectangular earcups. Most of the shoppers who look at the picture and the price won’t even realize that a lot of manufacturers start with a common exterior design shell and add their own internal components, controls, headphone drivers, battery, etc. That’s why I got a bit confused when I saw an announcement of Meelec new Air-Fi Touch wireless headphones – the picture looked familiar. But once I start reading their spec, I couldn’t help myself but comment after every line with “wow!” or “cool!” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on these headphones for testing, and here is what I found.
I know on-ear headphones are usually smaller in size, but the package Air-Fi Touch arrived in was really compact! Of course, it was a dead giveaway about folded portability of these headphones, but before I opened a box I took a tour around it. Typical to other Meelec products, they always leave a lasting impression with their cover graphics that pops out at you like 3D. There is a lot of useful info about headphones as you read description and functionality bullet points, and when you get to the side of the box to read the full spec – you will quickly realize they didn’t skimp on a single option. Well, maybe NFC pair up was missing, but I couldn’t even imagine where you would fit it considering touch surface. Besides, I personally find NFC to be redundant after initial pair up.
Out of the box, you are greeted with a sturdy moon-shaped zippered case. I was very pleased to see a hard shell case considering so many manufacturers skip it in favor of a pull string pouch. Also, included was a box with accessories which had usb to micro-usb charging cable, 3.5mm audio cable, and comprehensive instruction manual. Charging cable is a regular smartphone type micro-usb so you are not locked into any proprietary connectors. Audio cable was rather thin and a bit flimsy, but its intent is to be used as a backup if your rechargeable battery drains empty or you can’t use Bluetooth. Still, having an option for wired or wireless connection is very useful in any situation!
Unboxing and accessories
With a storage case open, you see Air-Fi Touch neatly folded inside, even with a little bit of room to add audio and charging cables. As I mentioned before, exterior of the design did look familiar, but that’s where all these similarities end. Starting with a headband, which like a rainbow goes from one earcup to the other, it’s made out of a durable plastic with a glossy exterior finish all the way around outside. Inside at the top there is a nice soft foam layer covered in pleather. Next to folding hinges you will find a soft touch plastic, and the part of the headband which extends for height adjustment is reinforced with a stainless steel metal piece. Height adjustment had a nice click action and overall there were not creaks or squeaks as I twisted and bent the headband.
Earcup exterior had the same glossy plastic finish, staying consistent with headband design, and it also had a golden trim that matched color of Meelectronics lettering at the top of the headband. The earcup attachment to the headband has both horizontal and vertical pivoting action for a better fit around your head/ears. Earpads had soft foam covered in perforated pleather, matching softness and finish of inner headband padding for a complete uniform look. I do have to note that by nature of on-ear design the fitment is usually not a problem since it’s independent of your ear size, but you will have to do some adjustment to find a sweet spot for the best sound performance. This is typical for most of the compact on-ear designs, and Air-Fi Touch is not an exception.
When it comes to ports and controls, these are probably the CLEANEST headphones you will ever see. Right side has only micro-usb port for charging, at the end of the headband, while left side has 3.5mm audio input jack. The only other control on the left side is a very small multifunction button closer to the edge of the headband behind earcup. As a matter of fact, that button was my guide to figure out which side is Left and Right since the actual L/R marking on inside of the headband was a raised lettering that blended with a plastic finish. It’s not a showstopper, but I would recommend Meelec to make that lettering a little bit bigger and maybe color it in gold. So why do I make a big deal out of L/R side orientation? True to its Touch name, this pair of headphones has “invisible” controls on the left side where sliding your finger up/down will raise or lower the volume and sliding it back/front will skip track next or previous. Keep in mind, there is a small typo in instructions stating to slide front/back for next/prev while in reality it’s the opposite and instructions will be updated in the next print. But the fact that you have a touch pad control was quite amazing for $99 pair of headphones (a feature found in $400 Zik).
Design details
Now, more about the actually functionality and performance of Air-Fi Touch headphones. Just like a lot of similar headphones, these feature a rechargeable battery, but unlike others Air-Fi Touch battery lasts a whooping 24 hours with 200 hrs of standby!!! That is almost a double of other similar headphones, and we are talking about a model with a more advanced functionality in comparison. The connection to your phone/tablet is very simple with a common long press of multi-function button to enter pair up mode, and selecting Air-Fi Touch from a list of discovered devices for an immediate connection to phone and media audio. Once paired up, I confirmed wireless range to be operational for about 40ft in an open space.
These headphones support BT4.0 with every popular profile, such as A2DP, HSP, HFP, and AVRCP. But the real shining star in here is support of Bluetooth lossless audio codec aptX and AAC!!! I don’t use any Apple devices to comment on their proprietary AAC codec, but I can tell you with certainty that if you are looking into a new pair of wireless headphones – support of aptX is a MUST!!! This codec covers a wider frequency range and utilizes a less brutal compression to preserve digital stream without too many loses. Of course, if you don’t have a quality receiver and decoder on your headphone side, aptX will be pointless. Also, the headphone features a mic with a great sensitivity where I had no issues placing phone calls and people on the other side heard me loud and clear, though testing was done in a relatively quiet environment since I don't use public transportation.
Without a doubt, headset phone functionality is a great convenience, but I was more interested in audio performance of these headphones. I already mentioned before that on-ear design requires a bit of adjustment to find a sweet spot for the best audio performance. Also, you shouldn’t expect too much from sound isolation since this is not an over-ear design that encapsulates your ears, plus the clamping force was not that strong. At the same time, once you start playing music and before you put them on your ear, they can sound like a pair of semi-open speakers if you place headband around your neck. But as soon as you place them on your ears, sound leakage was down to minimum. I was actually surprised about it and tested it multiple times with my wife next to me. You can definitely use these headphones in quite places where you don’t want to disturb people next to you.
So how does it actually sound? First of all, another shocker for me was how close wired and wireless performance turned out to be!!! Thanks to aptX support and great tuning of their 40mm drivers, the gap between wired sound using 3.5mm audio cable and wireless sound both tested with my Galaxy Note 4 was down to minimum. The sound itself is nicely balanced, detailed, and with just a perfect amount of bass enhancement without going overboard. On-ear design is usually not easy to tune for bass performance unless you enhance it at the expense of a bloated low end. Here, bass was surprisingly well controlled with a nice punch and some sub-bass rumble, and no spillage into lower mids. Mids were sweet and smooth, just slightly recessed, clear but not too detailed (meaning, not that analytical). Treble was clear and non sibilant, great for extended listening without fatigue. I also found soundstage to be above average in depth and about an average in width.
Overall, these headphones did impress me with their sound performance and unique Touch control functionality. I do have to admit, touch controls have a bit of a learning curve to get used to, but within 5-10 minutes it felt like second nature. Other than Play/Pause/Call with multi-function button, there is no other clicking functionality, just swiping which should extend lifetime of the product. I do wish multi-function button would be a little bigger because some people with sausage fingers might have a hard time pushing it. Also, these headphones are intended more for walking or just sitting/relaxing. Their clamping force and overall design is not intended for active lifestyle. But once you submerge yourself into their sound, you will be pleased of how well wireless audio can perform with aptX codec, and you can enjoy this feeling for the whole 24 hours on a single charge! With its compact folding design and excellent storage case, these also make a great travel companion. I really enjoyed Air-Fi Touch and would definitely recommend it!
Meelec is always pushing the limits of headphone technology combining unique design elements with a great audio performance at a budget price. Usually it’s not an easy task because often manufacturers loose a focus making their headphones stand out from the crowd with fancy looks while lacking in sound quality. Try to search for wireless headphones on Amazon or eBay and you’ll get a ton of similar looking results from companies you never even heard of. The problem with “similar looking” products creates a lot of confusion because people assume they all perform the same. Or for example, lately I’ve noticed a number of wireless on-ear headphones with a slim folding headband and small rectangular earcups. Most of the shoppers who look at the picture and the price won’t even realize that a lot of manufacturers start with a common exterior design shell and add their own internal components, controls, headphone drivers, battery, etc. That’s why I got a bit confused when I saw an announcement of Meelec new Air-Fi Touch wireless headphones – the picture looked familiar. But once I start reading their spec, I couldn’t help myself but comment after every line with “wow!” or “cool!” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on these headphones for testing, and here is what I found.
I know on-ear headphones are usually smaller in size, but the package Air-Fi Touch arrived in was really compact! Of course, it was a dead giveaway about folded portability of these headphones, but before I opened a box I took a tour around it. Typical to other Meelec products, they always leave a lasting impression with their cover graphics that pops out at you like 3D. There is a lot of useful info about headphones as you read description and functionality bullet points, and when you get to the side of the box to read the full spec – you will quickly realize they didn’t skimp on a single option. Well, maybe NFC pair up was missing, but I couldn’t even imagine where you would fit it considering touch surface. Besides, I personally find NFC to be redundant after initial pair up.
Out of the box, you are greeted with a sturdy moon-shaped zippered case. I was very pleased to see a hard shell case considering so many manufacturers skip it in favor of a pull string pouch. Also, included was a box with accessories which had usb to micro-usb charging cable, 3.5mm audio cable, and comprehensive instruction manual. Charging cable is a regular smartphone type micro-usb so you are not locked into any proprietary connectors. Audio cable was rather thin and a bit flimsy, but its intent is to be used as a backup if your rechargeable battery drains empty or you can’t use Bluetooth. Still, having an option for wired or wireless connection is very useful in any situation!
Unboxing and accessories
With a storage case open, you see Air-Fi Touch neatly folded inside, even with a little bit of room to add audio and charging cables. As I mentioned before, exterior of the design did look familiar, but that’s where all these similarities end. Starting with a headband, which like a rainbow goes from one earcup to the other, it’s made out of a durable plastic with a glossy exterior finish all the way around outside. Inside at the top there is a nice soft foam layer covered in pleather. Next to folding hinges you will find a soft touch plastic, and the part of the headband which extends for height adjustment is reinforced with a stainless steel metal piece. Height adjustment had a nice click action and overall there were not creaks or squeaks as I twisted and bent the headband.
Earcup exterior had the same glossy plastic finish, staying consistent with headband design, and it also had a golden trim that matched color of Meelectronics lettering at the top of the headband. The earcup attachment to the headband has both horizontal and vertical pivoting action for a better fit around your head/ears. Earpads had soft foam covered in perforated pleather, matching softness and finish of inner headband padding for a complete uniform look. I do have to note that by nature of on-ear design the fitment is usually not a problem since it’s independent of your ear size, but you will have to do some adjustment to find a sweet spot for the best sound performance. This is typical for most of the compact on-ear designs, and Air-Fi Touch is not an exception.
When it comes to ports and controls, these are probably the CLEANEST headphones you will ever see. Right side has only micro-usb port for charging, at the end of the headband, while left side has 3.5mm audio input jack. The only other control on the left side is a very small multifunction button closer to the edge of the headband behind earcup. As a matter of fact, that button was my guide to figure out which side is Left and Right since the actual L/R marking on inside of the headband was a raised lettering that blended with a plastic finish. It’s not a showstopper, but I would recommend Meelec to make that lettering a little bit bigger and maybe color it in gold. So why do I make a big deal out of L/R side orientation? True to its Touch name, this pair of headphones has “invisible” controls on the left side where sliding your finger up/down will raise or lower the volume and sliding it back/front will skip track next or previous. Keep in mind, there is a small typo in instructions stating to slide front/back for next/prev while in reality it’s the opposite and instructions will be updated in the next print. But the fact that you have a touch pad control was quite amazing for $99 pair of headphones (a feature found in $400 Zik).
Design details
Now, more about the actually functionality and performance of Air-Fi Touch headphones. Just like a lot of similar headphones, these feature a rechargeable battery, but unlike others Air-Fi Touch battery lasts a whooping 24 hours with 200 hrs of standby!!! That is almost a double of other similar headphones, and we are talking about a model with a more advanced functionality in comparison. The connection to your phone/tablet is very simple with a common long press of multi-function button to enter pair up mode, and selecting Air-Fi Touch from a list of discovered devices for an immediate connection to phone and media audio. Once paired up, I confirmed wireless range to be operational for about 40ft in an open space.
These headphones support BT4.0 with every popular profile, such as A2DP, HSP, HFP, and AVRCP. But the real shining star in here is support of Bluetooth lossless audio codec aptX and AAC!!! I don’t use any Apple devices to comment on their proprietary AAC codec, but I can tell you with certainty that if you are looking into a new pair of wireless headphones – support of aptX is a MUST!!! This codec covers a wider frequency range and utilizes a less brutal compression to preserve digital stream without too many loses. Of course, if you don’t have a quality receiver and decoder on your headphone side, aptX will be pointless. Also, the headphone features a mic with a great sensitivity where I had no issues placing phone calls and people on the other side heard me loud and clear, though testing was done in a relatively quiet environment since I don't use public transportation.
Without a doubt, headset phone functionality is a great convenience, but I was more interested in audio performance of these headphones. I already mentioned before that on-ear design requires a bit of adjustment to find a sweet spot for the best audio performance. Also, you shouldn’t expect too much from sound isolation since this is not an over-ear design that encapsulates your ears, plus the clamping force was not that strong. At the same time, once you start playing music and before you put them on your ear, they can sound like a pair of semi-open speakers if you place headband around your neck. But as soon as you place them on your ears, sound leakage was down to minimum. I was actually surprised about it and tested it multiple times with my wife next to me. You can definitely use these headphones in quite places where you don’t want to disturb people next to you.
So how does it actually sound? First of all, another shocker for me was how close wired and wireless performance turned out to be!!! Thanks to aptX support and great tuning of their 40mm drivers, the gap between wired sound using 3.5mm audio cable and wireless sound both tested with my Galaxy Note 4 was down to minimum. The sound itself is nicely balanced, detailed, and with just a perfect amount of bass enhancement without going overboard. On-ear design is usually not easy to tune for bass performance unless you enhance it at the expense of a bloated low end. Here, bass was surprisingly well controlled with a nice punch and some sub-bass rumble, and no spillage into lower mids. Mids were sweet and smooth, just slightly recessed, clear but not too detailed (meaning, not that analytical). Treble was clear and non sibilant, great for extended listening without fatigue. I also found soundstage to be above average in depth and about an average in width.
Overall, these headphones did impress me with their sound performance and unique Touch control functionality. I do have to admit, touch controls have a bit of a learning curve to get used to, but within 5-10 minutes it felt like second nature. Other than Play/Pause/Call with multi-function button, there is no other clicking functionality, just swiping which should extend lifetime of the product. I do wish multi-function button would be a little bigger because some people with sausage fingers might have a hard time pushing it. Also, these headphones are intended more for walking or just sitting/relaxing. Their clamping force and overall design is not intended for active lifestyle. But once you submerge yourself into their sound, you will be pleased of how well wireless audio can perform with aptX codec, and you can enjoy this feeling for the whole 24 hours on a single charge! With its compact folding design and excellent storage case, these also make a great travel companion. I really enjoyed Air-Fi Touch and would definitely recommend it!
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