MEElec RockMee II Conclusion

Sound Quality

Most modern mp3 players are good enough that the main limitation in sound quality is the included earphones. Though the RockMEE’s stock in-ear earphones are far better than most, the easiest way to a sound upgrade is still buying higher-end earphones or headphones. To evaluate the sound quality of the player itself my critical listening tests were performed using Audio-Technica ATH-CK10 IEMs – earphones that I’m very familiar with and that are quite transparent and revealing of the source. My usual testing tracklist is features high-bitrate mp3- and FLAC-encoded tracks ranging from classical to soft rock to progressive metal.

The sound of the RockMEE II is above average as far is fidelity goes. It doesn’t have any glaring faults but at the same time is not so perfectly analytical as to make listening to it boring. The low end has a hint of warmth and there is some detail missing at the top of the frequency range, which is pretty much unnoticeable with the stock earbuds and most reasonably-priced headphones. The equalizer presets work fine for those who utilize them but sadly there is no user-defined EQ option. The bass boost feature can be used to pump up the low end of the response quite a lot. To my ears it sounds like 12-16 dB of boost. The RockMEE can also reach earsplitting volumes effortlessly. It possesses such a surprising amount of driving power that in quiet environments I often found myself trying to turn down the volume when it was already set at the minimum 1/32. With my passive noise isolating earphones my average listening volume during my commute was around 5/32. Stock earphones do a fairly good job of cutting out external noise as well so I don’t see lack of volume being a problem for anyone. Near the volume ceiling the player does begin to distort but again such volumes should not be necessary unless very inefficient headphones are used or the user does not value the sense of hearing.

An interesting feature is the built-in speaker. Though the tiny transducer can’t be expected to pack the punch necessary for audio fidelity, distortion at maximum volume is fairly low. The speaker does manage to reproduce speech well enough to be perfectly usable for movies and listening to voice recordings in quiet environments. Not a deal breaker by any means but a nice extra to have.

Value & Final Impressions

The Meelectronics RockMEE II provides very good value for money provided that the numerous multimedia features of the player are put to use. With its many features and reasonable pricing the MiniMee offers bang/buck that is very hard to beat. There is no player out there I can think of that combines a screen this large and vivid with a built-in microSD slot and 8gb of internal memory at such a low price point. It is functional enough to be used as an everyday portable, built much better than the average generic budget flash player, and has the advantage of Meelectronics’ unrivaled customer support if anything should go wrong.

MEElectronics RockMee II Portable Media Player

All in all, the Meelec RockMEE II provides an enjoyable listening experience. I am quite happy with the sound it provides and especially with the lovely playback screen, which is what I see 95% of the time when using my mp3 player. The various PMP features of the RockMEE II are also good to have – who knows when the ability to take a text file or some photos on the go will come in handy. For anyone looking for a player that is easy to use, reasonably priced, and highly functional the RockMEE II is a safe bet in my book.

Pros: Good sound quality, many usable PMP features, great stock earphones, standard USB mini-B data transfer port.

Cons: Some firmware quirks, 3-prong connectors (earphones with mic) won’t work, inconsistent microSD library integration.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5

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