One thing that has always impressed me about MEElectronics is their will to perfect the products that they have produced, and the MEElectronics Air-Fi Metro2 AF72 In-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headset is the latest example of that striving for perfection. Taking into account feedback from users, MEElectronics say the Metro2’s are even better than before, so let’s check them out and see what’s what.
What’s in the box
We’ve reviewed quite a few MEElectronics products here at AndroidStory before so we generally know what to expect when we open one of their boxes – as expected, they haven’t disappointed. Along with the Metro2 headset itself, we get the usual suspects of spare earbuds in different sizes and a pouch to carry all your gear in, as well as a charging cable, some stabilizing ear inserts to add to the earbuds if you prefer, and a few little clips that can be used to tidily store the headset when you’re done using them.
As the full name of the device suggests, the Metro2 is a Bluetooth headset and is comprised only of the earbuds, the cord between them and an in-line control module that  is used for turning the headset on and off, changing volume and houses the built-in microphone. The first thing that struck me about the Metro2’s is exactly how small it seems. My only other experience with fully wireless earphones have been the Denon Exercise Freak earphones (see that review here), and I assumed they had to be that big due to the necessary electronics. As you can see though, the Metro2 has none of that bulk and keeps an extremely slim profile – still not as small as an unpowered pair of earphones, but still surprisingly small. In fact, MEElectronics claims the Metro2’s are the “world’s lightest stereo wireless headset at 0.4 ounces”, and I’m inclined to believe them as they really are extremely light.
How do they perform?
The audio quality of the Metro2’s is impressive – despite its diminutive size and weight, the Metro2’s still pack a punch in the sound department and manage to give extremely good performance on all fronts, highs, mids and bass. If anything, it tends towards the bassy side, but this can be reeled in with some EQ tweaking. Part of this sound quality is thanks to the noise cancelling of the earbuds themselves – the Metro2’s are advertised as noise cancelling and using the passive abilities of the well-fitting earbuds, the headset is able to create a very isolated space to fully enjoy the audio exploits of the earphones.
AÂ side-effect of the well-fitting earbuds can, however, be discomfort. Many of you who have read my audio product reviews will know I generally shy away from earphones due to discomfort they can cause – unfortunately, the Metro2’s fall into this category. By virtue of needing to engage the passive noise cancelling, you do have to quite firmly insert the earbuds into your ears and after an hour or two, I found myself with very sore ears. I do have to mention that this is a very personal critique – I’m sure many of you reading this very much enjoy using earphones, so you can take my words with a grain of salt.
Bluetooth pairing, as you might expect given the maturity of the technology, is extremely simple and will have you up and listening in no time. MEElectronics cleverly uses the power button as a multifunction button, used for powering on and off the headset as well as initiating pairing.
As a completely wireless set of earphones, you would expect the stability of the Metro2’s to be pretty good. With the addition of the stabilizing ear inserts we mentioned earlier and the earbuds firmly stuck into your ears, the Metro2’s may as well be glued in there. I found myself having to shake my head very violently to even get them to dislodge slightly, and even then, I think I did myself more of a disservice as I could still hear music coming from the headset. If you’re looking for a headset for fitness use, with the added bonus of its small footprint weight and size-wise, I would say the Metro2’s are a pretty good candidate.
Microphone performance is good on the Metro2’s, however due to the wraparound nature of how one wears the headset, it’s actually quite hard to get a good signal without grabbing the mic and pulling it into a more convenient position. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you wearing the Metro2’s dangling around the front of your face, but that would probably look a little unusual.
MEElectronics says that the music playback time of the Metro2’s is about 5 hours, and that’s just about exactly what my experiences have been. It is a bit short for my liking as it can’t really get me through a full work day (after which requires a two hour charge time), but it’s really not surprising given the lightweight design of the headset. For many people, particularly those who would use this as a fitness accessory for an hour or two, this is probably a decent trade-off.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really like the MEElectronics Air-Fi Metro2 AF72 In-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headset – they’re light, compact and manages to pack some serious punch. The audio quality is great and made better by the passive noise cancelling and its size and stability features make it ideal for people on the go or just want a headset that is discreet. At a MSRP of $99.99, that’s a decent price for the package they’re offering, and MEElectronics is making it that much cheaper by offering the Metro2’s for $79.99 as part of a sale.
If you’re interested in picking up a pair of Metro2 earphones, you can visit the product page here, or to check out MEElectronics’ other products, visit their homepage here.
