At an exclusive Mi Fan event in Malaysia over the weekend, Xiaomi introduced its latest Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro. The in-ear headphone was developed by Xiaomi’s audio specialist partners – 1More in China, and will retail at just MYR79.
A better sound
If you’ve experienced Xiaomi’s previous V3 or V2.1 Piston In-Ear Headphones, then you’ll find the latest ones a welcome step up. The V3 had a 120-degree tilted diaphragm design which provides better fit.
The new headphones follows the same ergonomic design of its predecessor, with a polished metal back and tangle-free Kevlar fibre cable wrapped in a braided sleeve.
The big difference though, lies within. The Pro version boasts a new hybrid driver that consists a dynamic unit and two-way balanced armature driver. The result is richer treble detail and stronger bass.
Xiaomi hired the likes of Luca Bignardi, four-time Grammy Award winner and world-class music recording engineer, to tune the acoustics of the Pro headphones.
For smartphone use, there’s a 3-button controller with a built-in mic built into the right side cable.
Disappointingly, while you’ll be immersed in the audio quality of the new Pro headphones, you won’t be impressed with the packaging. Gone is the ‘gift-worthy’ presentation of V3. In its place, a pretty basic cardboard box. Still, it isn’t a deal-breaker. Because if it’s sound quality is what you’re after, it’s an improvement over the previous version.
First impressions
In my brief experience with the headphones, it offers good fit and sound insulation. Audio quality is more suited to acoustic and vocal performances, although nobody’s stopping you from playing your favourite EDM and hip-hop tracks. It will lack the thumping bass you’re after, but overall a wholly balanced sound.
If you use a Mi Note, you’ll derive the best performance from the headphones, thanks to the built-in mobile Hi-Fi audio decoder and DAC. The Mi Note’s Hi-Fi system supports lossless formats like DSD, DXD, AIFF, FLAC and APE. You’ll get studio quality sound of up to 192kHz/24 bit audio.
READ ALSO: Xiaomi Mi Note review: Better late than never
Also, fire up Audio Settings in the Mi Note to load audio profiles to your liking. Or configure your own with the built-in equalizer. You can also turn on the Hi-Res Audio to reduce noise and distortion, and for enhanced audio quality.
In the end, you’ll need to remember the Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro only costs MYR79. And that’s already a win.
The headphones will be available starting 10 December from the Malaysian Mi Store.
