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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a set of in-ear monitors that can run wired on stage and wireless on the train with aptX Adaptive and LDAC on board, choose MEE audio MX1. If you need true wireless earbuds that clip onto your ear with adaptive noise cancelling and Snapdragon Sound, choose EarFun Air Pro 4.
• MEE audio MX1 — biggest strength: it is a hybrid kit. You get proper wired IEMs, two cables, and a BT3 Bluetooth adapter that adds the whole aptX family plus LDAC, so one set of earphones covers studio, stage and commute.
• MEE audio MX1 — biggest trade-off: it is not true wireless. The BT3 is a neck-style adapter with earhooks, and the noise control is passive only, so it relies on the eartip seal rather than active circuitry.
• EarFun Air Pro 4 — biggest strength: adaptive hybrid active noise cancelling rated up to 50dB, Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless, six mics with AI call processing, and a clip-on C-shaped bridge that never enters your ear canal.
• EarFun Air Pro 4 — biggest trade-off: because nothing is inserted into the ear canal, isolation and bass depth depend on the clip fit, and there is no wired 3.5mm path at all.
• Who each pick is for: MEE audio MX1 suits musicians, monitoring users and anyone who wants one earphone for wired and wireless work; EarFun Air Pro 4 suits commuters, call-heavy users and anyone who dislikes silicone tips buried in their ears.
The MX1 is built around a single 10mm full-range dynamic driver with a 20Hz–20,000Hz range, tuned for balanced output with crisp detail rather than a bass-first signature. That tuning choice matters: a balanced monitor is the kind of thing you can wear for a two-hour rehearsal and still trust what you are hearing. It is the classic "accurate to the recording" approach rather than the "fun but coloured" approach.
The interesting part is the BT3 adapter in the box. It supports the entire Qualcomm aptX family — aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and aptX Lossless — plus LDAC, and it adds four EQ modes, Bluetooth multipoint, and an integrated headset with mic and controls for calls, volume and playback. MEE audio rates it at up to 14 hours per charge with a 2.5-hour charge time. So you get wired monitoring through the stereo cable or the headset cable when latency and reliability matter, and you unplug and slot the BT3 in when you want to walk around untethered. Flexible earhooks and a sliding cable cinch keep the monitors seated, and there is a dedicated mute button for calls and video conferences.
Who should buy it: performers, home-studio users, drummers, worship-band players, anybody who already lives in IEM-land and wants to stop carrying two separate audio setups. The kit is genuinely complete — stereo cable, headset cable, BT3, DC connectors, carrying case, Comply memory foam tips, four pairs of silicone tips, two pairs of shirt clips, a 6.3mm adapter and a USB charging cable, backed by a one-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should skip it: if you want true wireless earbuds with nothing hanging around your neck, this is not that product. Passive noise cancellation means the outside world leaks in unless you get a good tip seal. And the plastic/rubber/silicone build is practical rather than jewel-like. One genuine bonus for long-term owners: you can later convert the MX1 PRO into a custom monitor with MEE Professional 3D-printed custom-fit eartips and engraved metal faceplates, which is a rare upgrade path at this level.
The Air Pro 4 attacks the problem from the opposite direction. Instead of sealing your ear canal, it clips on. The upgraded C-shaped bridge is rated through 20,000+ flexes, uses 40° ultra-soft silicone with a 0.5mm nickel-titanium memory wire, and each earbud weighs 5.5g. You stretch and rotate it to match your ear, and nothing goes inside the canal. If you have ever given up on earbuds because they hurt after an hour or fell out mid-run, that design is the whole pitch.
The audio chain is Qualcomm-heavy: a QCC3091 SoC, aptX Lossless, certified Snapdragon Sound and Hi-Res Audio, with LDAC, LE Audio and LC3 also supported. EarFun describes the tuning as robust bass, articulate midrange and sparkling treble — which is the opposite philosophy to the MX1's flat monitor approach, and worth knowing if you care about which one is "honest."
Noise handling is the headline feature: adaptive hybrid ANC up to 50dB using QuietSmart 3.0, which detects your ear canal shape to tune cancellation. Calls get six microphones, AI algorithms and Qualcomm cVc 8.0 to pull your voice out of a noisy street. There is also real-time AI translation across 100+ languages in the EarFun Audio App, with face-to-face and instant modes — a genuinely unusual extra that has nothing to do with music.
Who should buy it: commuters, open-plan-office workers, runners, cyclists and anyone who wants to hear traffic or a colleague while still killing the drone of an engine or an HVAC vent. Call quality is clearly a priority here, so if your day is meetings, this fits.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for wired monitoring and stage use → MEE audio MX1. It has a 3.5mm jack, two cables and a 6.3mm adapter.
• Best for active noise cancelling → EarFun Air Pro 4. Adaptive hybrid ANC up to 50dB versus passive isolation only.
• Best for call clarity in noisy places → EarFun Air Pro 4. Six mics, AI processing and cVc 8.0.
• Best for codec flexibility → MEE audio MX1. aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Lossless and LDAC via the BT3.
• Best for long single-charge listening on the adapter → MEE audio MX1. Up to 14 hours on the BT3.
• Best if you hate things inside your ear canal → EarFun Air Pro 4. Clip-on C-shaped bridge, 5.5g per earbud.
• Best for travel and translation → EarFun Air Pro 4. Real-time translation across 100+ languages in the app.
• Best for a complete kit out of the box → MEE audio MX1. Case, foam and silicone tips, clips, adapter cables and charging cable included.
In my opinion, the right answer depends entirely on whether you are buying a tool or a lifestyle product. If you play, record or monitor — or you simply want one earphone that works wired and wireless with the full aptX Adaptive family and LDAC — I would buy the MEE audio MX1. It is the more flexible audio instrument, and the custom-eartip upgrade path means it can grow with you. If your listening happens on trains, in offices and on calls, I would buy the EarFun Air Pro 4: adaptive ANC up to 50dB, six mics and a clip-on fit that never touches your ear canal solve problems the MX1 was never designed to solve.
what is aptx adaptive headphones
aptX Adaptive is a Qualcomm Bluetooth codec that adjusts bitrate and latency on the fly, so it can favour stability or higher quality depending on conditions. On the MEE audio MX1, the BT3 adapter supports the whole aptX family — aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and aptX Lossless — plus LDAC. The EarFun Air Pro 4 takes a different route with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound and aptX Lossless, alongside LDAC, LE Audio and LC3. Both are aptX-capable; neither is limited to plain SBC.
Is the MEE audio MX1 wireless or wired?
Both, which is the point. The combo pack includes the MX1 PRO in-ear monitors, a stereo audio cable, a headset cable with mic and remote, and the BT3 Bluetooth adapter. Wired, you plug into a 3.5mm jack or use the included 6.3mm adapter. Wirelessly, the BT3 handles Bluetooth multipoint with up to 14 hours of playback per charge and a 2.5-hour charge time.
Yes — adaptive hybrid active noise cancelling rated up to 50dB, using QuietSmart 3.0 to detect your ear canal shape and tune cancellation. That is a fundamentally different approach from the MX1, which relies on passive noise cancellation through the eartip seal. If blocking engine noise or office chatter is your priority, the EarFun design is the one built for it.
On paper, the EarFun Air Pro 4, because it combines six microphones, AI algorithms and Qualcomm cVc 8.0 specifically to improve vocal clarity in noisy surroundings. The MX1 is no slouch — the BT3 has an integrated mic and controls plus a dedicated mute button for calls and video conferences — but its feature set is aimed at monitoring first and calls second. Check the current price on Amazon for both before deciding, since that is where these two will differ most.
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See also: Amazon Renewed Edifier W80 vs EarFun Air Pro 4i, audio Technica ATH-M50XBT2 vs Khadas Tea Pro: APTX Adaptive, MEE audio Pebbles Air Open vs WUYUEGE Open Ear Clip