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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 modular in-ear monitor with a dedicated subwoofer and a kit you can customize and repair over time, choose MEE audio Professional MX2; if you need flat-tuned over-ear studio headphones for tracking, mixing and one-ear monitoring, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M40x.
• MEE audio Professional MX2 — biggest strength: a dual-driver hybrid setup (10mm moving coil subwoofer plus balanced armature tweeter) that puts real weight under the bass while keeping mids and highs clear, in a fully modular body.
• MEE audio Professional MX2 — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear, so it lives or dies by fit and seal, and it demands more fiddling (earhooks, memory wire, eartip choice) than dropping a pair of cups over your ears.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — biggest strength: a flat-tuned, circumaural monitor with 40mm drivers, 98 dB sensitivity and a 15 Hz – 24 kHz range, built for accurate listening rather than fun listening.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — biggest trade-off: it's a traditional wired over-ear pair — no detachable cable flexibility like the MX2's two-cable system, and its 90° swiveling cups are the only real nod to on-stage ergonomics.
• Who each pick is for: the MX2 suits musicians, singers and bass players who want a personalized in-ear monitor they can upgrade and re-cable; the M40x suits engineers, producers and home-studio mixers who want a neutral reference they can also fold up and carry.
The MX2 is a wired in-ear monitor built around a hybrid driver design — a 10mm moving coil subwoofer handling the low end and a balanced armature covering mids and highs. MEE audio's own framing is that this gives an accentuated bass response without wrecking clarity in the mix, which is the classic reason a bassist, drummer or electronic artist reaches for a hybrid IEM instead of a single-driver one. You get low-end you can feel, but vocals and cymbals still sit where they should. Frequency range is listed at 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and the housing mixes metal and silicone with rounded tips.
The part that makes the MX2 unusual is the modular architecture. It ships with two detachable cables — a standard audio-only cable and a spare headset cable with a built-in mic and remote for phones and tablets — plus a carrying case with carabiner, Comply memory foam eartips, four sets of silicone eartips, two pairs of shirt clips and a ¼" adapter. Every part is interchangeable across the MX PRO series (MX1, MX2, MX3, MX4), so a replacement cable or a different module doesn't mean replacing the whole kit. MEE audio also sells 3D-printed custom-fit eartips and engraved metal faceplates if you later want to convert these into something closer to a custom monitor. Sweat-resistant construction and flexible memory-wire earhooks point at stage and rehearsal use, where things get hot and monitors get yanked.
Who should buy it: performers and worship-band players who want an in-ear that stays put, sounds full down low, and can grow with them. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to mix on a neutral reference, or who dislikes deep-insertion fit and the ritual of choosing eartips every session. The 1-year warranty is worth noting against the M40x's longer coverage.
The M40x is the opposite philosophy: over-ear, closed-back, wired, and deliberately unexciting. Audio-Technica tunes it flat for accurate monitoring across the full range — 15 Hz to 24 kHz, wider at both ends than the MX2 — using 40mm dynamic drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum voice coils at 98 dB sensitivity. Flat means it won't flatter your track. If your mix is bass-light or harsh, you'll hear it, which is exactly what you want when you're making decisions that have to survive on other systems.
The circumaural design contours around the ears rather than pressing on them, which the spec sheet ties to strong isolation in loud rooms and minimal bleed. That's the studio argument: tracking a vocalist with a loud amp in the next room, or monitoring in a noisy home setup, is where the M40x's seal does its work. The 90° swiveling earcups let you flip one side back for single-ear monitoring — the standard move when you're checking a click track or cueing a performer — and the whole thing collapses for transport. Professional-grade earpad and headband material is called out for durability and comfort over long sessions, and the bundle includes a coiled 3.9–9.8 ft cable, a straight 9.8 ft cable, a screw-on ¼" adapter, a carrying pouch and a desktop headphone stand.
Who should buy it: producers, mixers, podcasters and students who need a dependable wired reference and a stand to keep it on. Who should skip it: singers and drummers who need a discreet, sealed in-ear for live work, or anyone who wants a mic and remote on the cable out of the box. Warranty is a limited 2-year manufacturer term.
• Best for low-end monitoring on stage → MEE audio Professional MX2. The dedicated 10mm subwoofer plus balanced armature is purpose-built for extended bass with clarity.
• Best for flat, decision-making accuracy → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. Tuned flat across 15 Hz – 24 kHz with 98 dB sensitivity.
• Best for single-ear monitoring → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. The 90° swiveling earcups exist for exactly that.
• Best for long-term repairability and upgrades → MEE audio Professional MX2. Two detachable cables, sweat-resistant build, and parts interchangeable across the entire MX PRO line.
• Best for customization → MEE audio Professional MX2. Optional 3D-printed custom eartips and engraved metal faceplates let you personalize the fit and look.
• Best for isolation in a loud room → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. Circumaural cups contour around the ears to block outside noise and minimize bleed.
• Best for phone calls and mobile use → MEE audio Professional MX2. The spare headset cable includes a built-in mic and remote.
• Best for grab-and-go portability → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. It collapses, and the bundle adds a pouch and a desktop stand.
If I were buying one of these for myself, I'd pick the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — but only because my priority is mixing on something honest, and its flat tuning, wider frequency range and 2-year warranty fit that job better. If your priority is performing with a full, sealed low end and a kit you can repair and customize, I'd point you to the MEE audio Professional MX2 instead; the dual-driver hybrid design and modular parts are genuinely hard to match in an in-ear. Decide which job you're actually doing, then check the current price on Amazon for the one that fits it.
how to check headphones battery on iphone
Neither of these is a battery-powered headphone: both the MX2 and the M40x are wired models. The MX2 lists Bluetooth under connectivity technology alongside its wired 6.35mm jack, but the product itself is a wired IEM, so there's no battery level to read on an iPhone for either pair.
how to check headphones battery
You can't check a battery level on either of these because they draw power from your device, not an internal cell. The MX2 is a wired in-ear with detachable cables, and the M40x is a wired over-ear with coiled and straight cables plus a ¼" adapter.
how to check headphones
A quick way to evaluate either pair: confirm the connection first. The M40x offers a 3.5mm and 6.35mm jack with a screw-on adapter, while the MX2 uses a 6.35mm jack and includes a ¼" adapter. Then check the fit — the M40x seals circumaurally around your ears, and the MX2 relies on memory-wire earhooks and your choice of Comply foam or silicone eartips.
how to check headphones mic
Look at the cable, not the earcups. The MX2 ships with two cables — an audio-only one and a spare headset cable with a built-in microphone and remote, which is why it lists call control. The M40x bundle doesn't include a mic cable, so it's monitoring only.
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