MEE audio is a Los Angeles company founded in 2005, and anyone who’s been around the enthusiast scene for a while will remember the M6 and M6 Pro. I owned an M6 Pro years ago and it was fantastic. The CORE series is aimed at people who want a proper in-ear monitor for the stage, for performing, or for mixing, but don’t want to spend much. The CORE 3 uses one dynamic driver and two balanced armatures, and it costs $39.

MEE audio sent me the CORE 3 for a sponsored review. This write-up is my own take on it.

Buy the MEE audio CORE 3 here (affiliate link)

Design and Build

The housings are clear resin with cloudy, transparent faceplates, so you get a look at the internals. The dynamic driver enclosure is easy to spot. I couldn’t find the balanced armatures at all, so I’m guessing they sit in the nozzles (MEE audio has confirmed the BA drivers are indeed located in the nozzle). They’re super lightweight and very comfortable.

The cable is ordinary. It’s a standard 0.78 mm two-pin and feels robust, but it’s a bit stiff, and the ear hooks are on the aggressive side.

Sound

Sources used for testing included the iBasso DX260 MKII, FiiO K13 R2R and the FiiO KA17.

I’d describe the tuning as not far from the Harman 2019 IEM target, with a couple of differences, and the first one is more body in the upper bass.

Bass

Fun, honestly. Sub-bass extension is nice, so there’s plenty of authority down low. The mid-bass has a subtle lift, nowhere near bloated, just enough to fill in that classic Harman dip. Put on Massive Attack’s “Angel” and you get that deep line with real weight behind it, and it stays controlled the whole way through. The decay is fast, so the bass never hangs around long enough to cloud the midrange. Male vocals and instruments get some body and richness without the notes turning thick.

Midrange

Excellent clarity. This is a very clean-sounding IEM, and the tuning leans vocal-forward, with a focus on the midrange. I put on Anathema’s “Lightning Song” to check the female vocal, and Lee Douglas sounds outstanding: vibrant in the upper mids, clear and present. Then the track gets dense, with guitars crashing in, and it stays clean. Her voice rises clearly over the cacophony instead of getting buried.

Treble

Mixed bag. It’s a mid-focused IEM, but the treble is boosted too, so trebleheads might love it. The brightness makes the soundstage feel wider and larger, and the extension is very nice. There’s a peak at 8 kHz, though, which means some sibilance and sharpness, and it gets problematic when you turn the volume up.

Fit matters a lot here. With a secure, proper seal, that peak is significantly tamed. If the IEMs sit loose in your ears, it jumps right out.

Soundstage and Technicalities

Nice and large soundstage. Instrument separation is very good, so busy passages don’t get congested or muddled. Resolution is very good too, a very etched and contrasted sound. Micro details are average to good. Macro detail is where it does well, especially pulling apart everything in the midrange so it stays distinct and clear.

Verdict

The CORE 3 is a good IEM in a very competitive space. There’s a lot of great Chi-Fi at this price: the Sennheiser IE 200, the Moondrop Chu series, the Tangzu Wan’er 2 series, and the TinHiFi C3 Mark II is a worthy rival as well.

Where the CORE 3 differs most to my ears is the treble. It’s more treble-forward than a lot of the conventional stuff we’ve been hearing lately. If you want some energy and zest up top, and a bit of extra fidelity, check it out.