MU6 Ring Bone / Air Conduction Earbud – Sport or Stop
MU6 ring is an air conduction earbud thingy that is supposed to sit on your ear and provide music, and is priced at 80 USD at the moment of writing this full written review. Given the fact that I do not know of anything that is in the same price range and which uses the same tech, and that it is bluetooth using AAC, this review will be a summary of it and how the tech compares to IEMs and Earbuds in general.
Introduction
I do not know anything about the company behind the MU6 Ring, but it should be available online easily, and so far the company seems to be growing and starting up. They can communicate well in English, and given my first hand experience with the MU6 Ring, this is a solid air conduction earbud. The company should be just as solid and if they keep going and improving, they will be big for sure. The whole air conduction technology basically means that two mini speakers are playing right next to your ear holes.
That being said, it should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Gadget Plus. I’d like to thank Gadget Plus for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in MU6 Ring find their next music companion.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3gi6ZSX
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3kdkEfh
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3sERp8T
Packaging
First things first, let’s get the packaging out of the way:
The package includes the MU6 ring unit, a cable and a manual. It does not require tips or other accessories.
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
Ok, so this is the first thing of this type that I am reviewing and I want to apologize to the company, as they wanted me to make a video, but the thing itself is odd, and given my current viddy schedule which has tons of products, I would prefer to focus on the written review now, and if time allows I will make a viddy review as well later on. It is probable that I won’t be able to push it within my video schedule, with one video per week, and over five written reviews per week.
First off, the technology feels really well made, the unit is built nicely, but I dislike that microUSB connector, and would prefer a type-C connector for something released in 2021. The battery life is ok, but the unit only allows for AAC codec rather than LDAC or aptX, but this won’t be too important, given what the unit does and how it works.
Advertising this as a sport unit is great, it never falls out and sits really nicely on my head. It is like wearing eyeglasses backwards, The technology has two mini speakers playing right next to your ears + some bone conduction tech singing in your head / bones of your ears. For gym, if doing weights, it would be better than IEMs because your ear holes are not covered and you don’t sweat, so it is comfortable for sure.
MU6 Ring does not isolate at all from outside sound, but it gets loud enough to cover most outside noise. It leaks a LOT and people can hear what you listen to very loudly. Good for being aware of your surroundings. Connection to smartphone is really stable, so from a build point of view, it is perfect.
Since you sweat much less than with IEMs, and it is more comfortable, but it does not cover your ears like earbuds do, it is a hybrid between an open back on-ear headphone and earbuds. Quite an interesting combo for comfort and design, but not perfect by any means.
Sound Quality
I am mainly naming it an earbud because the sound is actually kinda similar to earbuds, and not similar at all to IEMs with silicone tips. It would be close to an on-ear headphone with roll off at both ends, but with good comfort. The sound is mostly mid centric, there is no bass to speak off, as the roll off happens at around 90 Hz to 110 Hz, not even boomy bass is present. The midrange is clean, clear and very wide, but with a somewhat harsh presentation. The treble is also rolled off after 6kHz.
The bass is so rolled off that I would call it absent. Even comparing the MU6 Ring to other earbuds, it is deficient in the lows, and even EDM and light pop sounds hollow. Despite this, there is like a very minor bump around 60Hz, which gives some substance and lows, but everything around that bump is dipped. Somehow it works for clarity and having some nuance and substance, but it is not enough for most music styles and it sounds like a cassette radio. Playing with the fit is essential to hear that bump, and there is some bone conduction too if the fit is correct. Do not go for it if you are a basshead or want any bass higher than minimum.
The midrange is clean, detailed and fun. It has a good amount of musicality, but also some harshness. Listening at maximum volume results in distortions, and the unit does not have a separate volume from your smartphone. The overall detail level is great, and unless you’re a diehard audiophile, you will think it sounds fairly fun. To be honest, the midrange is worth around the 100 USD price mark, and it is much much better sounding than entry-level ~10 – ~30 USD IEMs when it comes to detail. The only problem here is that the sound lacking some bass will mean that the midrange feels bright and light, which will work well for some, but may be odd for some. Mids can be really sweet and musical at times, and female voices sound really nice, so they do get a thumbs up for the mids.
The treble rolls off really early, around 6kHz, but given the technology and the way the speakers work, the sound is always airy and open, with a really wide soundstage. Instrument separation is also amazing, going well around that 100 USD price mark. Layering and depth actually is good, but as I said before, the treble quantity is not high, so if you’re looking for cymbal crashes for metal, it won’t cut it. Works well with certain pop, dubstep, some EDM, and if you don’t mind the bass absence, works well for classical. All in all, the sound is not bad, not distorted at normal volumes, and the unit is actually pretty fun.
Value and Conclusion
Priced at around 80 USD, the MU6 Ring has some novelty factor to it, and it manages to do something other bone conduction and earbuds systems didn’t do so far, which is leave your ears entirely free. This is good for the health, but the final sound is bass-less, which won’t be for everyone.
For me personally, it is a nice novelty earbud, and I am surely looking forward for more products from the company, and I do think that most folks would be very happy with one if doing sports and if not wanting a lot of bass. If you’re more like me and appreciate a higher amount of bass, then MU6 Ring will be a bit too thin sounding, but it can still be fun, as the sound does have some of the magic that analogic cassette players had.
At the end of today’s written review, if you need something to do sports with, but if you don’t want covering your ears, because they get wet and sweaty, and fi you want the healthiest, and most affordable option out there, then the MU6 Ring from Gadget Plus is one of the best options I experimented to date, and as long as you’re not a basshead it should bring countless hours of fun.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3gi6ZSX
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3kdkEfh
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3sERp8T
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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