I can safely say that the Merlin sound signature is nothing like any other headphone I have heard before.
First of all, the fit of CIEMs is such a luxury. You pop them in once, and never have to touch them again until you want to remove them. I always fiddle around with other headphones/iems because sometimes seals break or it gets uncomfortable. In addition, you know that the CIEM sits in your ear with the sound bores in the same exact position every time, relieving me of any concerns about positioning for optimum sound quality.
Many people consider this a basshead CIEM, but for me it isn't. By my definition, basshead headphones are always very in your face and energetic with a prominent spike in the midbass for hard visceral thumps, which really isn't close to the Merlin's tuning.
I have seen some people write the Merlin off as another typical v shaped CIEM. Perhaps according to the graph of the frequency response it should sound that way but my experience is very different. I had the feeling that the Merlin should be quite similar to my Pro 900's as they are both compared to the Denon 7000 sometimes. Naturally when I first started using them, I was expecting to hear some serious bass presence, as that is what the Merlins are marketed towards. But at first the bass didn't really jump out as much as the mids did, especially vs my Pro 900 which is definitely a typical v shape sound.
The Merlin produce such an effortless and smooth sound, and it's a very different presentation than the one I was used to. In theory this was not what I was looking for, but I am very pleased with the surprise. The distant vocals and guitar solos on the Pro 900 are brought way up in the mix in the Merlins and sound very present and textured. The highs are excellent, producing tons of details on cymbals and high hats. I have worn the Merlins for hours at a time and not felt any sort of fatigue, so sibilance is not really an Issue here (For me). IMO, the highs and mids are just as worthy of their mention even though this CIEM is geared for bass lovers. Almost every review here stresses how the bass only kicks in when it is called upon, and this is true for me as well. The bass extends far and it goes deep. It has a lovely texture and can sometimes tickle your ears when it reaches very low frequencies. I never find it too powerful or leaking into the rest of the mix. When listening to EDM or Metal, I don't get an energetic thumping bass that some people might be looking for, rather a lush and thick bass that fills out the sound spectrum in a very pleasing way. To me, the bass really isn't that strong and I feel that if I had purchased the miracle instead, I would always thirst for more bass and have to use a boost.
I don't understand how UM pull off such a huge sound stage in these tiny ear pieces. I was always under the impression that headphones with bigger speakers and deep cups are much better at this, but these Merlins are ridiculous. They have a much wider stage than the Pro 900 and have excellent instrument seperation that together, offer you a very 3D and immersing experience. This is one of the strongest points of the Merlin and it revolutionizes the way I hear my music.
To summarize : The Merlin has a very smooth and wide signature with some added bass presence to give you a very thick and layered sound that does not sound dull at all, but may not be as energetic as some people are looking for. For me, the Merlins sound great with everything I have thrown at them so far but they excell with complicated symphonic or epic music and are great for movies. I used them while watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and listening to Smaugs thick evil voice on these was hair raising!
First of all, the fit of CIEMs is such a luxury. You pop them in once, and never have to touch them again until you want to remove them. I always fiddle around with other headphones/iems because sometimes seals break or it gets uncomfortable. In addition, you know that the CIEM sits in your ear with the sound bores in the same exact position every time, relieving me of any concerns about positioning for optimum sound quality.
Many people consider this a basshead CIEM, but for me it isn't. By my definition, basshead headphones are always very in your face and energetic with a prominent spike in the midbass for hard visceral thumps, which really isn't close to the Merlin's tuning.
I have seen some people write the Merlin off as another typical v shaped CIEM. Perhaps according to the graph of the frequency response it should sound that way but my experience is very different. I had the feeling that the Merlin should be quite similar to my Pro 900's as they are both compared to the Denon 7000 sometimes. Naturally when I first started using them, I was expecting to hear some serious bass presence, as that is what the Merlins are marketed towards. But at first the bass didn't really jump out as much as the mids did, especially vs my Pro 900 which is definitely a typical v shape sound.
The Merlin produce such an effortless and smooth sound, and it's a very different presentation than the one I was used to. In theory this was not what I was looking for, but I am very pleased with the surprise. The distant vocals and guitar solos on the Pro 900 are brought way up in the mix in the Merlins and sound very present and textured. The highs are excellent, producing tons of details on cymbals and high hats. I have worn the Merlins for hours at a time and not felt any sort of fatigue, so sibilance is not really an Issue here (For me). IMO, the highs and mids are just as worthy of their mention even though this CIEM is geared for bass lovers. Almost every review here stresses how the bass only kicks in when it is called upon, and this is true for me as well. The bass extends far and it goes deep. It has a lovely texture and can sometimes tickle your ears when it reaches very low frequencies. I never find it too powerful or leaking into the rest of the mix. When listening to EDM or Metal, I don't get an energetic thumping bass that some people might be looking for, rather a lush and thick bass that fills out the sound spectrum in a very pleasing way. To me, the bass really isn't that strong and I feel that if I had purchased the miracle instead, I would always thirst for more bass and have to use a boost.
I don't understand how UM pull off such a huge sound stage in these tiny ear pieces. I was always under the impression that headphones with bigger speakers and deep cups are much better at this, but these Merlins are ridiculous. They have a much wider stage than the Pro 900 and have excellent instrument seperation that together, offer you a very 3D and immersing experience. This is one of the strongest points of the Merlin and it revolutionizes the way I hear my music.
To summarize : The Merlin has a very smooth and wide signature with some added bass presence to give you a very thick and layered sound that does not sound dull at all, but may not be as energetic as some people are looking for. For me, the Merlins sound great with everything I have thrown at them so far but they excell with complicated symphonic or epic music and are great for movies. I used them while watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and listening to Smaugs thick evil voice on these was hair raising!
