Unique Melody 3DD-Ti

So a quick introduction about the product

The product was released back in 2018 by Unique Melody during their 3d printed titanium phase as a form of revision/revitalization of the original 3DD released back in 2014-ish (very few articles can be found now a days about it so im sorry if the year is way off). But because of the lack of reviews (excluding the japanese and chinese ones) i can only find 1 review and luckily its from a very experienced and well known reviewer.

The fact that crinacle released that very detailed and memed upon graph of the iems, of which i refer to as the canadian rockies of iem tunings, did not help with its, infamous, popularity. Which eventually led to its discontinuation around 2020 (or early 2021).

A little bit about me:

I'm a rather youngling in the hobby at only 23 y.o. but i'd say my experience in the iem market is rather rich (but i have to say, my tendencies to get hyped by things is quite a problem... hence me purchasing this iem). I used to be a BA only snob kind'f guy who would'nt bat an eye if the item didn't have a BA in its configuration. But due to some disheartening experiences with ba imbalances on totl iems ive since shifted over to only dd iems (check the 'about' part of my profile if youre curious about my past iems).

Please note that I bought this 2nd hand as theres no way I'd be able to 1) get (already discontinued) and 2) afford this brand new.

Packaging

It came in a medium sized black box the size of about 2 campfire boxes stacked atop each other and is fastened by magnets. Once opened you are immediately greeted by a very nice custom dignis case, of which i initially thought was synthetic leather but fortunately it was a sort of leather called buttero leather. Once opened I was greeted by the iems themselves almost falling 4 feet off the ground (luckily i was fast enough to catch them with my leg). Moving forward from the heart racing balls clenching event, the next thing fastened inside the case are 3 packs of complys each in varrying sizes and silicone tips.

Going back to the box, underneath the case is a rather sizable cleaning cloth and a rather snazzy looking business card with an imbedded usb (apparently it should've had some documentations about the product but i was not able to find any when I tried accessing it, i'll have to get in touch with UM about it). I'd love if they included a cleaning apparatus but i'd digress.

Design and build

For an iem with 3 dynamic drivers they are tiny! But don't let its small stature dictate its build quality. The shells themselves are quite thick and exudes quality and craftsmanship and completely devoid of give (*ahem* lime ears)

Now, onto the main attraction of the piece, its faceplate... they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in this case it very much is. I know some people who hate how much it resembles a rather phallic looking object but i am not one of them. I love how intricate the design is very much in line to their 'unique' moniker

Cable

Onto the rate limiting part of the iem... The cable... How do I put it... It looks like one of those cheap $10 chinese "upgrade" (id much prefer to call them fashion cables) and the fact that it oxidizes really doesnt help. Luckily for it and UM, it sounds great! Sure the inverted 2 pin housing makes the iem exhibit driver flex. But the sound alone makes me think otherwise. I has average ergonomics but is devoid of microphonics. Oh and not to mention its very light.

DB-Go

My unit was rather loose when using the module in anything between closed and open, they wouldnt really move but they do rattle when they are in the middle. That aside, the effects are not as apparent, i'd say the switch on the lime ears model x has a much more upfront effect. The db-go when switched up adds a bit of warmth in the midbass masking a bit of the treble sparkle. It's one of those things that you're glad it's there but at the same time your completely fine without. Definitely nowhere near the customizability of say a JHA module but compared to the JHA its much more ergonomic and light. I could remember so many times that the bass module of the JHA snagging at the edge of a table yoinking my triflanges off my ears (an experience i am not fond of).


Sound

To the part where you're all waiting (to meme) for:

I would classify the general signature of the iem (irregardless of dBGo) as bright. But occassionally when called for, it can sound V. I've also talked to some other owners of the iem that it is volume dependent and that under low volumes it would sound bright but in higher levels its unapologetic bass will show itself. I for one am a low volume listener (to the point where i sometimes, set my volume to 1 inorder to reset my bias).

My set up for these impressions are as follows:
Sony NW-WM1A (midnight plus fw in lo gain) > Astrotec 2.5 to 4.4 converter > stock cable > stock silicone tips in medium

Treble
I can clearly hear the dips at around 2k,4k,5k and 8k causing the majority of vocals, with the excemption of the throaty ones, to exhibit this odd "i have a cold right now" timbre. But most of the time you wont be focusing on that because those dips also paved way for the vocals to be incredibly airy, extremely detailed and free of fatigue (unless its a poorly recorded source since you know, trash in trash out). Its as if youre at the top of the mountain ( the canadian rockies in this case) and you take a deep breath. Very refreshing, ethereal and crisp without any bog downs of excessive warmth. Though sibilance can be heard on poorly recorded source materials.

Midrange
Because of the peaks present in the treble area there is no escaping male vocals sounding thin but even with that i never found myself wanting more note weight rather its perfectly blended along side the peaks. In fact i'd say its the main attraction of the whole signature, it's something only a dynamic driver can do. Vocals never sounded tinny. But i have to say, it does not handle poorly recorded songs well.

Bass
Probably the best extension I've ever heard in an iem! Maybe it's the lack of midbass that makes it so apparent and straightforward. It also has incredibly textured bass. A far cry from my daily driver campfire atlas wherein that focused on midbass but i always found the subbass extension on that iem lacking. There were even times where i got dizzy just from the vibrations these things exhibited, who needs bone conductors amarite! (Jk i havent tried any of UM's boner iems). In short the bass is lean and mean they never failed to give me a satisfying bass line.

Soundstage and Imaging
The fw i am running right now the midnight in plus mode is a fw that;

"combines characteristics of the WM1Z and DMP-Z1 sound signatures, for a warm thick sound, yet clear, precise, and detailed, with an increased analogue feeling, all wrapped in a holographic presentation (especially in the "Plus" boot mode)." -direct from MrWalkman's blog/site

and trust me everything about it is on point! There's one particular reference album that i put on for both imaging and soundstage and that is the "Dr. Chesky's Rock reimagined album" its an album that has incredible attention to detail (everything chesky made has been like that and only superceeded by his newer releases). These songs were definitely bordering realism territories.

The eccentric signature gave rise to a rather unique and weird presentation. I can't pinpoint the reason why but everything is crystal clear without veil nor echo. There are some songs, namely ones from the first take, where it felt as if i was in a studio that was full of sound dampening foams very surreal indeed.

Conclusion

It is definitely an iem reserved only for the most specific of tastes. Not a crowd pleaser but rather a guity pleasure. But its not all fine and dandy, even for me! I had to invest countless hours to find the right fw combo for it to really shine.