Joker that just about sums up the way i felt when i heard the Merlin demo's.
If you want the real picture of the way the Merlin sounds  ....Project 86 review nails it.
Also as does your in depth review of the real Miracle.
I guess that is the real problem with demo's.... can give someone a mere glimpse of what they can expect but in no way is it the complete picture, for that it has to be the real deal.

  
Pictures, left to right: UM demo, |joker|s Miracle, JH16; UM demo, |joker|s Miracle, JH16, wx i9pro; |joker|s Miracle, JH16, SE 5-way, demo Merlin, demo Miracle
 
I received the UM Miracle and Merlin demos as well as |jokers| customized Miracle for comparison purposes. From my past experience and reading about demo units there have been positive and negative experiences with the demos for whatever reason. My own experience includes the JH13 demo and the UE11 demo, with the JH13 demo sounding quite poor while the UE11 demo sounded quite good.
 
I spent some time finding the best tips for me with the demo units and ended my search with soft bi-flange tips, however I did have some issues I will cover later. This resulted in a fairly comfortable fit, but not nearly as comfortable as a custom IEM. I used a single flange tips with |joker|s Miracle much the same way, and single flanges were used because the canal of |joker|s customized Miracle is larger than the canals of the demo units. Also, there is a size difference between all units and my custom IEMs as my ears are bigger by a good amount.
 
The tip selection was a difficult one since every tip I tried on the demos left me disappointed with the performance. The fit is not as deep as I get with my customs or my universals, which may have contributed to the sound issues. Regardless of the reason, the result was less than ideal. The biggest issue is the presentation of space, which is very spacious and rather flat. Detail levels also seem to be behind many of my custom IEMs and the deep bass is more rolled off, even on the Merlin.
 
Comparing the Miracle demo with |jokers| Miracle left me surprised by how much better the presentation of space is on |joker|s Miracle resulting in a much more enjoyable presentation. The tonality and presentation is also different between the two as the demo is more mid-forward and presented a little higher with more brightness while the real thing sounds more balanced, smoother, and more detailed. They really sound like 2 different IEMs, with the real thing sounding better, so it would be pointless for me to compare the demo Miracle to anything other than the demo Merlin.
 
The differences between the Miracle and Merlin demo focus around the bass, as one would expect. The Merlin is warmer with more bass while the Miracle sounds rather bass light in comparison, which is probably in part to the roll off. With bass heavy tracks the Miracle bass sounds less controlled. Soundstage width of the Merlin is larger although both share a similar shape. Midrange, when you get beyond the midbass differences, are pretty much the same and the treble also is about the same, however both do have different overall tonal qualities due to the bass region.
 
Nothing groundbreaking with my review of the demos following |joker|s thoughts IMO, but I figure I will compare the Merlin demo bass with some other custom IEMs and compare the mids on up of the custom Miracle with some of my other customs...
 
After A/Bing with my other customs I realized the custom not made for my ears wasn't working well in my ears. So, with the demos sounding worse than the custom version which still didn't compete, I can chalk this up to another demo that isn't as good as the real thing.
 
This program has been postponed due to the performance of the demo units.

Thanks a bunch Joker and AJ!  I got the word this morning and we will be postponing the demo review program for the moment.  The demos will be sent back and UM will try to come up w/ some demos that sound more in line wit the real things.  Once that happens we can resume.  Actually I'll most likely reboot from the start.  It should be doable as some other demos do actually give a more accurate representation of their custom cousins.  I look forward to UM sorting this out.

Hats off to Joker and Joe for the comparisons, such as they are. And thanks to Anaxilus for all the  effort on this program. 
 
When I read about the poor performance on the universal Miracle and Merlin (and I can confirm it with the Merlin demo I had recently), it makes me wonder about the demo Aero and Miracle I had a while back. They both sounded quite good, so I wonder what the differences are between them and this new batch. I know it is possible to get a reasonably close representation of the real thing since JH, Westone, and UE seem able to pull it off. 
 
In any case, looking forward to new developments as they come up. 

I got these thanks to you, project86! 
But still not very satisfied the sq, so i decided to sell them....... geddit
 
I'm so done with these merlin reviews/threads... time for some proper es5 vs em3pro threads 

Benjerry  -  I can't tell if you are serious or joking. If you really are serious, what is it about the Merlin that you aren't satisfied with? 

 
MY IMPRESSIONS OF SM3 V2 VS UM MERLIN

[size=14.0pt] [/size]

In the highs: [size=14.0pt][/size]

SM3 has more of it, although neither score points here imo.[size=14.0pt][/size]

 



Midrange:

[size=14.0pt][/size]

There's just no character/atmosphere in the merlin vs SM3[size=14.0pt][/size]

SM3 vocal's is superior than the merlin... there's more lilt and dynamics in the vocal (slight thickness is a plus)[size=14.0pt][/size]

Also, piano and other instruments like the flute sounds more realistic and natural on the SM3

SM3 the outright winner

 

Lows: 

SM3's bass also makes the most of its limited airtime; whenever sm3's bass appears, it beats the merlin in quality (evidently tighter imo, sm3 owners should know how adaptable SM3's are when required) 

In contrast, the Merlin is slightly uncontrolled, affecting the clarity and midrange)[size=14.0pt][/size]

 

Conclusion: Merlin definitely not better than SM3, although I wished it was (for a custom iem) [size=14.0pt][/size]

 

 
From Left to Right: JVC HA FX700, Sennheiser IE8 (100hours + burn-in; lost count after 100), SM3 V2 and Unique Melody Merlin
 
(SM3 V2 in the picture has been sold in preparation for EM3PRO or ES5 funding, looking for takers of the JVC HA FX700)
 
I would like to do a proper review, but the sm3 is no longer with me.
I will try a ie8 vs Merlin review when I have the time.

Benjerry - My impressions are very different from yours. Are you getting a good seal with your customs? And there is no wax or anything in the sound tubes? I do not mean that in a condescending way, but it does happen and can really mess up the sound. I once thought my old UE11pro had a dead high frequency driver on one side - turned out it was just clogged. It happens to the best of us!
 
Barring any fit issues, blocked sound tubes, or just plain defective customs, I guess we just have different interpretations. So far you are the first person I've talked to who wasn't impressed with the real custom Merlin (not the universal demo). 

Project86,
The Merlin are brand new, so clogging shouldn't be a problem..
Also, they are not defective- they sound alright to me
Maybe it needs a little burn in for the dynamic drivers, or I just prefer sm3's sound signature.
The sm3 sound like they do everything right, in just the right amounts. (plus they sound a lil brighter, which needs a little getting use to when a/b ing these two)
And the mids are really waaay more liquid sounding-- that's exact word--- with the perfect mix of warmness and thickness to make midrange sound really attractive by comparison.--- that's the defining strength of the sm3 vs Merlin.
Btw, the Merlin is no slouch in the bass; bass is plentiful, but doesn't sound as tight as sm3
One way to describe the sm3 is like a heat seeking cruise missile... It sort of intelligently pick the most fitting moment to strike for maximum effect. But Merlin is not bas either... There is plenty of poof.. I can feel the reverb- which make it a little rugged/coarse sounding. Quite nice actually(in brutish way) but it is almost over the fringe of the low to the midrange,... A tiny bit.

Deliciously sweet sounding midrange just pop up in my mind- of the sm3 vs Merlin
Btw, both are dark sounding, just that sm3 sound brighter due to frequency balance I guess... That's something I noticed...

I should not have used the word "uncontrolled"- it would sound like the bass is all over the place. The bass is pounding, like a beast. lousy simile?

On it's worst day no way does the SM3 have more highs or treble than the Merlin.  Not a chance.  I'd like AJ to comment about that in fact.
 
Btw, can you just edit your posts instead of spamming this thread?  You are really starting to make it rather untidy here.  This thread is more specific to reviews and the loaner program.  There are a few more generic Merlin threads you can post if you are going to troll.

SM3 sounds brighter than the Merlin? And he's talking about the full customs, not the demos? Very strange indeed.
 
Btw, what is AJ supposed to comment about? He's only heard the demos, which (according to project86) sound nothing like the full customs that Benjerry is talking about. Confused.

Quote:

james444 said:

SM3 sounds brighter than the Merlin? And he's talking about the full customs, not the demos? Very strange indeed.

 
Btw, what is AJ supposed to comment about? He's only heard the demos, which (according to project86) sound nothing like the full customs that Benjerry is talking about. Confused.

Click to expand...

The demos are brighter than the SM3 to my ears.  Even reports of the full customs from project86 do not include rolled off treble in comparison to the demos.
 
So I guess we should also ask project if he noticed any difference between the demo and full shell in the treble region.