Unique Melody Merlin and Miracle Demo Program - Page 4

^ Got it, thanks.

He may be talking about bass-treble balance though, not treble per se. Just something to consider.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjerry 

Btw, both are dark sounding, just that sm3 sound brighter due to frequency balance I guess... That's something I noticed...

I could probably get on board with someone not liking the bass presentation. That is more of a subjective thing I guess. But the missing highs are a mystery to me. Even the demo had plenty of extension despite not being as well controlled as the real thing. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

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.

Ditto..  I'm sure they'll come up with a solution.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by project86 

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. 

Agreed, thanks Gent's.  I'm thankful that it's a limitation of the demo and not necessarily the design, and that it was confirmed by those I trust. 

Shortly after entering the world of Head-Fi I posted a topic inquiring about hybrid IEM's.  Until now no one has been successful (commercially or otherwise) in truly capturing the best of both worlds.  I have high, but not unrealistic, hopes for the Merlin. I hope a revised demo will give a more accurate representation of their true capabilities.  If they can pull it off, they just might be my first, and most likely, last custom. 

Thanks for the opportunity UM, and thank you Anaxilus for your time and efforts.  Keep us posted to any further developments and please count me in when/if the program is back on track.

I have already sent |joker|s Miracle back to him so I can't A/B with the SM3, which I didn't do, but the demo units are brighter than the SM3, although not significantly.  I am not really the best person to ask since, while I do have the SM3 right here, I don't have a Miracle that has been customized for my ears.

My thought is that if the SM3 is brighter than a Merlin there could be something wrong with the fit.  I know people have complained about the fit with the JH16 and JHA has reshelled with a longer/shorter canal and also put the sound tubes exiting at different angles which fixed the issues.

I had kinda the same impression on the demo units!

The miracles I felt we're very detailed and textured but was boring and lack lower end oomph which the Merlins blew me over with without being overtly muddy or uncontrolled. They somehow also give a grander and more expansive presentation of things.

I suppose with proper fit, the bass of the miracles will shine through. the merlins however, if customed to my ears might hold too much bass maybe?

I didn't make it onto the list of demo'ers, but I'm hoping I'll get to hear one or both of these at CanJam.  I've been slowly selling off my old phones trying to save up to buy a new pair, and am fancying some customs, in particular the Merlins.  In the meantime, it's great to hear everyone's impressions!  I'll be on the lookout for a chance to get my name on the list of demo'ing these should it open back up again!