[proedros]

I echo Chodi's experience when I had the K10U and then the Mason came in... I could tell immediately that the K10U was nowhere near the Mason's level of resolution and clarity. I'd add that the midrange had issues, being somewhat sucked out by comparison, and with a bit of an off tone to it. The Mason's was just so much more natural and 'correct' sounding. I literally knew in 5 minutes which one was going up for sale....

I will say though that I did highly enjoy the K10U for a good while until I picked up the Mason. It took getting a new IEM at that superior level of proficiency to be able to really pick apart the K10U.

 
i see you have ZX2 , how is the synergy with Mason ?

also , is the cables the 2-pin type ? 

 

[Chodi]

   
i see you have ZX2 , how is the synergy with Mason ?

also , is the cables the 2-pin type ? 

The cable is the 2 pin type so easy to upgrade if you so wish. I got a silver cable for mine. I can't speak to the ZX2 but I can tell you that the Mason scales extremely well with better source equipment. I guess you are only limited there by your budget.

 

[proedros]

  The cable is the 2 pin type so easy to upgrade if you so wish. I got a silver cable for mine. I can't speak to the ZX2 but I can tell you that the Mason scales extremely well with better source equipment. I guess you are only limited there by your budget.

 
was the silver cable an upgrade ? i am using a silver dragon cable with TRRS on my UM Miracles , so very interested how mason pairs with silver cables
 
thanx again

 

[Chodi]

   
was the silver cable an upgrade ? i am using a silver dragon cable with TRRS on my UM Miracles , so very interested how mason pairs with silver cables
 
thanx again

Yes it was an upgrade but I caution as with all cable changes the difference is subjective not massive. I get a slightly larger sound stage with more depth using the silver. I really don't think it has much effect on the tonal balance from the stock cable. I would point out that the stock cable is adequate and I do not feel it is an emergency to replace it. I have a guy in Latvia who makes all my cables so I had this done as routine. I am pleased with the results. The Mason has such a large sound stage that the supplied cable would probably impress most listeners.

 

[proedros]

how would you describe the mason sound in 2-3 phrases ?

balanced ? v-shaped ? neutral ?

 

[Chodi]

  how would you describe the mason sound in 2-3 phrases ?

balanced ? v-shaped ? neutral ?

The Mason is certainly balanced and provides a very clear and precise window to the recording. I would say they are exceptionally honest at reproducing what is on the recording. They are  extended in bass and treble without being V shaped. The mids are well focused and up front with close miked recordings. Classical tends to be more third row as that is how most are miked. You can clearly hear the difference with the Mason where on some of my other iem's the soundstage tends to be more constant regardless of the recording. The Mason is more honest in that sense. The Mason can also reproduce the very last bit of detail from the recording. The stage is totally dependent on the recording. Not so with my other iem's. That is to say when the recording stage is big you get very big when it is intimate that is what you get. None of the HD800 everything is big effect. Tonally the Mason is also very true to the source.
 
All these comments require a high end source to bring out the best in the Mason. If you plan to use this with something like a mid-level dap I'm afraid you would never really hear their potential.

 

[proedros]

  The Mason is certainly balanced and provides a very clear and precise window to the recording. I would say they are exceptionally honest at reproducing what is on the recording. They are  extended in bass and treble without being V shaped. The mids are well focused and up front with close miked recordings. Classical tends to be more third row as that is how most are miked. You can clearly hear the difference with the Mason where on some of my other iem's the soundstage tends to be more constant regardless of the recording. The Mason is more honest in that sense. The Mason can also reproduce the very last bit of detail from the recording. The stage is totally dependent on the recording. Not so with my other iem's. That is to say when the recording stage is big you get very big when it is intimate that is what you get. None of the HD800 everything is big effect. Tonally the Mason is also very true to the source.
 
All these comments require a high end source to bring out the best in the Mason. If you plan to use this with something like a mid-level dap I'm afraid you would never really hear their potential.

 
is ZX2  a good dap to unleash their potential ?

and ofc thanx for all this info 

 

 

[Chodi]

   
is ZX2  a good dap to unleash their potential ?

and ofc thanx for all this info 

 

Sorry I can't comment on the ZX2 I never heard it. My situation is a little different from most. I use my iem's only at home with a high end desktop system. After years of using headphones I had to switch to iem's exclusively. This was the result of a neck injury that makes it impossible for me to allow the weight of full size headphones. I made the switch about a year ago. Forced me to buy only the very best in iem's to enjoy my music. In case you're wondering I'm fine and have long recovered from the accident but the weight of full size headphones is out for me now. So are the motorcycles.

 

[proedros]

  Sorry I can't comment on the ZX2 I never heard it. My situation is a little different from most. I use my iem's only at home with a high end desktop system. After years of using headphones I had to switch to iem's exclusively. This was the result of a neck injury that makes it impossible for me to allow the weight of full size headphones. I made the switch about a year ago. Forced me to buy only the very best in iem's to enjoy my music. In case you're wondering I'm fine and have long recovered from the accident but the weight of full size headphones is out for me now. So are the motorcycles.

 
watch yourself , i wish you the best and if it makes you feel better i am also an 100% IEM person
 
cheers 

 

[d3885u]

I still hoping that someone has tried the UM legacy and comparing head to head with UM Mason...

 

[proedros]

i wish some masons showed up here FS 

 

[tranhieu]

Just borrowed a pair of Mason, to describe it in a few words: nice vpcal with slightly uplifted treble.

Pros: good vocal rendering, better than some well known brands out there but surely not the best yet, or even close. Nice soundstage, decent depth.

Cons: bass leaves a lot to be desired, very BA-like. While soundstaging is good, there is not enough height leaving vocal sounds very 'distant' and 2D. Treble sounds artificial at times, though it's a common problem for TWFK implemented designs (that's what you get for having 12 drivers).

All in all, not bad, I quite like it for the soundstaging alone, however considering the price and the number of drivers it has, the desginer might need some more time.

 

[Chodi]

Just borrowed a pair of Mason, to describe it in a few words: nice vpcal with slightly uplifted treble.

Pros: good vocal rendering, better than some well known brands out there but surely not the best yet, or even close. Nice soundstage, decent depth.

Cons: bass leaves a lot to be desired, very BA-like. While soundstaging is good, there is not enough height leaving vocal sounds very 'distant' and 2D. Treble sounds artificial at times, though it's a common problem for TWFK implemented designs (that's what you get for having 12 drivers).

All in all, not bad, I quite like it for the soundstaging alone, however considering the price and the number of drivers it has, the desginer might need some more time.

I wonder what you might have been using as a source for your test? Everyone hears differently and I certainly find the Mason to present a full sound stage in height, width and depth to compete with anything I own or have heard. The sound stage is one of the Mason's most obvious features. While I might agree with your comment about a slight treble lift I do find the tonal accuracy of instruments to be better than most iem's. This is also one of its very strong features. The bass is obviously BA bass as the Mason contains no dynamic driver. If someone wants the sound of a dynamic driver there are many choices including the UM Maverick. Is the Mason the very best iem on the market? Of course the answer is no but there is no one best. Personal taste enters into this. I find it spectacular with classical music. I would not recommend the Mason for hip hop or rap music. 

 

[tranhieu]

  I wonder what you might have been using as a source for your test? Everyone hears differently and I certainly find the Mason to present a full sound stage in height, width and depth to compete with anything I own or have heard. The sound stage is one of the Mason's most obvious features. While I might agree with your comment about a slight treble lift I do find the tonal accuracy of instruments to be better than most iem's. This is also one of its very strong features. The bass is obviously BA bass as the Mason contains no dynamic driver. If someone wants the sound of a dynamic driver there are many choices including the UM Maverick. Is the Mason the very best iem on the market? Of course the answer is no but there is no one best. Personal taste enters into this. I find it spectacular with classical music. I would not recommend the Mason for hip hop or rap music. 

I just AB-ed them with some other (C)IEMs from the same source. I might get hold of a Mojo later for more in depth listening.
 
I forgot to add that detail level is pretty good for this kind of signature. I listen to lots of genres but mainly female vocal & instrumental. Sure it sounds great with classical and instrumental in general, but one inherent problem with the TWFK is that it emphasizes the >11khz region too much while having none for the lower treble, making the upper ends sound energetically lifeless (bad pun I know). That said the Masons are doing better than other TWFK (C)IEMs I know in this aspect.
 
Speaking of height, what I meant was that they lacked height due to the insufficient amount of bass, especially sub-bass decay which is virtually non-existent, no surprise considering there're 8 DTECs inside.
 
I really like this track for bass/height testing. The MH335DWs do it super duper brilliantly, giving me goosebumps every time I listen to this track (scroll to 4:00).The whole image they recreate is just so tall and 3D as if I was sitting in a concert hall.
 
 

 

[Chodi]

  I just AB-ed them with some other (C)IEMs from the same source. I might get hold of a Mojo later for more in depth listening.
 
I forgot to add that detail level is pretty good for this kind of signature. I listen to lots of genres but mainly female vocal & instrumental. Sure it sounds great with classical and instrumental in general, but one inherent problem with the TWFK is that it emphasizes the >11khz region too much while having none for the lower treble, making the upper ends sound energetically lifeless (bad pun I know). That said the Masons are doing better than other TWFK (C)IEMs I know in this aspect.
 
Speaking of height, what I meant was that they lacked height due to the insufficient amount of bass, especially sub-bass decay which is virtually non-existent, no surprise considering there're 8 DTECs inside.
 
 

We agree on one thing there is not much sub bass with the Mason but that is true of nearly every iem I've tried with BA bass. The one exception is my Shure 846 which is the sub bass king as far as I'm concerned. If I want to rock out with something the 846 is the monster. Then you can get into all the iem's with dynamic bass drivers but they will not have the super clean bone shattering sub bass of the 846. The slight treble lift in the Mason was intentional since it was designed for the Japanese market which demands that signature for their reference audio. Its a cultural thing.