Melodic Artification Alter Ego

Melodic Artification ‘Alter Ego’

• Configuration: 1x DD / 4x BA / 4x EST
• RRP: $2,499

Introduction

Melodic Artification demonstrated their finesse in audio when they first appeared on the scene with the wonderful and unique ‘Eclipse’ in 2022, a set I still regret selling. It had been quiet from them since, which led me to wonder if they were a ‘one hit wonder’ which to be fair isn’t really accurate either as I think the Eclipse fell mostly under the radar which is a shame... some of the most delicious sub-bass I’ve heard in any set! Out of the blue a few months ago they resurfaced with not one but two new sets – one being the (excellent) TS-316 single DD under the TIMSOK brand, the other the subject of this review… Alter Ego (AE), their first foray not only beyond a single dynamic driver, but a leap into ‘tribrid’ territory with a set containing a configuration of 3 different drivers. Not unreasonable to say there has been some hype surrounding AE as impressions have been glowing from those who first got to hear at various CanJam’s early in the year… that coupled with a waiting period for launch, and in apparently limited quantities, make for eager audiophiles – can’t beat a formula of hype and a bit of scarcity to drive demand!

Anyway, I have as-always been attempting to exercise discipline in the hobby and in spite of the high praise AE had been receiving, plus my knowledge of their existing pedigree with both Eclipse and TS316, I managed to stay away for a while (possibly a few weeks…) – temptation ultimately got the better of me though, and before I knew it I was in touch with Andrew at MusicTeck and we agreed a discount in exchange for a review – as always, all thoughts, photos etc my own without any influence from Andrew or indeed Melodic Artification… thanks as always to MusicTeck for their wonderful service to the audio community!

The Alter Ego is available HERE from MusicTeck and indeed various others around the world.



A Bit About Me...

I worked in the consumer electronics industry for a large part of my career and have been passionate about music and technology for as long as I can remember. Even as a small child, I would ask my mum to put records on the turntable (Abba, Supertramp, and Planxty if anyone is curious).

My music preferences are very varied—anything from classical to techno, indie rock to jazz, and everything in between. In my early teens, I was a big fan of bands like The Cure and The Smiths (still am all these years later). I was bitten by the dance music bug in the early 90s, becoming passionate about genres like techno, house, trance, and IDM. I amassed a huge collection of records and CDs, DJing at various parties and occasional pirate radio station slots. Although it remained a hobby, I still own thousands of records, and my trusty Technics 1210 turntables are still going strong 30 years later—a testament to Japanese engineering!

I am not a professional reviewer, just an enthusiast who loves music and the devices we use to listen to it. Over the last few years, I have become obsessed with IEMs and related gear. I've bought and sold many, and kept a select few—ranging from the $20 Moondrop Chu to kilobuck sets like the Aroma Jewel, Oriolus' infamous 'Traillii,' UM Mentor, and various beloved single DDs. Through this exploration, I like to share my thoughts with the Head-Fi community, hoping they might be useful to others. However, remember that this is a highly subjective hobby, and your mileage may vary.

While I've been fortunate to own and try a variety of the TOTL sets on the market, I honestly enjoy lower-priced sets as much - especially as the gap continues to close, many much cheaper sets now offering significant value and further driving diminishing returns.



Specifications

Frequency Response: 5Hz – 40kHz
Impedance: 25ohms
Sensitivity: 104dB SPL/1mW
Cable: 2-pin / 4.4mm

Unboxing & Accessories



The unboxing is rather quirky in as far as how the box opens and the presentation of the IEMs up top – reminiscent of jewellery which is I guess is somewhat common with IEM packaging, just executed here with a different slant.



Once you’ve extracted the IEMs from the upper shelf, you then have the lower segment with boxes containing the case and accessories. Slight nit-pick but I feel the cardboard could be a touch better quality, it feels a flimsy – a nit-pick as I say, but it would be remiss of me not to share my feeling on it… I am an unboxing snob!



The included accessories:

• Carry case
• Final Type E tips
• Protective soft-fabric IEM pouches
• Cleaning Brush (which I’d say would be useful to take care of any dust building in the shells open design…)

Just to note, the case is a bit frustrating at times in that it often takes me a few attempts to wrap up the cable in a way that will allow me position the IEMs and close the case. Another nit-pick but had to call out none-the-less!

Design & Fit



The shells are rather large as one would expect considering it is housing a total of 8 drivers, but not the largest I’ve tried either. The titanium finish looks and feels premium and while they have a bit of weight to them, definitely not excessive and stay nice and snug in my ears. I have had no problem listening for extended sessions that go well beyond a couple of albums at times, so easily 2-hour sessions and more.



Titanium can mark relatively easily so advisable to keep them stored in the supplied ‘socks’ when not in use – I’ve had my set now for almost two months and no sign of any wear so far thankfully but I am careful with them.



The nozzle looks a bit stumpy but is reasonably wide and not too short, as such I don’t have a problem with them staying in my ears – the fact the nozzle protrudes out from the shell makes a big difference here versus those that are more flat on the shell.





Cable



The stock cable has a nice premium look and feel to it with a matching aesthetic to the AEs. It has a soft rubbery finish with a bit of weight that can feel a touch unwieldly around the ears but the neck-cinch and a good seal with the right tips keep them in place for me – that said, I wouldn’t go walking with them, not that I ever do with higher-end sets anyway.







Listening Impressions



I got off to a bit of a rocky start with Alter Ego – perhaps the wrong choice of tips to begin with coupled with a rather energetic album I chose, but I found upper energy to be excessive and this came as quite a surprise as none of the impressions suggested this at all, on the contrary Alter Ego has been praised for the smooth and engaging profile… which I now mostly agree with, but still find them more energetic than I expected – in a good way though.



They arrived not long before I was due to go on a family holiday in early June, so I brought them with me as an opportunity to really get to know them – especially away from what has been a very busy and often stressful year so far… far preferable having time to enjoy audio gear when relaxed and indeed I’ve found my impressions are at times skewed by too much stress etc. I brought a selection of my favourite tips and ultimately landed on Spiral Dot++. The majority of my listening while on holiday was via the Sony NW-WM1AM2, but over the last 3 weeks mostly with the 1ZM2 and ZX707, a self-confessed Sony fanboy!



Anyway – on to the sound. As noted, I agree with the impressions that rightly point out that smooth and engaging profile, the Alter Ego can be an incredibly captivating set and easy to listen for long sessions. I would say also that they react well to more energetic music and step up to the mark across the FR whereby the presentation can be quite exciting – there’s sufficient upper energy for example to ensure enough air and energy for faster-paced percussion or more complex music. The tuning is well balanced but low-end emphasis is quite noticeable in tracks with a lot of sub-bass, not however in a way that distracts or impacts the overall tuning.

I’ve tried many different genres and would classify Alter Ego as a solid all-rounder – a set that’s easy to pick up no matter what music you fancy listening to, they will deliver. That said and this is of course subjective – I would still choose a single DD for say modern classical or more intricate acoustic, vocals etc. Also, quite forgiving of older recordings but equally they do scale with more recent and higher-quality recordings.



I’ve been listening mostly using the default mode – switching over results in an increase mostly to mid-bass and somewhat into the mids but I think broadly the tuning profile is similar… you do get two flavours though for sure and those that seek a bit more mid-bass focus will definitely be satisfied when they flick that switch. Admittedly though, I need to spend more time with the switches in mode 2.

Bass

The wonderful bass that I first encountered with the aforementioned ‘Eclipse’ is very much evident with Alter Ego, clearly a DNA trait of Melodic Artification. There is ample sub-bass and presented with a deep, rumbling sub-woofer sensation – there is a sub-bass emphasis over mid-bass, which for me is a personal preference anyway, yet there is still sufficient mid-bass impact and easy to distinguish between them. The bass works well regardless of genre where timbre for the lower register of a piano for example sounds authentic, likewise for synthesised instruments – the deep tones of a Moog are incredibly captivating. It’s not the snappiest of drivers, the tuning goes more analogue or organic with a slower, softer pace – but can still keep up with faster genres such as techno or drum & bass.

Mid-range

Alter Ego has a lush and emotive mid-range and excellent with both male and female vocals. There is a good sense of clarity and no issues with congestion for busier tracks or passages. A make or break consideration for me with many IEMs is to what extent the upper mid-range peaks and thankfully I’ve no problems here – it’s an area of tuning that fascinates me as more emphasis here can be a curse or a blessing at times depending on the genre and I guess overall tuning execution. It feels like there is a large amount of soundstage space allotted to the mid-range as it sound very spacious and atmospheric in presentation – the drivers are very well executed in terms of the bass, mids, and treble in how they play together… and of course the fact they are effectively an open-back design which really does accentuate the sense of space. While Alter Ego don’t include the increasingly popular BCD drivers found on quite a few higher-end sets lately, I do still find a similar visceral experience in the mids and I notice this in particular with some vocals where they are very central and lifelike in my head – you know that sensation of a singer singing directly to you / at you / in you?!

Treble

As noted in my intro, this was initially an area of surprise for me as I found some unexpected excessive energy but thankfully that went away with tip rolling and I guess mental adjustment. There is definitely enough energy and air up top though with the 4x ESTs at work and absolutely evident with percussion in particular where hi-hats and snares have plenty of bite while not being too sharp. As per low and mids, the uppers again have a large sense of presence in the space occupied with a visceral and captivating sensation as you would expect being pretty much the theme for this set. Those that seek a treble focus might be left wanting but I expect broadly speaking most will be satisfied.

Technical

While resolution is good, it’s not the tuning emphasis in terms of the absolute micro details. Likewise from an imaging perspective, the Alter Ego isn’t going for laser-focused tuning that draws you into each specific instrument – the emphasis is the entire presentation which leans more towards immersive and captivating, rather than towards technical wizardry. Don’t get me wrong though, you can absolutely hear the individual elements but in my experience I end up just enjoying my music and become totally immersed in the overall presentation.



Test Tracks

As always, I am choosing a selection of tracks from my DAP and all are local files in FLAC format. Where possible I link to Bandcamp but otherwise YouTube.

Chromatics – Lady



As is frequently the case when I’m writing reviews, I end up landing on an album that I’ve not listened to in quite a while… I haven’t even kept up with Chromatics in recent years so I must investigate if they’ve anything new. Right off the bat, this song sounds utterly fantastic – in spite of what I literally said in the previous segment about imaging, ironically the first thing striking me here is the clarity of imaging… maybe as it was just on my mind! The vocals sound as good as I could possibly hope for – I love how the intro segment begins in the middle but pans out left and right – when the percussion kicks in, that sense of atmospheric presentation is immediately evident and beautifully captivating. This is also a great example of why Alter Ego are a fantastic set – I could happily kick back and just enjoy this album now from start to finish if I didn’t have a review to complete! Absolutely 10/10 here.

Gerry Rafferty – Right Down the Line



Going back quite a few years and in this case an album I have been revisiting a bit lately but mostly in the car – I find albums like this great for keeping me sane when stuck in Dublin traffic. The older recording is noticeable but not that it sounds bad as such, you can hear the lack of dynamism in the recording and overall a touch flat in comparison to the previous track. That said, it has a beautiful organic and smooth tone and so easy to become totally engrossed in the song – gorgeous timbre from vocals to piano, to drums and guitars. Alter Ego does a really great job with this older recording.

Lambchop – The Old Gold Shoe



Taken from the absolutely brilliant ‘Nixon’, one of my favourites from Lambchop and discovered originally at a time when my kids were very young so a lot of special memories associated… there is nothing like music to connect to a time in life. Again this is a somewhat older recording but yet again Alter Ego delivers – following the same theme of immersive and captivating, capturing each element of the slow but busy track in an elegant and graceful manner… strings are ethereal, percussion is airy and captivating and there is an overall feeling of sitting in an intimate venue with the band playing right in front of you.

Pneumatic Tubes – runwithme/Drum Machine Circle



Taking it up a few notches here with a more recent and more energetic track and I can immediately hear how Alter Ego scales – the dynamic range immediately obvious where the various instruments are handled with ease as they lift and drop, sounding accurate and incredibly engaging. Again that large atmospheric presentation jumps out, along with a wonderful smooth and natural sensation – the drum machine that kicks in in the latter segment is an aural treat.

Talk Talk – I Believe in You



Mark Hollis was a musical genius and this for me is one of the many examples of why. Long before he passed away this song always had me filled with emotion, often to the point of tears and that is even more poignant now that he is no longer with us. I only properly discovered Talk Talk about 20 years ago, even though I would have loved various chart songs in the 80s – it was actually this song that led me to finally delve deeper, and Talk Talk now rank in my favourite bands of all time. Predictably, we’ve another ‘back of the net’, ‘home run’ etc with this beautiful song and even more than the previous tracks, I’d love to just step away and listen to the entire album… maybe later.

Slowdive – Avalyn 2



What an absolute masterpiece of a track – let me just get that out of the way first. Within seconds of this track starting, I can feel the hairs standing up all over me. In this case in spite of being quite an old album from the early 90s, it actually does sound much more ‘hi-res’ than many others from this era. Bit of broken record now but what the hell… smooth, captivating, atmospheric – you get the picture.

Public Enemy – Don’t Believe the Hype



Remaining in decades passed, but switching genre gears quite significantly as we flip to hip hop legends Public Enemy… but actually we do need to believe the hype, it’s all true. I’m not going to wax lyrical on this one, keeping it short and noting another box ticked successfully.

Air – Kelly Watch the Stars



I’ve loved this album since it was first released over 25 years ago – a period where the world felt like it was opening up to me, early 20s and still enjoying a bit of a ‘party’ attitude to life… this album was the theme tune to many chill out sessions after a more upbeat night of house or techno. They played in Dublin recently and unfortunately the gig was a bit disappointing – it was an outdoor venue and a lot of the crowd seemed to treat it more like a beer garden with loud conversation and laughing etc, the whole vibe just lacked energy or excitement but I was glad still to finally see this album performed live… and indeed to reminisce to a time in life that feels like a distant memory, the responsibility of adult life long since overtaken the wonders of youth! Oh and this sounds wonderful on Alter Ego… I promise I’ll stop blabbing on about other stuff, getting a bit carried away 

Komodo – Concept 16



Right, something completely different in the shape of this epic IDM electronic gem. Swirling synths, slamming kick drums, and beautiful haunting melodies captivate throughout this +10 minute beauty. It sounds big, vibrant, and thoroughly engaging from the opening seconds – Alter Ego draws me in immediately, the dynamic driver being put to work with the kick drums and performing with ease, the lush mids fully engaging the synths, the ESTs delivering crisp uppers for the percussion and again overall a smooth and captivating performance that at the same time has great energy. One of my favourite electronic genres and makes up a massive part of my library, Alter Ego delivers another 10/10 performance.

ASC – Mirage



It was inevitable I’d get to some Drum & Bass (D&B) at some point, and for me none better than ASC to tick this box – especially as this album was only released earlier this year. ASC is a prolific producer of both ambient and D&B for many years now, and an artist who I typically buy new albums immediately on release. This is a great track to test the depth of sub-bass and it sounds absolutely phenomenal here, it feels like it occupies my entire skull, yet the synths and percussion get to layer on top with ease, a totally encapsulating performance and Alter Ego has no issue dealing with a track that has a lot more complexity.

Circular – 3 Moons



Moving to a more subdued, chilled track but with utterly stunning production levels. This is one of those tracks that can move me to tears due to its somewhat sombre but beautifully captivating tone throughout… there are many layers to take in here and I’m always intrigued to stop and attempt to digest the subtle complexity. This for me is another great example of how Alter Ego scales with higher quality recordings, its honestly hard to imagine how this could sound ‘better’ on any set.

Ed Carlsen – Far



Closing with a beautiful modern classical piece from the excellent ‘The Journey Tapes’. First off, I would absolutely always choose a highly resolving dynamic driver for a genre like this and the immediate choice would be Turii Ti or perhaps FW10K… Alter Ego does a splendid job, but I would still choose either of the former single DDs for modern classical – maybe it’s an association I’ve built now and subconsciously can’t disconnect, but I need my precision with high resolution, pristine tuning in a single driver to appreciate this at its fullest.

Comparisons

Nostalgia Audio ‘Camelot’ ($2,599 - 2x DD, 4x BA, 4x EST)



The only set in my collection that currently makes sense to compare and what have been the reigning champion in terms of multi-driver sets I’ve heard in this hobby since I first received Camelot in early 2023. Does Alter Ego knock Camelot off the throne I hear you enquire… they come close, and if I use a boxing analogy, I’d say they might have gone numerous rounds together before Camelot swings a knockout punch in maybe the 10th round having been anyone’s game in the 9 that went before. They are quite similar in as far as their ability to play pretty much any genre and do a wonderful job – Alter Ego has a larger quantity of bass, but doesn’t quite match Camelot in terms of quality where the 2x DDs step forward and deliver a superior performance; notably the distinction between sub-bass and mid-bass, an attribute that immediately was obvious to me when I first heard Camelot. Mids are more lush on Alter Ego and as such more visceral – treble a touch more pristine on Camelot and sounds more ‘precise’. Camelot while not at all clinical, steps forward again from a resolution perspective where they just sound that bit more precise in overall definition – not a huge amount in it though.

Conclusion

I’ve no doubt my gushing enthusiasm and passion for this set have been obvious since early in the review, and I really don’t want to appear like a raving shill-lunatic, but the simple fact for me is that Melodic Artification have more or less appeared from nowhere and delivered a set that can happily rub shoulders with IEMs of significantly higher cost when it comes to the key metric of simply ‘enjoying music’ – the focus many of us have, but perhaps at times forget in pursuit of the never-ending hunt for what’s next. I’ve loved every single session with Alter Ego for the last few weeks, and even at times in work look forward to finding time that evening to kick back and immerse myself in the unbelievably captivating tuning. Alter Ego is a legend in the making as far as I’m concerned, a set that many already love, and many have yet to still fall in love with. An obvious and very easy 5/5.

Open the Woofers !
The Alter Ego are an open design IEM and still do a very good job of keeping outside noises isolated. Priced around a good median from many TOTL sets, the Alter Ego trades blows with some of the best IEMS on the market.

Dap: Cayin n3 ultra
Desktop sour d: masskobo 465 t+a dac200

Recommendation:
Tips: Canal work CWU-GDECM/ Eletech Baroque
cable: Astral Acoustics Eclipse cable

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If I would have one sound it would be the 622B, but if I would have one IEM it would probably be the Alter Ego

Normally tuning switches on an IEM are normally used to fine tune the FR of the IEM and typically does not bring significant change in sound. However, as the title suggests, the Alter Ego presents two different tuning with its switch, each with distinct characteristic but all well-tuned and are very competitive in their own field.

Default mode

Despite being the more technical mode the sound of the default mode is already a bit warm with a more relaxed tuning. Horizontal soundstage is large, just shy of something like the 622B, but the depth is somewhat lacking at least when using the default cable.

Treble is transparent and clear, with impressive extension to the top like most well-tuned EST drivers, but the brightness is controlled for a more relaxing listening experience, so do not expect something like the Jewel here. It is more of a slightly brighter 622B in terms of that. Mids are at a suitable distance that isn’t quite the best for vocals but definitely not lackluster. Vocals are also clear and transparent, but I wouldn’t describe them as toxic at default setting. The bass has just enough depth and amount, and thanks to the open back design, it feels more natural than most TOTL IEMs on the market. The dynamic is overall good for the price point.

Overall, the sound under default setting is already competitive at the asking price of $2500 as an overall balanced IEM, not quite TOTL on the technical side, but the open back shell does add more to the coherency of the overall tuning.

“Warm” mode

There is no name provided for two modes on the Alter Ego but if the default more is just slightly warm upon a neutral tuning then the other more is very warm in comparison. Interestingly the change in sound is not due to a simple change in FR as most other IEMs with a switch.

The overall frequency distribution is still neutral, but the size of the mid-low becomes noticeably larger, with closer and thicker vocal presence. The transparency and clearness of the treble is still there, but the shrink in soundstage along with the enlargement of the vocals and upper bass in the overall soundstage made them not as ear catching as it was under default. Yes, the soundstage in the “warm” mode does shrink, but in a good way since the soundstage performance under default is simply not for vocals. It is at this point that the vocals start to become toxic, with the naturality of the bass provided by the open-back design, I actually found myself enjoying this mode more given that I already own the 622B which resembles the default setting in many ways.

Sound under the “warm” mode is often compared with the Camelot in some other reviews. However, as a former owner of the Camelot myself, I would say that the Alter Ego is simply way more of a finished product than the Camelot given its bass is actually good and the treble extension is better. Definitely a more enjoyable and more technically finished sound to go for.

Cable

The stock cable is perfectly tuned for the “warm” mode but simply not for the default mode. The cable itself is more of a classic copper cable tuning, with emphasis on bass and coherency of the overall sound but cannot bring out the technicality of the IEM. After switching for the REC-Absolute for the default setting, the depth immediately becomes acceptable, and despite the soundstage is still not really holographic since the width is still significantly better, it is more natural to say the least and adds to the overall technical performance of the IEM.

With that said, however, the default cable remains to be a competitive option for the default mode since it brings out the vocal and the bass. A gold&silver alloy cable could be the best for those who only wants one cable for both modes, but personally I would still have the stock cable around just for the “warm” mode.