This is a tour sample that was kindly sent by Unique Melody and Hedonist of France to be circulated within the Head-fi community and will be returned to UM at the end of the tour.
My opinions expressed here reflect the way I hear them. I might have a slight bias, since I have a couple of UM sets and there are at least two more out there that I would like to acquire at some point.
Since this is a tour unit, the original packaging is not available. It arrived,, however with two cables.
Ergonomics and construction
These are extremely beautiful, with a finish that evokes metal rather than ceramic. Some of the most beautiful shells I have seen. I'm not so sure of the faceplates though, as they are a magnet for fingerprints, dirt, dust (that knob, in particular)
The Dreamy cable is nice, soft and does not tangle up easily. A little bit of microphonics is present, but nothing serious enough to prevent me from enjoying the set.
Driver flex is present when inserting them. I got used to it, I see it as a sign that perfect seal has been achieved. Besides, all my UM sets have a little bit of driver flex.
The nozzle is thick and rather long. The fit is obviously something very personal, but to me they are less snug than Maven 2 and Mest 3. I can ear them for hours, but they tend to constantly come out of my ears. The chin slider helps a little bit.
Sound
Bass has good extension, hitting quite deep when the situation requires, but they are in no way a bass head’s first choice. There is relatively little rumble, with certain genres, but play some rap/hiphop and they can shake the ground. The sub-bass has a subwoofer quality, being able to start and stop at a moment’s notice, which was a bit disconcerting in the beginning, but after half an hour or so it became so familiar that now I miss that when moving to other sets. What I find very interesting, is that the sub bass can be very polite, articulated, but subdued with technical metal music (the way it should be), but it can make your eyes rattle when playing some hip hop tracks (or Playing God by Polyphia).
The mid bass is elevated compared to sub bass, with a very good presence that can sometime take the front of the stage. It is not unpleasant though, the level of details is very high, and it is easy to focus out of the mid bass should you want to. The bass is very fast, with very tight control, making that elevated mid bass very enjoyable. I do sense, however, a small intrusion of that nicely textured bass in the mids territory. It's done tastefully though, and with the large stage, the instruments and the voices still have enough space to shine.
Vocals are a mixed bag for me, clear, detailed, with that combination of smoothness and grittiness that UM masters so well. Male voices have a slight advantage, they appear fuller and more emotional. Female voices appear to lack a bit of substance, the notes are just a MJB comes across as a bit cold, and thus it is better to pair them with less analytical sources. Some female voices, such as Chimene Badi’s may even appear a bit strident. Guitars have fast attack, with the right amount of grittiness. Just like with the voices, a bit more substance would have been appreciated.
The treble is definitely the strong point: good extension in the high frequencies, with the cymbals sounding crystal clear, with meaty notes and with the right timbre. It’s not that shimmery EST treble of Maven 2, but nice, vibrant, thick notes characteristic more to BAs. There is an impression of infinite air, but it is true that the treble might be too hot for some. Not a problem for me, as my tolerance for high frequencies is high. The cymbals strike with fast attack, the decay times are also quick, and when the situation demands it, the note is perfectly sustained, before dying as fast as it arose.
The sibilance is, in general well controlled, even though I tested them with my usual offenders (such as Soen-Atlantis, Iron Maiden-Seventh son of a seventh son). Some traces of sibilance still appear on some tracks, but unless you are very sensitive to it, all is good.
The stage is massive, spherical, or rather ovoidal, as it extends more laterally. Each instrument has it’s own, well defined space, with no noticeable gaps in the sound stage. Everything is laid out beautifully, and while you have the impression the stage has no limits, everywhere you turn, there is some sound. Not quite a wall of sound, but close enough.
Tips and cables rolling
They are very responsive to both tips and cables rolling. On Mest 3 I prefer Divinus tips, but here they didn’t work, as I couldn’t get a proper fit with them. Spinfit Neo and Azla Xelastec were much better options. Most of the time though, I have used Eletech Baroque.
My favourite cable pairing was the PlusSound quadcopper, that lend them a bit of warmth, without further enhancing the already well formed mid bass. Of the two cables provided with the set, I prefer, by a large margin, the UM Dreamy. It sounds to me more balanced, smoother and slightly warmer. Also form the ergonomics point of view, I prefer it to the Jet Link cable, which is a bit too thin for my taste and it is more prone to tangling up than its less noble brethren. Jet Link augmented the clarity even further, to the point where they sounded a bit sterile.
Equipment used
Astell&Kern SP3000T in hybrid mode, Cayin N3U, also in tube mode, Teac UD-507, Luxury&Precision W4 dongle.
Songs
Tori Amos - Ruby through the looking glass.
Perfect for this kind of voice. The only nag, the bass guitar is too powerful. The voice is very detailed, better than both Mest 3 and Maven 2. Maven 2 has less details, but wins on overall balance and sounds more emotional. Mest 3 is somewhere in between.
Xzibit - My name
Surprisingly boomy. The tightly controlled bass works miracles here. While Maven 2 has deeper extension, the dryer bass of MJB works better with this song. I was afraid that the treble might be too hot, but I’m glad to be proven wrong. MJB takes the cake for this one.
Dream Theater - Wither (Piano version).
Maven 2 beats the other two, the voice is just amazing, nice, detailed, warm, gives me goosebumps from the beginning to the end. MJB is more detailed, but some of the emotion in James Labrie’s voice is lost, or rather, masked. Mest 3 is also a better fit for this song, with its warmer mids.
Death - Zero tolerance.
This is MJB’s home turf, and let me tell you, it does a hell of job. Every instrument is clear, in its own space, the cymbals flourishes are perfectly identifiable and separable, even with all the guitars and drums. However, despite this being one of the most technical death metal albums ever recorded and MJB displaying every little nuances, I still find Maven 2’s presentation more atmospheric. This is not a fair fight though, as I had months to optimise Maven’s performance (it features, for example, a silver Rhapsodio cable) and I only had one week with MJB.
Conclusion
A highly technical and detailed set, that cuts through everything thrown at it like surgical steel, presenting music in a spacious soundstage with good layering and instrument separation. Very good for technical extreme metal, progressive rock and, surprisingly (for me), for rap/hip hop. You can tell it is a descendent of the Mest 3, as it sounds similar, but it is a clear improvement in soundstage, clarity, bass and treble. When it comes to mids, I have a slight preference for Mest Mk3, but the difference is marginal at best.
With its large soundstage, MJB is very good for live performances, giving you the feeling you are right there, in the middle, at just a couple of rows from the artist. The more I listened to them, the more convinced I am that there I haven't heard a better set for technical metal. But this makes them a bit of a specialist set.
Would I upgrade from Mest 3 to MJB? For sure, MJB is a clear step up. Whether it makes sense, this is another question. I think MJB excels in some regards, but Mest 3 is a better allrounder for me, mostly due to better fit.
Would I upgrade from Maven 2? No, I find Maven 2 to sound more analog, and despite its lesser technicalities, it remains one of my favourite IEMs.
