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Alambic Ears - Impressions thread - Mentawai, Mavericks, Mundaka, Noosa
Nov 17, 2021 at 4:14 AM Post #91 of 314
After a long and (not so) patient wait my Mentawai should be here tomorrow. To say I'm eager would be an understatement :)
 
Nov 17, 2021 at 8:19 PM Post #93 of 314
Hi All, question on the Mentawai IEM. How does it handle bass/low end? I have the Empire Ears Legend EVO and the bass on that is next level while also handling everything else very well. Does the Mentawai have the rumble and impact for bass lovers? Thanks!!
 
Nov 18, 2021 at 7:46 AM Post #94 of 314
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L'artiste has delivered!
 
Nov 18, 2021 at 9:55 AM Post #95 of 314
ian91 said:
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L'artiste has delivered!
Click to expand...
Congratulations, it looks beautiful! Would be great to hear your thoughts on it. Not sure if I'm reading it correctly but your signature states that you have a Legend IEM, i'm assuming that's the Empire Ears Legend? i'll be curious to hear how the bass on the Mentawai stacks up against the Legend

Thanks!
 
Nov 18, 2021 at 10:03 AM Post #96 of 314
Nov 18, 2021 at 10:06 AM Post #97 of 314
chief79 said:
Congratulations, it looks beautiful! Would be great to hear your thoughts on it. Not sure if I'm reading it correctly but your signature states that you have a Legend IEM, i'm assuming that's the Empire Ears Legend? i'll be curious to hear how the bass on the Mentawai stacks up against the Legend

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I don't have the Legend X. I have the Penon Legend. Sorry for the confusion. Either way, I'll be happy to share thoughts on it once it has had some hours run through it.
 
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Nov 20, 2021 at 1:01 PM Post #99 of 314
Hi all,

I've been enjoying the Mentawai for the past few days. I think it's safe to say I've found my IEM soulmate. It ticks all my boxes. It has one of the most refined bass presentations I've heard - it's well thought out and brilliantly executed. Proprietary DD on the low, low end of the bass and Sonion BAs on the mid low. I'm hearing subbass texture where I normally just expect bloom. The tuning ensures a very natural and organic sound, something that the BA bass on Traillii never delivered for me. Vocals were too wispy for me on Traillii and instruments, especially percussive instruments, were lacking some material weight but not so here. There's body and a warm romance to female vocals but with a degree of transparency, akin to what I remember of Traillii but with greater presence to keep things grounded. Sonion EST treble is on full show here. It needed a few hours-days to settle but I find it to have a very natural extension and with a great balance of definition and air. Overall tonality does fall on the warmer side - which is where I prefer it! Soundstage is not the biggest I've heard (Traillii takes that one), but its got great height and depth to imaging that makes up for it, as does its great resolution and ability to handle busy tracks.

I haven't managed to find a genre that the Mentawai doesn't work for. Its very versatile. I have landed on Xelastec tips and a UPOCC cable that fits the tuning well, in my opinion. Xelastecs isolate the best and capture as much of the bass detail and subbass extension as possible - which is where most of my enjoyment lies.

I couldn't be happier with the purchase - it's a bargain at the price Fred is currently producing it for and competes in the £2k+ territory. Fit and finish are great. These are some of the prettiest IEMs I have ever seen and I feel quite lucky to call them my own. The unboxing experience is quite impressive for a one-man band, theres a nice solid box, a carry case, extra tips and filters. The included cable is of great quality. From start to finish Fred was contactable and would report progress within minutes of my emailing him.

Feel free to check out the pictures below:

_DSC2846.jpg
_DSC2849.jpg

_DSC2845.jpg

_DSC2853.jpg

_DSC2863.jpg
_DSC2866.jpg
 
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Nov 20, 2021 at 1:17 PM Post #100 of 314
Thanks for the detailed write up :thumbsup:
You're teasing me @ian91 my custom Mentawai are on the way and should arrive monday morning... I so look forward to it!
 
Nov 20, 2021 at 1:28 PM Post #101 of 314
davidmolliere said:
Thanks for the detailed write up :thumbsup:
You're teasing me @ian91 my custom Mentawai are on the way and should arrive monday morning... I so look forward to it!
Click to expand...

My pleasure. I've quickly fallen in love with my pair. As I say, the bass is the standout feature of this set. Not because of its pure quantity but because of its absolute perfect balance of quantity versus quality for my tastes. I tried to extract as much detail from Fred about the bass setup and it seems he's worked hard to select the DD he has used and tells me he tested about 30 different drivers in total. He then took this one and improved it still further. Interestingly I hear no incoherence between the DD and BA crossover in the bass, it's very unified.

You're in for a treat and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on them!
 
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Nov 20, 2021 at 2:58 PM Post #104 of 314
feverfive said:
I am on the AE website now and the Mentawai aren't listed as a model... Is this just a limited release? If not, when will these be offered on the site and for how much $?
Click to expand...

Drop Fred an email via the website. He responds very quickly.
 
Nov 21, 2021 at 2:32 PM Post #105 of 314
ian91 said:
Hi all,

I've been enjoying the Mentawai for the past few days. I think it's safe to say I've found my IEM soulmate. It ticks all my boxes. It has one of the most refined bass presentations I've heard - it's well thought out and brilliantly executed. Proprietary DD on the low, low end of the bass and Sonion BAs on the mid low. I'm hearing subbass texture where I normally just expect bloom. The tuning ensures a very natural and organic sound, something that the BA bass on Traillii never delivered for me. Vocals were too wispy for me on Traillii and instruments, especially percussive instruments, were lacking some material weight but not so here. There's body and a warm romance to female vocals but with a degree of transparency, akin to what I remember of Traillii but with greater presence to keep things grounded. Sonion EST treble is on full show here. It needed a few hours-days to settle but I find it to have a very natural extension and with a great balance of definition and air. Overall tonality does fall on the warmer side - which is where I prefer it! Soundstage is not the biggest I've heard (Traillii takes that one), but its got great height and depth to imaging that makes up for it, as does its great resolution and ability to handle busy tracks.

I haven't managed to find a genre that the Mentawai doesn't work for. Its very versatile. I have landed on Xelastec tips and a UPOCC cable that fits the tuning well, in my opinion. Xelastecs isolate the best and capture as much of the bass detail and subbass extension as possible - which is where most of my enjoyment lies.

I couldn't be happier with the purchase - it's a bargain at the price Fred is currently producing it for and competes in the £2k+ territory. Fit and finish are great. These are some of the prettiest IEMs I have ever seen and I feel quite lucky to call them my own. The unboxing experience is quite impressive for a one-man band, theres a nice solid box, a carry case, extra tips and filters. The included cable is of great quality. From start to finish Fred was contactable and would report progress within minutes of my emailing him.

Feel free to check out the pictures below:

_DSC2846.jpg_DSC2849.jpg
_DSC2845.jpg
_DSC2853.jpg
_DSC2863.jpg
_DSC2866.jpg
Click to expand...
wow...helluva description, man.

really got me intrigued about these...
 
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