[Ony38]

And.... fresh out of the oven : https://iem.reviews/2021/04/25/alambic-ears-mundaka-thunder/

Thanks for the review! Can't wait to compare Mundaka with my Noosa (a friend borrow them for 2 weeks and I really miss them...). Did you try tips rolling during your listenning?

 

[lafeuill]

And.... fresh out of the oven : https://iem.reviews/2021/04/25/alambic-ears-mundaka-thunder/

Excellent work, totally relate to your analysis !

 

[MatusSVK]

Any impressions between the mundaka and noose? Both look very intriguing.

Also, has anyone heard the mundaka and campfire Dorado 2020. Am I right in saying they have similar lows and highs but the mundaka has more neutral and forward mids?

 

[davidmolliere]

Review is up on HF for those who missed it
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/alambic-ears-mundaka.25126/reviews#review-25797

You can also post your own as I created the item in the showcase section : https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/alambic-ears-mundaka.25126/

 

[Bitsir]

I'm really curious on how the Mundaka stacks up against the Thieaudio Monarch.

Both renowned for being quality bass monsters!

 

[davidmolliere]

Mundaka stacks up with the best bass anyone has built, so my guess is it stacks up good against Monarch although I haven't heard them

 

[Bitsir]

Man I'm reeeeeaally tempted to get the Mundaka. There is just so little information on these though, which makes me hesitate.

I mean I am not worried about not being WOWed by them, but I do wonder how they stack up against other similarly priced Tribrid offerings or even more expensive sets like the Unique Melody MEST or Sennheiser IE900 etc.

@davidmolliere How high would you rank these, truthfully? Are these a hidden gem or just very good?

 

[davidmolliere]

Man I'm reeeeeaally tempted to get the Mundaka. There is just so little information on these though, which makes me hesitate.

I mean I am not worried about not being WOWed by them, but I do wonder how they stack up against other similarly priced Tribrid offerings or even more expensive sets like the Unique Melody MEST or Sennheiser IE900 etc.

@davidmolliere How high would you rank these, truthfully? Are these a hidden gem or just very good?

As usual it's tricky to rank IEMs in absolutes without considering your preferences and the signature. From what I have read IE900 is more neutral and I haven't heard MEST which should be closer in terms of philosophy but you have to consider also budget. UM MEST mk2 is twice the price of Mundaka and I am doubtful twice as good as Mundaka has fantastic value for money in my book and very few achieve that (Penon Volt, Tansio Mirai Land/Spark, Custom Art FIBAE7 and Earsonics EM64 come to mind).

If you've read my review you have my honest take on Mundaka and it's boatload of fun built on strong technicalities. I stand by what I wrote in the conclusion "Think of Mundaka as a good excuse to satisfy your inner basshead without compromising your audiophile backbone". It's rare from that standpoint

Now if you have an itch for another gem I have auditioned Alambic Ears Noosa and it takes technicalities one step further while keeping the fun factor of Mundaka, it might be an all BA setup its bass will suprise you and up top I was surprised to see it holds its own against the EST array of Mundaka. Sure, Mundaka is overall more fun and the best fit for a basshead but Noosa is not far behind with more technical mids and overall better resolution. As usual, depends on what you're looking for but if you're looking for fun with strong foundations at the asking price Mundaka is tough to beat.

 

[Bitsir]

As usual it's tricky to rank IEMs in absolutes without considering your preferences and the signature. From what I have read IE900 is more neutral and I haven't heard MEST which should be closer in terms of philosophy but you have to consider also budget. UM MEST mk2 is twice the price of Mundaka and I am doubtful twice as good as Mundaka has fantastic value for money in my book and very few achieve that (Penon Volt, Tansio Mirai Land/Spark, Custom Art FIBAE7 and Earsonics EM64 come to mind).

If you've read my review you have my honest take on Mundaka and it's boatload of fun built on strong technicalities. I stand by what I wrote in the conclusion "Think of Mundaka as a good excuse to satisfy your inner basshead without compromising your audiophile backbone". It's rare from that standpoint

Now if you have an itch for another gem I have auditioned Alambic Ears Noosa and it takes technicalities one step further while keeping the fun factor of Mundaka, it might be an all BA setup its bass will suprise you and up top I was surprised to see it holds its own against the EST array of Mundaka. Sure, Mundaka is overall more fun and the best fit for a basshead but Noosa is not far behind with more technical mids and overall better resolution. As usual, depends on what you're looking for but if you're looking for fun with strong foundations at the asking price Mundaka is tough to beat.

Thanks for the write-up!

I'm never going full BA again, learned that the hard way. I neeeeeeed a proper DD for my bass, technicalities be damned... I'm definitely a closet basshead.

I guess my next concern is the fact that it's made by hand in France - higher labor cost jacks the price up compared to Chinese made stuff.
£850 is about $1000 and many Chinese tribrids coming out these days are in the $500 bracket.

The Mundaka has to be very special to warrant a leap-of-faith-purchase at its price.

 

[davidmolliere]

Thanks for the write-up!

I'm never going full BA again, learned that the hard way. I neeeeeeed a proper DD for my bass, technicalities be damned... I'm definitely a closet basshead.

I guess my next concern is the fact that it's made by hand in France - higher labor cost jacks the price up compared to Chinese made stuff.
£850 is about $1000 and many Chinese tribrids coming out these days are in the $500 bracket.

The Mundaka has to be very special to warrant a leap-of-faith-purchase at its price.

i don’t think this reasoning holds. It’s not a function of cost, the reasoning works only for lower tier stuff.

First @Aldo40 is his own man like others in the business so he is his own labor so to speak there are no salary cost on top. Second by that reasoning any Asia built IEM has better value, not always the case because cost is not the only component of price some price their IEMs as high as say Empire Ears, 64 Audio etc. They just have better margins and a better local purchasing power as well so a strong local market at least in the TOTL segment and that’s also how we ended up with an insanely priced market.

Some people like @Aldo40 or Piotr at Custom Art keep things real with fair margins. Mundaka in the upper mid tier is priced very competitively IMHO

 

[Bitsir]

Well, I caved and ordered the Mundaka... I should have my pair in 5 weeks time, maybe less.

Now I also need a great source... I know the Mundaka likes power, perhaps the Luxury & Precision W2 will suffice. (235mW)

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Well, I caved and ordered the Mundaka... I should have my pair in 5 weeks time, maybe less.

Now I also need a great source... I know the Mundaka likes power, perhaps the Luxury & Precision W2 will suffice. (235mW)

@Bitsir will you compare Mudaka with some 700/1000€ IEMs?

 

[Bitsir]

@Bitsir will you compare Mudaka with some 700/1000€ IEMs?

My previously most expensive set is the Oriolus Reborn which is $880. Unfortunately the right piece is missing... I was quite impressed with it.

I have in my possession the following IEMs:

TRI i3, oBravo Cupid, Lokahi & Urbanfun (Beryllium DD).

 

[monduvo]

Hello there,


This is my first post in an iem forum, as I am fairly new to this thread, yet I have been reading on and off Head-Fi without an account for some time since 2008.

Coming from Sennheisers, KZ and Noble Audio, and more recently Empire Ears and Vision Ears, I am curious in seeing how the Mundaka sounds/performs in comparison to other in-ear monitors with similar hybrid/tribrid configuration.

Looks like I might have to order one and see how it compares to Legend X (and also, by memory, to the Bravado MK1, which I sold not too long ago last year).


-Monduvo.

 

[Bitsir]

Hello there,


This is my first post in an iem forum, as I am fairly new to this thread, yet I have been reading on and off Head-Fi without an account for some time since 2008.

Coming from Sennheisers, KZ and Noble Audio, and more recently Empire Ears and Vision Ears, I am curious in seeing how the Mundaka sounds/performs in comparison to other in-ear monitors with similar hybrid/tribrid configuration.

Looks like I might have to order one and see how it compares to Legend X (and also, by memory, to the Bravado MK1, which I sold not too long ago last year).


-Monduvo.

It supposedly has a very good price to performance ratio, which is very good news considering its €850 price which is just above $1000. I don't know if that means it can hang with $1250, $1500 or beyond. I do trust Davids judgement as he has heard a good deal of IEMs throughout the years.