[Spyder15]

This is part of why I justified the extra cost to myself over the Maestro SE.
I love the idea of being able to have one really nice IEM that can do pretty much everything I want it to do.

Absolutely agree, this is why I spent the extra money for the Grand over the Maestro SE. I didn't want to be limited to one single sound signature for my high end IEM. One thing I've come to appreciate about this hobby is how different things sound and how the things I own still make me want to listen to them for their own unique listen, even though they may not be my perfect sound signature.

To me the experience of listening to music in so many different ways is the biggest thrill to this hobby (and detriment to my wallet, hah), so I'll continue to try new things, even though admittedly I feel the Grand Maestro will be one of the things I come back to most, simply because of it's flexibility. I have so much excitement for this IEM.

 

[dLGN]

Did you order a custom or a universal Maestro SE?
I'll be looking forward to your impressions!

Universal. I quite like the look of the universals especially with the blue cable. But my main motivation was reading people's experiences with other IEMs that come in universal and custom varieties - that sometimes customs, while likely providing a less impeded and more consistent experience, are not always preferred. Perhaps I'll try customs with some less expensive IEMs one day and if I enjoy the fit and sound differences then I'd consider upgrading to a (custom) GM in the future!

 

[Madsumm]

just got the grand a while ago. have yet to run in and will do so tonight. On the right, the new wood box for the grand. nicely done!

 

[Pelilin]

just got the grand a while ago. have yet to run in and will do so tonight. On the right, the new wood box for the grand. nicely done!

I was planning to get this custom color!!!! IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!
Congrats on your set i just cant justify the extra dollar for the custom plate. But looking at yours i regret it now T_T it is beautiful the red wood damn......
Anyway what cable is that? Is it the included cable?

 

[Madsumm]

I was planning to get this color!!!! IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!
Congrats on your set i just cant justify the extra dollar for the custom plate. But looking at yours i regret it now T_T it is beautiful the red wood damn......
Anyway what cable is that? Is it the included cable?

Yep, when I saw the wood series I just go for it.

It’s the stock cable and silver. Me prefer mix or copper. Likely will upgrade to something else like Eletech. But will run in first. Imaging and staging not as good as my old mix cable, but definitely clearer.

First hearing, pretty clear but missing some stuff. Should clear out when ran in.

Interestingly, I change to the SednaEarfit Crystal M. It does work well with this. Likely wrong sized.
In the box it provided Sednafit Max which works well. Stock ear buds works well too.

 

[Pelilin]

Yep, when I saw the wood series I just go for it.

It’s the stock cable and silver. Me prefer mix or copper. Likely will upgrade to something else like Eletech. But will run in first. Imaging and staging not as good as my old mix cable, but definitely clearer.

First hearing, pretty clear but missing some stuff. Should clear out when ran in.

Interestingly, I change to the SednaEarfit Crystal M. It does work well with this. Likely wrong sized.
In the box it provided Sednafit Max which works well. Stock ear buds works well too.

Did you go with the purple heart or sapele?
Oh so the stock cable is pure silver? Interesting. Oh my they include Azla Max? I dont like Azla Max it only increase bass but everything else is poor.

 

[Madsumm]

Did you go with the purple heart or sapele?
Oh so the stock cable is pure silver? Interesting. Oh my they include Azla Max? I dont like Azla Max it only increase bass but everything else is poor.

Sapele

Interestingly, with Silver, Max sound ok. I will get Crystal in the right size and test again. On the current Crystal, instruments and vocal sounds more distinct (seperate). However, bass is missing. Suspect the crystal is a bit longer (8.8mm) Whereas Max is 7.2mm.

 

[Pelilin]

Sapele

Interestingly, with Silver, Max sound ok. I will get Crystal in the right size and test again. On the current Crystal, instruments and vocal sounds more distinct (seperate). However, bass is missing. Suspect the crystal is a bit longer (8.8mm) Whereas Max is 7.2mm.

Isnt GM bass heavy IEM? Is the tips not the right fit? Crystal is a bit longer i think. If i want shorter tips usually i go with xelastec or jvc spiraldot.

 

[Madsumm]

Isnt GM bass heavy IEM? Is the tips not the right fit? Crystal is a bit longer i think. If i want shorter tips usually i go with xelastec or jvc spiraldot.

At this moment, i don't feel that bass heavy.

It has good sub bass, which does not intrude at all (unlike most IEMs I tried which will muddy the mid bass and mids)

I ran the DSD version of Round-Up Magnificent Seven track, the musicality of sub bass is very obvious.
It is tamed likely by the silver cable. Will confirm after it ran in. (Pulling it through Magic CD for the whole night tonight).

When I ran my older CuAG mix cable, the bass is more pronounced. It also becomes more muddy on mids and mid bass. High is somehow "separated" It feel strange actually.

As expected, such IEM is sensitive to cable pairings. But that is the fun too. Will love to pair it with Eletech's Socrates (Full Cu) and Plato (Full Ag).
Current thought will be that GM is more suited for a good silver cables. I need to hear it with a good copper cable and CuAG mix to have better comparison.

 

[Pelilin]

At this moment, i don't feel that bass heavy.

It has good sub bass, which does not intrude at all (unlike most IEMs I tried which will muddy the mid bass and mids)

I ran the DSD version of Round-Up Magnificent Seven track, the musicality of sub bass is very obvious.
It is tamed likely by the silver cable. Will confirm after it ran in. (Pulling it through Magic CD for the whole night tonight).

When I ran my older CuAG mix cable, the bass is more pronounced. It also becomes more muddy on mids and mid bass. High is somehow "separated" It feel strange actually.

As expected, such IEM is sensitive to cable pairings. But that is the fun too. Will love to pair it with Eletech's Socrates (Full Cu) and Plato (Full Ag).
Current thought will be that GM is more suited for a good silver cables. I need to hear it with a good copper cable and CuAG mix to have better comparison.

Interesting. I didnt expect the cable alter the sound that much. Have you tried playing with the module and switches?

 

[Madsumm]

Interesting. I didnt expect the cable alter the sound that much. Have you tried playing with the module and switches?

So far, I understood that there is no differences in the modules. Only the colors.

For switches, it there are clear differences between mid forward and V shaped tuned.
Strangely I have no preferences and depends on the music I listen to. After listen to either for a while, the music settles in and your seem to "adapt" to the changed sound.

Mid forward can be quite glaring on the vocals and its really dependent on the recordings you are listening to. Linda Rondstadt sounds sweet though.
For V-shaped, it sounded sweet on more electronic music.
Classical is problematic (i prefer neutral for this). Could not say which is better (more towards V-shaped). Chamber or baroque is more towards mid-forward setting.

Most importantly I feel that you can have a choice of either where previous you could not.

 

[jdan1457]

Hi folks,

Adding onto what @Bret Halford has accurately said here, I just wanted to confirm the following from the FatFreq team:

• Both will be available simultaneously, coexisting as complimentary models as opposed to a refinement.
• The tuning heard at CanJam SG is not final, nor are the versions that HBB has in hand. We are taking feedback from everyone to do this right! There are about two more revisions we have planned before things reach a finalized stage.
• We don't have a set price yet, although it's safe to assume the Scarlet Mini will be around a similar price to the Maestro Mini.
• We don't have a date set yet. We're hoping for end of April to early May, and will keep everyone in the loop on that as soon as there are updates.

Thank you all for your shared interest and excitement in this! We can't wait to share more soon!

Hey, any updates on this, it's early May!! I've been anxiously awaiting news of the Scarlet Mini

 

[Pelilin]

So far, I understood that there is no differences in the modules. Only the colors.

For switches, it there are clear differences between mid forward and V shaped tuned.
Strangely I have no preferences and depends on the music I listen to. After listen to either for a while, the music settles in and your seem to "adapt" to the changed sound.

Mid forward can be quite glaring on the vocals and its really dependent on the recordings you are listening to. Linda Rondstadt sounds sweet though.
For V-shaped, it sounded sweet on more electronic music.
Classical is problematic (i prefer neutral for this). Could not say which is better (more towards V-shaped). Chamber or baroque is more towards mid-forward setting.

Most importantly I feel that you can have a choice of either where previous you could not.

Interesting . A friend of mine who have tried GM actually said the vocals are very natural and good and he like the Vshape tuning. Is the mid forward switch sound like W shape or just neutral? Oh yeah someone here said that the vocal can sound lean is it lean?

 

[Madsumm]

Interesting . A friend of mine who have tried GM actually said the vocals are very natural and good and he like the Vshape tuning. Is the mid forward switch sound like W shape or just neutral? Oh yeah someone here said that the vocal can sound lean is it lean?

For mid forward setting, it suites most vocals (especially indie/jazz/acoustic types). Maybe mine is not fully ran in, it sounded a bit harsh. That should settle. Looking forward for the smoother mids. At this moment, yes, it does sound a bit like W. Will reserve this comment till again, it settles.

V-shape is more suited for pop/electronics/rock type of music. Most are anyway mastered that way for these genres. Again, likely to due it being new, it sounded harsh on the mid bass upwards to mids for this setting. Strangely though, the highs are nice.

From the above, it does feel that a Cu type cable will bring the warmness and fullness a notch more. The Mid-forward setting sure will give warm sound lovers something to shout for.

Lastly, it is very sensitive to the eartips used. Preferably use those that around 7mm-7.4mm. This will definitely make the bass sound better and musical. As said earlier, Crystal at 8,8mm does no justice to GM. I will likely skip the Crystal for now and stick with Max or stock.

 

[Pelilin]

For mid forward setting, it suites most vocals (especially indie/jazz/acoustic types). Maybe mine is not fully ran in, it sounded a bit harsh. That should settle. Looking forward for the smoother mids. At this moment, yes, it does sound a bit like W. Will reserve this comment till again, it settles.

V-shape is more suited for pop/electronics/rock type of music. Most are anyway mastered that way for these genres. Again, likely to due it being new, it sounded harsh on the mid bass upwards to mids for this setting. Strangely though, the highs are nice.

From the above, it does feel that a Cu type cable will bring the warmness and fullness a notch more. The Mid-forward setting sure will give warm sound lovers something to shout for.

Lastly, it is very sensitive to the eartips used. Preferably use those that around 7mm-7.4mm. This will definitely make the bass sound better and musical. As said earlier, Crystal at 8,8mm does no justice to GM. I will likely skip the Crystal for now and stick with Max or stock.

So how was it? Is it the best iem you have ever heard? Was it worth the money?