[gelade4000]

has precog tried monarch mkiii yet? interested in his impression. also can't believe I missed the bay area HIFICON. didn't even know that's a thing really. any upcoming 2023 bay area audio showsmeet ups you guys know off?

 

[DynamicEars]

Hmm I assume you're mostly interested in the MEST MKIII? I have it on loan right now from Antdroid, but I don't have the previous versions to do a shootout and I don't know if it's worth a review. If you want the cliffnotes, though, l think the OG is still the best. The MKIII sounds a lot like the Indigo which had worse treble extension than the OG. My preferences would probably go:

MEST OG > MEST MKII > MEST Indigo = MEST MKIII

Make no mistake: the MKIII's still a good IEM, but it's difficult to justify with the price increases. Also the cable on the MKIII is probably one of the worst I've handled, it kinks so badly lol

I always assuming that Mest MkIII is the renamed Indigo. Especially when they changed the shell design and use exactly the same Indigo shell, and saw the graph of indigo and mest mkIII and driver config.

Glad I still keep the Mest OG instead and I feel the same the OG have great technicalities even with some timbre problem for timbre preferences people, but using some eartips like H570 or Spiral Dot++ they sounded less analytical and tames the edgy trebles.

 

[squadard]

Speaking of the Mest, the hk special+ edition for the mk3 just came out! Tmk nothing aside from the aesthetics (Both shells now have a gold UM logo) unlike the previous two versions, but they still sold out pretty much instantly.

 

[SweetCans928]

Hmm I assume you're mostly interested in the MEST MKIII? I have it on loan right now from Antdroid, but I don't have the previous versions to do a shootout and I don't know if it's worth a review. If you want the cliffnotes, though, l think the OG is still the best. The MKIII sounds a lot like the Indigo which had worse treble extension than the OG. My preferences would probably go:

MEST OG > MEST MKII > MEST Indigo = MEST MKIII

Make no mistake: the MKIII's still a good IEM, but it's difficult to justify with the price increases. Also the cable on the MKIII is probably one of the worst I've handled, it kinks so badly lol

I wonder if you were to compare them more directly, if you might feel differently. I have both MK1 and MK3, and when I switch between them, MK3 is just a noticeable step up, especially as it pertains to resolution. It's like going from a great 4K budget TV to an 8K OLED or something similar. I do love my OG MEST...quite a lot actually. On some days I have ranked it as my all-time favorite IEM.

I'm glad they made it so you can buy MEST 3 without the cable. I'm not an expensive cable guy so I'm just using the Monarch/Clairvoyance cable with mine. That saved me some cash, and it's a pretty nice cable.

Anyway, just glad to have some MK3 discussion! Your reviews rock btw.

 

[mgsu]

I am using Fiio FH7 since 3 years now, my only IEM. Am i still sane?

Is there any TOTL IEM to be considered an improvement over FH7? DAP is DX300+AMP14

I am looking for the similar tonality, maybe a little warmer, little more base, bigger soundstage and separation.

Am i still missing something with FH7?

 

[o0genesis0o]

I am using Fiio FH7 since 3 years now, my only IEM. Am i still sane?

Is there any TOTL IEM to be considered an improvement over FH7? DAP is DX300+AMP14

I am looking for the similar tonality, maybe a little warmer, little more base, bigger soundstage and separation.

Am i still missing something with FH7?

Maybe you can audition FH7s and FH9, if you want to stick to FiiO house.

 

[mgsu]

Maybe you can audition FH7s and FH9, if you want to stick to FiiO house.

Yeah, found FH9 thread on Head-Fi, got FOMOed and placed an order on FH9

 

[Precogvision]

has precog tried monarch mkiii yet? interested in his impression. also can't believe I missed the bay area HIFICON. didn't even know that's a thing really. any upcoming 2023 bay area audio showsmeet ups you guys know off?

Not yet, FC-Construct has our Monarch MKIII unit right now, and I think he just released his review. And yeah, I joined the previous HiFiCon meeting at the last minute because I found out about it the day of haha

I wonder if you were to compare them more directly, if you might feel differently. I have both MK1 and MK3, and when I switch between them, MK3 is just a noticeable step up, especially as it pertains to resolution. It's like going from a great 4K budget TV to an 8K OLED or something similar. I do love my OG MEST...quite a lot actually. On some days I have ranked it as my all-time favorite IEM.

I'm glad they made it so you can buy MEST 3 without the cable. I'm not an expensive cable guy so I'm just using the Monarch/Clairvoyance cable with mine. That saved me some cash, and it's a pretty nice cable.

Anyway, just glad to have some MK3 discussion! Your reviews rock btw.

Thank you! It's definitely possible my thoughts would change, as there's no substitute for hearing them in direct A/B. I haven't heard the OG in a long time (or the MEST MKII) and I mostly have to go off of FR to re-prime what I heard.

Additionally, even just a couple years ago, IEMs were not as competitive. It was easier for good IEMs to stand out, especially ones that were good and unique. These days, I hear so many 'good' IEMs, and the MKIII version is definitely tuned more normally than the OG, which probably skews my impressions. It might be better overall, but these days, I tend to index for stuff that sounds more outside the box.

 

[SweetCans928]

Thank you! It's definitely possible my thoughts would change, as there's no substitute for hearing them in direct A/B. I haven't heard the OG in a long time (or the MEST MKII) and I mostly have to go off of FR to re-prime what I heard.

Additionally, even just a couple years ago, IEMs were not as competitive. It was easier for good IEMs to stand out, especially ones that were good and unique. These days, I hear so many 'good' IEMs, and the MKIII version is definitely tuned more normally than the OG, which probably skews my impressions. It might be better overall, but these days, I tend to index for stuff that sounds more outside the box.

First of all, I totally geeked out that you responded to my comment. Putting that aside and composing myself like the semi-adult that I am, your comment makes a lot of sense. I keep wanting to go for unique stuff as well and there's no way I've heard even a tenth(or hundreth) of what you have.

There's an IEM with a vibrating driver inside it(CVJ Konoka I think), maybe you could try that haha.

 

[desutruction]

Not yet, FC-Construct has our Monarch MKIII unit right now, and I think he just released his review. And yeah, I joined the previous HiFiCon meeting at the last minute because I found out about it the day of haha

Eagerly waiting for your take on MMKIII I'm heavily leaning towards it now, I think the tuning for III makes it much more suited to my tastes.
Also I just think it's very pretty

 

[Fixxxer86]

@Precogvision Have you tried the new Falcon Ultra from Dunu? If so... what is your take on these? Thank you so much!

 

[JLP415]

Additionally, even just a couple years ago, IEMs were not as competitive. It was easier for good IEMs to stand out, especially ones that were good and unique. These days, I hear so many 'good' IEMs, and the MKIII version is definitely tuned more normally than the OG, which probably skews my impressions. It might be better overall, but these days, I tend to index for stuff that sounds more outside the box.

I really don't want to bore you, but I would love your insight on your current IEM/ Listening collection! As a reader, I already know that you mostly daily the APP2, but I just want to know what makes you keep, sell, or buy an IEM/ a product. I know you fell out with the Helios (which you bought rather quickly after the initial listen- same with the Diva and Supernova), then the infamous U12T being sold, and recently the beloved DX300. Like, is it really "I can get my preferred sound for cheaper, therefore I don't care about the minute loss in x, x, or x. "? How about this, would you sell your Diva if it wasn't a CIEM? As you're "stepping away" from all the hyped and stagnant market and you worked with Headphones.com and other creators, do you have any plans to buy or sell anything in the near future (What weighs your scale on owning a product)? Lastly any hot takes from working in this industry?

Thanks

 

[Precogvision]

I really don't want to bore you, but I would love your insight on your current IEM/ Listening collection! As a reader, I already know that you mostly daily the APP2, but I just want to know what makes you keep, sell, or buy an IEM/ a product. I know you fell out with the Helios (which you bought rather quickly after the initial listen- same with the Diva and Supernova), then the infamous U12T being sold, and recently the beloved DX300. Like, is it really "I can get my preferred sound for cheaper, therefore I don't care about the minute loss in x, x, or x. "? How about this, would you sell your Diva if it wasn't a CIEM? As you're "stepping away" from all the hyped and stagnant market and you worked with Headphones.com and other creators, do you have any plans to buy or sell anything in the near future (What weighs your scale on owning a product)? Lastly any hot takes from working in this industry?

Thanks

Haha this would make a good video, but yeah, I can give some insight.

The main reason I sold the Helios is because the ergonomics were poor. I also never really liked using the DX300 (I might have mentioned this before, but the main reason why I even purchased it was so that I could appear more 'official' as a reviewer). Eventually I just stopped caring what people thought, and I have plenty of dongles which are more convenient, so off it went. The bottom line is that comfort and convenience will always supersede sound quality in the long-run unless someone considers themself a masochist. So that's probably the first consideration I make whenever making a purchase these days.

To answer your other question, I wouldn't sell the Diva even if it wasn't a CIEM, although sometimes I wish I purchased the UIEM instead (as it's a PIA cleaning CIEMs). It's one of my main IEMs, as it compliments the U4s in a lot of respects (specifically in the opposite approach to the upper-midrange). And a major purchase consideration I had was that the Diva would be future-proofed for at least the next several years. The way it is tuned is very difficult to replicate (specifically the unique bass rise and the mid-treble tuning). There's still nothing on the market that sounds like it or offers that type of tuning flexibility in a single package.

Along those lines, I look for products that 1) sound unique and 2) that are executed tastefully. The reality is that IEMs with 'conventional' tuning have been refined to a very high degree already and they appeal to a common denominator, one-size-fits-all audience. There are some outliers that are on another level (think the Subtonic Storm), but I don't really subscribe to the idea of a one-and-done IEM, which the Storm would have to be for most listeners given its cost.

I can only speak for myself, but I know that I enjoy a myriad of different sound signatures. It doesn't make sense for me to sink all my money into one IEM. Hence why I've diversified my collection with IEMs like the U4s and Diva which also offer variability via the Apex modules or the bass dial respectively. Add in the Supernova and these IEMs cover 80-90% of my listening needs. I don't really have any plans to buy any IEMs in the near future; if I were to remotely consider purchasing something, it would not only have to offer something unique, but it would also have to be a good value.

To your last question, I'm not sure if I have any particularly spicy takes, but I'll point out that hobbies like audio are low-hanging fruit for flexing wealth and they promote echo chambers. This leads to many people feeling compelled to fit in by purchasing what others are purchasing or by sharing the same impressions. All this to say that I will often read impressions from others that I strongly disagree with. But when there's a consistency between their impressions, I can begrudgingly attribute it to a difference of taste. And I think therein lies the distinction: it's better to have trash taste than it is to not have taste at all and just parrot others' opinions.

Plenty of people have trashed my taste. But these days, it's difficult for me to bother responding to those types of comments (you'll see that I used to try explaining myself; now I just slap back or make a joke out of it if I even respond haha). I have better things to do in this hobby like going to events/meetups, traveling, and hanging out with my audio buddies. Basically, stop caring so much about the gear and what others think, and you'll have more time to focus on experiences instead which will make you happier in the long run.

@Precogvision Have you tried the new Falcon Ultra from Dunu? If so... what is your take on these? Thank you so much!

Hey, no, I haven't heard it yet!

 

[Gromu]

The main reason I sold the Helios is because the ergonomics were poor. I also never really liked using the DX300 (I might have mentioned this before, but the main reason why I even purchased it was so that I could appear more 'official' as a reviewer). Eventually I just stopped caring what people thought, and I have plenty of dongles which are more convenient, so off it went. The bottom line is that comfort and convenience will always supersede sound quality in the long-run unless someone considers themself a misogynist. So that's probably the first consideration I make whenever making a purchase these days.

Do women haters also tend to hate comfort?

 

[Precogvision]

Do women haters also tend to hate comfort?

Nah they wear wife beaters

Good catch and RIP my sense of diction