[mvvRAZ]

Yea your wait has been pretty crazy. I think I saw you mention it was the faceplates causing issue? Perhaps they just really aren't set to make them as 3d as your design (from what I remember). The "3d" signature Jolene faceplate isn't really 3d in that way as their original marketing video sort of shows (I think it was how it was being lit). It's much flatter than it looks, but with the background having depth (but also still flat, just set back a bit).

Oh I’ve got that copper patina faceplate - like those skulls/mask they did some time back. I think it’s a mix of not having the material, problems with their laser cutter, and the universe hating me

 

[mashuto]

Oh I’ve got that copper patina faceplate - like those skulls/mask they did some time back. I think it’s a mix of not having the material, problems with their laser cutter, and the universe hating me

So sorry about the universe. Yours just looked like they would have a lot more depth than it seems their faceplates would have.

Either way, best of luck and hope you receive them sooner rather than later!

 

[KickAssChewGum]

Hello all, I would be very interested to hear other opinions regarding UM 3D Terminator 3DT. I bought it just for fun, only $300+. I was really surprised, it’s sound really really good, great slam, separation top notch, great note weight, great heft, love this iem sound. Actually this is my most favorite of all my iems or all I’ve heard. Given I’m using it with Xelastec tips, Modded Romi Sony 1Z, FW Midnight v2 test version and CA gold 16 iem cable.


For background I have SE5U, CA Andromeda, EE Phantom. Also listened to VE8, great but I don’t like it since it feels like walls of sound hitting you at same time. I like FIR M5 but sounds too clean/HiFi if you know what I mean. Heard Elysium, good but bass anemic.


Frankly I’m perplexed, am I the outlier here, or does this UM 3DT sounds really good, or it’s synergy. I mean to me, this is the best iem I’ve heard. Hits all my check marks, and I’ve heard quite a lot of high tier iems. Would like to hear other’s opinions on this iem.

I also bought the 3DTs on a whim and was shocked by how good they were. In fact, for a few short minutes, they were pretty much the best IEMs in that price bracket for me. But then the @Penon Globes came along and I can’t seem to get them out of my ears. Lots of my much more expensive IEMs are looking on jealously! They are just too much damn fun!

 

[KuroKitsu]

So, I've had the JH Jolene demo unit for a few days now, and I've been meaning to hold off on impressions until my actual unit arrives, but considering there's been a fair bit of interest I'll post a short set of thoughts, to be followed by a more complete Jolene post once I have the CIEM that isn't as fit dependent

- The first weird thing about the Jolene's bass is that if you go anywhere below 100%, it just kinda drops off a cliff. Like, at 100% it doesn't dominate the performance or sound overdone or anything, but at like 60-70% I can pretty much not hear any bass response at all. It might be that the CIEM will hit a lot harder once I have perfect seal, so there the bass knob could be useful, but in its current state, it's pretty much Prada or nada.

- I'd generally describe the Jolene as a more balanced, 2.0 Legend X. The bass texture and layering are straight up incredible, and the punch doesn't lag behind either. It doesn't have as much quantity as the Legend X, which I personally consider a good thing, since it allows the rest of the FR to have some more breathing space.

- The double DD lower midrange goes a long way to improve the coherency of the Jolene as a hybrid. Creating an IEM with a heavy DD bass response and maintaining coherency is something that I've generally found to be difficult. The Sultan and Thummim are two IEMs that I find succeed in that, since they both have a very thick midrange to match the heavy DD - the Jolene however is a step above in that respect, there's a certain effortless-ness that the DD accomplishes in its presentation of the lower midrange. Male vocals sound absolutely exceptional on the Jolene. The upper midrange feels more like a "connecting frequency," bridging the gap between that is an exceptional bass and lower midrange response, and the Jolene's treble.

The upper midrange is in no way a poor upper midrange, it just doesn't really feel like it is demanding your attention the way the majority of IEMs on the market do at the moment. Listening to female vocal heavy tracks I feel more drawn to the bass/treble and instruments surrounding them than I do to the vocals themselves (I personally enjoy that)

- The treble is really, really well extended and is also the source of the Jolene's resolution. The upper treble gives it a really good sense of air and sparkle (not quite as forward as something like the Noir, comparable but slightly behind the A18S I'd say). It also helps the staging, which is already quite wide and spacious. As all JH IEMs, I hear more width than I do depth which is a good deal for me.

Technical ability I'll refrain from discussing just yet, I want to hear the CIEM first - so far I'd rate it quite highly based on the demo, but I tend to hear a lot of changes in staging, dynamics etc when I go to CIEM from uni which is why I'm holding off

Overall though, at 17-1800$ this is an absolute steal. I feel like they could've comfortably priced it at 2500$ ++, and I still wouldn't hesitate to buy as CIEM based on what I'm hearing from the demo. It goes toe to toe with most 3-4000$ flagships that I can think of, and is in no way a compromise.

Based on the demo, highly recommended. To be updated based on the CIEM.
______________________________

Super exciting times ahead

- UM lineup review - Mest Mk2 and Mason FuSang on their way to me, should be here Friday optimistically, next week realistically. Really excited about the FS especially, been hearing incredible things about it
- MMR Balmung - Eric has been hyping me up about it, says he absolutely loved it when he heard it and is negotiating with Jo for a unit of his own. High hopes here, and that blue sword shell is just nerdgasm material
- Eletech's new TOTL woop woop new cable for my A18S? Apparently one of ET's dealers was able to try it with the 18S and said the pairing is incredible

I played around with Crin's Jolene graph and I'm pretty impressed with how similar it keeps the treble signature regardless of the bass pot.

I took a look at the Lola graphs again and noticed the treble shifts quite a bit with the bass pot. At 2:30 on the Lola, the 7k peak just wasn't doing enough to cover the upper mids recession. And below 12 o'clock was when the mids started getting magical for me.

Glad to see I can have my bass and upper mids at the same time. Also the Lolas were tad too deep and my canals hurt after an hour of listening.

Also Raz content, woot

 

[mvvRAZ]

Unique Melody Mason FuSang - the best reference monitor money can buy

As usual, starting with the full disclosure, I was offered a decently chunky discount for the FuSang because I'm a special boi that reviews and hypes things. Bow before my superiority

My experience with the FuSang is honestly what I'd call a reviewer's dream. Just enough things I absolutely love about it to be able to recommend it despite its price, just enough things for me to criticise to avoid slapping a "ThIS iS tHE onLy IEm YoU WiLL EvEr NeeD" tag on it

The FuSang is one expensive, expensive IEM. You get a nice leather case with it, which is well.. nice but that's pretty much it. The stock cable is extremely stiff - the only real use for it is the hardware, I will be sending mine to Dr. Juggles on Monday for him to dissect and put the hardware back on something actually good. It's way too uncomfortable for me to ever use, so the entirety of the impressions are based on Khanyayo's 8 wire silver as well as Eletech's Iliad. Have literally never tried it with the stock cable and not planning to

The "value" of the package as a whole I'd put slightly behind the Thummim personally, as I really like the Plato, and the Thum also gets points for having a super cool (albeit less comfy) shell. The FuSang to me edges it out ever so slightly on sound in some aspects and as an all-rounder, so I suppose the price makes sense considering the inferior cable?

Idk, doesn't really matter here we go

The Mason is to me fundamentally a reference monitor. There's no frequency that feels exaggerated or brought to the front except maybe the upper treble, or that sense of air. The Mason's FR feels like it was designed to pretty much not demand any attention in order to give space to all the air voodoo they've shoved in the monitor.

As a reference monitor, the Mason is on the colder, drier side in how it presents the music, which tends to play especially well with rock, metal, jazz and just about anything that has that "raw" feel to it.

Starting with the bass, the Mason is what I'd consider BA bass that sounds like excellent BA bass. It doesn't try to mimic a dynamic driver, it doesn't try to reach that physicality or impact, but instead goes for a faster, tighter and punchier presentation. I personally really, really like that since I fundamentally love BA bass (especially BA midbass - it has a distinct punch).

The midrange of the Mason is IMHO, the single best midrange I've heard to date (Elysium included there I said it). It has an absolutely phenomenal lower-to-upper midrange balance, where male vocals have good weight and presence, and don't sound pulled back compared to female vocals. The upper midrange is amongst the best I've heard and gives vocals a really good sense of space and extension without being harsh, overly bright, revealing or in your face. It's almost like a perfect 1:1 ratio, where nothing ever feels like it has been compromised to give space to something else

The treble of the Mason is probably the least linear aspect - I personally feel like the upper treble is somewhat exaggerated, which gives it that top tier resolution without ever actually sounding bright or forward.

Exceptional technical ability, with somewhat lacking staging width. It isn't narrow, it just isn't as wide as some of the more recent releases I've tried. On the Mason I heard that "effect" that people keep describing on the Erl but I never experienced myself, where stage organization makes up for a somewhat average width. I'd still consider the Mason to be significantly wider than the Erl, just not as wild as something like the Thummim.

Insane detail, as a result of the upper treble and dynamics.

The aspect of the Mason that I actually want to discuss has nothing to do with any of the above however - so far I've basically described the MEST Mk2 which retails at a third of the price.

What makes the Mason a unique experience and one I consider worth its price tag is that overwhelming, straight up incredible sense of air. I'm not talking treble extension, I'm talking about some straight up voodoo effect that UM have achieved while tuning it. The different sounds and frequencies feel like they're just been injected with a sense of airniness and space - I retyped this paragraph several times while listening to it, and honestly I cannot describe it to you - no other IEM or headphone I have ever heard has managed to even come close to achieving this.

At first I mostly heard it in the vocals - I don't consider the Mason to be an IEM with a vocal focus quantitatively, but qualitatively they sound so stupid good, you're naturally drawn to them within a performance. Once I played some more instrumental tracks however, I started clearly hearing that same air and spaciousness in them. It's honestly an extremely addicting effect that make other monitors sound a little too ordinary (which is well, what makes TOTLs TOTLs)

A lot of the FuSang's strengths are however based on how well it executes vocals and instruments. On tracks that feature neither I can see it somewhat struggling (I.e EDM I guess?) - it pulls off math rock exceptionally well, so I wouldn't put it down to electronic vs acoustic exclusively, but maybe presence of the lower midrange too?

Fundamentally that's what I love about it - it's not an IEM I felt comfortable reviewing 3 hours in - there was just way too much going on, with way too much of that special sauce that still draws you in days and days later.

Full review to be posted at some point, in the meantime though, gonna slap that "best reference IEM I've heard" tag to the Mason.

 

[RTodd]

Unique Melody Mason FuSang

As usual, starting with the full disclosure, I was offered a decently chunky discount for the FuSang because I'm a special boi that reviews and hypes things. Bow before my superiority

My experience with the FuSang is honestly what I'd call a reviewer's dream. Just enough things I absolutely love about it to be able to recommend it despite its price, just enough things for me to criticise to avoid slapping a "ThIS iS tHE onLy IEm YoU WiLL EvEr NeeD" tag on it

The FuSang is one expensive, expensive IEM. You get a nice leather case with it, which is well.. nice but that's pretty much it. The stock cable is extremely stiff - the only real use for it is the hardware, I will be sending mine to Dr. Juggles on Monday for him to dissect and put the hardware back on something actually good. It's way too uncomfortable for me to ever use, so the entirety of the impressions are based on Khanyayo's 8 wire silver as well as Eletech's Iliad. Have literally never tried it with the stock cable and not planning to

The "value" of the package as a whole I'd put slightly behind the Thummim personally, as I really like the Plato, and the Thum also gets points for having a super cool (albeit less comfy) shell. The FuSang to me edges it out ever so slightly on sound in some aspects and as an all-rounder, so I suppose the price makes sense considering the inferior cable?

Idk, doesn't really matter here we go

The Mason is to me fundamentally a reference monitor. There's no frequency that feels exaggerated or brought to the front except maybe the upper treble, or that sense of air. The Mason's FR feels like it was designed to pretty much not demand any attention in order to give space to all the air voodoo they've shoved in the monitor.

As a reference monitor, the Mason is on the colder, drier side in how it presents the music, which tends to play especially well with rock, metal, jazz and just about anything that has that "raw" feel to it.

Starting with the bass, the Mason is what I'd consider BA bass that sounds like excellent BA bass. It doesn't try to mimic a dynamic driver, it doesn't try to reach that physicality or impact, but instead goes for a faster, tighter and punchier presentation. I personally really, really like that since I fundamentally love BA bass (especially BA midbass - it has a distinct punch).

The midrange of the Mason is IMHO, the single best midrange I've heard to date (Elysium included there I said it). It has an absolutely phenomenal lower-to-upper midrange balance, where male vocals have good weight and presence, and don't sound pulled back compared to female vocals. The upper midrange is amongst the best I've heard and gives vocals a really good sense of space and extension without being harsh, overly bright, revealing or in your face. It's almost like a perfect 1:1 ratio, where nothing ever feels like it has been compromised to give space to something else

The treble of the Mason is probably the least linear aspect - I personally feel like the upper treble is somewhat exaggerated, which gives it that top tier resolution without ever actually sounding bright or forward.

Exceptional technical ability, with somewhat lacking staging width. It isn't narrow, it just isn't as wide as some of the more recent releases I've tried. On the Mason I heard that "effect" that people keep describing on the Erl but I never experienced myself, where stage organization makes up for a somewhat average width. I'd still consider the Mason to be significantly wider than the Erl, just not as wild as something like the Thummim.

Insane detail, as a result of the upper treble and dynamics.

The aspect of the Mason that I actually want to discuss has nothing to do with any of the above however - so far I've basically described the MEST Mk2 which retails at a third of the price.

What makes the Mason a unique experience and one I consider worth its price tag is that overwhelming, straight up incredible sense of air. I'm not talking treble extension, I'm talking about some straight up voodoo effect that UM have achieved while tuning it. The different sounds and frequencies feel like they're just been injected with a sense of airniness and space - I retyped this paragraph several times while listening to it, and honestly I cannot describe it to you - no other IEM or headphone I have ever heard has managed to even come close to achieving this.

At first I mostly heard it in the vocals - I don't consider the Mason to be an IEM with a vocal focus quantitatively, but qualitatively they sound so stupid good, you're naturally drawn to them within a performance. Once I played some more instrumental tracks however, I started clearly hearing that same air and spaciousness in them. It's honestly an extremely addicting effect that make other monitors sound a little too ordinary (which is well, what makes TOTLs TOTLs)

A lot of the FuSang's strengths are however based on how well it executes vocals and instruments. On tracks that feature neither I can see it somewhat struggling (I.e EDM I guess?) - it pulls off math rock exceptionally well, so I wouldn't put it down to electronic vs acoustic exclusively, but maybe presence of the lower midrange too?

Fundamentally that's what I love about it - it's not an IEM I felt comfortable reviewing 3 hours in - there was just way too much going on, with way too much of that special sauce that still draws you in days and days later.

Full review to be posted at some point, in the meantime though, gonna slap that "best reference IEM I've heard" tag to the Mason.

Nice write up.

Since you mentioned the Elysium I feel like what I need to hear about is a comparison between the Elysium and the M8 and the FuSang and the M8.

Lots of people including me find the Ely/M8 synergy amazing.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Nice write up.

Since you mentioned the Elysium I feel like what I need to hear about is a comparison between the Elysium and the M8 and the FuSang and the M8.

Lots of people including me find the Ely/M8 synergy amazing.

I've got my elysium in Barcelona currently, so no access to it, and unfortunately no M8 to compare them on

I do find there are some parallels between the Mason and the Elysium that make them feel a little similar though, so maybe the M8 would make for a great DAP for the Mason? I should maybe get one..

 

[bluestorm1992]

Unique Melody Mason FuSang

As usual, starting with the full disclosure, I was offered a decently chunky discount for the FuSang because I'm a special boi that reviews and hypes things. Bow before my superiority

My experience with the FuSang is honestly what I'd call a reviewer's dream. Just enough things I absolutely love about it to be able to recommend it despite its price, just enough things for me to criticise to avoid slapping a "ThIS iS tHE onLy IEm YoU WiLL EvEr NeeD" tag on it

The FuSang is one expensive, expensive IEM. You get a nice leather case with it, which is well.. nice but that's pretty much it. The stock cable is extremely stiff - the only real use for it is the hardware, I will be sending mine to Dr. Juggles on Monday for him to dissect and put the hardware back on something actually good. It's way too uncomfortable for me to ever use, so the entirety of the impressions are based on Khanyayo's 8 wire silver as well as Eletech's Iliad. Have literally never tried it with the stock cable and not planning to

The "value" of the package as a whole I'd put slightly behind the Thummim personally, as I really like the Plato, and the Thum also gets points for having a super cool (albeit less comfy) shell. The FuSang to me edges it out ever so slightly on sound in some aspects and as an all-rounder, so I suppose the price makes sense considering the inferior cable?

Idk, doesn't really matter here we go

The Mason is to me fundamentally a reference monitor. There's no frequency that feels exaggerated or brought to the front except maybe the upper treble, or that sense of air. The Mason's FR feels like it was designed to pretty much not demand any attention in order to give space to all the air voodoo they've shoved in the monitor.

As a reference monitor, the Mason is on the colder, drier side in how it presents the music, which tends to play especially well with rock, metal, jazz and just about anything that has that "raw" feel to it.

Starting with the bass, the Mason is what I'd consider BA bass that sounds like excellent BA bass. It doesn't try to mimic a dynamic driver, it doesn't try to reach that physicality or impact, but instead goes for a faster, tighter and punchier presentation. I personally really, really like that since I fundamentally love BA bass (especially BA midbass - it has a distinct punch).

The midrange of the Mason is IMHO, the single best midrange I've heard to date (Elysium included there I said it). It has an absolutely phenomenal lower-to-upper midrange balance, where male vocals have good weight and presence, and don't sound pulled back compared to female vocals. The upper midrange is amongst the best I've heard and gives vocals a really good sense of space and extension without being harsh, overly bright, revealing or in your face. It's almost like a perfect 1:1 ratio, where nothing ever feels like it has been compromised to give space to something else

The treble of the Mason is probably the least linear aspect - I personally feel like the upper treble is somewhat exaggerated, which gives it that top tier resolution without ever actually sounding bright or forward.

Exceptional technical ability, with somewhat lacking staging width. It isn't narrow, it just isn't as wide as some of the more recent releases I've tried. On the Mason I heard that "effect" that people keep describing on the Erl but I never experienced myself, where stage organization makes up for a somewhat average width. I'd still consider the Mason to be significantly wider than the Erl, just not as wild as something like the Thummim.

Insane detail, as a result of the upper treble and dynamics.

The aspect of the Mason that I actually want to discuss has nothing to do with any of the above however - so far I've basically described the MEST Mk2 which retails at a third of the price.

What makes the Mason a unique experience and one I consider worth its price tag is that overwhelming, straight up incredible sense of air. I'm not talking treble extension, I'm talking about some straight up voodoo effect that UM have achieved while tuning it. The different sounds and frequencies feel like they're just been injected with a sense of airniness and space - I retyped this paragraph several times while listening to it, and honestly I cannot describe it to you - no other IEM or headphone I have ever heard has managed to even come close to achieving this.

At first I mostly heard it in the vocals - I don't consider the Mason to be an IEM with a vocal focus quantitatively, but qualitatively they sound so stupid good, you're naturally drawn to them within a performance. Once I played some more instrumental tracks however, I started clearly hearing that same air and spaciousness in them. It's honestly an extremely addicting effect that make other monitors sound a little too ordinary (which is well, what makes TOTLs TOTLs)

A lot of the FuSang's strengths are however based on how well it executes vocals and instruments. On tracks that feature neither I can see it somewhat struggling (I.e EDM I guess?) - it pulls off math rock exceptionally well, so I wouldn't put it down to electronic vs acoustic exclusively, but maybe presence of the lower midrange too?

Fundamentally that's what I love about it - it's not an IEM I felt comfortable reviewing 3 hours in - there was just way too much going on, with way too much of that special sauce that still draws you in days and days later.

Full review to be posted at some point, in the meantime though, gonna slap that "best reference IEM I've heard" tag to the Mason.

Excellent impressions as always Michael!!!

Regarding the source, I have found the pairing of FS&M8 pleasant to my ears in my short demo session with M8. The musicality aspect of this dap helped FS engage me further in some female vocal tracks.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Excellent impressions as always Michael!!!

Regarding the source, I have found the pairing of FS&M8 pleasant to my ears in my short demo session with M8. The musicality aspect of this dap helped FS engage me further in some female vocal tracks.

I really like it off the PAW6000, I'll use it with the MHA150 before a final review. I'm currently on the Mason along with a simple PAW S1 though, and I find it continues to sound exceptional and "retains" its magic. Honestly, so far I haven't really found it quite as source picky as the impressions say, but I might end up being much more picky myself once the honeymoon is over (and I'm honeymooning really, really hard with it haha)

 

[ranfan]

Man, I need to try that voodoo effect someday Imagine listening to it custom. Thanks for sharing your impression Raz

 

[mvvRAZ]

Man, I need to try that voodoo effect someday Imagine listening to it custom. Thanks for sharing your impression Raz

I've been told (unofficially) that UM would reshell it into a CIEM for 500$ or something like that. I can't say I'm not tempted, but I'm also hesitant considering I absolutely love the sound as is.

On the bone conduction driver, I actually don't think that's how it is designed to act at all - there's literally nothing even remotely close to a bone in contact with the IEM, and the vibration would need to be massive to actually be registered by the brain

Considering the placement of the bone conduction driver (on the back of the faceplate), I actually am picturing it as more of a "tubeless" driver that works in a similar way to what FiR described in a video way back, where they put the DDs as far from the ear as possible to give the sound wave space to build up or something like that

I don't think it doesn't work, since it creates some effects I haven't heard before, I just don't think it works through literal bone conduction

 

[bluestorm1992]

I really like it off the PAW6000, I'll use it with the MHA150 before a final review. I'm currently on the Mason along with a simple PAW S1 though, and I find it continues to sound exceptional and "retains" its magic. Honestly, so far I haven't really found it quite as source picky as the impressions say, but I might end up being much more picky myself once the honeymoon is over (and I'm honeymooning really, really hard with it haha)

Haha sure. For the source picky aspect I think it is preference-dependent. If I were into a super neutral presentation, I would have been pretty happy with N6ii+C9 with it, or even SP2000 when playing instruments. However, neither of them gave me the emotional engagement I normally expect in some female vocal tracks. M8 and P6 Pro helped me to get this aspect back.

My sense is the Mason is just very reflective of the signature of the source - because it is so neutral. It is not like some other IEMs I have had where it sounded somewhat similar with a wide range of sources.

 

[bluestorm1992]

I've been told (unofficially) that UM would reshell it into a CIEM for 500$ or something like that. I can't say I'm not tempted, but I'm also hesitant considering I absolutely love the sound as is.

On the bone conduction driver, I actually don't think that's how it is designed to act at all - there's literally nothing even remotely close to a bone in contact with the IEM, and the vibration would need to be massive to actually be registered by the brain

Considering the placement of the bone conduction driver (on the back of the faceplate), I actually am picturing it as more of a "tubeless" driver that works in a similar way to what FiR described in a video way back, where they put the DDs as far from the ear as possible to give the sound wave space to build up or something like that

I don't think it doesn't work, since it creates some effects I haven't heard before, I just don't think it works through literal bone conduction

BTW Michael, make sure you post your impressions or the link to it in the Mason thread! I am sure that interested users will find this extremely helpful.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Haha sure. For the source picky aspect I think it is preference-dependent. If I were into a super neutral presentation, I would have been pretty happy with N6ii+C9 with it, or even SP2000 when playing instruments. However, neither of them gave me the emotional engagement I normally expect in some female vocal tracks. M8 and P6 Pro helped me to get this aspect back.

My sense is the Mason is just very reflective of the signature of the source - because it is so neutral. It is not like some other IEMs I have had where it sounded somewhat similar with a wide range of sources.

Oh that's entirely possible. Both the PAW S1 and the PAW6000 have very similar tonalities, where the 6000 just takes it further technically. In that sense, I cannot yet comment on how the Mason reacts to the tonalities of different sources since all my sources have the same tonality

Man I really need a second DAP lol

 

[gryphonos]

Unique Melody Mason FuSang - the best reference monitor money can buy

As usual, starting with the full disclosure, I was offered a decently chunky discount for the FuSang because I'm a special boi that reviews and hypes things. Bow before my superiority

My experience with the FuSang is honestly what I'd call a reviewer's dream. Just enough things I absolutely love about it to be able to recommend it despite its price, just enough things for me to criticise to avoid slapping a "ThIS iS tHE onLy IEm YoU WiLL EvEr NeeD" tag on it

The FuSang is one expensive, expensive IEM. You get a nice leather case with it, which is well.. nice but that's pretty much it. The stock cable is extremely stiff - the only real use for it is the hardware, I will be sending mine to Dr. Juggles on Monday for him to dissect and put the hardware back on something actually good. It's way too uncomfortable for me to ever use, so the entirety of the impressions are based on Khanyayo's 8 wire silver as well as Eletech's Iliad. Have literally never tried it with the stock cable and not planning to

The "value" of the package as a whole I'd put slightly behind the Thummim personally, as I really like the Plato, and the Thum also gets points for having a super cool (albeit less comfy) shell. The FuSang to me edges it out ever so slightly on sound in some aspects and as an all-rounder, so I suppose the price makes sense considering the inferior cable?

Idk, doesn't really matter here we go

The Mason is to me fundamentally a reference monitor. There's no frequency that feels exaggerated or brought to the front except maybe the upper treble, or that sense of air. The Mason's FR feels like it was designed to pretty much not demand any attention in order to give space to all the air voodoo they've shoved in the monitor.

As a reference monitor, the Mason is on the colder, drier side in how it presents the music, which tends to play especially well with rock, metal, jazz and just about anything that has that "raw" feel to it.

Starting with the bass, the Mason is what I'd consider BA bass that sounds like excellent BA bass. It doesn't try to mimic a dynamic driver, it doesn't try to reach that physicality or impact, but instead goes for a faster, tighter and punchier presentation. I personally really, really like that since I fundamentally love BA bass (especially BA midbass - it has a distinct punch).

The midrange of the Mason is IMHO, the single best midrange I've heard to date (Elysium included there I said it). It has an absolutely phenomenal lower-to-upper midrange balance, where male vocals have good weight and presence, and don't sound pulled back compared to female vocals. The upper midrange is amongst the best I've heard and gives vocals a really good sense of space and extension without being harsh, overly bright, revealing or in your face. It's almost like a perfect 1:1 ratio, where nothing ever feels like it has been compromised to give space to something else

The treble of the Mason is probably the least linear aspect - I personally feel like the upper treble is somewhat exaggerated, which gives it that top tier resolution without ever actually sounding bright or forward.

Exceptional technical ability, with somewhat lacking staging width. It isn't narrow, it just isn't as wide as some of the more recent releases I've tried. On the Mason I heard that "effect" that people keep describing on the Erl but I never experienced myself, where stage organization makes up for a somewhat average width. I'd still consider the Mason to be significantly wider than the Erl, just not as wild as something like the Thummim.

Insane detail, as a result of the upper treble and dynamics.

The aspect of the Mason that I actually want to discuss has nothing to do with any of the above however - so far I've basically described the MEST Mk2 which retails at a third of the price.

What makes the Mason a unique experience and one I consider worth its price tag is that overwhelming, straight up incredible sense of air. I'm not talking treble extension, I'm talking about some straight up voodoo effect that UM have achieved while tuning it. The different sounds and frequencies feel like they're just been injected with a sense of airniness and space - I retyped this paragraph several times while listening to it, and honestly I cannot describe it to you - no other IEM or headphone I have ever heard has managed to even come close to achieving this.

At first I mostly heard it in the vocals - I don't consider the Mason to be an IEM with a vocal focus quantitatively, but qualitatively they sound so stupid good, you're naturally drawn to them within a performance. Once I played some more instrumental tracks however, I started clearly hearing that same air and spaciousness in them. It's honestly an extremely addicting effect that make other monitors sound a little too ordinary (which is well, what makes TOTLs TOTLs)

A lot of the FuSang's strengths are however based on how well it executes vocals and instruments. On tracks that feature neither I can see it somewhat struggling (I.e EDM I guess?) - it pulls off math rock exceptionally well, so I wouldn't put it down to electronic vs acoustic exclusively, but maybe presence of the lower midrange too?

Fundamentally that's what I love about it - it's not an IEM I felt comfortable reviewing 3 hours in - there was just way too much going on, with way too much of that special sauce that still draws you in days and days later.

Full review to be posted at some point, in the meantime though, gonna slap that "best reference IEM I've heard" tag to the Mason.

Hi.
I'm impressed by your first-rate review. Thanks for that !
Since I am going to receive my FuSang soon, your detailed information is worthwhile and a kind of anticipating experience with FuSang for me.
I want to come back to the OG cable. What you're reporting about the unusability of the stock cable sounds really disappointing. So, you have never listened to it until now? Is their any chance the cable might soften up due to your expert knowledge?
Thanks...