[raylu]

Received the UM Mason FS today and wanted to share first impressions.

Out of the box it did not wow me. But I think that's not what these IEMs are about. Later more on that.

Generally it sounds quite neutral, definitely not warm. Many reviews mention them as the king of vocals. And I can definitely sign that. Vocals are superbly clear and very emotional. It's definitely the stand-out feature of these IEMs.

The bass is there when demanded. And can hit quit well. It is nicely textured and clean, but it comes with the typical BA timbre. It does not interfere with the mids at all.
8/10

The mids are highly detailed and well textured. But there are IEMs that have even more texture, e.g. Trailli, Odin or Phönix. As said, vocals are so good, you can hear every nuance, breath etc. It involves you quite emotionally, even it is a neutral oriented set.
9/10

The treble is more on the relaxed side, altought there seem to be some smaller peaks. But it is definitely not sibiliant. It does not have a sugar like or silky treble. It's more analytical but still enjoyable.
7/10

Regarding the technicalities: The soundstage is crazy wide. I believe it is the widest soundstage I have heared in any IEM. I don't have the Traillii here at the moment for comparion, but I think it is wider than the Traillii. It is very detailed, especially vocals and the bass has great texture too. But the treble is a bit lacking (maybe recessed is the better word). Instrument separation is very good. I don't find the general timbre very accurate. It's definitely lacking compared to the Traillii.

越聽越喜歡。我需要給它更多的時間。我主要是在為我的 Traillii 尋找一個補充，我喜歡 Mason 的中性聲音和它出色的技術性。但不知何故，它不是最好的多面手，我播放列表中的一些歌曲聽起來很棒，而且我似乎在我以前沒有體驗過的曲目中找到了一些東西，但也有很多歌曲還可以。




像龐！- 不要在 Mason FS 上說話聽起來不可思議。

try the first time shielding with FS, it is just amazing.

 

[Rockwell75]

Slam is otherworldly. Can compete with lx,

It’s got a 16mm DD lol…can’t wait to hear it.

 

[ljnew]

It’s got a 16mm DD lol…can’t wait to hear it.

Don't forget the tape mod and possibly the nozzle mod.

To me it compliments lx well when you just want to slam. Skull cracking, ear bleeding, floor shaking slam. You know it's working when you search for Aspirin and start to get nauseated from slam.

Stock cable is the absolute worst cable ever used to transfer electricity for anything. But it still slams. And sounds phenomenal.

Many iems I've tried under about $500 - $1,000 are useless after trying high end iems.

Sony Ex800st goes toe to toe or at least is still relevant with the big boy multi kilobuck iems. Top tier for slamming. Still ranked as top 5 basshead iems with tape mod. Was reigning champ for slam and bassheads ~8 years before LX came to market.

 

[Damz87]

Don't forget the tape mod and possibly the nozzle mod.

To me it compliments lx well when you just want to slam. Skull cracking, ear bleeding, floor shaking slam. You know it's working when you search for Aspirin and start to get nauseated.

Stock cable is the absolute worst cable ever used to transfer electricity for anything. But it still slams. And sounds phenomenal.

Many iems I've tried under about $500 - $1,000 are useless after trying high end iems.

Sony Ex800st goes toe to toe or at least is still relevant with the big boy multi kilobuck iems. Top tier for slamming. Still ranked as top 5 basshead iems with tape mod. Was reigning champ for slam and bassheads ~8 years before LX came to market.

Ooof, that’s some heavy hype lol. Just to offer another point of view and perhaps temper some expectations, I personally don’t agree it competes with modern day multi-kilobuck IEM’s, but ymmv. Don’t get me wrong, I think EX800ST is a great IEM in its price category and for its age. But comparing it to modern multi-kilobuck sets, I think it falls short in a few key areas; Dynamics, detail retrieval, instrument separation, imaging precision and upper treble extension. Also, the midrange tuning can make vocals sound muffled if you’re used to a more prominent upper mid emphasis.

That said, the bass is pretty satisfying and yes the tape mod can turn it into a full on basshead sound, but the mod also sacrifices some technicalities even further so that’s something to consider IMHO.

 

[klyzon]

Almost forgot how good my lcd2.2 is. Perfect for a lazy Sunday noon here

 

[ljnew]

Ooof, that’s some heavy hype lol. Just to offer another point of view and perhaps temper some expectations, I personally don’t agree it competes with modern day multi-kilobuck IEM’s, but ymmv. Don’t get me wrong, I think EX800ST is a great IEM in its price category and for its age. But comparing it to modern multi-kilobuck sets, I think it falls short in a few key areas; detail retrieval, instrument separation, imaging precision and upper treble extension. Also, the midrange tuning can make vocals sound muffled if you’re used to a more prominent upper mid emphasis.

That said, the bass is very satisfying and yes the tape mod can turn it into a full on basshead sound, but the mod also sacrifices some technicalities even further so that’s something to consider IMHO.

I disagree with that one because in this hobby greater price doesn't always mean greater quality. I can agree with Crinnacle on that one.

Also your ranking would depend on what genres you're listening to and what's important in an iem to you.

Here's what's important to me....

I have music I've been listening to since the late eighties. I've listened primarily at home, in car audio and in the studio. I know exactly how those songs are supposed to sound.

When i rank an iem, i listen to songs to see if it has that authentic playback because i know exactly how those songs are supposed to sound.

Next, I look at overall engagement and fun as well. I also look for technicalities. Sony ex8000st might not have the best technicalities (what iem does for all genres? I don't think any) , but they're top tier because i can hear everything i supposed to hear in my genres. Everything sounds natural.

For me and others that listen to what i listen to Ex800st is definitely top tier.

The slam can't be denied

 

[GiullianSN]

This EX800ST is reminding me the BLON discussions… lol

 

[ljnew]

This EX800ST is reminding me the BLON discussions… lol

I'm not familiar with the Blon discussions. What were they about

 

[Damz87]

I disagree with that one because in this hobby greater price doesn't always mean greater quality. I can agree with Crinnacle on that one.

Also your ranking would depend on what genres you're listening to and what's important in an iem to you.

Here's what's important to me....

I have music I've been listening to since the late eighties. I've listened primarily at home, in car audio and in the studio. I know exactly how those songs are supposed to sound.

When i rank an iem, i listen to songs to see if it has that authentic playback because i know exactly how those songs are supposed to sound.

Next, I look at overall engagement and fun as well. I also look for technicalities. Sony ex8000st might not have the best technicalities, but they're top tier because i can hear everything i supposed to hear in my genres. Everything sounds natural.

For me and others that listen to what i listen to Ex800st is definitely top tier.

The slam can't be denied

As long as you’re enjoying your music library from them, that’s all that matters at the end of the day

 

[GiullianSN]

As long as you’re enjoying your music library from them, that’s all that matters at the end of the day

The only thing I agree on this.

 

[ljnew]

As long as you’re enjoying your music library from them, that’s all that matters at the end of the day

I agree. Imho, I don't care how technical an iem is if I'm not engaged and bored to death.

In fact, i know i have a winner when i get lost in the music and the song and the experience without focusing only details.

 

[Damz87]

I agree. Imho, I don't care how technical an iem is if I'm not engaged and bored to death.

In fact, i know i have a winner when i get lost in the music and the song and the experience without focusing only details.

Absolutely! In fact, I’m having a lazy Sunday afternoon listening to the latest episode of Group Therapy by Above & Beyond with the very humble CCA CRA+ and an Apple Dongle. Definitely not the most technical, and costs less than some sets of eartips I own lol. Yet still, super engaging to my ears and not leaving me wanting to reach for my more expensive setups at all. So I totally understand where you’re coming from

 

[SteveK27]

I disagree with that one because in this hobby greater price doesn't always mean greater quality. I can agree with Crinnacle on that one.

Also your ranking would depend on what genres you're listening to and what's important in an iem to you.

Here's what's important to me....

I have music I've been listening to since the late eighties. I've listened primarily at home, in car audio and in the studio. I know exactly how those songs are supposed to sound.

When i rank an iem, i listen to songs to see if it has that authentic playback because i know exactly how those songs are supposed to sound.

Next, I look at overall engagement and fun as well. I also look for technicalities. Sony ex8000st might not have the best technicalities (what iem does for all genres? I don't think any) , but they're top tier because i can hear everything i supposed to hear in my genres. Everything sounds natural.

For me and others that listen to what i listen to Ex800st is definitely top tier.

The slam can't be denied

I believe the disparity of opinions are coming from having different sources, which heavily impacts how one perceives an iem in respect to whether it's properly amped up or not.

I've heard multi-kilobuck iem sound worse than a typical tws earphones without a proper amp, which may drastically devalue how one perceives an iem's full potential. From my experience, today's contemporary iem paired with an adequate source cannot be compared to any older models strictly in technical performance.

 

[MatW]

So indigo might excel in hip hop rnb over Traillii and Jewel?

No, that’s not what I meant. I suspect that Indigo will sound best with electronic music compared to other genres, not compared to Traillii, which is a step above for me. Haven’t heard the Jewel yet.

 

[GiullianSN]

I

Absolutely! In fact, I’m having a lazy Sunday afternoon listening to the latest episode of Group Therapy by Above & Beyond with the very humble CCA CRA+ and an Apple Dongle. Definitely not the most technical, and costs less than some sets of eartips I own lol. Yet, still super engaging to my ears and not leaving me wanting to reach for my more expensive setups at all. So I totally understand where you’re coming from

Did a couple trips in the last months and the only source I brought with me was an Apple Dongle. I love that thing and Actually regret not having all my cables 3.5mm so I can easily use it any time.