I finally received the much anticipated Melodic Artification Alter Ego demo last night thanks to MusicTeck. I reached out to them to audition this set after the very positive impressions I heard from friends who attended CanJam SG. All testing was done from the Mjolnir and iPhone dongle. These are fairly easy to drive so I am not noticing a drastic drop off in performance going from Mjolnir to the iPhone nor am I noticing a dramatic improvement outside of imaging and resolution as I go from the iPhone to the Mjolnir.
Unboxing and build quality is quite fantastic. It comes with a cable that reminds me of EA hardware that is fairly supple but not the softest I have used, regardless it does feel great. The IEM is incredibly light and feels really well put together. I've had no issues with comfort and the semi-open back nature makes these things sort of disappear in your ears. The switch is also really sturdy and takes quite a bit of force to toggle, so I can't imagine this would loosen up any time soon or accidentally be switched.
The tonality is essentially neutral with sub bass boost with the switch pushed forward towards your face, or you can pull it back towards your ears and the IEM shifts to a slightly punchier an warmer presentation with both toggles presenting a natural and smooth but well extended treble. I prefer the switch forward to give less coloring to the signature although I find both very usable.
My favorite aspect of the IEM is the bass response. The bass goes incredibly deep with great texturing and has a way of resolving even the lowest Hz without feeling like it's breaking a sweat. I wouldn't describe it as pillow-y, but the attack does feel slightly on the softer side while still maintaining good definition, I just wish it had a bit more kick or oomph down low but I feel the open nature of the IEM is also adding to this perception.
The mid range comes off as natural and fairly neutral with a lovely analogue presentation to it. There's a realistic sense of weight throughout that gives male vocals the body they need and female vocals are more rounded-off and smoother playback that isn't lacking in clarity. The "BA timbre" to my ears isn't noticeable and overall it sounds very pleasant, perhaps lacking in a bit of excitement if anything.
Treble on this IEM is a double-edged sword for me. It's very well tuned and rather inoffensive with a smoother and fatigue-free playback but I wish it had a bit more bite or edge to it as I can't help but hear it lacking slightly in dynamics and slightly struggling a tad on more complex electronic music. However the tuning fits the overall IEM tonality very well and sounds cohesive to the bass and mid range, so I'd say this is a preference thing.
The soundstage feels open but not quite large to my ears which caught me by surprise as I was expecting something really out of head. There's a good sense of imaging focusing a bit more on depth than width, but if you're looking for that type of "arena" presentation where you get the feeling you can rotate your head and look around at the stage, this isn't like that. It feels more organized and focused which is something I tend to prefer as time passes.
Dynamics are fairly decent and not coming off as compressed but if you're looking for those more aggressive swings and really lively sound the Alter Ego doesn't quite go in that direction.
As mentioned in
@twister6 review this IEM does have one-way sound leakage. Isolation is great but if you remove them and set them on your desk you will notice more leakage compared to an IEM that isn't using the same open back faceplate. Even though I am a quiet listener I do think this would be an issue for me personally as I prefer to be entirely trapped in my own world and I don't want others hearing what I am listening to. So I'd consider that before taking these in public.
I'm really enjoying this set. This may be a bold claim but the Alter Ego gives me Traillii vibes in how it's presenting music. When you push play on this set it doesn't really do anything to try win your attention, nor do I feel it's got any party tricks. It just feels like really solid, effortless, and
musical playback that is hard to not enjoy unless you're flat out wanting something with more flavor or spice. I do not think I will buy this set myself as I tend to look for IEMs that are more lively but regardless I have a really high appreciation for this. With all things considered here for $2500 you're getting a pretty impressive package.
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