[Layman1]

I've reviewed both, separately (you can find links to those reviews in my signature or profile). Note that I reviewed the latest iteration of Solaris, the 2020 model.
As a brief summary, I'd say they are both excellent IEMs, and as is usual in this hobby, it depends on one's own personal preferences.

I'd say the Solaris has a quite unusually dark signature and a bit intimate, with more mid-bass than MEST. It's quite musical, but for me, I felt there's not a great deal of sparkle or shimmer. If I'm looking for an IEM to compare it with, it actually reminds me most of the Empire Ears Phantom, but with that lovely DD bass power and tactility added in (and I'm a big fan of the Phantom!).
I feel the Solaris 2020 presents quite a lot of detail, but in a more organic way than the MEST.
I have some sensitivities to peaks in the upper mids/treble on some IEMs, and I found the Solaris 2020 to trigger those sensitivities sometimes; which was a surprise to me given its fairly dark signature. To be perfectly honest, Solaris 2020 is - in accordance with its sound signature - something of a dark horse to me.
Sometimes I feel it's just a bit strange and I can't figure it out, but also I have had had hugely enjoyable extended listening sessions with it too.
So I've still yet to come to a firm opinion about it really.

As a brief addendum, as part of an Eletech cable review tour (I'll be posting my full findings on the Eletech thread in the coming days), I tried Solaris 2020 with the Eletech Plato cable (pure silver) and it had a transformative effect on the Solaris 2020, lifting the darkness a fair amount, adding some brightness and sparkle, increased detail retrieval, more crispness and air. So if you like a lot of things about the Solaris 2020 but would prefer to tweak the sound signature, that's a good - albeit not cheap - option. I have heard other people describe other silver cables as being a good match for the Solaris, so that's an option.
I was extremely impressed with that pairing and will look into exploring other silver cable options when I get the opportunity.

MEST on the other hand, I was extremely impressed with from the start, and after many months of listening, probably even more impressed.
I hear it as being huge, bright, open. It has a big, holographic soundstage (one of the best I've heard), great separation and imaging.
It's terrific at presenting detail and accurate in timbre. It has more sub-bass than mid-bass. I feel the bass is never bloated and doesn't bleed into the mids, but is capable of extending extremely deep and hitting very hard. There's lots of air an extension in the treble too, and it's very vivid and immersive for me.
As you might have guessed from me liking the EE Phantom, I quite enjoy IEMs with unusually warm, rich, thick mids; in this regard, I might wish for a little more richness in the mids of the MEST, but as I'm keen to stress, that's very much just a personal preference.

As a side note, I tried the MEST with 3 Eletech cables.
On the MEST, and bearing in mind my treble sensitivity, I found the Plato to make it a bit too bright in places, although it was otherwise a very good pair up that others might really enjoy. However, I tried MEST with the Eletech Iliad, and honestly the combination was stunning!
It's hard to even describe exactly what it did, but for me it just took the MEST to a kind of ultra-flagship level of sound (think $3k - $4k IEMs).
Obviously I appreciate few people are going to want to put a $1800 cable on a $1400 IEM, but I'm just saying what I found
This pair-up would probably appeal to people who already own the Iliad (or who have the funds for such experimentation).
I'd 'justify' it by saying that I've heard - for example - the 64 Audio Tia Fourte (and Noir version) and it's very good; but if I had a choice between buying that or the MEST with Iliad, I'd take the MEST with Iliad every time. So sooner or later, Eletech will release a new flagship and maybe there will be a few used Iliads on the market; that's probably when I'll pounce

Anyway, a bit rambling, but hope this helps give you some idea about MEST vs Solaris 2020

[EDIT]: as @KuroKitsu said, this is just one opinion, so please take it as such. What I tend to do is read as many opinions as I can, and then look for the commonalities in those separate opinions, which should give me an idea about the consensus overall, whilst also paying attention to comments that stand out and might be worth looking out for, as and when I get to hear the IEM in question.

 

[Voyager14]

It looks nice, but the lettering gives me a headache.

I personally think it goes well with the black and blue of the set themselves. The case has layers, much like the layer separation of the MEST.

 

[IEMusic]

Uuuh, now looking at the graph I'm not even sure would I like the Mest. They are quite different

Your graph had the CIEM MEST. This is the UIEM MEST graph, aligned at 1KHz, They are very differently tuned.

 

[progdvd]

Your graph had the CIEM MEST. This is the UIEM MEST graph, aligned at 1KHz, They are very differently tuned.

That is a huge difference in tunning and you are right I would probably not like them. I'm more big bass (but not bass head) and big (refined) treble kinda guy. After I played little bit with graphs I think V14 would more in my alley. Actually even before mest came along V14 was my top contender for upgrade.

 

[Rockwell75]

I've reviewed both, separately (you can find links to those reviews in my signature or profile). Note that I reviewed the latest iteration of Solaris, the 2020 model.
As a brief summary, I'd say they are both excellent IEMs, and as is usual in this hobby, it depends on one's own personal preferences.

I'd say the Solaris has a quite unusually dark signature and a bit intimate, with more mid-bass than MEST. It's quite musical, but for me, I felt there's not a great deal of sparkle or shimmer. If I'm looking for an IEM to compare it with, it actually reminds me most of the Empire Ears Phantom, but with that lovely DD bass power and tactility added in (and I'm a big fan of the Phantom!).
I feel the Solaris 2020 presents quite a lot of detail, but in a more organic way than the MEST.
I have some sensitivities to peaks in the upper mids/treble on some IEMs, and I found the Solaris 2020 to trigger those sensitivities sometimes; which was a surprise to me given its fairly dark signature. To be perfectly honest, Solaris 2020 is - in accordance with its sound signature - something of a dark horse to me.
Sometimes I feel it's just a bit strange and I can't figure it out, but also I have had had hugely enjoyable extended listening sessions with it too.
So I've still yet to come to a firm opinion about it really.

As a brief addendum, as part of an Eletech cable review tour (I'll be posting my full findings on the Eletech thread in the coming days), I tried Solaris 2020 with the Eletech Plato cable (pure silver) and it had a transformative effect on the Solaris 2020, lifting the darkness a fair amount, adding some brightness and sparkle, increased detail retrieval, more crispness and air. So if you like a lot of things about the Solaris 2020 but would prefer to tweak the sound signature, that's a good - albeit not cheap - option. I have heard other people describe other silver cables as being a good match for the Solaris, so that's an option.
I was extremely impressed with that pairing and will look into exploring other silver cable options when I get the opportunity.

MEST on the other hand, I was extremely impressed with from the start, and after many months of listening, probably even more impressed.
I hear it as being huge, bright, open. It has a big, holographic soundstage (one of the best I've heard), great separation and imaging.
It's terrific at presenting detail and accurate in timbre. It has more sub-bass than mid-bass. I feel the bass is never bloated and doesn't bleed into the mids, but is capable of extending extremely deep and hitting very hard. There's lots of air an extension in the treble too, and it's very vivid and immersive for me.
As you might have guessed from me liking the EE Phantom, I quite enjoy IEMs with unusually warm, rich, thick mids; in this regard, I might wish for a little more richness in the mids of the MEST, but as I'm keen to stress, that's very much just a personal preference.

As a side note, I tried the MEST with 3 Eletech cables.
On the MEST, and bearing in mind my treble sensitivity, I found the Plato to make it a bit too bright in places, although it was otherwise a very good pair up that others might really enjoy. However, I tried MEST with the Eletech Iliad, and honestly the combination was stunning!
It's hard to even describe exactly what it did, but for me it just took the MEST to a kind of ultra-flagship level of sound (think $3k - $4k IEMs).
Obviously I appreciate few people are going to want to put a $1800 cable on a $1400 IEM, but I'm just saying what I found
This pair-up would probably appeal to people who already own the Iliad (or who have the funds for such experimentation).
I'd 'justify' it by saying that I've heard - for example - the 64 Audio Tia Fourte (and Noir version) and it's very good; but if I had a choice between buying that or the MEST with Iliad, I'd take the MEST with Iliad every time. So sooner or later, Eletech will release a new flagship and maybe there will be a few used Iliads on the market; that's probably when I'll pounce

Anyway, a bit rambling, but hope this helps give you some idea about MEST vs Solaris 2020

I have a MEST coming in the mail as we speak as part of the Canadian tour and I'm quite excited to hear and compare it to my Solaris SE. I've had a similar experience with my SE as you've had with the MEST, ie., liking it more and more as the months wear on (and I've had it since last Dec when it was released). The MEST is the only other IEM I'm aware of at the sub $3k level that seems to go for the same sort of tuning philosophy as the Solaris-- balanced with an emphasis on openness, seperation and staging. It should be an exciting comparison.

 

[max1236]

That is a huge difference in tunning and you are right I would probably not like them. I'm more big bass (but not bass head) and big (refined) treble kinda guy. After I played little bit with graphs I think V14 would more in my alley. Actually even before mest came along V14 was my top contender for upgrade.

Even though they are quite different ( mest is u or w shaped and the fearless is v shaped) you might be surprised after you try it. In this hobby I find the more you try the more you can hone in on your preference, introducing something totally different you might find you love both for completely different reasons. The graph is a good starting point but when the iem is so different it can be hard to imagine the sound from just graphs. Small changes can really make or break an iem. I would honestly recommend mest to anyone except maybe the very treble sensitive, those seeking a lot of mid range warmth, or those who want a neutral sound. As always demo if you can or look at the used market.

 

[progdvd]

Even though they are quite different ( mest is u or w shaped and the fearless is v shaped) you might be surprised after you try it. In this hobby I find the more you try the more you can hone in on your preference, introducing something totally different you might find you love both for completely different reasons. The graph is a good starting point but when the iem is so different it can be hard to imagine the sound from just graphs. Small changes can really make or break an iem. I would honestly recommend mest to anyone except maybe the very treble sensitive, those seeking a lot of mid range warmth, or those who want a neutral sound. As always demo if you can or look at the used market.

Yeah, I'm aware of everything you said. I believe that they are good /unique in presentation, I see bass heads love mest..... Ideally for me would be to buy both and few more totl's then decide which 1 or 2 to keep. But that's not going to happen soon. So right now I'm just saving for 1 whichever I can get good deal on. But simply from the graph I would never take mest over V14. Also since V14 came out I've been eyeing it and gathering info... So everything I know on V14 aligns with my preferences therefore is safer bet, while mest like you said needs to be heard.

 

[named name]

Oh goodness, after multiple auditions I caved and added the MEST to my collection...

 

[ranfan]

Curious how the extra vent and grilled nozzle of the different MEST versions do to the sound

 

[Steveevo9]

No springy sounds on mine ( I tapped it pretty hard but no sound, maybe it's more noticeable on the custom) but I do feel the iem vibrate at certain times after its settles into my ear but it's usually not noticeable. Apparently according to this video (its in japanese but he talks about it at 18:30) um spent a lot of time on r&d to get the bone conductor to work on a more specific frequency and volume, usually the vibrations are too big to use on a specific frequency. Other bone conductors are for a more practical use and cover mid range but they can't be controlled and cause distortion in the rest of the sound. I think the bone conductor gives it that distinct peak in the treble which highlights some instruments harmonics (guitars, higher vocals). I quite like it , even with the mest hype train dying down my personal mest hype will keep going but that's mostly because I really identify with this tuning.

Thank you for your translation max.

 

[Steveevo9]

Hmm...I only know what my ears tell me. I'm an audiophile in addiction only, but not in knowledge. The Z1R had incredibly detailed bass...almost, but not quite to LX levels. A lot of people call the treble hot, but I didn't think so, probably because I'd fiddle with them for several minutes just to get a seal, which makes a huge difference. Same fit issues with the Solaris, but they had less bass, better mids and similar treble....again, only to my ears. The MEST to me are a great option for any genre. They hit just about right in every category...very detailed all around. They have great bass (in quality, not quantity...similar to the Solaris with maybe slightly less bass...definitely less than the Z1R's), great mids and great treble extension, along with being incredibly detailed with an excellent stage. I just found them so enjoyable to listen to. I'm looking very forward to the customs when they arrive and would be happy to give my (VERY) non-expert opinion on them vs the uni's.

I look forward to hearing your impressions.

 

[max1236]

Thank you for your translation max.

no problem, before I bought them I watched the whole video and read any thing I could find about them. you can find the same thing written in this review https://wemhk.com/wemmedia/mest just use google translate. Not sure what the source is for all this but um has always been kind of a mysterious brand

 

[tommykrebs]

Could not resist. I'm weak, weak, weak....

 

[KuroKitsu]

Could not resist. I'm weak, weak, weak....

That's lower than what I paid for mine. Nust be selling like hot cakes.

 

[UniqueMelody]

All my friends, I am back with the exciting "news"! Check out our biggest sale of the year at Musicteck.com https://www.musicteck.com/store-sale-price-list!