[misteral201103]

Monster Hunter just dropped today, what else?! xD

Nice!
Wife is back on Animal Crossing, after a short break for 3D World. I'm still picking up missing coins on Bowser's Fury.

Sorry everyone for the hijack, I'll stop now!

 

[justanut]

So, is this cable thingy not being included in the retail package? I was actually intrigued by this as a solution for use as a shirt clip (since the cheap plastic ones always seem to break and can't accommodate cables thicker than angel hair, LOL). I don't think I've seen it yet in any user pics:

It is included... thanks for the share! Was wondering what it was for haha!

 

[AmericanSpirit]

So, is this cable thingy not being included in the retail package? I was actually intrigued by this as a solution for use as a shirt clip (since the cheap plastic ones always seem to break and can't accommodate cables thicker than angel hair, LOL). I don't think I've seen it yet in any user pics:

It's included and I have to address this is the greatest invention ever since humans learned how to use fire

From the picture it's hard to tell, but there are two magnets near the clip, and it bites well to all cloth and is an excellent cable management binder.

I want UM to sell this clip separately, so I'd use this for all IEM. Genius invention.

 

[JBOOGIE86]

Greetings from Los Angeles, California

New to this forum but not the hobby.

For those that purchased the MKII & have owned the OG, how do the two compare?

I haven't heard the OG one but was intrigue by the general concencus that it has an "airy", "holographic" soundstage & this is something I value in an IEM.

Would love to here from the members here that own both if its worth to skip the OG & go for the MKII or are the differences worth having both? Or either?

 

[riverground]

Greetings from Los Angeles, California

New to this forum but not the hobby.

For those that purchased the MKII & have owned the OG, how do the two compare?

I haven't heard the OG one but was intrigue by the general concencus that it has an "airy", "holographic" soundstage & this is something I value in an IEM.

Would love to here from the members here that own both if its worth to skip the OG & go for the MKII or are the differences worth having both? Or either?

Here’s a comparison posted earlier in the thread.

Just got my Mkii in the mail!
As far as fit goes, these are decently smaller than the OG. I always had issues keeping the OG MEST in my ears because of how large the shells are. These fit much nicer, almost like the Anole VX.

In regards to sound, they are bassy IEMs for sure. Coming from the OG MEST and my Viento-B, they’re noticeably bassier. Maybe even a little too much for me since I’m not really a basshead. Everything seems almost the same here. The midrange, presence-wise, is similar but with maybe a bit more physicality and texture. Sometimes the mid-bass can slightly cover/overwhelm the midrange, but that could be influenced by the tips. I’m using the included Xelastecs for these first impressions, so it may vary with different eartips. Treble seems around the same, maybe a bit lower than the OG.

 

[tinkofse]

Just got my Mkii in the mail!

As far as fit goes, these are decently smaller than the OG. I always had issues keeping the OG MEST in my ears because of how large the shells are. These fit much nicer, almost like the Anole VX.

In regards to sound, they are bassy IEMs for sure. Coming from the OG MEST and my Viento-B, they’re noticeably bassier. Maybe even a little too much for me since I’m not really a basshead. Everything seems almost the same here. The midrange, presence-wise, is similar but with maybe a bit more physicality and texture. Sometimes the mid-bass can slightly cover/overwhelm the midrange, but that could be influenced by the tips. I’m using the included Xelastecs for these first impressions, so it may vary with different eartips. Treble seems around the same, maybe a bit lower than the OG.

Very informative. This was my sense, RE: the bass. I have the OG in CIEM. I notice you have the Viento-B... I've thought of this as a complementary set to my MEST OG. How do you see them relative to each other?

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Plugged right now with black silicon Tips, I know burnin will increase performances but it’s like I was looking for, something between IT07 and Volt even unburned and pairs very very well with Shanling M8.

 

[SilverLodestar]

Alright, after some more listening and comparisons between the original and Mkii, I think I have a better idea of how they sound.

I won’t get into things like comfort, accessories, and build quality because those are all fine. Let’s get straight into the sound.

Bass:
As per my original first impressions, I still find these to be a tad bit too mid-bassy. Sometimes this added mid-bass warmth is very nice and gives a fullness to the sound. Other times, it feels intrusive and a little bit excessive. Percussionists may find that it gives drums a little bit too much impact for its own good, but some may love this. This works very well with orchestral music. In “You See Big Girl” by Hiroyuki Sawano, this bass boost makes the track sound grand and powerful, with the drums providing a deep rumbling feeling. You can feel the power and impact that Sawano wants the listener to experience. At times though, the bass can be slightly much, but nothing too offensive. This might also be due to the track’s mastering as well. In Hiroyuki Sawano’s “Symphonicsuite (Aot) Part1-4th: 7-B@$” (try saying that to someone), he tries conveying a feeling of dread/danger via (correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not familiar with instrument names) multiple cellos/stringed instruments. The Mkii’s boosted mid-bass gives the strings lots of power and oomph. I’m not sure how the BCD plays into the sound exactly, but I feel like it’s giving the lower-register instruments some extra texture and physicality. Though, there are times where the extra warmth is not exactly wanted, namely around the 1:17 mark. Sub-bass rumble on these is amazing, as is mid-bass impact. You can tell it’s a DD for sure.

Midrange:
This is a point where I wish UM changed from the OG. I liked the mids on the original, but they weren’t the best part of the MEST. Maybe it’s just my preference, but I feel like they needed more presence/bite in the upper-midrange. Electric guitars, rhythm guitars, and other instruments that require upper-midrange emphasis felt a tad blunted and missing bite. In the Mkii, this becomes more apparent with the mid-bass boost. Because UM did not adjust the upper-midrange to the extent that they did with the bass, they feel a little more blunted and lacking than before. However though, I feel like the new BCD does help add a bit more texture to the upper-mids, which helps them from becoming too warm. Electric guitars and higher pitched instruments still feel a bit behind other elements in tracks. Now, to vocals. Vocals are quite amazing here, both male and female. I’d say they sound better than the original MEST’s. I can’t exactly explain what’s happening here, but vocals feel more tangible and detailed, despite little change to the midrange as a whole. Must be that nice new BCD. My main gripe with the midrange here though, is that it can sometimes get overwhelmed by the bass (I know, it’s all I keep complaining about). Instruments and elements lower in the FR can get “covered” up at times and lost in the track. I don’t exactly recommend these for analytical listening. These are definitely made for fun without the negatives of a V-shaped sound signature.

Treble:
Now, I’m not much of a treblehead and it’s not something I seek perfection in (midhead for life!), but when it’s bad, I take notice. I can safely say that I enjoy the treble here. It gives the Mkii enough energy and sparkle to stay interesting. The Mkii’s treble gives sharpness to elements and keeps things “alive”. Cymbals also seem to be under control and sibilance is minimal for me. Everyone is sensitive to different frequencies, so I can understand it being a bit too bright for some. I’ve gotten acclimated to the Viento-B UIEM’s treble murder, so I definitely know what bright sounds like. That ~6k Hz peak is still here, though maybe slightly de-emphasized from the OG. I don’t have any way to measure these, so take this with a grain of salt.


Hopefully this doesn’t sound like a bunch of nonsense. These are just my honest impressions after about ~6 hours of listening and comparing.

 

[JBOOGIE86]

Alright, after some more listening and comparisons between the original and Mkii, I think I have a better idea of how they sound.

I won’t get into things like comfort, accessories, and build quality because those are all fine. Let’s get straight into the sound.

Bass:
As per my original first impressions, I still find these to be a tad bit too mid-bassy. Sometimes this added mid-bass warmth is very nice and gives a fullness to the sound. Other times, it feels intrusive and a little bit excessive. Percussionists may find that it gives drums a little bit too much impact for its own good, but some may love this. This works very well with orchestral music. In “You See Big Girl” by Hiroyuki Sawano, this bass boost makes the track sound grand and powerful, with the drums providing a deep rumbling feeling. You can feel the power and impact that Sawano wants the listener to experience. At times though, the bass can be slightly much, but nothing too offensive. This might also be due to the track’s mastering as well. In Hiroyuki Sawano’s “Symphonicsuite (Aot) Part1-4th: 7-B@$” (try saying that to someone), he tries conveying a feeling of dread/danger via (correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not familiar with instrument names) multiple cellos/stringed instruments. The Mkii’s boosted mid-bass gives the strings lots of power and oomph. I’m not sure how the BCD plays into the sound exactly, but I feel like it’s giving the lower-register instruments some extra texture and physicality. Though, there are times where the extra warmth is not exactly wanted, namely around the 1:17 mark. Sub-bass rumble on these is amazing, as is mid-bass impact. You can tell it’s a DD for sure.

Midrange:
This is a point where I wish UM changed from the OG. I liked the mids on the original, but they weren’t the best part of the MEST. Maybe it’s just my preference, but I feel like they needed more presence/bite in the upper-midrange. Electric guitars, rhythm guitars, and other instruments that require upper-midrange emphasis felt a tad blunted and missing bite. In the Mkii, this becomes more apparent with the mid-bass boost. Because UM did not adjust the upper-midrange to the extent that they did with the bass, they feel a little more blunted and lacking than before. However though, I feel like the new BCD does help add a bit more texture to the upper-mids, which helps them from becoming too warm. Electric guitars and higher pitched instruments still feel a bit behind other elements in tracks. Now, to vocals. Vocals are quite amazing here, both male and female. I’d say they sound better than the original MEST’s. I can’t exactly explain what’s happening here, but vocals feel more tangible and detailed, despite little change to the midrange as a whole. Must be that nice new BCD. My main gripe with the midrange here though, is that it can sometimes get overwhelmed by the bass (I know, it’s all I keep complaining about). Instruments and elements lower in the FR can get “covered” up at times and lost in the track. I don’t exactly recommend these for analytical listening. These are definitely made for fun without the negatives of a V-shaped sound signature.

Treble:
Now, I’m not much of a treblehead and it’s not something I seek perfection in (midhead for life!), but when it’s bad, I take notice. I can safely say that I enjoy the treble here. It gives the Mkii enough energy and sparkle to stay interesting. The Mkii’s treble gives sharpness to elements and keeps things “alive”. Cymbals also seem to be under control and sibilance is minimal for me. Everyone is sensitive to different frequencies, so I can understand it being a bit too bright for some. I’ve gotten acclimated to the Viento-B UIEM’s treble murder, so I definitely know what bright sounds like. That ~6k Hz peak is still here, though maybe slightly de-emphasized from the OG. I don’t have any way to measure these, so take this with a grain of salt.


Hopefully this doesn’t sound like a bunch of nonsense. These are just my honest impressions after about ~6 hours of listening and comparing.

Good write up. Thank you for sharing your initial impressions.

Was wondering, how do they compare in soundstaging & imaging? Does it still have the "holographic" sound from the OG?

 

[SilverLodestar]

Very informative. This was my sense, RE: the bass. I have the OG in CIEM. I notice you have the Viento-B... I've thought of this as a complementary set to my MEST OG. How do you see them relative to each other?

I think the Viento-B is the perfect complement to the MEST. The Viento are extremely coherent and neutral with what I consider near-perfect tonality. They work well with the MEST’s more fun-oriented signature. Though, the Viento-B UIEM can be a bit sibilant and harsh. I’ve been wanting to get customs of them, but I have no idea how to go about it haha.

 

[SilverLodestar]

Good write up. Thank you for sharing your initial impressions.

Was wondering, how do they compare in soundstaging & imaging? Does it still have the "holographic" sound from the OG?

I’d say generally, yes. They still have the same pinpoint imaging and holographic sound, but the mid-bass makes the soundstage smaller and more intimate if that makes sense. It pulls some lower-register elements closer than what the OG did.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I’d say generally, yes. They still have the same pinpoint imaging and holographic sound, but the mid-bass makes the soundstage smaller and more intimate if that makes sense. It pulls some lower-register elements closer than what the OG did.

thanks for the write up and comparison. To me, the MEST is about soundstage and imaging. If they did something to diminish those features, I will probably prefer the OG to the MKII.

 

[tinkofse]

I think the Viento-B is the perfect complement to the MEST. The Viento are extremely coherent and neutral with what I consider near-perfect tonality. They work well with the MEST’s more fun-oriented signature. Though, the Viento-B UIEM can be a bit sibilant and harsh. I’ve been wanting to get customs of them, but I have no idea how to go about it haha.

Thanks. The Viento-B CIEM is what I'd be interested in myself. I'd hoped Zeppelin & Co. delivered to USA based on their website's accessibility to English speakers, but haven't checked yet:

https://zeppelinandco.com/products/...-viento-abcd-ciem?_pos=1&_sid=67e945633&_ss=r

If anyone knows whether Z & Co. does business with US, please DM me. Don't want to hijack the thread.

 

[Remiam7]

The more reviews I read here of the MkII, the more satisfied I am with my OG MEST. Sure it would be nice to have a smaller shell , but I truly enjoy what I have.

 

[ian91]

The more reviews I read here of the MkII, the more satisfied I am with my OG MEST. Sure it would be nice to have a smaller shell , but I truly enjoy what I have.

And I think this is a testament to the quality of the product in the first place and things are made even sweeter now that options exist for new adopters/ people with smaller ears.