Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,970
- Likes
- 47,967
I've also started using Symbio W in the last few days and love them.
Unique Melody Bone Conduction Family (MEST&MEXT and their siblings) Announcement and Impression Thread.
- Thread starter UniqueMelody
- Start date
-
- Tags
- mest musicteck unique melody
@9bphillips same here. the Sedna light are to my ears the best sounding tips with the MEST MKII ... have tried many others, the Sedna light are the most vibrant and dynamic yet linear and detailed, with a great bass extension and never fatiguing treble.
Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,970
- Likes
- 47,967
I will have to try the Sedna light, I just got some this week for another IEM and they are a great pairing.
I must say though with Symbio W and running off my NW-WM1A with latest firmware, my love for these has been rekindled.
I must say though with Symbio W and running off my NW-WM1A with latest firmware, my love for these has been rekindled.
Shinigami76
100+ Head-Fier
How does Sony EP-EX11 compare with sednafit light?
As promised, played with the 13 Pro Max camera last night! Insane macro stuff.
I wasn't even trying and was not in great lighting.
Last edited:
Go for it! No regrets here.
Only in the low end and slightly more present mids, most noticeable in vocals. I'd say as expected considering the MEST's tech.
Thanks for the impressions, @Sebastien Chiu . I have taken the leap of faith and my ear impressions are on its way to UM. Will report back in a few weeks on how it turns out. My first brand of customs other than FitEar in about 10 years.
Looking forward to yours too!
No resonance issues. I get that with tips sometimes, but never with customs!
SilverLodestar
100+ Head-Fier
+1 for the Sedna light. They sound phenomenal paired with the PWAudio Loki and Hiby R8.
I’m so glad I gave my M11 Pro to my wife. They made the MEST MK2 sound horrible, blunted, and bloated in the bass. R8 + MEST/MK2 is a match made in heaven.
I’m so glad I gave my M11 Pro to my wife. They made the MEST MK2 sound horrible, blunted, and bloated in the bass. R8 + MEST/MK2 is a match made in heaven.
Last edited:
Intended to do some of this a while back.
Mest Mk1 - followed some guidance from this thread. Here are my results.
Cable - Xinhs Graphene
So first of all I have to give props out to Xinhs. I was ordering in China at the same time he had his AliExpress sale, so I think he was quite busy. AE had the....8core?...16core?....graphene cable and TaoBao only had the one below (4 or 8). My wife got in touch with him and said we wanted the more core option. When it came to connectors, the only reason I wanted to change the cable was to get away from the angles, molded plastic connectors that come as stock. Xinhs had flat finish 2 pin connectors which ticked that box, but of course no cover to go over the plug that pops out of the Mest. We sent him pictures of the IEM. "Are you sure you want these connectors and not the ones with a cover?" Yes, we're sure, because the ones with a cover are angled molded plastic again. "Ok"
I think it was three days or so later that they arrived, which is impressive considering how busy he was. Max core graphene cable for 400RMB ($62) - very nice quality. But what is this? He had created a hybrid connector with the flat finish ends that I wanted, but adding a cover for the plug!!!! Not requested, no additional charge. I was very pleased!
So, sound. I was expecting extended highs and lows and increased soundstage, according to reports in here (though they were with MkII). Didn't quite get that. Highs and lows feel a little blunted at the extremes. Not enormously so, just a little less crisp and a little less thudding. Mids were slightly recessed - but this worked quite nicely for me. Though I have to slightly compromise in terms of outer limit resolution and impact, I get a better sense of front depth - there is a feeling that sound is coming from in front of me. This is great for me - although I miss the upper clarity. Again, it's not a huge difference, but you know what we're like!!!!
Overall though, I ended up going back to stock. More to come.
Tips - Spinfit CP100
Usual tips are the Sednas....the slightly sticky ones (I really am not doing well with memory today!). I love the signature, but they're not always comfortable and the right ear has days when it just won't stay in and sealed. No idea why.
CP100s - very nice! VERY comfortable. Tiniest reduction in high end, but not really an issue. Staging is still good. Great seal. These became my new dailies. More to come on this as well.
Tips - Easytips SS20
I want to send a big thank you to @Shinigami76 for championing these.
I have never spent so much money on so many sets of tips for an IEM before. I don't really mind too much - it's a little like the thrill of getting new IEMs, but considerably cheaper! Always looking for better soundstage, ideally without compromise.
Easytips were 30RMB ($4.60). The cheapest I have ever bought. That much for one pair? NO! That much for 4 pairs of different sizes.
SS here stands for soundstage, they are designed and advertised as maximisers of the staging. They do exactly that. Greater width, greater space, more depth. This is IMMEDIATELY noticeable. I have a number of binaural recordings - some I have made myself and some which are commercially produced. The ones I made myself are particularly useful for demoing gear, because I know exactly where the sounds should come from.
The Easytips took me right back to that very first audition of the Mest, where I was placed back in the space I did the recording.
They are fantastic.
There's a slight reduction in the extremes again, but I've come to the conclusion that for forward projection, this is somewhat necessary. That and somewhat recessed or very slightly veiled upper mids. So the SS20 slightly soften the sound overall - think Nighthawks vs Ananda. Some precision is lost, but the gain in soundstage is worth it to me, and the sound is still lovely.
I have a list of 12 or so tracks which I use to demo gear. Buena Vista, Mozart Violin Concertos, Count Basie, Blondie, Zimmer, FKJ, The Roots and more. Typically I'll bounce through the list pretty quickly, because I know the tracks well and I can easily identify what the new gear is doing. This time, I listened to almost every track pretty much all the way through. I was addicted to the presentation and the experience.
These are a triumph.
I'm making a note here: "HUGE SUCCESS"
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.
The Obvious Next Step - Tips and Cable
So then I tried the SS20 with the Xinhs cable, just to see. One would imagine that the extremes would take another hit, all things being equal, right?
Wrong! Upper range doesn't seem to be further affected, low end is actually increased! This pairing works very nicely. Again, some precision is sacrificed, but it's a really pleasing sound signature and VERY spacious. Plus it's the most comfortable for me so far with the Mest Mk1. This is a winning combination.
My Current Position
While I would love to have an enormous soundstage and still maintain the high frequency detail I love so much, it currently doesn't seem to be possible with the Mest and the tips and cables I have (I choose my words carefully here!) I can still try more tips, and I can try another cable - would definitely buy from Xinhs again so might go all silver, for example.
Instead, it seems to me that I have a Swiss Army Knife of IEMs. If I want a technical (yet still very engaging) sound, I know which cable and tips to use. Swapping either or both allows me to experience a greater soundstage, a more relaxed presentation and the balance of staging vs precision can be adjusted by my choice of tips/cable.
The Xinhs cable came with a simple, but nice, carry case which includes a netting pouch. Perfect to keep the cable I'm not using and number of sets of tips. I can choose the presentation that fits my mood wherever I am. This is an absolute win in my books.
So there you go! Thank you to all of you for the ongoing suggestions and feedback with different tips and cables.
The Mest has turned out to be one of (if not "the) best audio purchases I've made.
Mest Mk1 - followed some guidance from this thread. Here are my results.
Cable - Xinhs Graphene
So first of all I have to give props out to Xinhs. I was ordering in China at the same time he had his AliExpress sale, so I think he was quite busy. AE had the....8core?...16core?....graphene cable and TaoBao only had the one below (4 or 8). My wife got in touch with him and said we wanted the more core option. When it came to connectors, the only reason I wanted to change the cable was to get away from the angles, molded plastic connectors that come as stock. Xinhs had flat finish 2 pin connectors which ticked that box, but of course no cover to go over the plug that pops out of the Mest. We sent him pictures of the IEM. "Are you sure you want these connectors and not the ones with a cover?" Yes, we're sure, because the ones with a cover are angled molded plastic again. "Ok"
I think it was three days or so later that they arrived, which is impressive considering how busy he was. Max core graphene cable for 400RMB ($62) - very nice quality. But what is this? He had created a hybrid connector with the flat finish ends that I wanted, but adding a cover for the plug!!!! Not requested, no additional charge. I was very pleased!
So, sound. I was expecting extended highs and lows and increased soundstage, according to reports in here (though they were with MkII). Didn't quite get that. Highs and lows feel a little blunted at the extremes. Not enormously so, just a little less crisp and a little less thudding. Mids were slightly recessed - but this worked quite nicely for me. Though I have to slightly compromise in terms of outer limit resolution and impact, I get a better sense of front depth - there is a feeling that sound is coming from in front of me. This is great for me - although I miss the upper clarity. Again, it's not a huge difference, but you know what we're like!!!!
Overall though, I ended up going back to stock. More to come.
Tips - Spinfit CP100
Usual tips are the Sednas....the slightly sticky ones (I really am not doing well with memory today!). I love the signature, but they're not always comfortable and the right ear has days when it just won't stay in and sealed. No idea why.
CP100s - very nice! VERY comfortable. Tiniest reduction in high end, but not really an issue. Staging is still good. Great seal. These became my new dailies. More to come on this as well.
Tips - Easytips SS20
I want to send a big thank you to @Shinigami76 for championing these.
I have never spent so much money on so many sets of tips for an IEM before. I don't really mind too much - it's a little like the thrill of getting new IEMs, but considerably cheaper! Always looking for better soundstage, ideally without compromise.
Easytips were 30RMB ($4.60). The cheapest I have ever bought. That much for one pair? NO! That much for 4 pairs of different sizes.
SS here stands for soundstage, they are designed and advertised as maximisers of the staging. They do exactly that. Greater width, greater space, more depth. This is IMMEDIATELY noticeable. I have a number of binaural recordings - some I have made myself and some which are commercially produced. The ones I made myself are particularly useful for demoing gear, because I know exactly where the sounds should come from.
The Easytips took me right back to that very first audition of the Mest, where I was placed back in the space I did the recording.
They are fantastic.
There's a slight reduction in the extremes again, but I've come to the conclusion that for forward projection, this is somewhat necessary. That and somewhat recessed or very slightly veiled upper mids. So the SS20 slightly soften the sound overall - think Nighthawks vs Ananda. Some precision is lost, but the gain in soundstage is worth it to me, and the sound is still lovely.
I have a list of 12 or so tracks which I use to demo gear. Buena Vista, Mozart Violin Concertos, Count Basie, Blondie, Zimmer, FKJ, The Roots and more. Typically I'll bounce through the list pretty quickly, because I know the tracks well and I can easily identify what the new gear is doing. This time, I listened to almost every track pretty much all the way through. I was addicted to the presentation and the experience.
These are a triumph.
I'm making a note here: "HUGE SUCCESS"
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.
The Obvious Next Step - Tips and Cable
So then I tried the SS20 with the Xinhs cable, just to see. One would imagine that the extremes would take another hit, all things being equal, right?
Wrong! Upper range doesn't seem to be further affected, low end is actually increased! This pairing works very nicely. Again, some precision is sacrificed, but it's a really pleasing sound signature and VERY spacious. Plus it's the most comfortable for me so far with the Mest Mk1. This is a winning combination.
My Current Position
While I would love to have an enormous soundstage and still maintain the high frequency detail I love so much, it currently doesn't seem to be possible with the Mest and the tips and cables I have (I choose my words carefully here!) I can still try more tips, and I can try another cable - would definitely buy from Xinhs again so might go all silver, for example.
Instead, it seems to me that I have a Swiss Army Knife of IEMs. If I want a technical (yet still very engaging) sound, I know which cable and tips to use. Swapping either or both allows me to experience a greater soundstage, a more relaxed presentation and the balance of staging vs precision can be adjusted by my choice of tips/cable.
The Xinhs cable came with a simple, but nice, carry case which includes a netting pouch. Perfect to keep the cable I'm not using and number of sets of tips. I can choose the presentation that fits my mood wherever I am. This is an absolute win in my books.
So there you go! Thank you to all of you for the ongoing suggestions and feedback with different tips and cables.
The Mest has turned out to be one of (if not "the) best audio purchases I've made.
looks like spinfits lol
Interesting. Weird that they cannot be ordered by size, only by color..
Shinigami76
100+ Head-Fier
The package came in different size for one color
14christ
Headphoneus Supremus
How are you enjoying the Cayin DAP with your mk2?
Exactly, that's what I'm saying.. It looks like you get all sizes no matter which color you choose. Usually different colors are used to reflect size differences, here the colors are different for esthetics only, I believe.
I only need the L, not M, S size tips. No interest in a package with all different sizes.
Users who are viewing this thread
