[emdeevee]

What’s interesting is that I owned a PW Indigo cable which I bought off another head fier here and preferred the stock MestMK2 cable on the Mest. It had greater soundstage and just sounded better than the more expensive Indigo cable on the Mest.

Interesting...I'm using my Indigo cable for my audeze LCDi4s right now and it's amazing.

 

[holsen]

What’s interesting is that I owned a PW Indigo cable which I bought off another head fier here and preferred the stock MestMK2 cable on the Mest. It had greater soundstage and just sounded better than the more expensive Indigo cable on the Mest.

By all accounts, the MEST cable is orders is a far better cable than the stock MEXT cable.

 

[kadinh]

With Musictechs recent sale on MEST MkII I came close several times to pulling the trigger on them, but in the end I did not. Why, because I have to admit I absolutely LOVE the MEXT - I still do and my enjoyment from them keeps growing. It may not have the technicalities of the Mest 1 or 2 but it is so unbelievably musical and to me it is lacking absolutely nothing. I've got a couple of sets with a bit more sparkle and air up top but that does not in any way imply that the treble is lacking - not for me anyway, it's just not presented by ESTs. I really think these MEST are one of the most under-rated IEMS out there. its deep wide wide, has phenomenol holographic imaging, is supremely comfortable and for me ticks all the boxes. I use Azla Sedna Crystal tips - which give all the conduction and sealing benefits of the Xelastecs without deformation and degradation over time. The only thing i didnt like was the stock cable. It might be made by PW but IMO it is NOT a premium cable. It was a thin 2 core (maybe 4 - I dont remember I sold it), tangly thing that I really think choked off its full capability. I replaced it with an 8 Core Pure Silver Pure Copper Litz (4 core each) from XinHS and the MEXT opened right up. I then swapped over to EA Eros S and it's just lovely. beautifully balanced - no no reference but satisfyingly musical and loaded with detail. Last week EA sent me a prototype of their new Code 23 which I married up to the MEXT for a couple of days - and my instant reaction continues to be "Holy Cow - It's like a wall of sound"
Bottom line for me, let the MEXT run in to get the most of the DD, toss the cable (because it's PW someone will buy it) and slap on a set of Crystals - and Voila. I just cancelled my order for the $2000 IMR Titans because I'm so happy with MEXT and the EA cable - I think the only place I'd go from here is Indigo.

You cancelled the Titans?! Wow! That’s saying a LOT to praise the MEXT. I have been thinking of getting THIS CABLE for a long time, but don’t know how it would affect the sound of the MKII. Do you have a link for the cable you bought?

I also have the Sedna Crystal tips and they fit ok, but my left ear pushes out the IEM slowly after i put it in, even trying bigger and smaller sizes. I have the SendaEarfit MAX and the Spinfit W1s on the way from amazon that should be here in the next couple of days, and then the Moondrop Spring tips after that. It would be ironic if i just ended up using the tips that came in the box…

 

[holsen]

You cancelled the Titans?! Wow! That’s saying a LOT to praise the MEXT. I have been thinking of getting THIS CABLE for a long time, but don’t know how it would affect the sound of the MKII. Do you have a link for the cable you bought?

I also have the Sedna Crystal tips and they fit ok, but my left ear pushes out the IEM slowly after i put it in, even trying bigger and smaller sizes. I have the SendaEarfit MAX and the Spinfit W1s on the way from amazon that should be here in the next couple of days, and then the Moondrop Spring tips after that. It would be ironic if i just ended up using the tips that came in the box…

I've got one of those Xin graphene cables. Not sure what it will do for the Mest but I can extrapolate my experience with the cable to the MEST. That graphene cable did wonders for the IMR EDP. It brought depth and definition to the bass helped elevate the mids and brought sparkle to the upper end. But remember the the EDP (not Ace) is a 9mm DD +Planar. It was a bass light unit with mids and highs from the planar. What I suspect you should expect from that cable with the Mest is greater definition and perhaps a little elevation to the sub bass. That's the one area where IMO mext beats out mest. I can't be sure how that graphene / copper will interact with the ESTs in your mest but I can say EVERY EST I have had benefitted tremendously from 100 hours of use. They refined, both mellowing and increasing in clarity, simultaneously I know that sounds contradictory but I find EST hot and sharp until get a few hours on them. I think you'll find your MKii improves markedly with use and that Xin cable will at least bring you some lower end lift. I'll be interested to learn of your actual experience, but be patient with the Mest for the first several hours; based on my experience with the MEXT DD and ESTs in general, it will improve.

 

[wolfstar76]

I've got one of those Xin graphene cables. Not sure what it will do for the Mest but I can extrapolate my experience with the cable to the MEST. That graphene cable did wonders for the IMR EDP. It brought depth and definition to the bass helped elevate the mids and brought sparkle to the upper end. But remember the the EDP (not Ace) is a 9mm DD +Planar. It was a bass light unit with mids and highs from the planar. What I suspect you should expect from that cable with the Mest is greater definition and perhaps a little elevation to the sub bass. That's the one area where IMO mext beats out mest. I can't be sure how that graphene / copper will interact with the ESTs in your mest but I can say EVERY EST I have had benefitted tremendously from 100 hours of use. They refined, both mellowing and increasing in clarity, simultaneously I know that sounds contradictory but I find EST hot and sharp until get a few hours on them. I think you'll find your MKii improves markedly with use and that Xin cable will at least bring you some lower end lift. I'll be interested to learn of your actual experience, but be patient with the Mest for the first several hours; based on my experience with the MEXT DD and ESTs in general, it will improve.

I googled, and the cable close to that name is Xinhs, is that what you are talking about?

 

[holsen]

Do you have a link for the cable you bought?

Here's the link to the Silver / Copper cable C$ 43.54 28%OFF | 8 Cores Pure Silver And Single Crystal Copper Mixed Braid Headphone Upgrade Cable For SE846 SE535 UE900S ED12 TRN V80 V20
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqDmPnM

 

[holsen]

I googled, and the cable close to that name is Xinhs, is that what you are talking about?

Yep, that's it...

 

[Ufanco]

I have the XINHS graphene cables 8 core attached to the Mest Mkii and like the feel of the cable over stock. For the indigo using the Effect Audio Cleopatra 2 instead of stock cable.


https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802121701561.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

I just received my EA Ares 8w, which is big like the Indigo stock PWA, a bit bigger actually, but based on this, I can't wait to try it with this new cable. So far, the MMR Balmung has sounded extraordinary with it, so I'm excited to hook up my indigo

I was a prototype tester for the 4 wires ares 2 cable. Glad to hear you like the sound quality of the 8 core. The new effect audio Code 23 also looks interesting.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/eff...3-drop-code-23-a-new-copper-era-rises.966342/

 

[aleopold]

Would you say the bone conduction is really providing a unique, holographic and immersive experience in comparison to other IEMs? Or is it lacking in that "special" factor it is often touted for? I have the ier-z1r but I was thinking about the MEST MKII for a more neutral signature with... better mids xD

I’ve pondered this question a lot with my Mest 2. It is hard for me to identify just what the bone conduction is doing. However I will say the mest provides moments of excellent attack and a sense of realism on some tracks, and I wonder is that due to the bone conduction? Other times the immersion of the soundstage is so great, and I wonder is that bone conduction? I’ve read those traits in IEMs without it so who knows.

To really know i would have to somehow remove it from the mest 2 and do and A/B but of course that isn’t feasible or desirable. So I’ve stopped wondering what is bone conduction or not and just enjoy the sound and great value the mest 2 has provided…

 

[maegnificant]

I’ve pondered this question a lot with my Mest 2. It is hard for me to identify just what the bone conduction is doing. However I will say the mest provides moments of excellent attack and a sense of realism on some tracks, and I wonder is that due to the bone conduction? Other times the immersion of the soundstage is so great, and I wonder is that bone conduction? I’ve read those traits in IEMs without it so who knows.

To really know i would have to somehow remove it from the mest 2 and do and A/B but of course that isn’t feasible or desirable. So I’ve stopped wondering what is bone conduction or not and just enjoy the sound and great value the mest 2 has provided…

I hope someone will actually do this one day, as I do not have the knowledge for this kind of actions. These companies can just tell us anything at the moment and the only thing we can do is believe them or not. We need review channels with the kind of technical expertise to proof these claims.

 

[aleopold]

received the MEST MKII yesterday

initial impressions...I think preferred the Monarch MKII to the MEST MKII. I’m burning in the MEST at the moment to see if they change, but rn I cant find any tips that make them sound how I imagined they would sound. thinking on sending back the MEST and possibly getting the Indigo instead....

A little personal experience for me as I wanted to send back my mest the first couple of days but glad I didn’t. I started with the included silicon tips, but then moved to the MS size included Azla. The Azla brightened the sound and improved depth, but still felt a bit large and I had to push them into my ear pretty hard. The included SS tip was too small and thinned the sound. For me burn in was real, mid bass came out more after day three and treble smoothed out some time after that.

So I bought the S size Azla and am trying them this morning and the fit is Goldilocks and comfortable and sounds great. Fortunately I could make an educated guess based on the included Azla size ranges of M, MS, and SS.

My point is the brand and make of tip can be right but included sizes may not be.

 

[Alror]

I’ve pondered this question a lot with my Mest 2. It is hard for me to identify just what the bone conduction is doing. However I will say the mest provides moments of excellent attack and a sense of realism on some tracks, and I wonder is that due to the bone conduction? Other times the immersion of the soundstage is so great, and I wonder is that bone conduction? I’ve read those traits in IEMs without it so who knows.

To really know i would have to somehow remove it from the mest 2 and do and A/B but of course that isn’t feasible or desirable. So I’ve stopped wondering what is bone conduction or not and just enjoy the sound and great value the mest 2 has provided…

Thank you for your impressions! A lot of people do attribute that sense of attack and realism to its bone conduction, but it is interesting to see that its implementation in the IEM has yet to be tested... I'm glad you managed to find the right tips that brought out their best sound. I've been interested in the MKII a long time but I heard many conflicting opinions about them, but then your description sounds exactly like what I am looking for besides a better midrange

 

[aleopold]

Thank you for your impressions! A lot of people do attribute that sense of attack and realism to its bone conduction, but it is interesting to see that its implementation in the IEM has yet to be tested... I'm glad you managed to find the right tips that brought out their best sound. I've been interested in the MKII a long time but I heard many conflicting opinions about them, but then your description sounds exactly like what I am looking for besides a better midrange

Thanks for that! I enjoy the journey and certainly haven’t found perfection and many on these blogs have waaay more experience. I think the minor gap on the mest 2 is the 2k frequency - it’s just a little subdued there which manifests itself in the voices. It’s still a great iem and reacts well to EQ. One day I’ll try more IEMs but I do enjoy the sound and where I’m at now.

 

[kadinh]

Thanks for that! I enjoy the journey and certainly haven’t found perfection and many on these blogs have waaay more experience. I think the minor gap on the mest 2 is the 2k frequency - it’s just a little subdued there which manifests itself in the voices. It’s still a great iem and reacts well to EQ. One day I’ll try more IEMs but I do enjoy the sound and where I’m at now.

do you have any PEQ settings that you like for the MKII? I use the harmon for my IER-Z1R with a little boosted bass and they sound god-like.

 

[aleopold]

do you have any PEQ settings that you like for the MKII? I use the harmon for my IER-Z1R with a little boosted bass and they sound god-like.

Well since you asked . I use the EQ vs any pre-set function or the MSEB. This is something i am still working on, especially with the new small Azla tips to get it perfect - I’m not there yet but close.

I start with voices and go for the sensation of being startled and amazed by the presence and emotion of a singer in front of you. I try to eliminate defects like sibilance. I am close to this sound on my Hiby Eq with 1k=-1, 2k=+1, 4k=+0.5. This suggests the 500k, 8k, and 16k are just right for my tastes. I find if voices are dialed in then other mids are dialed in too. The 1k created firmness at +/-0 but I find the firmness gets in the way of the sincerity of vocals so I reduce it.

I then look at the bass and stay on the voices. I find 125=+0.5 and 250=+0.5 gives a bit more fullness and warmth. But it sounds good without it.

I then clean up the lower bass with rock and feel that it needs no adjustment. 62=+0.5 does give a little more excitement, but I find the mest has excellent punch with its kick drums and the sub bass is huge and spacious, and it doesn’t muddy the sound.

Once I have this classical usually sounds amazing. And then I have all around great sound for voices, rock, and classical.

In total, these are small tweaks which is why I I am a Mest 2 fan for value and portability. When I flip the EQ off, it still sounds very good, just not as engrossing as what I suggest above. And this is to my taste and ears and I recognize may not be universal. And yes I have some kind of sickness that the sound helps cure