[Chodi]

 
I sent an e-mail to UM lab direct to get the answers, these are the questions and replies.
 
Hi UM,
 
I got your e-mail address from your Singapore distributor Stereo and have some questions I hope you can answer regarding UM Legacy and Mason.
 
I understand from head-fi that UM only made 2 models of 12driver CIEM which is Legacy for Singapore and Mason for Japan.
 

• Are they both the same sound? UM's reply: Different BA different sound
• If not, according to Stereo, the Legacy is custom tune by them, is this correct? UM's reply: Yes
• How would you describe the difference between the 2 CIEM? UM's reply: Legacy is mentor's upgrade ,Mason is typical of JP sounds(clear&details )

 
Reply came from Sam at UM, unfortunately I cannot attachment the email here.

Thanks for the post. Very interesting. I would certainly agree that the Mason is "clear and exceptionally detailed". As a former owner of the Mentor I doubt you could go wrong with either choice. The mentor was overall a warmer iem than the Mason so I guess from their comment the same would apply to the Legacy version. I would be very interested in hearing the  Legacy compared to my Mason. Unfortunately here in Thailand I would have to import one as I did the mason to hear the difference. I will have to screw up my courage to go that far with my curiosity. 

 

[Boringz]

  Thanks for the post. Very interesting. I would certainly agree that the Mason is "clear and exceptionally detailed". As a former owner of the Mentor I doubt you could go wrong with either choice. The mentor was overall a warmer iem than the Mason so I guess from their comment the same would apply to the Legacy version. I would be very interested in hearing the  Legacy compared to my Mason. Unfortunately here in Thailand I would have to import one as I did the mason to hear the difference. I will have to screw up my courage to go that far with my curiosity. 

Haha, neither would I. We need someone less sober here.

 

[citraian]

What's the difference between this and the Maestro? I heard the Maestro this weekend at a show in Germany and was very impressed.

 

[Chodi]

What's the difference between this and the Maestro? I heard the Maestro this weekend at a show in Germany and was very impressed.

My understanding is that the Maestro was the original version of their 12 driver renamed the Mason when they re-tuned it. They may be getting ready to offer the Mason under the name Maestro to the rest of the world as the Mason is specific to the Japanese market. Their marketing makes it very difficult to tell the difference in their models. They also have a 12 driver model specific to the Singapore market named Legacy. They are working overtime to try and keep their largest distributors happy with exclusivity in their local markets.
 
I own the Mason and have owned the Mentor. The Mason is to my ear superior but the Mentor is certainly warmer. 

 

[d3885u]

Still courious which one between mason and legacy is flatter and more technical prominent...i want to search an iem which as honest and as flat as possible..no bump in one or two areas..

 

[Dopaminer]

Still courious which one between mason and legacy is flatter and more technical prominent...i want to search an iem which as honest and as flat as possible..no bump in one or two areas..

Mason or UERM. 

 

[d3885u]

Thank you dopaminer for your response, but i only want the universal version, ue dont provide universal version for uerm/uerr models.
Can you describe your impression between uerm vs mason?
And have you tried the legacy (singapore version)?

 

[Dopaminer]

Thank you dopaminer for your response, but i only want the universal version, ue dont provide universal version for uerm/uerr models.
Can you describe your impression between uerm vs mason?
And have you tried the legacy (singapore version)?

 
Sorry, I hadn`t realized the universal UERM that I`ve demo`d a few times is only for auditions and that the UERM is custom-only.  
 
And no, I have never heard the Legacy, or for that matter the Mentor.  Here in Japan we have the Maverick and Mason, which are Japan-only versions of the other 5 and 6 driver UM universals.
 
The new UM Mavis I would consider every so slightly flatter than the Mason/Maverick, but frankly I found the low end lacking (despite it having two dynamic drivers).  You might want to give it a try . . .   

 

[d3885u]

Thank you once again for your suggestion...

Unfortunately I'm not lived in japan so its hard for me to audition that specific models

 

[Chodi]

I owned the Mentor and now have the Mason. The Mentor is noticeably warmer in the mids due to a slight bump in the mid bass. The Mason is far more transparent with greater clarity. Some might prefer the warmer less detailed presentation of the Mentor. It is more forgiving of poor recordings.The Mason is like a clear window to the recording. The Mason is also more extended at both extremes.

 

[d3885u]

Whoaaa...but still interested hear comparison between mason vs legacy head2head...

 

[echineko]

Anyone tried out the newer UM Japan line? The Macbeth and Mavis?

 

[Chodi]

Whoaaa...but still interested hear comparison between mason vs legacy head2head...

The Legacy is reported to have the same tuning as the Mentor but with slightly better clarity in the mids. I have not heard it myself. UM refers to the Legacy as an improved Mentor. If you read the Japanese forums it is clear that it has the same sound signature as the Mentor.

 

[d3885u]

My friend who lived in singapore owned both mason and legacy, but he claimed that legacy is flatter across the spectrum.
He stated that legacy is more like kaede but without its sibilance/treble peak, and mason is more like audeze house sound type..

Doesnt mean i dont trust his statement but just want to hear more impression from others..

 

[Dopaminer]

  Anyone tried out the newer UM Japan line? The Macbeth and Mavis?

I demo`d the quad-driver Mavis, comparing it to my 5-driver Maverick.  I expected the Mavis to have better/more impressive bass than the Maverick, given the former`s twin dynamic drivers and the Maverick`s single dynamic.  Instead I heard slightly better midrange detail in the Mavis, very impressive detail, not that tiring overly detailed mega-BA kind of detail.  Very sweet.  However, I much preferred the bass out of my Maverick and the Maverick`s midrange is also better than 99% of IEMs I`ve heard.  The Mavis` carbon fiber body is quite beautiful, if that fills your sails at all.
 
I also used to own the Mason, the 6-driver flagship, and while I found the Maverick vs Mason sound noticeably different, I couldn`t actually choose one over the other. In the end I went with placebo and kept the Maverick, for its dynamic woofer (it also has a BA woofer, which distinguishes it from the Merlin 5 driver).   The Mason is all-BA. 
 
I haven`t heard the Macbeth, as it is targeting `entry level`, although it is on my list to go demo . . .  
 
UM really likes the letter the M.