Thanks for this. Could, or rather, would you mind commenting on the fit? They do indeed appear to be the chunkier of the 3. I saw another Comment that they appeared to be about the size of the 3DT, which I have in my ears now and a comment from you re the sizing in comparison would be helpful. I've had MEST, but not indigo... Where does Mext sit in relation? Thanks!Since I had the opportunity to audition UM MEXT for a few days, Thanks to Musicteck, I decided to post a little write up about it. But as soon as I mentioned that I heard MEXT, I got a ton of questions asking me how it compares to Mest MKII and Indigo. So, I decided to write something different from my usual mini-reviews, breaking down the comparison between these into Bass/Lower Mids/Upper Mids/Treble and Soundstage categories. Please keep in mind, when I say “=” or ”>”, I don’t mean it as one being the same or better than the other. It is all relative to how I hear it, and under each category I have a short write up with a more detailed explanation.
Mest MKII vs Indigo vs MEXT
Bass: MEXT > Indigo = MKII
When it comes to bass comparison between these 3, it is all about the perception. MEXT bass sounds more elevated, with more weight and stronger impact due to its warmer tonality, less forward mids, and smoother treble. Indigo and MKII have similar low end response and due to their more revealing tonality, as well as Indigo's more forward mids, their bass perception is lower in quantity when compared to MEXT.
Lower Mids: MEXT > Indigo > MKII
In terms of the amount of body and tonality, MEXT lower mids are the fullest and the warmest in comparison to Indigo lower mids being a little north of neutral and MKII being closer to neutral.
Upper Mids: Indigo > MEXT = MKII
Indisputably, Indigo has more forward upper mids which shape its sound sig to be more balanced. MEXT and MKII upper mids are nearly the same in quantity, but MEXT sounds smoother because of its less aggressive treble, while MKII upper mids/vocals are brighter and more revealing due to its more energetic treble.
Treble: MKII > Indigo > MEXT
MKII treble is the brightest, being more crisp and more energetic. Indigo treble quantity is the same as MKII, but due to a more forward upper mids, its treble sounds less aggressive. MEXT is the smoothest due to a more attenuated mid-treble response since it is lacking EST drivers. MEXT treble is not rolled off or “missing”, it's still detailed and has a good definition, presence, and clarity. But its tonality is noticeably smoother in comparison to Indigo and MKII, making MEXT less fatigue in longer listening sessions.
Soundstage: MEXT = Indigo > MKII
MEXT soundstage is as wide open and as holographic as Indigo, but it also adds a little bit of reverberation effect on top of it, especially noticeable when you hit the pause in the middle of the playback when you hear the tail of the reverb. In comparison, MKII soundstage sounds a bit intimate due to having more depth than width. By itself, MKII soundstage is wide, but not on the same level as MEXT and Indigo.
I'd be in for that, here in Canada. Could even help organize it.......So, any thoughts on a MEXT review tour? See if it is actually better than some more expensive models or not. If you guys are interested, I am going to start a registration form tonight.
OK I will make my life easier. This is a NA based mini tour. If you are interested simply PM me, with a link to your previous reviews. All rules are the same as the MEST tour.So, any thoughts on a MEXT review tour? See if it is actually better than some more expensive models or not. If you guys are interested, I am going to start a registration form tonight
How much did they cost you in total? I'm in Dublin so wondering how much it'll cost with import charges etc.
So these beauties just landed today. A big thanks to @MusicTeck for the usual excellent service. 2 days USA to Ireland.
As there aren’t many impressions at the moment, I thought it may be useful to post some first impressions.
The Mext shells are beautiful with very good build quality. Shells are bigger than Mest MKii but not excessively so. From memory they are more or less the same dimension of S-EM9 and slightly smaller than Anole V14. Smaller than Mest og.
They are very comfortable and it’s easy to get a good seal but the signature and the bass quantity change quite a bit with tips and insertion. However, it’s easier to get contact with the bone conduction plate since my understanding is that is placed underneath the shells (and not on the inside like mest og and mkii)
Still playing with tips but here some first sound impressions out of Shanling M8 with stock large silicon tips.
These Mext slam. And slam hard. My main issue with mest mkii (and even more with mest og) was that the bass was there but did not have that typical dd impact. With Mext that’s not the case, sub bass and bass are present and elevated. Now the fun thing is that with other tips I tried (xelastec, spiral dots or even stock silicon medium tips) the bass quantity and slam decreased quite noticeably so basically you can fine tune the Mext just with some tips rolling. From memory the mids remind me of the mest mk ii mids, just slightly smoother. Still spacious and airy. Treble is on the smoother side but present. Soundstage appear to be wider and holographic. All in all after testing them for a couple of hours I must say I prefer them to mest og and they are comparable to mest mkii if you know what you want. If you want a slightly smoother listening with punchier bass, airy mids and smooth but present treble Mext may be a better choice than mkii. It is for me.
If you want a more sparkly iem with less bass slam and less sub bass, mkii should suit you better.
All in all I find the Mext more fun than mkii with bigger soundstage and a smoother more pleasant listening experience. Your mileage may vary
So these beauties just landed today. A big thanks to @MusicTeck for the usual excellent service. 2 days USA to Ireland.
As there aren’t many impressions at the moment, I thought it may be useful to post some first impressions.
The Mext shells are beautiful with very good build quality. Shells are bigger than Mest MKii but not excessively so. From memory they are more or less the same dimension of S-EM9 and slightly smaller than Anole V14. Smaller than Mest og.
They are very comfortable and it’s easy to get a good seal but the signature and the bass quantity change quite a bit with tips and insertion. However, it’s easier to get contact with the bone conduction plate since my understanding is that is placed underneath the shells (and not on the inside like mest og and mkii)
Still playing with tips but here some first sound impressions out of Shanling M8 with stock large silicon tips.
These Mext slam. And slam hard. My main issue with mest mkii (and even more with mest og) was that the bass was there but did not have that typical dd impact. With Mext that’s not the case, sub bass and bass are present and elevated. Now the fun thing is that with other tips I tried (xelastec, spiral dots or even stock silicon medium tips) the bass quantity and slam decreased quite noticeably so basically you can fine tune the Mext just with some tips rolling. From memory the mids remind me of the mest mk ii mids, just slightly smoother. Still spacious and airy. Treble is on the smoother side but present. Soundstage appear to be wider and holographic. All in all after testing them for a couple of hours I must say I prefer them to mest og and they are comparable to mest mkii if you know what you want. If you want a slightly smoother listening with punchier bass, airy mids and smooth but present treble Mext may be a better choice than mkii. It is for me.
If you want a more sparkly iem with less bass slam and less sub bass, mkii should suit you better.
All in all I find the Mext more fun than mkii with bigger soundstage and a smoother more pleasant listening experience. Your mileage may vary
I’m actually italian but I’ve been living in Ireland for the past 10 years so I consider myself part irish
No comparisons?
