You probably said it better than I did. That sounds like how I’m hearing it in comparison to sets without the bone conduction driver tech.
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This is the fun stuff man! I love it. So glad you are enjoying them!
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I appreciate all the incoming insight from you because ive been sitting on the fence on whether to buy two of the Thieaudio tribrids or just go straight to the Mest. Ive stopped at the Legacy 3 and FH3. So please any insight is welcome as im sure we all are wondering, especially since you have so much experience with all of these. What would you sell now that you have the Mest? What would you keep as a companion/genre specific?
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Well, currently I’m running a combo of MEST with Xenns UP (a more bass forward set compared to a modestly balanced MEST by comparison).
Too bad I don’t have the Oracle, Monarch, or Excalibur to help compare potential pairings and such. 
EDIT:: If I had to pick only one, it would be the MEST. But the UP is a fun set and could be your only set from where you are coming from. Though if you want something a bit more balanced out in your collection too, but don’t want to shell out another huge amount of money for the MEST too, then you could go for a tribrid at around $500-700 that has the most balanced tuning of the options out there.
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I’d grab these 2 aswell…and the “X” and be a happy camper
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I believe the term you’re looking for is “holographic”, usually used when describing a more real and 3D staging.
I believe estats do this very well too within the limited frequency band they play in.
This characteristic is also commonly attributed to very good DACs or tube amps, as well as the drivers in question 
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So you mean the Mest and the UP? just clarifying, what do you mean by X?
Probably the Legend X, just because the Elysian X is just so insanely priced.
But it might be another one.
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Wow i did not need to see that lol
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Think he’d take the EE Odin over the EELX lol.
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ya duh i just checked his ranking list, ill just stay in this price bracket, i remember his video on the $1500 sweetspot and i truly believe it after getting the OG Clears, im just ready to get to that point with iems
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Definitely lol
I really want to hear the Mest, but I also wanna hear the Noble Khan’s again - which is the one of the few stupidly (although now there’s even more expensive s*** smh) priced head gear that I was actually like “Oh…well yes, I see why this is so pricey”. Hoping CanJam has an explosion of IEMs in the UK this year.
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He’s all good. Just got back. Had a prostate cancer scare. I appreciate the kind words more than you know.
Might be the right term, but none of the estats in any of the big tribrids I own do what I’m trying to describe.
It’s not the stage that’s holographic necessarily but the audio events within the stage that have depth shape and more completeness than on tribrids with estats. I apologize because I knew I would have difficulty explaining it.
I think this is the BEST way to describe it - The elements of a mix in the Mest pop out so much more clearly and are incredibly well defined more so than any other set I’ve heard and the stage is black.
Great point, why I added this to my remarks…
I am using the brand new D90se that broke all DAC measurement records with the A90. So, there’s that too.
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Oh sorry, I meant Electrostats as in Stax, as opposed to the drivers they are now using in IEMs.
But yeah, I think I know what you mean tbh.
The most extreme example of holographic sound was the utterly insane Hifiman Shangri-la.
It didn’t necessarily sound BETTER than all the other TOTL stuff that cost 39K less, they all sound amazing too, but the way I described it was its almost like you can mentally visualise walking around the band and, it’s extremely believable and elicits emotion in a way that I hadn’t experienced with other setups as a result.
Will definitely have to grab a pair one day far into the future 
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Well, the sad thing is, the first time I heard it with one of my favourite songs, I physically couldn’t stand up and there was tears (no joke).
One year later when I go to try it again, I was like “Yeah, this sounds OK”.
I wish the magic didn’t go away 
That feeling or hearing a level of audio you’ve never heard before is what makes the chase in this hobby so exciting sometimes.
But then we get used to it haha.
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I have a tendency to get spammy in @hawaiibadboy & @Rikudou_Goku 's threads so I’d like to apologize if I’m posting too much.
I would love to give you those exact reactions because those thought processes are already going through my head. I don’t have complete conclusions yet since I would like to A/B sets and would like more time with the Mest MKII.
But… I think I can already say I won’t have any need for the Clairvoyance or Excalibur. The Monarch and Oracle I’m still mulling over. As for the Monarch, I think I prefer the Variations just because of the shell size. The Monarch’s sound might be slightly better or not but if the fit is such a pain in the ass for me, what is the point. Same issue with the Clairvoyance shell size.
Because of my library, I have to have a very heavy sub bass emphasis set in my collection. It’s either going to be the Monarch or Variations right now.
I can’t agree more. I’ve learned so much from so many just at this forum. Thank you to everyone who has helped me out. I think it’s a testament to how much enjoyment I’ve had since I started collecting IEMs from recommendations from forum members. I’ve rarely, if ever been disappointed. I should be very thankful I’ve received as much good advise as I have here and has always kept me coming back excited for what’s next.
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ya i definitely understand you need more time to truly assess and get that brain burn, will follow this closely. and i never complain about seeing too much info, that’s why I come here anyway, especially when making a big purchase. You guys all have such invaluable knowledge plus audio is really my only hobby outside of producing/studio gear. tldr keep it comin man
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If you want a subwoofer in your ears, the Alambic Ears Mundaka needs to be considered.
Review!
The special thing about these, I suppose, is that it’s not sub-bass or mid-bass focused - it’s equally proficient at both and it’s backed up by the frequency graph below:
Sorry, I’m harping on about this IEM, but I have this deep gut feeling it’s a hidden overlooked gem.
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Well I guess there goes my tattoo money…
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