BTW, I’m bad at keeping up with which driver models are in which IEMs. Can you tell me some IEMs I would be able to hear that Sonion in? I have heard vented BA woofers before, but I’d be interested to check out what you’re referring to specifically.
Great low-end. Better than Serial to me from my memory.
@SoundEater Timbre is great. Nothing off. No thinness, no weird dips, but I guess the only part would be the more recessed vocals. I think S12 is still better for more dynamic tracks since the Meateor does have a lot of mid-bass.
@JAnonymous5150 Amen.
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iirc, the thie tribrids should be using a BA for mid-bass, but not completely sure on that.
the Sonion 38 series are these 4 BAs (I believe there are more behind the scene though).
Specifically the one with acupass is this model:
This one is used in for example the Dunu SA6, BGVP DM8 and possibly the GS Audio ST4 (and above models, not clear on the driver though, but its a 38 series woofer at least)
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I believe this is true. Probably the main reason why the Monarch’s having amazing sub bass, but lack luster mid bass.
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I thought they were using the BA for subbass and that’s why people thought it was weird when that driver config was announced when the Monarch first came out. I’ve never looked into myself and could def be wrong though. 
Any clues on that BA woofer they used?
I haven’t the slightest clue, my friend. It might be on the box but that’s at home… I’ll take a look then if you haven’t found it out before then.
Do check. From my search just now, they only mention that they got knowles and sonion drivers. But nothing more than that. So if I was in charge of their marketing team, I would assume that they dont use a vented woofer and especially not one from sonion. (probably the 22955 like all other BA woofer that is from knowles and unvented…)
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I got you, I’ll take a look at the outside and inside of the box, there May be a clue there somewhere … one thing is for sure, though - the lack of texture and authority in the mid bass is something they need to fix come the Monarch MKIII. If they do that and keep the pricing around the same??!?
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Judging by the graph, the Mon seems to be going for a fun, punchy sub and rumbly but CLEAN. Is that how u would describe it? If so, the 22955 is a perfect fit, and vented BA woofer would probably not be ideal.
The Monarch MKII is as clean as an IEM can be without being overly cold or analytical imo. The mids are quite frankly, damn close to being perfect. The sub bass is a nice compliment to the rest of the FR to my ears, but I really would enjoy a more snappy, textured mid bass to really make them an overall solid 9/10 IEM. That’s truly the only thing that’s missing - that and the soundstage is not as wide as other offerings but I don’t think they were going for wide, I think Thie was going for intimate and that’s exactly what they achieved.
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Checked on the box and no mention of what specific BAs are inside them unfortunately. I could of sworn they came with a small booklet as well but no sign of it … I don’t think I threw it away so I may have just been mistaken
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Hey guys. So, it’s finally Mest time, and as many of you may know the Mest is a highly acclaimed set, so when I first looked at the graph I was like - no way why did so many people buy this? But, after listening to them I understand the hype now, MEST is indeed one of the best, and I think it’s also one of the few sets over $1000 that actually justifies its price tag.
Starting with the low-end. The Mest isn’t going to be meaty and thick like the Meteor or UP, but the separation, speed, and clarity in the bass notes are on the same level if not more resolving. Note-weight is very natural, and the Mest is definitely more sub-bass oriented as the mid-bass, although punchy, doesn’t have the same slam and impact as the UP or Meteor, but the attack on the other hand is very fast and sharp like the UP. The sub-bass especially has amazing texture and isn’t recessed or soft, but very tactile. Personally, I don’t hear the difference in the bone conduction driver vs a DD, but the sub-bass does extend very deeply and rumbles your ears when it needs to.
Now, since the low-end is very clean there’s zero bleed or bloat into the mids, and instead the unique decision to essentially cut out the gain starting from 1K to 5K, and delaying it to 5K to 15K instead actually works. Now, I definitely thought that the vocals would just be gone, or super recessed and wonky, but to my surprise they actually sound very clean, open, and natural. It reminds me of the Variations but less thin, and honestly I prefer the Mest more to the Variations or OG Monarch since the Mest has that sparkle like the DM but less meaty and more clean. Midrange clarity and separation is also up there with the OG Monarch and other endgame sets, and as the result of flattening the 1K to 5K range the stage on the Mest is one of the biggest I’ve heard, and feels very open and grand - kind of like the Z1R and U12T, but with actual good vocals.
Treble on the other hand is very well extended, clean, and slightly aggressive, bringing a touch of excitement and energy to the overall sound. Now, it’s not as airy as the Meteor, but the resolution is cleaner and you can pick out each individual nuances better. And adding on the bigger sense of stage, the Mest makes it very obvious that details are bombarding you from every direction. So, in terms of overall clarity, separation, and “technicalities” it doesn’t get much better than this. Some IEMs will over-do the treble to create a sense of sharpness and higher resolution, but the Mest balances out its sharpness and timbre perfectly.
Now, I don’t have any of the big bois on me right now to A/B, but the Mest to me is definitely a step up from the Meteor, Mahina, and Variations when it comes to overall tech plus enjoyment. The others’ might have just amazing tech, or trading it for enjoyment, but neither at the same time. Which is why the Mest is the definition of an endgame all-rounder set, handling busy tracks like Strangest Thing, House in Nebraska, and Flower Town with ease, while still allowing me to jam out with my hiphop library, and also portraying vocals beautifully on ballads as well.
So, it’s one of the rare instances that I think a $1500 price tag is justified. But, I also think the EJ07M is around 90% of the Mest for a third of the price, with the exception being in the treble clarity and extension which the Mest does better. It’s still a rec from me though if you have the money, and the only real nitpick is that the treble can get too exciting at very loud volumes, but we’re talking 80dbs+ here, so pretty much most of you will be fine. But ya, Mest is one of the Best. Thanks for reading guys.
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Nicely done, brother 
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I got excited reading this part. Mest MKII is definitely a beast of a set. I find the BC often doesn’t present anything however, on songs where there’s clicks or taps, like a drummer hitting their sticks or the edge, I definitely have a feeling of tapping versus just hearing it.
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I do believe the bone conduction mostly helps out above 1kHz not the bass region but I could be wrong.
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I have heard good things about MEST MKii . I was going to buy it a while ago, but… I preferred DD as the endgame (if that makes sense). The only bad thing I’ve heard is that the coherence is very poor and lacks a bit of mid-bass on MEST MKii! Is that correct? 
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I think that due to constant sales of MEST MK2 much closer to 1000$ it should be considered more in that category, as 1500$ is probably not the price anyone bought them for in recent years 
And 1000$ may be even more common once the MK3 is released.
Also interestingly it is really common in the 2nd hand market (it may be a bad sign in general) for 700-800$ which is quite rare for such an expensive set. For example Monarch MK2 pops up on classified once a week or less and is swiped away in minutes. Mests are being listed like every second day.
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The $700-800 secondhand prices are more about the fact that around Black Friday-Christmas, there was a sale on new MEST Mk II at some store (I think Musicteck? that had them at like $900usd) and that moved the secondhand market
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Musicteck was putting it on a sale between 899-1099$ more than 4 times in last 6 months as far as my memory goes. It was also on sale in all major polish shops in the same time, so I assume it was worldwide case and as you said it definitely was the reason of the overflow of them on the market. But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s “normal” price is more like a reason for shops to make large -33% discounts in my opinion than real market value (value in brackets, as it is obviously worth magnitude less)
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