MEST VS The World

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
1

So let’s say you’ve got a big mix of pretty alright IEMs(FD5, DM8, A7, ZAX, YBF, FH3, etc), and now you want to escape all that jumbled mess and go to the top. It seems MEST(JP/INT) is the top, around ~$1100 anyway. Not Z1R. Not M9. Not Clair or Monarch. (But maybe SR-003…? :thinking:)

Of course, I want the best HE-6/LCD bass, the best Stax highs & air, the best HD600’s big brother mids, and imaging & depth so good it’s not funny(colour me an FPS gamer). And hopefully…something that I can listen to regular music with, where pristine, lossless, well-mastered material is not a requirement. Because I’m an MP3 guy, mostly.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Palpitations? (I am open to headphones, but don’t see a MEST competitor below its price)

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Qualities of some products I enjoy:

  • FD5 = bass, resolution, awesome imaging/depth/soundstage space
  • HE-6/LCD-3 = everything, generally speaking(from demo’ing once)
  • Stax L300 = mid-bass & speed
  • TFZ No.3 = mid-bass
  • YBF = overall sound

Qualities of some products I dislike:

  • FD5/FH3/YBF/L300/ZAX = too much treble, or treble flaws, in one form or another
  • DM8/A7 = too little bass, in one way or another

IEMs that fit well & feel good:

  • TFZ No.3 (light and simple shape)
  • Legacy 3
  • KZ ZSN Pro

IEMs that don’t fit well or feel bad:

  • Blessing 2 (huge)
  • FD5/FH3 (heavy & odd-shaped)
  • Shuoer Tape Pro
  • A7 (kinda small)
  • BLON 03
1 Like
2

graph (14)
graph (14)2400×1038 259 KB

A7 Pop-red
A7 Pop-red897×472 24.5 KB

If the A7 has too little bass for you, it looks like the Mest has even less.

3

Hopefully having a different presentation/position in the stage would change that, as I feel the A7 sounds oddly black/darkened or partially distant, on my preferred gold-pop config, anyway.

4

image
image882×504 32.2 KB

Try the pop-red then. More bass and the treble is different so you might prefer it.

Both of them have a lot more bass than the MEST on the graph though, but the treble is also higher on the A7 so that will balance the bass out. Not sure if the MEST will give you much more bass in the end though, if anything.

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5

Might wanna wait on Mest Mk2 measurements as there are a few reports about it having more bass.

1 Like
6

Nah, kuz it’s $400 more.

7

The bone conduction substitutes the bass pretty well from what I’ve heard.

8

MEST v1 Uni Intl. or EJ07…? I guess Clair is no longer in production.

9

Hyla Sarda bass will make you go “Woah.” Treble is elevated but fun and very detailed. Mids do seem to take a step back in the mix but it works for a lot of popular music. Early thoughts since I just got them in yesterday but it seemed somewhat relevant to this thread. Not sure if you are still searching.

2 Likes
10

Absolutely. Right now I’m really wondering about M9. Apparently it has superb, spacious, fatigue-free treble, and nice bass. Haven’t heard a Sony IEM yet(nor a Hyla).

11

Z1R if you can get a good fit is up there too :heart_eyes::musical_score::metal: