Ah. Shoulda known lol.
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Wild “east” you mean?
XD
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Yes 
That would be more accurate
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Folks, I have a question. I’ve been A/Bing Mele against Starfield for a few weeks now. My conclusion is, aside from a couple of striking differences (sub-bass / bass in Mele, forward mids in Starfield), I really have to do some critical listening to discern the nuances of each set. So for me, as I am somewhat a minimalist, I don’t see the need to keep Starfield.
So my question is, how much higher in price bracket do I need to go to hear a striking improvement to the Mele or Starfield? Reviewers/we probably all agree that both sets hit above their price bracket, but will something in the ~200 USD make me go “woahhh that’s much better!” from the moment I listen to them? Or does it have to be in the 200-300 USD bracket, like the Tea?
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This is a very hard question that only individual folks can answer to their own preferences. What is better? What makes you like Mele and Aria? Is it the FR, is it being a single DD, etc?
Mele was made to hang on that bracket like a champ. Imo, go 300 when you find out what you want and IF you really need an upgrade.
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Ah, yes, “do I really need an upgrade?” is a question that many of us struggle to answer For me, I recognise the shortcomings of Mele (treble and air needed for orchestra / violin / female vocals), and am aiming to get a set that can offer as good sub-bass and bass (I can live with a bit less in exchange for improvements elsewhere) as Mele, as good mids as Starfield (SF), and better treble than both Mele and SF. I suspect such a set would be in the 200-300 USD bracket…
So when people with multiple IEMs listen to music one evening, do you think “Ah I’m in a female vocals mood today, so I’m going to go with X”? Or “I’m going to use Y since I’m going to jump around in genres and it can handle all genres well”?
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That’s how it goes to me with specialists, yes.
I usually use all rounders for my library tho (EJ07m, Teas, Blur Pk32 earbuds)
Specialists for my library: Variations, E1000, Mele, Blon Mesh Moded, TSMR Land, Blur MX64 STE
Your natural upgrade might be Tanchjim Oxygen for these, while keeping the single DD. Check some reviews 
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I have one word: TEA. 
Tea for me compensates what you said was lacking from Mele, but also tones down a bit of bass so it’s more balanced. Yet the bass still slaps where it’s needed.
On a different note, I’ve been A/B/C/Ding all my IEMs but particularly Mele and Tea for movie watching, and I have my final verdict:
Mele >>> Tea.
Try watching Squid Game on Netflix. The bass slap during crucial moments in the series is phenomenal, draws you right into the tense atmosphere.
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God damn everyone watches Squid Game except me huh.
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That’s sub-bass monitors food. It makes sense that Mele circles Tea on that. Try those stuff on Variations or Monarch and you’ll shit your pants down 
Mele is the package for 50 bucks. Its confort is hard to beat.
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DO IT.
You will not regret if you’re into Hunger Games or Maze Runner. And the psychological factor is way beyond those two classics. Squid Game ranks above everything I know about the battle royale genre, and sits along with the original Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル, Batoru Rowaiaru) from 2000 Japan.
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Alright I can try to watch it from your rec, cuz literally everyone at my place keep talking about it nonstop.
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Gold owner reporting, finally after a month of waiting
Amazing build for the price 
, this is the gold standard for $50 iem, this easily match if not beat many $100 iems. Comfort ok, long enough stem, good weight, no weird protrusion/shape, no driver flex vacuum, decent/usable cable, functional case.
First impression, prominent sub bass with good decay 
, great bass texture and detail for $50 
, bass doesn’t bleed to mid, surprisingly female sounded better than male for the mid, treble resolving but sounded busy, timbre very accurate and natural 
, soundstage and imaging average, reminds me of LCD 2/ZMF signature (not the warmth, but the bass) 
Easy/definite rec for $50 for bass lover
I hope if there is another future collaboration, a $99 TWS that can deliver Mele bass with improved separated/airy treble (ba/multi driver?) 
or a wireless neckband iem design also welcome if that is what it takes to give proper power to Bluetooth iem (actually I prefer this design), AptX LL, AptX HD a must
Congratulations HBB 
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Thank you for the trust
Glad you like 
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I was listening to Axis: Bold as Love
During this song I was impressed at how clear those bass notes were in that run up to the solo ( from 1:10 to 1:37 ). Noel Redding tended to get drowned out by the mixes of that time period, as did most bass players.
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Listening here. Really nice, sounds clean. Added to library. Thanks!!!
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Agreed, after about two days I was clear it was the best set under $75, without hesitation
The fact that Mele can compare well to the current under $100 darling, the Aria, is pretty impressive, even more so given that it is $30 less than that set.
I will also admit that I was expecting something more like a super Bl-03 and what I got was the love child of a BL-03 and an Aria. I didn’t ask for it, but it really is what I wanted.
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When it comes to multiple sets, I like having two: A brighter set that fits my preferences, and a darker set.
I haven’t heard Mele, but I know Starfield and what Mele has evolved from. I think those two would be nice companions. Mele for bassier music that calls for less top-end, Starfield for more top-end and less bass. Yes, for “I feel like female vocals” or something like that. For me, I tend to listen to genres in certain sessions. If I feel like Electronic music, I’ll go for a bassier set with less highs for a smoother listen. For Rock or Acoustic stuff, more mids and top end, less bass. This is mostly due to some music not sounding “right” for me if the IEM/headphone reproduces too much of something when it’s not called for. But both of these sets are tuned rather “as intended with a twist” IMHO so it’s a toss up.
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Yep. For me, Aria and Mele are on the same level about everything. FR are different, but none is really better than the other: they are just made for different tastes.
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I feel like Mele wins on bass response, and Aria handles some higher pitch female vocals a tad better. But yes, it is about tastes, or as HBB says “your music library”.
I am starting to get to the point where I change sets for certain types of music. I never really did that with headphones, it is something that I don’t hesitate to do with IEMs. I sort of like that I am viewing them as the right tool for the job.
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