But why am I having so much trouble at the $1100 mark, finding something with great bass & soundstage(IEM or open-back)? 
Zmf atticus may be worth a look for you if you’re looking for bass and soundstage
Areolus, do you mean? Haven’t tried a ZMF yet.
No, the zmf atticus, it’s the closed back model like the eikon, but with the same driver as the aeolus
Just a quick PSA–my customs are being built now, and UM emailed me to let me know about new color options for MkII customs:
I got the purple and my wife, green.
Ending up buying U12T and pre-ordered MEST mkii. Initial impression of U12T is it sounds kind of “effortless”. It doesn’t have that wow factor to me at least like the Andromeda had, but music kind of disappears when listening to the U12T which doesn’t happen with a lot of audio that I have tried. Also I didn’t realize how nice the APEX module is. Sounds like a TOTL jack of all trades IEM to me
Very cool. Thanks for sharing impressions. I do like U12T. Glad you also hear them as TOTL, jack-of-all-trades IEMs. How is the bass holding up to your “monster bass” cravings?
Definitely bass light, but it is definitely quality imo. To give reference, IER-Z1R and Legend X to me sound “balanced” without bass boost and don’t satisfy my monster bass cravings lol. I need a iFi iDSD BL xboost or RME on maximum bass boost on the Legend X and IER-Z1R to satisfy the bass cravings. I kept thinking if this bass was in the Andromeda, I’d be so content.
Received the MEST Mkii today. Definitely an improvement for my tastes over the Mki Intl version. The fit is definitely better, but the nozzle is too long for my ears so not sure if I am really benefiting from the bone conduction if anyone can even notice the bone conduction.
What tips are you using? Maybe try smaller than the ones you usually use?
I tried Spiral Dots, Final E Tips, and Spin fits. I tried going one size smaller with Final E tips and definitely break seal. In general for me, I need a shorter stem like the U12T or Andromeda. I just realized I can take my Spiral Dots and push it to the base of the stem and that is more comfortable for me for sure.
For anyone interested, these are quick impressions of MEST Mkii and compared to some other IEMs I have.
What I like to hear in my gear and my music tastes:
I am a weird bass head and primarily IEM person. Weird as in I love lots of rumble and impact, but I rarely like warm sounding headphones/iems with the exception of a few like the IER-Z1R and Meze Empyrean. When I mean warm, I mean gear like the CA Atlas, Shure SE846. I enjoy warm neutral IEMs and use source gear to provide quality added bass rumble and impact (when I want it). I rarely software EQ since Tidal doesn’t have EQ. I also love airy qualities to my IEMs. If I can’t add rumble, I do enjoy warm neutral or “balanced” sounding IEMs. In other words, my preferred sound signature is L shaped or mild V-shaped. There are exceptions.
I primarily listen to electronic, edm, pop, rap, rnb. occasionally instrumentals and rock. Some artists I enjoy are Billie Eilish, Lorde, Sam Smith, Kanye West, Linkin Park, Alicia Keys, Daft Punk, Zedd, Old school Dr. Dre, Dua Lipa, Hans Zimmer, Daft Punk, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Taylor Swift, Glass Animals, The Weeknd, Justin Timberlake, and more. Not sure if this matters, but I am in my early 20s and many others I have met/talked to IRL or on forums are older than me at this price bracket. I have a different opinion than most people who own this tier of gear .
Impressions:
MEST Mkii:
Solid sounding IEM. I definitely prefer it over the Intl Mki version. Mki was a bit incoherent and a little bright tbh. Wasn’t really to my liking because it was a bit too neutral. My friend who is familiar with high end audio but not an audiophile said the Mki sounded very close to live like he was at the concert he went to. Mkii fixes the issues I had with the original. There is a bit more warmth and cohesiveness amongst the frequencies that I find better to listen to. It’s also way more comfortable than the Mki. I have average sized ears and the Mki Intl MEST was the most uncomfortable IEM I have ever worn and I used to own the IER-Z1R. Overall signature of Mkii and Mki are warm neutral with the Mkii being warmer than Mki. It has a detailed and technical sound while still being musical and engaging to listen to. Works better when there are more natural instruments involved with the music. Tips noticeably matter more.
In comparison to U12T: U12T is more laid back while the MEST Mkii is more engaging and aggressive. U12T is an IEM I can listen to without thinking. It sounds “effortless.” MEST Mkii is more for when I want to be more engaged with the music. I really love the APEX modules on the U12T. It allows me to listen to the U12T for longer hours. They are both warm neutral. U12T has a more “studio” sound and is more coherent/smoothed out amongst the frequency range.
In comparison to Legend X: Mid-range on the Legend X is noticeably farther away, but is still a really well done mid-range. Bass quantity is more noticeable on the Legend X and rumbles a bit more than the MEST Mkii imo. The bass on MEST sounds a bit “bigger” though if that makes any sense. Legend X while still being very technical and detailed is a bit easier to listen to since the detail isn’t as in your face as the MEST. Legend X is L-shaped or V-shaped depending on how one interprets the sound. I don’t think Legend X is a bass heads dream. It is a balanced sound (don’t confuse with neutral). I consider IER-Z1R to also be a balanced sound.
In comparison to Andromeda 2020: This is a bit harder for me to compare. MEST presents more technicalities and detail than the Andromeda. Andromeda lacks quantity in the bass and I prefer the bass on the MEST. Andromeda does have a unique airy quality to it. I really like the way vocals and treble sounds on the Andromeda. It is a really engaging sound and likeable tuning and actually always my go to IEM to showing non-audiophiles what high end audio can sound like. Tbh they just sound different and I don’t know how to describe the Andromeda sound well enough since it’s different and I don’t know why. They are both warm neutral, but MEST is warmer.
I’ll need to get back to you on that. I have let maybe 10 or so people try the Andromeda/Andromeda 2020 and only 2 were kind of in-between on it. One of them was wowed by the IER-Z1R so turns out it was preference. Mk2 I haven’t let anyone else listen to it yet.
I was able to get 5 non-audiophiles to try the MEST MkII, Andromeda 2020, and 64 Audio U12T. Players used are iBasso DX300 Amp11Mk1, Shanling M8, iPhone 12 dongle, their phone. Each person didn’t try each player + IEM combo, but all tried the three IEMs.
Music Preferences/Info about each person:
Person A: Gear doesn’t matter to them as long as they are listening to songs they like. Generally prefers upbeat feel good songs like September by Earth, Wind & Fire, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli.
Person B: DJ so can appreciate nice gear, but doesn’t use anything high end for audio playback. Listens to electronic/edm.
Person C: Generally listens to rock and rap, some pop.
Person D: Generally listens to jazz, pop, and instrumental. Not an audiophile, but used to own high end gear like the HD800 and Andromeda S. He attended audio show with me once which is how he knew about the Andromeda S.
Person E: Generally listens to heavy metal and rock, some pop.
Summary of their opinions after listening
Person A: MEST MkII + DX300 > Andromeda 2020 > MEST MkII + M8 > U12T. Got lost in the music with MEST MkII + DX300. Andromeda 2020 was pretty good. Didn’t like MEST MkII with M8 or U12T much.
Person B: U12T + M8 = Andromeda 2020 + their Phone or DX300 > U12T + their phone > MEST MkII. Got lost in the music with U12T + M8 and Andromeda 2020. Wasn’t a big fan of the MEST MkII.
Person C: MEST MkII + M8 = Andromeda 2020 + DX300 > Andromeda 2020 + M8 > U12T. Really enjoyed MEST MkII and Andromeda 2020. U12T not so much, but wasn’t sure why.
Person D: MEST MkII + M8 > Andromeda 2020 > MEST MkII + DX300 > U12T. For him, MEST MkII was like being at the concert without the feeling of the speakers. Favorite IEM he has heard along with MEST MkI. Still really enjoys Andromeda. U12T was eh.
Person E: MEST MkII > Andromeda 2020 = U12T. Liked MEST MkII for rock, but was like eh for heavy metal. Was also eh on Andromeda 2020 and U12T. I showed the Empire Ears Valkyrie to them once and they loved that.
All: Enjoyed hearing details they haven’t heard before. They could hear differences between phone and DAPs, couldn’t tell me why they enjoyed one more than the other. Going from phone to DX300 or M8 was night and day to them for MEST MkII and U12T. Andromeda 2020 was only small differences when changing player.
Just want to add a bit of my own thought on MkII.
MKII are tonally perfect for me. I still own OG Andromeda and Solaris 2020. I like the sparkle, airy treble with my CA IEMs. I do like the bass on my Solaris as well. MKII sounds absolutely correct to me.
What I think MKII shine is its technicality. I like how MKII present the details. I really enjoy MKII create an expansive soundstage. MKII offer a sense of space around me. But I also point out that this “sense of space” might be more apparent if you are listening to a good recording. I personally found Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan’s Bach Cantatas sound very impressive with MKII.
p.s. I mainly listen to classical music but I do enjoy many other genres.
I currently using the combo of UM MEST MKII with Shanling M6 pro and my music collections are largely hi-res flac or DSD.
Couldn’t agree more on BCJ’s Bach Cantatas series on MKII!! It’s an exceptional match.
so for non audiophile person,
I think the best iem to recommend is Andromeda 2020,
the priority is like this:
1 Sound stage
2 Bass impact, mainly mid bass slam,
3 imaging
…
7 Details,
…
9 texture
…
11 tonal accuracy
…
99 speed
Yeah definitely. If they listen to rock though primarily, I think MEST Mkii is a better option. I did get an absolute bass head non-audiophile to try Andromeda 2020 last year and they loved the Andromeda. Same person was like “pretty good” on Focal Clear
Potentially, from what I can tell:
1 Overall Tuning
2 Sound Stage/Imaging
3 Bass
4 Details
…
I am not sure where to put everything else lol