Hisenior Mega5EST: Task Failed Successfully

Introduction

The Mega5EST is a $550USD IEM made by Hisenior, a brand that’s gone relatively unnoticed in this hobby so far. I only found them thanks to a friend, who sent this unit as part of a tour package (thanks Tam!).

It’s gotten a smattering of hype thanks to it measuring similarly to the near-universally adored Subtonic Storm, so the narrative surrounding Mega5EST is likely best summed up as people calling it a “baby Storm” or “Storm at home.”

However, I think this narrative undersells how novel Mega5EST is in this market, as it’s easily more well-rounded than anything else I’ve heard in this price bracket. I’d even go as far as to say it’s one of the best IEMs I’ve heard in 2023.

So today I want to course correct, and bring a little more context to Mega5EST’s place in the market… where in my view it wipes the floor with its competition. Let’s get into it.

What we like

  • Extremely livable comfort
  • Exceptionally unproblematic frequency response tuning
  • Price appropriate technical performance in almost every metric

What we don’t like

  • Some listeners may have an issue with a treble peak around 11-12kHz
  • Not the last word in any one aspect of technical performance
  • Ergonomics

    Mega5EST boasts an uncommonly small and ergonomically designed shell for something that houses as many drivers as it does. The shell actually reminds me most of my darling Audiosense DT200, which is probably the single most comfortable IEM shell I’ve ever used due to it being incredibly tiny but also very “ear-shaped” in terms of its pseudo-custom molding.

    Mega5EST seemingly has a near-identical shape to DT200, but scaled up a little larger all-round. Fortunately, this size increase is basically imperceptible to me, so Mega5EST is just about tied with DT200 for the “Most Comfortable” I’ve tried.

    The sizing and shaping is such that I think even those of us with the smallest outer-ears would be able to fit Mega5EST, and honestly that makes it one of the few IEMs out there that gets a 100% passing grade from me for shell ergonomics. I cannot stress enough how uncommon this is in a market dominated by IEMs with massive shells.

    When you also consider the beautifully soft (though slightly heavy) cable and the plethora of included eartips, it's really hard to say anything outright harsh about the ergonomics or quality-of-life package that Mega5EST offers. I see vanishingly few people having issues, and so Mega5EST starts this review off with a bang. Well done, Hisenior.

    Frequency Response

    Harman?

    In the product description for the Mega5EST, Hisenior claims that they utilize a “Harman IEM Target Curve-referred tuning.” Is this another entry in the trend of IEMs hitting the Harman Target almost perfectly from top to bottom?

    Well, turns out, no… But also, yes? Let me explain.

    If Hisenior were going for Harman’s In-Ear (IE) Target with the Mega5EST… That’s not what they ended up hitting.

    To be fair, I don’t think Mega5EST is incredibly far off from the general idea of Harman. It has the bass boost around 100Hz (with an amount more similar to Harman’s IE target), with an ear gain elevation peaking at 3kHz, tapering off gradually after that. I think people that enjoy the very precisely Harman-adherent IEMs like Truthear Nova or Moondrop Variations will also like Mega5EST.

    But not only have Hisenior not tuned Mega5EST perfectly to Harman’s In Ear target, but they’ve pulled off an uncommon feat, stumbling on a tuning more reminiscent of the sound of the less controversial over-ear (OE) Harman Target—as shown by Mega5EST’s placement within the preference bounds we use.

    What I do know is that regardless of their goals, Hisenior knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s a damn good tuning. It sounds like a coherent, shockingly normal-sounding IEM for my taste, and for that reason I think most people who hear this IEM are generally going to find it pretty hard to fault.

    This is a measurement of the Mega5EST measured with a clone IEC 60318-4 coupler mounted in an ear-and-cheek simulator used as a ITU P.57 Type 3.3 Ear Simulator. You might notice the “halfwave” or length mode resonance is shifted lower than our ubiquitous 8kHz reference point. This is a result of using a Type 3.3 system, which more accurately reflects where the length mode may occur in the average ear.

    It is calibrated to the 711-compliant version of the “4620 + Human” DF HRTF baseline. This means we’re using a blend of the ear canal of the Type 4620 Ear Simulator with the blocked canal contributions of the ISO 11904:1 Human DF HRTF, and then compensating for 711’s average error below 1kHz so we can analyze 711 IEM measurements against the same preference bounds we use for 5128 measurements.

    Bass

    As you can see, the bass is comfortably resting in the upper ends of the bounds, but it should be noted that Harman 2015 and 2018 both rest closest to the upper part of these bounds, so instead of seeing this as “very bassy,” it’s both uncontroversially bassy as well as… just not really all that bassy to me.

    It’s certainly not the most explosive bass I’ve heard in an IEM, but has a lovely bass tuning that gives the fullness people enjoy with an IEM. It does so while bringing the word “lush” to mind more often than hard, slammy, or heavy—it’s easy to listen with and enjoy, but it’s not gonna blow your hair back or anything.

    It lends just enough weight to the kick drum and bass guitar for both to seem distinct, engaging, and bouncy, without miring the rest of the response in a thick fog. If there is a “goldilocks” bass tuning for IEMs, Mega5EST might actually be the closest I’ve heard in an IEM until you get to the really expensive stuff.

    Overall I’m really really struggling to find any big issues with the bass presentation here. It’s appropriately punchy for its price point, without being incoherent due to the commonly-found “mid-bass boost + upper-bass tuck” tuning style. It conveys and balances warmth, size, and tactility better than anything else I’ve heard at this price point without compromising too much on any one thing.

    Midrange

    While the midrange of the Mega5EST might not be perfect, it’s pretty damn close to ideal for this kind of sound signature. The midrange—and how it interacts with the bass—is what I think sets Mega5EST apart from common recommendations in this price range, namely the Moondrop Variations. We’ll get to that a little later though.

    For now, let me cover the bad part first: There is definitely a minor dip in the low midrange that can make certain vocals sound just a teensy bit thin. Some male vocals are just a smidge more translucent than I’d like. However, most IEMs coming out these days are significantly worse performers in this regard.

    In fact, Mega5EST probably has a more realistic sounding midrange than (almost) all of the IEMs I’ve heard, regardless of price. Seemingly everything I come across is either sucked out and/or shouty in the midrange, relying on a gargantuan bass to counterbalance, or an abject mud-fest, sporting way too much energy between 100Hz and 400Hz.

    Not here. Mega5EST tucks low-midrange by just a hair, so as to not overwhelm the listener with the warmth afforded by its generous (but not overwhelming) bass shelf. As we climb in frequency from here, we run into seemingly no issues: the Mega5EST is extremely well-behaved. This is where we’d usually expect to see either a 1-2kHz or 4-5kHz emphasis on most IEMs but again... Not here. Mega5EST does what many IEMs fail to do, and has an ear gain rise that starts, peaks, and rolls off in the right place.

    As we get to the top of the ear gain, Mega5EST dips a bit around 2.5kHz, which in listening actually reminds me again of Harman’s AE/OE target, specifically the 2018 curve that has a 2.8kHz dip on it. It then, unlike many IEMs, doesn’t overshoot our preference bounds in the presence region below 6kHz. We get a relaxed, but appropriate-sounding upper midrange that gives you the important elevation for intelligibility around 3kHz, but does so while not masking this area with excess magnitude in its surrounding areas.

    This “easy intelligibility” made vocals incredibly sweet and pleasant sounding compared to the other IEMs I have on hand. Guitars sound textured but not grating, snare drums have the attack they need but no excess rattle, grit or cacophony, and pianos just sound right in terms of balance between upper-midrange transient hardness and lower-midrange bloom and decay.

    Though some may find the lack of a presence (4-5kHz) boost causes the Mega5EST to lack textural resolve, I actually find it gives the listener just enough in the upper midrange overtones we need for an accurate picture. It takes care to never commit an extra sense of grain or harshness or to the presentation

    Treble

    I confess, this is where I began to have issues with Mega5EST at first, as with the 3 pairs of tips I normally like, the 11-12kHz elevation shown on the measurements was *very* audible. I have detailed measurements on my website with all of the tips used, but the short answer here is that Mega5EST does best with a medium-bore tip and a little more front volume length (so longer/stiffer IEM tips might be the ticket).

    My preferred tip was the Spinfit CP100+, as its “spring” mechanism and medium bore worked in tandem to curb a bit of the excess mid-treble. If one doesn’t have these tips, the stock Narrow tips are a good substitute, and what I opted to use for the review.

    The treble response above 5kHz on the Mega5EST strikes a delicate balance between relaxation and sparkle. It’s a mostly laid-back tune below 10kHz (which I love), but it seems the peak around 11-12kHz is meant to keep the IEM from being too lush or warm. If this elevation weren’t here, many may find Mega5EST straight up “untechnical.” Personally, I could still do with this area being brought down by a dB or two, but I at least understand the choice they made here.

    With the narrow tips, the Mega5EST offers a mostly-chill presentation with a hint of spice that actually does what I think the manufacturer intended: it adds some excitement and flavor, and helps unveil more of the smaller, intricate details in the music to keep it from sounding like it has “low-resolution”. Keep in mind that this is coming from the most treble-sensitive reviewer on this website.

    Mega5EST’s treble with the narrow tips is even at its worst, pretty darn unobjectionable. The worst it ever got for me was that already “very bright” mixes were definitely pushed to the edge of tolerability, being more sibilant and edgy than I’d prefer. With the CP100+ tips, it becomes excellent even with those mixes. If it shipped with CP100+ tips, Mega5EST, would be one of the only IEMs that gets passing (if not perfect) marks in every area of its tonality from me. But it didn’t, so it gets docked a fraction of a point for not being perfect.

    Technicalities

    The phrase that came to mind time and time again when judging Meg5EST’s technical performance was—perhaps unsurprisingly—“well-rounded.” It’s definitely not shattering any expectations in any one regard, but as a balance of compromises Mega5EST is pretty hard to beat.

    It’s not the most spacious, but it’s exceedingly natural when it comes to front-back placement and feels significantly less claustrophobic than most of the shouty/cold IEMs in this price range (which we’ll expand on in a bit).

    It’s not the most detailed, textured or resolving, but it’s about as detailed as I’d expect from an IEM in this range, and does so while not having any of the tonal weirdness most other “more detailed” IEMs will almost certainly have.

    It’s not the most dynamic, but it’s still a clear cut above stuff like Moondrop’s Blessing 2 & 3 series, including the Dusk. It has more note weight, tonal density, and attack immediacy than any of them.

    Even though it’s tuned similarly to Subtonic Storm, it’s immediately apparent that Storm’s penchant for thundering, mind-shattering transients is nowhere to be found in Mega5EST’s presentation, which opts for a relaxed approach to dynamic contrast instead of one glittered with the same urgency Storm brings to the table.

    Mega5EST’s superb tone and comfort would’ve been enough to make technicalities very low on my list of concerns… yet it still delivered decent performance across the board anyway! While it doesn’t have much “X factor” to dethrone any other IEMs on the front of technical performance, it does well enough at every technical metric that well-roundedness might actually be the “X factor” that makes people choose it over something else. And on that note…

    Comparisons

    Vs. Moondrop Variations

    …God I wish Variations sounded more like this.

    Keep in mind that the Variations I have on hand is seemingly a unicorn; I’ve not seen any Variations unit measure as smoothly or politely as mine does between 4-8kHz… but even so, Mega5EST basically fixes Variations’ biggest tonal flaw (too much contrast between lower-midrange and bass/upper-midrange), while having a more comfortable shell and better accessories.

    While Variations may sound more “bombastic” to some, having a more forward bass presentation and more hyped midrange. But to me it simply sounds colored. Variations’s treble in particular sounds quite feathery to me, it’s weightless and soft (and sometimes this is a good thing) but it makes transients sound like they’re artificially diffuse and lack precise attack.

    Variations may have a more noticeable sense of imaging contrast and separation, but it does so at the cost of sounding fundamentally unnatural for vocals, snare drums, kick drums, guitars, basses, pianos, you name it.

    Mega5EST is more natural both in terms of tone as well as stereo placement. Intimacy and distance cues are equally convincing and realistic on Mega5EST, whereas Variations always sounds quite confused about this aspect of imaging, paradoxically throwing the spittle of lead vocals directly in your face instead feeling like you’re being hugged by the warm, cozy fundamentals.

    Simply put, unless you’re really into the presentation of Harman’s In Ear target, I regard Mega5EST as an all-around upgrade to the Moondrop Variations.

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    Vs. Kinera URD

    I only found out about the URD after working the Kinera booth at CanJam SoCal 2023, but it surprised me with its relaxed, all-rounder tonality that I also think few people would find issues with.

    In direct comparison, the URD is a noticeably warmer listen thanks to its precipitous 3kHz recession and reduced mid-treble, and I think for my own personal taste I prefer the URD… … but I think many people will likely prefer the Mega5EST’s tuning, as it is a little more exciting and “big” sounding. without sacrificing all that much in terms of naturalness.

    If one prefers the tone of the 64 Audio IEMs, the URD might be the better choice. But if one prefers something a little less warm and smoothed, Mega5EST is likely a more “down-the-middle” tonality.

    In terms of technical performance, I think Mega5EST wins almost across the board here. It’s more spacious and evenly placed, more dynamic, and more “detailed” and textured in every aspect except for the bass, where I feel URD edges it out slightly in texture.

    Regarding comfort though, there’s no contest. URD’s shell is big, clunky, and not especially well-molded to the shape of my outer ear. Mega5EST by contrast is firmly in the conversation of “most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever used”, and I think for that reason as well as its more versatile tuning that Mega5EST is likely the better buy for most people, even if I prefer the URD.

    Conclusion

    In the realm of sub-$1000 IEMs, the Hisenior Mega5EST makes itself distinct by offering a scarily balanced and well-rounded IEM for its price point. I genuinely had trouble writing this review, but only because I had a hard time finding things to fault with it.

    I rarely feel comfortable enthusiastically recommending IEMs over $200 or so; $550 is absolutely a lot of money. However, with its comfortable shell, natural and inviting tuning, and solid technical performance across the board, Mega5EST is probably one of the easiest recommendations I’ve ever given in a review.

    This is the all-around “neutral” upgrade path from the Moondrop Blessing 2:Dusk that people have been waiting years for… and it comes not from Moondrop, but from a brand I’m certain very few people would’ve heard of until now.

    If you’re the type of listener who really wants some sort of overt coloration to make your music more “fun,” I think you should probably try something else. Symphonium’s Meteor has a ton of bass but still excellent midrange tuning, and the Kinera URD takes a more colored approach to “warm-neutral” that I think many would enjoy too.

    But if you, like many people, just want an IEM to give it to you straight, with no frills… You should seriously be considering Mega5EST.

    If people want to know what I think IEMs for mass-appeal should sound like, this is the best example I’ve found so far. It’s a stellar package with few glaring faults, a feat seemingly thanks at least in part to not tuning to Harman’s In-Ear target.

    Welp. Task failed successfully.


    This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/hisenior-mega5est-task-failed-successfully
    5 Likes

    I just spent a week listening to the Mega5EST and wrote a review on FB. Agree with everything you’ve said. Well written BTW. I’m so happy with how well this IEM performs across my entire library. Here’s what I wrote.

    My week with the Hisenior Mega5EST 7th Anniversary Edition. I LOVE THIS IEM!

    Disclaimer: I bought these IEM’s with my own money. I’m not being incentivised to write this review and my thoughts are my own

    Why this set? I bought the Hisenior Okavango 2 months ago and thought they were great value for money. There’s a review on these as well. Hisenior, being a smaller company, dedicated to making custom IEM’s for musicians, seemed a no brainer to try the next step up in the series.

    1DD+2BAs+2Est (same as the Thieaudio Oracle MKII)

    Configuration: 1Low + 2Mid-highs + 2S-highs

    Tuning: 4 Ways/ Triple Bores/ 3 Dampers

    Freq Response:10Hz-50Khz

    Sensitivity: 110dB/mW

    Impedance: 38Ω

    Isolation: -20db

    I bought this during the black Friday sale on Aliexpress from Angelears. 2 weeks later the set arrived

    What’s in the Box: Hisenior use pelican like cases, see the photo. This set also comes with their highest quality cable, the White Whale. The cable is premium quality, silky smooth, lays flat and has premium hardware, with a 4.4mm plug. There are 4 sets of tips, but I put these aside and used both the Dunu Candy L and Divinus Velvet ML (more on that later).

    DAP – Fiio M17 and M11 Plus, with FLAC Lossless Library, running through Poweramp

    I normally Parametric EQ everything to the 5128 10dB target and bump up the bass 30%. I have the MMKIII, SA6 MKII, Performer8, Okavango, Heyday, Galileo, Phoenix Call, Hexa, Fudu etc. and I EQ them all.

    I DID NOT EQ the Mega5EST. I tried, but quickly realised it didn’t improve the sound. I was Shocked! This set is as close to perfect, for my library and hearing preference, as I’ve every heard and it’s ½ the price of the Monarch MKIII. Punches way above its weight class!

    Frequency Graph: There are only 2 measures on squiglink and they both look slightly different in the upper treble. What they both show is a signature that mirrors the Oracle at lower frequencies, transitions into the lower mids smoothly and has more extension in the upper mids, before rising, than most any other set I’ve listened to. This slightly later rise was a concern when I bought the set, but the graphs need a grain of salt. The treble and upper treble regions have modest energy and I know this set wouldn’t be too spicy.

    Sub Bass: This set will rattle your teeth, handling rap and hip-hop with ease RATE: 8

    Bass: The DD in this set does its job and does it well! Lots of slam and punch, but the bass doesn’t bleed into the lower mids at all. Best balanced transition of any set I’ve heard. RATE: 8

    Lower Mids: Male vocals are clear and easily distinguishable during busy tracks, without being forward. Rate:9

    Upper Mids: Female vocals are slightly recessed, but I like this. I find when the female vocals are slightly recessed the set is less fatiguing. Zero sibilance. Again best I’ve heard RATE:9

    Treble Region: Balanced and detailed. The EST’s they’ve used are top quality. RATE: 8

    I originally use the Dunu Candy L tips (love them), but the bore is narrow and added more bass to something that just didn’t need it. I swapped to the Divinus Velvet ML Tips, which match the nozzle diameter, and the sound balance was perfect and gave slightly more air.

    Sibilance, Note weight, Slam, tonality, detail, balance, all Excellent. Sound Stage is exactly how I like it, slightly wide.

    They are a bit hard to drive at 38 Ω.

    At $500, with the White Whale Cable, this set is a bargain and rivals other “End Game” sets. I ranked the MMKIII as the best set of 2023, but this set without EQ is better. I enjoy the MMKIII equally, but only after EQ. 42/50 sound ranking. 4.5 Stars… S class.

    Library: This was a full week of listening, so I’m going by artist only.

    Peter Gabriel

    Chicago

    Chris Cornell

    Soundgarden

    Rod Stewart

    Beastie Boys

    U2

    Sade

    Smashing Pumpkins

    Radiohead

    Eagles

    Duran Duran

    Prince

    Prodigy

    David Bowie

    The Cure

    Depeche Mode

    The Doors

    #Hisenioriems

    6 Likes

    @listen_r this measurement and 11-12 kHz peak observation is based on 711 coupler?

    The judgment is primarily based on where the peak resides in my own ear, though my measurements across different tips in my ITU Type 3.3 simulator (711 coupler in a clone 43AG fixture) all seem to indicate a peak that may show up anywhere between 9 kHz and 12 kHz.

    1 Like

    I believe @Resolve will finally review and measure this one on 5128 soon ? Is it true ?

    I think the Mega5EST might be my next IEM since I’ve been quite happy with my Mega5P model.

    DMS will be the next one to review it, look out for that video sometime this week!

    I will either bully him into sending it to @Resolve or get @taronlissimore to buy us all Mega5ESTs so Resolve can measure one on 5128, so stay tuned for that :slight_smile:

    2 Likes

    Would be a missed opportunity to have the review out this week without 5128 measurements!

    Great opportunity to do both @Resolve

    Yeah I’m not sure when I’ll be measuring one on the 5128, but it won’t be for this video. The main downside is the lack of accurate acoustic Z on the 711 systems, but we’re using a calibration that tries to account for some of that.

    Does anyone know how long the shipping takes from preorder on this site? I want to order but if it’s going to be several weeks I might wait…

    I ordered mine on February 17th, and received it in USA on March 11th.

    EDIT: just realized these are listed on headphones.com now, i ordered these directly from hisenior. so my answer is probably irrelevant here

    Still helpful, thank you! I will avoid ordering directly from the source

    Damn the only measurement in DMS video review is the old 711 one from the December review.

    For the kind of comments being made that it is one of the best IEMs on the planet, deserves an urgent 5128 measure @Resolve

    Please

    Dumb question, but I have been looking at the Aur Audio line up next, but this set is intruiging… If any of you have listened to the Mega5EST as well as one of the Ascension/Aehta/Neon Pro, would you be willing to compare them?

    Yes it does, we’ve been lamenting having to use graphs that lack the more accurate acoustic Z due to the limitations of the 711 rigs for this one. But that one was a unit that DMS personally bought, so I’m not going to deprive him of his joy hahah. We’ll get one in soon enough.

    1 Like

    Does anyone also use classical music recordings anymore to review in-ear buds? Am I wrong in thinking that those recordings would give in-ear buds a real workout in most every phase of the music listening experience?

    Just dropping some measurements here, even though they’re from my Type 3.3 system (and not the new 4.3 system Resolve uses), still good for loosely showing the differences in included tips.

    3 Likes

    Hi @listen_r I started a new job recently, which is great for me professionally, but unfortunately involves a return to the office (I’ve been working remotely since 2020).

    I’m not really happy with my audio options for office use at the moment, which are: Galaxy Buds Pro2, Sennheiser IE200, Truthear Hexa (the wired IEMs are usually driven with a Q5K).

    Audiophiles be darned, I’m probably most consistently pleased with the Galaxy Buds. Depending on the day, i might prefer the other two, but in the aggegate the ANC and wireless connectivity of the Buds2 tend to win out.

    My main complaint with the Buds2 is (1) a general thinness to the sound (others also might say things like “note weight” but i won’t pretend to know what that means, if it’s real at all) and (2) an occasionally claustrophobic presentation.

    The Hexa in particular solves the second issue, but the fit isn’t great (it protrudes from my ear which leaves me feeling like it’s coming loose, even if it’s not), and I’m not happy with the bass. There’s something in the treble I find fatiguing as well, but i haven’t had much luck EQing IEMs (which i imagine might be explained by the unique presentations of FR, and the greater variability compared to over-ears, as outlined in Resolve’s recent video).

    So I’m weighing different options. Try something like the Mega5EST and hope it works for me?

    Or go with a wireless ANC headphone like the Focal Bathys? I don’t know if you’ve heard the Bathys. (The only closed back headphone I own is the DCA Aeon Closed X; I like it just fine but it’s hard to drive and I don’t find the isolation that great, at least with the seal I get with glasses, and I can also hear leakage at moderate volumes, which mostly rules it out for office use IMO.)

    Or some third option I haven’t considered!

    Headphones I enjoy, for reference, in rough order of preference: Focal Elex (EQ’d by ear using Oratory1990 as a guide), Hifiman Sundara 2020, Hifiman Ananda, DCA Aeon Closed X.

    Thanks in advance if you’re able to read all that and reply!

    1 Like

    Hey there! So, lots to unpack here.

    All of those IEMs (IE200, Hexa, Buds2Pro) have a pretty bright upper treble response, such that I’d not have recommended them for someone who doesn’t want a thinner/“clearer”/colder response.

    Mega5EST also trends a bit brighter over 8kHz or so, while having better mids and bass than most of the above. It is somewhat similar to Hexa in that regard, but I’m not sure its as good an idea as something else. And I’d say the same about Bathys.

    Honestly, after hearing all of this I’m coming away with the ideal recommendation probably being Apple AirPods Pro 2. It would have better tuning than any of the IEMs mentioned thus far, incredible features (best-in-class ANC and transparency mode), pretty reasonable fit profile, and it’s not that expensive & can be found at most tech stores.

    If you’ve not gotten a chance to try it, I highly recommend going to your nearest Apple store and asking for a demo. APP2 is probably the best IEM on the planet right now in terms of all of the above as well as its ability to adapt to the sound expected by the listener’s unique anatomy under 1kHz or so, and it’s what I’d probably recommend to most people shopping for an IEM in the $300-400 price range since most IEMs are frankly tuned to be rather thin.

    Hope that helps!