Great write up! I also really like the case the Mini-MEST comes in! lol
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Great review @antdroid. I really enjoyed reading it as always.
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Just posted my MEST review. Obviously thought itâs fantastic. MEST = BEST. Sorry @antdroid for shilling my own review everywhere hahah.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/unique-melody-mest.24182/reviews
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Hey @Torq,
Everything I research somehow lands with you having already reviewed it 
I have the Odin incoming (which I know you love). Do you feel have MEST is redundant or adds value for some use cases?
I have the Nio for fun listening. And was thinking Odin to be my flagship for detail etcâŚ
Thanks again!
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I thought I would mention the 64audio U12t and QDC Anole VX for ultimate detail retrieval. The VX is overall a bit brighter, so it might complement the Nio a bit more imo. Theyâre both a lot less expensive than the Odin, so thatâs good too I have the MEST coming in this week and I also own the Nio, so I will be able to compare them and let you know soon enough !
Cheers !
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The UM MEST is my favorite âfunâ tuned IEM and something I use when Iâm somewhere where Iâd rather not have >$3,000 of IEM in my ears.
I really like the mids on the MEST as well. Thereâs a sort of richness about them, without them becoming congested or thick or tonally shifted, that I donât get with other IEMs.
I canât say if itâd be redundant with the Nio ⌠since Iâve not compared them back to back.
Sound wise, I could easily make the Odin my only IEM (dodgy situations notwithstanding).
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I just got this in from the Head-fi loaner tour.
To my ear, this is a highly detailed, generally agreeable yet occasionally odd sounding IEM.
First impressions:
Detail - Outstanding treble detail, and good image clarity overall.
Soundstage - Odd stage. Realistic and spacious, yes, but also somewhat disjointed at times. I was listening to a particular sax tone on a track called âDawn Lit Metropolisâ by Ill Considered, and it seemed to move its position from far to intimate. Is this in the mix? This isnât as noticeable on other headphones⌠but maybe.
Speed and dynamics - Okay this is a tough one. Compared to similarly priced DD and hybrid IEMs, I find the MEST to be somewhat lacking on the dynamics side of things some of the time. Other times itâs decently engaging. This is one that changes a lot depending on the track for me.
Tonal balance - Mostly innoffensive V shape, without too much on the bass side. Itâs also occasionally sibilant around 6khz. I think the main issue is that it lacks midrange body and this makes the emphasized 6khz region stand out a bit much. But for the most part the treble sounds reasonably well balanced with exceptional treble extension as well and importantly it comes down again at the right spot too, so it doesnât have the dreaded âshimmerâ effect (even though yes weâre bypassing that part of the ear anyway hah). I think this one is worth experimenting with tip rolling a lot because when you get it right itâs got really good treble balance, even if occasionally a bit hot on the consonants.
So far I think itâs priced appropriately. If I were to compare it to the Campfire Ara, I prefer the Araâs treble balance for the most part, but the MEST has more bass presence and a more even - though withdrawn - midrange. They have similar detail with maybe a slight edge to the MEST. Speed and dynamics Iâd give to the Ara, but again this may change depending on source, tips and other things.
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Great writeup, thanks for sharing!
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Very nice writeup. A great read.
Thank you @Titienne ! Would especially love to hear your comparison to the Nio!
Thanks again @Torq !!
Thanks @Resolve! Excellent review. So far your picks (and @taronlissimore 's) have matched for my ear perfectly.
You guys loving the U12t, was a perfect match for me. Then I followed your review for Nio, and also enjoy it tremendously. I picked it over Hero per what you guys suggested. Odin is incoming!!
Since I am using the Nio for a fun listenâŚI was wondering your take of MEST vs Nio. Does MEST deliver something Nio is missing? Which do you prefer for sound overall? Worth owning both?
Thanks again!
Btw⌠I talked to @taronlissimore about the Cobalt issue with the iPhone and he may have talked to you about it. Thanks to @torq prior testing, I was able to troubleshoot it to the end. It is not great with sensitive, low impedance IEMs like Nio or U12t because of the specs, butâŚwhen playing off of another device like laptop, they work great. The only way to make it work on the iPhone is to plug in power into the USB 3 Camera adapter. It needs the juice for some reason. Iâve been trying to get Audioquest support to acknowledge it, but seems like no luck so far. I would love them to fix it. Defeats the purpose of a portable USB stick. Per @torq conclusions:
âIt sounds nice, subjectively, even if it underperforms the Red version on a technical and fidelity level. It works okay from a laptop, but itâs barely usable on an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) with IEMs and headphones that the the Red and Black models can handle without issue.â
âlower-power microprocessor (necessary because the new DAC chip is a power-hog) and still wind up needing 50% more power than the Red AND being useless with low-impedance transducers.â
Also, if you ever want to use an iPhone as a source for the Focal ArcheâŚsame requirement. Need to power the USB Camera 3 adapter, to charge the iphone, and the Arche will work. Without it, Arche needs a more robust USB source.
Thank you to all three of youâŚlearning so much and thoroughly enjoying music like I never thought possible from the comfort of my home or road.
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@Resolve any chance of a MEST Vâs Z1R comparison? it would be interesting to hear you thoughts when comparing these two upper mid-tier âbehemothsâ
Old school vâs new kid on the block?
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Apologies if I missed this, but following on from @Titienne was mentioning about the VX. Iâd love to hear folks thought on the two against each other. Iâm a huge VX fan boy. This vs all of the glowing MEST comments sound VERY intriguing.
Thanks
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I think the positioning and depth/imaging soundstage shifts are quite normal for this IEM in my experience. Wrote about it a bit in my review. Itâs unlike anything I heard in other IEMs, save maybe the original Solaris, but that on steroids. I think itâs one of the more interesting things in this product which makes me like it since itâs unique.
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Aye Melody lolâŚexcuse the pun 
Resolves review of the MEST below!
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@Torq and @TylersEclectic â you may find this useful. Hereâs my measurement for the Custom MEST, along with how output impedance changes the curve.
The CIEM version has a smoother treble, but better extension. No more 6K spike. I still feel the great bass texturing and layering on this one. Still sounds good!
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