I’ll keep that in mind when I find it can’t keep up to my 
bass standards
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bass is the right amount of bass !
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Coming from the Solaris 2020 I’m finding the MEST to lack a lot of airiness - has anyone else had similar findings? Am I doing something wrong?
Technicalities are fantastic, audibly better than the 2020 for sure, but on very first listen I am not as engaged. Perhaps I just need more time with the IEM?
Edit: on further listen, I find myself still more engaged with the Solaris. It has more airiness and electric guitars have a much clearer aggressive crunch. This comes at the expense of some general peakiness at the treble that can be fatiguing over time. Comparatively, the MEST plays it safe, but I found that it lost some engagement factor at the same time. The more forward, weightier and thicker mids of the 2020 feel addictive and beautiful, they draw you in like nothing else. The mids on the MEST are more clinical and distant. Overall the MEST exceeds in technicalities, and it’s probably something I’d pick up for longer listening sessions, or after fatigue from the Solaris has set in.
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I can’t comment on the “airiness” as I have the SE which lacks the treble sparkle of the 2020 but to me both the Solaris and MEST are equally engaging…but in a different way. MEST is engaging intellectually for the way it spaces, layers, organizes and separates things (and…dat bass)…but the Solaris has a more natural and organic sounding mid-range which make it (for me) easier to connect with emotionally despite not being quite as adept technically.
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I can see what you mean, sort of like the HD800S vs, say, an Aeolus. (Though even the 800 had a certain engagement factor I’m not getting with the MEST). The technicalities are cool and interesting, but I’m struggling to make that emotional connection. Maybe I just have a thing for weird signatures 
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I found the same thing with the u12t vs. Andro-- u12t is a technical powerhouse but it doesn’t sweep me off my feet the way Andro does. In other news I just got the VE Ely/VE8 tour kit in my hands and am about to put the Elysium into my ears for the first time 
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Up until today, I’ve been listening to these with Comply tips, as they were the only ones that fit me. I got some Xelastic TPU tips in today, and while the fit isn’t perfect, and isolation takes a step back, the IEM sounds completely different.
Detail retrieval is simply in a different league. Staging and imaging are completely in a different league. I’m hearing that unique holographic staging effect that I read in reviews, that I wasn’t getting before. Guitars finally have that crunch and cymbals have been the life they were so sorely lacking.
The inclusion of Comply tips in the box is an affront to these IEMs. They should come with a giant warning label NOT to use foam tips! I’m aware that foam tips can mess with treble and transients/detail in general, but the degree to which the effect occurs on this IEM is nothing like I’ve seen before.
This is some of the best detail retrieval I’ve ever heard in an IEM. I might genuinely keep the MEST now that I know what it can sound like…
Edit: Here are the tips I had to go through before I finally found a suitable pair -
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Welp, guess that means I better put some xelastics on my mest!
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Finally getting the chance to try the MEST. First impressions, BASS. Really enjoying the sound on these guys so far. Detail is fantastic.
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MEST is the BEST
Also xelastic tips are the way!!!
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Jesus.
Now I know what I’ve been missing since I’ve been using foam tips the entire time.
I’m floored (again) with how holographic the sound is. I feel like I’m hearing things behind me to the left and right… I can really tell that the bone conduction driver is fully (as best as can be without going custom) working now.
That being said, fit and isolation are great, if not a little better because it’s just a tad deeper.
Honeymoon round two here we go!
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My wife and I are each getting custom MEST. This will be my 2nd custom (after Noble K10) and her first. I’m looking forward to being able to offer my own comparative opinions of the Universal vs custom. That will be a while yet–we’re scheduled for impressions in a couple weeks, and then there’s the (thankfully brief) wait to get them made.
Having had the universals for nearly a month, they have only become more enthralling. I used to view IEMs as a matter of necessity and convenience when going places where full size headphones are unwieldy or impractical. Now I look forward to turning out the lights and laying down with MEST to fully immerse myself in soundscapes. The universals aren’t uncomfortable, but there’s no substitute for the comfort and isolation of well-fitted customs.
Anyway, wanted to thank you for your video comparing your universals and customs, as well as your S- ranking on the customs. Your confirmation that the staging magic is intact in the customs was enough to push me over the edge on this purchase. It always feels like going custom entails some changes to sound quality and some risk of different experiences, but given my experience with the MEST universal so far, I need these in custom fit.
–
Side note, since I’m here:
I have mostly been listening to MEST on my SP1000M, which is a powerhouse for excellent sound in a nice compact package. However, recently I dusted off my Hiby R6 Pro, which runs open Android, including Roon. It’s quite the treat to access my full library–and better still, Roon Radio–during MEST “immersion” mode (i.e., listening in the dark).
Figured I’d mention that as a home listening option; most of my wireless / pseudo-wireless listening experiences thusfar have either been via Bluetooth or limited to some combination of FLAC files and supported apps on a DAP. Jamming out to a Roon Radio continuous listening experience was a treat.
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The difference tips can make defies reason sometimes. I kinda get pads since they can significantly affect angles and driver spacing, but how can a mm of compressed foam in your ear canal “ruin” a listening experience?! I dunno, but it can…
I use foam for Campfire Atlas, because I can get driver lockup with silicone, but I generally favor silicone for other IEMs. Xelastic for MEST is win.
Yeah, that’s the neat trick these do. It seems to require some combination of tips/fit, acclimation, and perhaps the right source material to get the stars to align, but when they do there’s no going back. I do own and love Solaris, U12T and Anole VX, but nothing has had me addicted like MEST.
There’s a guy named Dain Fagerholm who does these 3D animated drawings that remind me of MEST imaging: 
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awesome!
you should check with your audiologist if they can scan your impressions too, or maybe see if Unique Melody does, so you have a 3D file of your impressions for later use. They came in handy for me making my last couple CIEMs, especially during this pandemic.
I think one thing to note, and I think I mentioned in my video, is that the treble smooths out more and this may lose some of the “crazy” imaging I wrote in my original universal review, but it doesnt change the fact that it’s still really good at imaging and just fantastic natural decay and layers of detail.
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Yes, already did! My audiologist does not do scans, but I’ve been told that Unique Melody can send me STL files.
Yeah, I’ve noticed how forward strings tend to be, and if they take a step back in the mix that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. One thing I’m curious about is whether I’ll get the same 12kHz peak you did, or whether that’s a function of stems / ear shape. Any idea?
Regardless, I’m not getting rid of my universal MEST. I’m hoping that the customs totally supplant them, but even if they don’t I will still have a custom variant that I can choose for longer sessions, flights, etc. If I do go full custom I’ll use the universals to ruin friends and family, lol.
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Haha. I think ear shape does matter a bit, as I’ve heard the 5 or so CIEMs of MESTs floating around Singapore that have been measured by a friend has had slightly different variation. It may be due to ear anatomy. Either way, the 12K peak doesnt bother me as much now as it did when I first got them. The fit is also much better now and seal is perfect and I no longer have any of the initial pain I originally had.
I guess, you probably know about CIEM break-in period as you’ve already owned one before.
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Does anyone know who manufactures the hard leather case for these? It’s built beautifully.
South korean brand called Dignis
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Hey all, here are some quick impressions on the MEST. I’ve wanted to listen to this IEM for a while, so much thanks to @TylersEclectic who kindly sent his unit over for evaluation!
The overall tonality of the MEST follows something of a W-shape. The MEST has good - not great - bass. Bass texturing is adequate; however, slam and density seem more middling, and this becomes evident A/B-ing with the tia Trio I have on hand. Hardly a fair comparison, I know! My biggest issue, then, is the way MEST transitions from the lower-midrange into the upper-midrange and treble. The latter is more emphasized, and there is a 6kHz peak which can lend itself to an overly aggressive, forward treble response. It’s good treble otherwise, sporting some decent extension, and it’s nice to see we’re finally getting some proper electret drivers implementations. As for the bone conduction driver though, I honestly can’t tell what it’s doing.
Intangibly, the MEST is a strong performer. Its macrodynamic ability, that is the way it scales decibel gradations, is quite good. While it doesn’t run alongside the lowest of delineations as closely as the U12t, the way it catches dynamic swings on the “up” surpasses the U12t which I’ve long crowned king for this characteristic. You might have also heard about MEST’s imaging. And I have to agree - it’s pretty sweet. It plays with positioning; stuff pops unexpectedly even on tracks I’ve heard hundreds of times. It certainly seems out-of-head at times; I’d qualify it as holographic, or very close, in this regard. Outside of this, the MEST resolves like an IEM of its caliber should. Macro-detail is quite good in the midrange, unfortunately exhibiting something of an upwards compression; however, largely in the absence of BA timbre otherwise.
The MEST is unmistakably a good IEM. However, I’ve gone back and forth on it several times because I can’t knock the feeling that it’s notably disjoint. It’s not a clash of note textures thing, though, so much as it is “holes” in the frequency spectrum; this was quite noticeable on first listen. Maybe it’s the way it images, maybe it’s the no less than five crossovers at hand, maybe it’s the compressed transients in the midrange, who knows? I’ll need more ear time. And in this regard, there is a lack of refinement to the MEST that plagues it, and that in my opinion, keeps it from truly playing at the top like its stellar technical ability would otherwise suggest. Still, I think it’s safe to say the MEST has its niche. And as for whether “MEST is best”, well, let’s just say it’s the best wonky IEM I’ve heard, and it’s not hard to see why it’s won the hearts of many listeners.
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Hmmmm… I’ll take this as a win for now …
…
Also, MEST is the BEST!!! runs away screaming
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