Unique Melody MEST MKII Review

UM MEST MKII

Breakdown

 

In contrary to a normal review I will use the same breakdown as I always do for my Custom Inear reviews:

  1. Build quality & Comfort
  2. Personalization
  3. Cable
  4. Price & Accessories
  5. Customer Service
  6. Sound
  7. Competitors/Comparisons

 

 

1. Build quality & Comfort

I didn’t ship any impressions to China as they still have the ones from the Mason-series and the MEST MKI. As all those CIEMs have a perfect fit, they used these impressions again.

The build quality of the MEST MKII, just like with the original MKI, is perfect. The MEST MKII size-wise is normal compared to the market average with this amount of drivers inside. The whole unit feels smooth and the face plate closing is seamless. The small ventilation port at the bottom of the face plate this time can be felt as it isn’t recessed and it sticks out a bit.

Fit-wise the MEST II is tight but comfy. It’s just the right amount of pressure in order the get the best possible fit at all times. The canals are short as usual and they feature 3-bores with a metal ending of the sound tubes. These are slightly recessed in the tip of the canal, so that you don’t feel any sharp edges. The UM MEST MKII has a one piece carbon fibre shell and this is super important in this design as the bone conduction driver’s efficiency depends on the fitting coherence and skin contact.

The 2-pin connector now sits perfectly inside the shell but it isn’t recessed. So your cable connectors sits fully outside of the shell. Unlike with the MKI, this means that a normal 2-pin cable will be easy to use with the MEST MKII but at the same time the stock supplied cable is very nice, so I never felt the need to change it really.

Like with the MKI, there’s a little bit of driver flex audible when inserting the MEST MKII or when making the units move when inserted, but not so that it becomes bothersome. Isolation-wise the UM MEST MKII scores like any well-fitting custom IEM: incredibly well.

UM MEST MKII

2. Personalization

There is no real option to personalize the MEST MKII and the custom version is only available in a couple of pre-chosen finishes. I’m not sure why Unique Melody doesn’t offer custom options on this specific model, but it’s the way it is.

To personalize the MEST MKII you have five options

  • Carbon Fibre + Gold oil
  • Carbon Fibre + Gold Metal Brushed Panel
  • Carbon Fibre + Green Fibre
  • Carbon Fibre + Purple Fibre
  • Carbon Fibre + Silver Metal Brushed Panel

Do note that you’re personalizing the full shell and not the faceplate only. Our version came in the purple fibre version and it looks simple but nice. The purple isn’t too present and the look is more sophisticated than it is flashy. I do really like the full carbon shell that UM uses. Their carbon is more chunky compared to that of JH Audio in example, but is has a unique look. I really do like the look.

3. Cable

The cable that comes with the UM MEST MKII is the “UM M2”. It’s a 24AWG 4-core Upper-Grade OCC Custom Cable by PWAudio, and it comes in a pure black edition (PVC coating). Our version is terminated with a 4.4mm balanced connector but you can choose a 2.5 and 3.5mm connector as well. The cable sells for $562 separately on MusicTeck’s site here. That’s a rather pricey cable for a $,1799 USD CIEM. The only downside of this cable is that the 4.4 plug it uses is rather bulky, so if you have little space on your source, it’s important to take that into account (and perhaps opt for the 2.5mm cable, with adapter)

Cable-wise I never felt the need to upgrade. If you do insist on using a nice boutique cable with this IEM, I suggest using one with a good clarity and lower amount of body, as the MKII has plenty of the latter already. Maybe something high end like the EA Horus or the easily accessible yet great Estron Linum Vocal.

UM MEST MKII

4. Price & Accessories

The universal version of the MEST MKII is selling for $1,499 USD and the custom version of the MEST goes for $1,799 USD. As the fit determines the effect of the bone conduction driver, I absolutely recommend to go full custom on this IEM.

The MEST MKII arrives in a pretty and sturdy box, which UM calls their Double Drawer Black Gift Box. On the inside you find the following:

  • One pair of MEST MKII
  • The UM Copper M2 custom cable
  • The typical blue Dignis Premium Blue Leather Carrying Case
  • A Warranty card with your serial number (14,6 GB empty Flash drive)
  • A grey cleaning cloth
  • A cable storage clip (Magnetic)

So delivery and accessory-wise you get a nice package which you can’t really complain about. At the same time if you look at the packaging the new VE EXT IEM is shipping with, UM is miles behind. Then again the EXT is about $1K more expensive as well.

5. Customer Service

This time the MEST MKII sample was sent directly by Unique Melody. I didn’t follow the regular buying procedure, so it’s again hard to comment on the customer service for this one.

Seeing both the universal version as well as the custom one can’t be personalized, there (in theory) isn’t any contact needed either, except for sending in your impressions or 3D-scans.

All my exchanges with UM went by email and they always were very reactive, that’s all I can say really.

The article continues on page three, click here.

—————————————————————–

Page 1: Intro, UM, MEST, MEST MKII, Vs MKI, Technical Specs

Page 2: Breakdown, Build Quality & Comfort, Personalization, Cable, Price & Accessories, Customer Service

Page 3: Sound

Page 4: Comparisons & Conclusion

4.3/5 - (160 votes)
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

2 Comments

  • Reply October 12, 2021

    Andrew

    Hi Lieven, Mest mkii or Z1r how do you think?

    • Reply October 26, 2021

      Lieven

      I have not listened to the Z1R sufficiently to make a call on that. sorry

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.