I'm a recent newcomer to the audiophile scene but I've been lucky enough to listen and try some amazing gear thanks to a dear friend of mine. My first experience was the Sony WM1ZM2 paired with the Oriolus Traillii. This is a great way to be introduced into this world. Well as you can imagine I was immediately hooked. I couldn't afford my dap at first so I bought myself a nice L&P W4. Which is an amazing dongle paired with UM Fabled Sounds I was in a dream world. But I knew I wasn't getting the best I could. So I did some research and settled on the hiby r8 ii. Man, I thought the L&P was doing a decent job and it was. But the Hiby makes everything sing. Every sound is more expansive, clearer, and detailed. And while I liked the Sony, the hiby has a lot more powerful features. There is a lot more control. Also, Andrew really is the best. Now I must get back to listening to music.
Let's start off with CONS:
1) Oriolus only grace the world with only 199 sets.
2) Heavy. It's heavier than OG Traillii and UM AP combines.
3) Pricey.
Love the L shape terminal from new cable. Cable looks very familiar to the PW1960. New cable material consists of pure silver, gold-silver alloy, copper vs 1960 pure copper.
I thought Traillii was perfect. Oriolus somehow manage to improve the vocal and treble. Traillii TI sounds like an open back headphones...very airy.
Warm natural sounds when pairing with Sony M2.
Turn on Hyper and let the bird with titanium wings sings to you if you have Cayin N30LE.
Por el precio que tienen son insuperables y a decir verdad son mis IEMs favorito, no venia con la case Dygnis pero a decir verdad no es importante para ml
It’s been 5 weeks since CanJam NYC. My mission, try as many IEM’s
I left the Grand Maestro until the end of the day.
Sound Impressions:
BASS: Thick, Fast and Deep. The GM has what they call NOAH modules that can be swapped out to change the Bass frequency response, without impacting the upper frequencies, bringing the mids and treble appear to be more forward, through less bass (blue module). This impacts the sub-bass most and leaves the slam of the mid bass region intact. The black module, which comes stock, gives the most sub-bass. This is what many reviewers consider a “Basshead” sound. Having listened to the Scarlet Mini in comparison, I would say the Mini is a “Basshead” set. The GM is, however, not…just a Basshead set.
MIDS: I found midrange to be very well balanced, with both female and male vocals very clear and engaging. Giving the sound signature a slightly warm feel. But this is where Fatfreq has another trick up their sleeve. There’s a toggle switch just behind the 2pin connector. It sticks up about 1mm and allows the listener to turn the bass down on the fly and bring the midrange and treble slightly forward. My listening preference is always slightly warm, but for certain tracks and artists this setting is preferred.
TREBLE: The treble is crystal clear and very well extended, but never fatiguing.
TIMBRE: This is where the GM sets itself above all others I’d heard. The quality of the sound across the entire frequency range was best in class. Every instrument could be isolated with all the details present. 10/10
TONALITY: The balance of the instruments to the vocals is, again, the best I’ve ever heard. It’s like some little man (the crossover) inside working his soundboard, and making the IEM completely in control of the concert in my head. Getting the most out of every last bit of sound detail and making sure no part over powered another. 10/10
SOUNDSTAGE: Ok, this is some next level shit! We’re not talking about a soundstage that was ultra wide. Rather something I’d never experienced before and directly related to the timbre and tonality. Instead of having visualisation of the instruments playing on a stage, it feels like I’m sitting on the stage and Stevie Nicks is singing next to me, Mick Fleetwood is playing behind me and on my other side is Lindsey Buckingham playing his guitar with smooth precision.
SIBILANCE: I’m ultra sensitive to sibilance and have test tracks I use to see just how controlled an IEM is to lower it. Without a doubt the GM is the least sibilant of any IEM I’ve heard.
MASKING: This was probably the biggest and single most distinguishable difference between the GM and anything else I’ve heard on the market. Similar to the experience in soundstage, the instruments and isolated to themselves, making all the details present. On busy tracks that would normally sound like a bunch of different things happening on top of one another, but GM has a magical way of creating a space or protective zone around each musical element. If I could explain this another way, imagine hearing a track recorded in the late 60’s, with its hiss and imperfections, where it sounds like there’s a fog or layer of pollution present that makes everything sound just a bit layered into everything else. Now imagine you take the full stage in dip down into a pool that cleans all of that away, raise it back up and now you hear only the instruments as they were originally intended. The GM takes old tracks and “remasters” them. And takes remastered tracks and makes them even better! 10/10
BUILD QUALITY: Just look at the photos. I was also lucky enough to get the gold upgrade cable thrown into the deal for free! 10/10
CUSTOMER SERVICE: I had heard some stories about problems in the past, but after reaching out to Fatfreq post sales and asking for certain things that were missing from the sale, because it was a floor model and being contacted by Ben himself, I was very happy with how they handled everything. I used to live in Singapore and can tell you the people are amazing!!!
I think some of this has to do with just how much power these IEM’s really need. More than any that I’d tried on the day. Now remember I was driving these with a FiiO M17, a BEAST of a DAP that puts out round 1,500mW on the 4.4mm plug @32ohms. These IEM’s are power hungry! They take every bit of that and deliver it with surgical precision. I spoke with Ben, the CEO of Fatfreq and he told me the M17 is a great pairing for the GM and that they have a few at their HQ in Singapore. They also have a technology called Linear Impedance, which I believe levels the playing field for the different drivers in the set. I think the impedance of this set is 32ohms, but it sure seems like it takes more to drive it than other 32ohm sets I have. This higher impedance and power requirement also contributes to eliminating the background noise, giving a cleaner listening experience.
Tighter bass. Black background.
Premium build ..great sounding Dac ….great user interface….a true cayin product
Well built perfect size and weight, easy to carry for everyday use ... And sounds amazing, clear and powerful for its size. Cayin user interface looks great an is easy to use… n3ultra looks and feels very premium like its big brother the n8ii ….
I've had the Mest II for a month at this point, and it is truly worth the price for the experience. It excels at more instrumental music like rock or jazz, but electronic music is a good experience as well, you just have to crank the volume up a bit.
Traillii JP owner here since the release and still love it to date. Traillii Ti is a subtle but significant "retuning" of the OG. I say retuning because the resolution and overall technicality sound very similar. But don't let this comment dismiss the Ti because it has refinements in the area where OG might have sounded a little too soft. The bass has more sub-bass focus, less mid-bass, and overall tighter and faster. As a result, the mids come through very clean, especially the vocals. Instead of the lush in-the-mix vocals of the OG, you get a clear vocal with plenty of air over the instruments. There's exceptional clarity while maintaining the musicality Traillii is known for. The upper mids to treble is still sibilance-free and well extended. With Ti, however, I hear the close-in treble air better (e.g. air around cymbals and upper registers of pianos and horns) whereas the OG tends to extend the space wider and deeper for a grand soundstage. Overall, a complimentary tuning to OG, especially f you found the OG soft and dull.
Thank you MusicTeck for bringing this wonderful piece to us!
Very good price, very good iem. Thank you.
On top of the stellar sound performance the aesthetics of the purple finish is excellent
Wide stage, huge sound image, clear separation, high and low sound, strong damping. Artistic design and packaging. End of earphones.
My setup is Hiby RS6, Unique Melody Mest Mk.2, Liquid Links Venom.
I never believed cables can change sound and never planed to pay for it consequently. But standard cable of my Mest mk2 turned out to be extremely poor quality (sound from the left earphone started to disappear). Then I had to choose new one and buy Liquid Links because it looked same design as my headphones (black with gold marks) :)
It was very unexpected impression when I plug it. Sorry in abvance because of i can't write poetically... More bass, more details, more expression, more sound! As if I bought new headphones and not a cable. Also it looks as high quality, expansive and really beautiful thing. Now i can recommend it to everyone who wants to improve his Mest mk.2. No doubt the cables work!
This thing is solidly built. Love the pot lid design of the CD tray. The controls feel nice and tight - there's nothing "mushy" about the buttons or the dial. And did I mention that it's really a looker? The ONLY thing I don't like is that the display is pretty small and hard to read. I alleviated that by suspending a plastic magnifying lens ~1 inch in front of the display. Makes it a little easier to read the display. Finally, I have yet to have a CD skip on me - not once. Would I buy it again? YES!!!
First of all, I want to praise MusicTeck for amazing service and thank Andrew for quick and on-point responses. After just one week after the order I've got my IEM via international shipping. You are guys are amazing, and I'm not saying that to everyone! Will definitely purchase again at your store.
Now regarding the MEST MK2 - they delievered exactly what I was expecting from them. Clean, very detailed sound while keeping the fairly fun and engaing signature. I would say, however, this isn't the most versatile IEM in my collection, but if you listen to acoustic music, jazz, rock, classical - this is a no-brainer, especially for the 1k$ price point. If you're a bass-head or listen to electronic genres more, I don't think this would be your cup of tea.
Sound is very solid and clear. High freq range is little pronounced but not as much as it would bother. The unit itself is absolutely gorgeous. It almost looks like crystal. For the price, this monster is a bargain!
And the customer service from MusicTeck is a 5 star too. Andrew helped me from ordering to receiving the unit.
Love the unit, love the seller, 5 star all-the-way!
I ordered these at the recently announced special price. Simply put, I find them exceptional and a great value at $999. IEMs fit well, and do a good job blocking outside noise. The musicality was great to my ears. Nice cable included. Service from Musictek was superior as always. Always a pleasure to do business here.
At its current discounted price the Mest MkII seriously can't be beat!
Nothing at around the kilobuck mark even comes close to providing the combination of quality stock cable & accessories, crazy imaging/soundstage, build quality, compact size (relative to the other TOTLs), and addictive sound that the Mest MkII does - 10/10
However, tip-rolling is an absolute must
I purchased the Navigator from Musicteck after Chang from Nightjar recommended it in advance of CanJam NYC 24. I have experience with USB DAC/Amp dongles from Cayin, Lotoo, and L & P and have owned a number of DAPs from Sony, Cayin, and iBasso. I record and produce music and have a healthy curiosity for HIFI gear so acquiring a Navigator was an easy choice.
After a week with it connected to my MBP, running Audirvana and driving the the SIngularity and Mezzo LE IEMs, I expect to keep it around for a while. Aesthetically it is a simple, sturdy device with a cool look. There is no display. There is no way to know where you are at with respect to volume throw and no indicator to display the current sample rate. What you get (and pay for) is a rather large audio presentation with weight, strong lower frequency presence, and smooth treble reproduction. It resolves nicely and the stage is wide enough, but this is not a device for analytical listening. The Navigator is tuned to sound big and fun and it appears to have power in reserve to drive most IEMs without compromise. It is well matched to most of my music collection, benefitting rock music from the 70's and 80's. It might not be my first choice for techno or electronic dub if using a warm of neutral tuned IEM, but I don't mind a slightly dark and heavy presentation and that's what I got pairing the Singularity with Navigator... and I found myself listening for hours.
An easy recommendation and one of the most enjoyable sounding USB DAC/Amp dongles I have owned yet.
An amazing IEM that looks and feels premium in execution.
A tad sibilant for my ears but with amazing bass and mids. A sparkly treat with gorgeous vocal capabilities and wide soundstage
This is my first HIFI product. It enhances the sound quality obviously, and different EQ and ATE are suitable for various music and other sound outputs. When I listen to the next song, I may need to switch the EQ and then again for the next song, which makes me scramble. However, I just cannot go without this little thing. In addition to listening to music, I use it when playing games, watching movies and shows, and even listening to ASMR. The shocking sound effects are extremely enjoyable for the eardrums and brain. Many thanks to Leonard from MusicTeck for the description and recommendation, it is really suitable for metals.
I've owned some good transport since the 1990's which were audiophile grade when I purchased. Up to date is this transport and one of the best. Sound exceeds it's current price and by 3 times the price. Give this transport a good DAC and I will enjoy for a long time. Music Teck has speedy delivery and it's staff are very helpful! Thank You.