This is a truly unique set. It plays acoustic instruments like nothing else. Piano, guitars (classical/steel string), etc, and vocals are portrayed with amazing realism around your head. Unlike the original MEST and Oriolus Traillii that plays the wide soundstage in front of you, Mason FS SE places you right in the middle of the ensemble with top notch separation, depth, and timbre. It does this in a non-intrusive, very smooth yet engaging delivery. Audition if you can as it's probably not a universally agreeable tuning. If you value instrument timbre, vocals, in acoustic setting, as if you are playing along, it is worth a try.
MusicTeck is fantastic to deal with. Great service.
Before listening to Mason FS, I read the assessment that Mason FS sounds similar to Trailli, so I was a little worried about the overlapping positions between Mason FS and Trailli, but fortunately it's different from Trailli. Even if you already have Trailli, you can purchase additional Mason FS.
If you hesitate to buy Trailli or Mason FS, I recommend Mason FS.
With Trailli back on sale, and the price of the sale is higher, is Mason FS feeling better, is it just my feeling?
Well, if I can buy Trailli for the same price as Mason F.S., I'm willing to buy Trailli again. Trailli is also a very good IEM.
Mason F.S. is named Faded Sound.
It's the sound of nature itself that goes very well with it.
Above all, the SE version comes with PWAudio's Atila cable.
Packages cost $5999, of which cables.
The price is 1999 dollars. A third of the price of the package is cable. By the way, this cable goes very well with Mason FS.
You won't have to buy an additional custom cable.
The built-in cable and Mason FS give me a better sound than Trailli.
Supernatural, realistic representation, the end of analog sound.
Thank you very much, Andrew, for always helping me with a kind and touching response.
Before listening to Mason FS, I read the assessment that Mason FS sounds similar to Trailli, so I was a little worried about the overlapping positions between Mason FS and Trailli, but fortunately it's different from Trailli. Even if you already have Trailli, you can purchase additional Mason FS.
If you hesitate to buy Trailli or Mason FS, I recommend Mason FS.
With Trailli back on sale, and the price of the sale is higher, is Mason FS feeling better, is it just my feeling?
Well, if I can buy Trailli for the same price as Mason F.S., I'm willing to buy Trailli again. Trailli is also a very good IEM.
Mason F.S. is named Fabled Sound.
It's the sound of nature itself that goes very well with it.
Above all, the SE version comes with PWAudio's Atila cable.
Packages cost $5999, of which cables.
The price is 1999 dollars. A third of the price of the package is cable. By the way, this cable goes very well with Mason FS.
You won't have to buy an additional custom cable.
The built-in cable and Mason FS give me a better sound than Trailli.
Supernatural, realistic representation, the end of analog sound.
Thank you very much, Andrew, for always helping me with a kind and touching response.
I’m writing a more in-depth review, but I will say the the Mason FS has exceeded my expectations. It’s not every day I consider an IEM of this caliber, but I’ve always been drawn to UM’s Mason line and this is the pinnacle so far. Starting with the bass, it’s right and clean, with moderate rumble and punch. The mids are where this IEMs shines, especially vocals. You can hear and feel the singer’s voice, thanks to the ultimate transparency and bone conduction system in action. Highs are very sparkly with a nice splash of thickness. The signature is what I would call HiFi reference where the sound is fairly neutral, but without lacking dynamics or impact. It’s a larger IEM, but comfort is excellent. Add to that a top of the line cable and this is the 2021 flagship that rules all (in my not so humble opinion).
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.
