I am not an experienced or skilled reviewer but I have enjoyed and benefitted from Head-Fi reviews and wanted to contribute my thoughts on these IEM's. I bought these without being able to hear them first, and this is about as much as I would spend blind buying. The only IEM's I own or have tested in this price range ($1400) are Campfire Audio's Andromeda 2020 edition, so I'm by no means an expert.

I did not break these in- I have tested them on Rock, dubstep, hip hop, acoustic, blues, ska, and bluegrass.

Unboxing- the packaging is pretty cheap. The product is protected, but the cable was separately taped to the box. I ordered the 3.5mm cable which is cheap looking and mediocre at best. It's a bit too stiff and the split is protected with a small length of clear vinyl tubing. There is an additional piece of tubing to tighten/adjust the cable under your chin. It isn't nearly as nice or polished in appearance/feel as the smoky litz cable that accompanied my CA Polaris II's for example. It certainly doesn't compare well with the 2.5mm cable which came with my Empire Ears Bravados. The cable is priced over $400 if purchased separately, which I consider to be dubious, and that’s putting it gently. The way it looks is tasteful, and I actually really appreciate the way that termination looks and feels, It’s just underwhelming to include this particular cable at this particular price point. (As a point of reference-both of those units cost half or less what I paid for the MEST. I'm not at all saying this a garbage cable- I'm just speaking relative to its price point). The box included two different types of ear tips in two different sizes each- some generic wide bore silicone tips and some comply foam tips (comfort). I ended up using some comply tips I had on hand in size medium- these achieved acceptable comfort and isolation. I have many more tips on the way because the MEST seems very tip dependent. The included silicone tips did not fit my ears well at all and made the MEST sound thin and wispy with weak bass. The included leather zip case is like a box- it’s made by Dignis and looks great, but also seems pointlessly large. I can't see myself carrying it in a pocket.

Fit: Not great, not terrible. The nozzle is long enough to overcome the slightly large body of each IEM. They don't sit in my ear quite as well as others, but once I had the right tips I did not notice discomfort over long listening sessions. I don't think the fit will be an issue for the vast majority of users, but I don't consider it particularly refined or comfortable either. Not a deal breaker, but you won't exactly forget that you're wearing the universal MEST.

Sound Impressions- Now we're talking. In short, these sound amazing. They have a "W" shaped sound signature which nearly presents itself as relatively flat to my ears, but with a slight (and for me, welcome) emphasis on bass. In general, the sound is extremely clear, tight and controlled. Mids and highs are present and wonderfully focused but never harsh with good recordings, and I am fairly sensitive to higher frequencies. Within the context of my relatively meager collection, the MEST is both fun and versatile in that it delivers exactly what the song calls for. It strikes a balance- I can hear awesome detail retrieval and clarity on acoustic songs by Jim Croce for example- but queue up "Quick Musical Doodles" by Two Feet and you discover that MEST has plenty of slam and rumble. It does not quite match the bass quantity of the CA Polaris II or the EE Bravado, both basshead hybrids, but it has better quality. The MEST is not what I would consider a basshead IEM, but it's dynamic drivers definitely bump enough to satisfy this basshead. It probably achieves the best tonal balance that I have heard of any IEM while striking a great balance between being fun and being flat or analytical. You won't miss out on details, but you won't be bored either. To hear something with this sort of clarity and precision that also happens to have extremely tight, punchy bass was very exciting for me.

Hardware Tested: Klipsch Heritage DAC/AMP (balanced and unbalanced) using multiple FLAC, DSD and MP3's. Astell & Kern Kann (balanced) and Cayin N3 Pro (unbalanced). I switched between the stock 3.5mm cable and the Effect Audio Ares II which I borrowed from my EE bravados. I did not experience hiss or sibilance on any combination. I did not use the EQ on either of the DAP's or on JRiver Media. The MEST performed equally well on each of my mid-fi sources and was not overly sensitive or difficult to drive. These iems should play nice with just about anything.

Comparisons- My collection is limited. The CA Polaris II and EE Bravado's are dual hybrids, very bassy, and in the $400-$500 range. I don't see much point in comparing them.

AKG N40- these retailed in the $400-$500 range years ago, I bought mine on ebay for $220. They are tuned to the Harmon Target. Also dual hybrids. Also probably a fairly pointless comparison- however- there are some similarities. The N40's were the first IEM's that allowed me to hear things I'd never heard with familiar recordings. They also, like the MEST, can deliver whatever a song calls for- they have good bass but are source dependent and can sound fairly boring- sort of how the MEST can sound with poor fit/the wrong tips. When the N40 is properly paired and sounding its best, it simply can't match the MEST in detail retrieval, dynamics, clarity or particularly soundstage/imaging. Given the price difference and very different tuning, no surprise here.

CA Andromeda 2020's- it has been pointed out to me that this is a poor comparison due to the different tuning and driver configurations. Whereas the MEST is a quadbrid and the Andro has 5 BA's, the Solaris would make a more appropriate comparison. Unfortunately I don't own the CA Solaris and haven't listened to them. Both the Andromeda 2020 and the MEST are however in a similar price bracket, both have made an impact on the industry and are surrounded by plenty of hype, both are highly regarded, both are in my collection, so here we go: the MEST makes the Andromeda sound slightly hazy almost- as if one is hearing through a blanket. The Andromeda 2020 have a slightly warmer tone, with less clarity and precision in the bass. They definitely can't slam and rumble like MEST (BA vs DD, no surprise). Mids are slightly more forward and pronounced on the Andromeda's. MEST takes a slight lead in sparkle, but probably not compared to older versions of the Andromeda. Overall, the MEST feels clearer and more precise all around to me, even though the bass is elevated slightly. Finally and importantly, the imaging on MEST is the best I've heard for IEM's. Perhaps it's the bone conduction driver, but on some songs certain instruments or vocals seem to come from a different position at different points, as if the music is both inside and around your head- at the same time everything is always clearly separated and never melts together.

Summary: There simply isn't anything MEST does poorly in my opinion. They are probably the most "fun" sounding IEM i've heard without sacrificing detail retrieval- and compared to my collection, they still have a fairly accurate tuning. I hesitate to even call them "fun," but for all the enjoyment I've had listening to them. The tuning is extremely coherent in my opinion. I would give them 5/5 on sound quality, obvs the most important aspect, but I'm rating them a 4.5 overall because they're simply too expensive to have cheap packaging and a cheap cable. Having experienced premium packaging from brands like Empire Ears and Campfire Audio, there's a level of expectation beyond mere sound quality once you get into the $500+ range, and Unique Melody didn't meet that level with the MEST.

I would say if you can easily afford them new and you want them, you won't be disappointed. If you want them and can't afford new, buying used might be an even better value. Either way, I think the MEST will be around for a while.