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Completely detached - Unique Melody Mason FS
There are indeed many great Head-Fi products these days that are worthy of their own blog, but rarely do you come across one that is so “over the top” in every respect that it is hotly and controversially discussed in the relevant forums. But let's start from the beginning...
A few weeks ago Unique Melody introduced their latest flagship, the Mason FS. Handcrafted from fine woods in the variants Nuit Étoilée ("The Starry Night") and Soleil Tombé ("The Desert Tree"), these IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) impress not only with their elegant appearance, but also with their appearance Price: 8499 USD/CHF is already an announcement and is therefore a lot higher than what is charged for most flagship IEMs today.
The Outcry
This inevitably led to an outcry in various head-fi.org forums and caused red heads and heated discussions among some members. There was talk of price gouging and how the average audiophile could even afford it. - In my opinion, an understandable and necessary debate.
As is well known, the coin has two sides and the price of such a product cannot be viewed separately, but only in context, i.e.: “What do I get for my money”?
Unique Melody was accused of only targeting elite buyers and leaving out the "small" audiophile headphone lovers.
I'll ask this now: Who accuses VW, for example, of producing and selling Porsches in addition to the Golf, which sometimes change hands for hundreds of thousands or even millions? Exactly, nobody.
There are various reasons why such a product costs so much money
- The product is particularly elaborately manufactured and offers the highest quality accessories.
- The product is characterized by exceptionally good sound/performance.
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The product is a technology carrier. This means that companies advance research with flagship products and these developments in new technologies cost a lot of money. These development costs must be passed on to the buyers - just like everywhere else.
All customers benefit from this
New technologies become cheaper over time and are passed on to cheaper product lines, which benefit from this by offering the buyer ever better price/performance.
This is also the case with Unique Melody, who offer excellent in-ears in every price category, most of which are well above their price range - thanks to research!
But enough of the preface - let's take a closer look at the precise ones...
The Mason FS come in an unusually large and heavy box for Unique Melody - which includes a pretty bag - for whatever purpose.
The magnetic lid reveals a purple fabric bag, a box with accessories and a thank you note on handmade paper - elegant.
Unboxing makes you feel a bit like the discoverer of a pharaoh's treasure, because there is always more to explore.
Inside the fabric bag there is a leather bag that is second to none and is reminiscent of bags from Hermes or Loius Vuitton.
The leather bag contains a shoulder strap and another leather case...
...which finally contains the object of our desire: The Mason FS Soleil Tombé and PWAudio First Times Shielded+ cable.
Phew, that was almost like work! 😅
Sound check
After a quick inspection, the Mason FS are paired with our "workhorse" - the Lotoo Mjölnir. After all, such an IEM needs to be operated appropriately! 🙌
It takes some time to fully appreciate the sonic capabilities of the Mason FS, but after a while of careful listening it becomes clear what the essence of the Mason FS is - and what is not.
The Mason FS is not a showstopper
He doesn't use cheap tricks to "inflate" the information present in the tracks. No raised bass, no exaggerated treble, no artificially inflated stage, no sugarcoating.
The Mason FS is a virtuoso
He takes what is there and skilfully stages it. Like the world-famous pianist Lang Lang, he effortlessly plays even the most complex pieces and passages.
This gives the music depth and meaning, but also lightness - the performance seems "completely detached". At least these were the words that came to mind when I immersed myself in the sound world of the Mason FS.
It's really not that easy to describe the capabilities of these IEMs and that's why I'm foregoing a detailed analysis of individual frequencies and characteristics at this point. You have to/should have heard the Mason FS with your own ears to understand it.
True to the motto: "Listen and you will see".
Conclusion
I've spent some time with the Mason FS now, but not so much that I can say that it's well-rehearsed or that I've already grasped all the facets of these exceptional in-ears. In this respect, I cannot draw a final conclusion at the moment, but will limit myself to my impressions so far.
While other IEMs impressed me right from the start, it took some time to get to know the new Unique Melody Mason FS. It was worth it!
Still waters run deep
This saying has proven true once again, because the rather introverted Mason FS rewards patience with a sound potential that is unparalleled. He appears reserved and stages the music in a virtuoso manner.
So I sit at my desk, listen to the sounds and completely lose myself in the music... It's almost like meditation.