Unique Melody MEST mkII VS Ultimate Ears Live

IEM Comparison: Expert & Community Scores Side-by-Side

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Unique Melody MEST mkII and Ultimate Ears Live use 1DD+4BA+2EST+1BC and 1DD+6BA driver setups respectively. Unique Melody MEST mkII costs $1,500 while Ultimate Ears Live costs $2,200. Ultimate Ears Live is $700 more expensive. Unique Melody MEST mkII holds a decisive 3.9-point edge in reviewer scores (7.9 vs 4).

Insights

Metric Unique Melody MEST mkII Ultimate Ears Live
Bass 8.1 4
Mids 7.5 4
Treble 7.1 4
Details 8.2 4
Soundstage 8 4
Imaging 7.5 4
Dynamics 7 4
Tonality 7.4 4
Technicalities 7.9 4

Unique Melody MEST mkII Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Fresh Reviews
Crin
Nymz Precogvision Tim Tuned
Jays Audio Audionotions Shuwa-T
Super* Review

Average Reviewer Score:

7.9

Strongly Favorable


Ultimate Ears Live Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Crin

Average Reviewer Score:

4

Unfavorable


Reviews Comparison

Ultimate Ears Live reviewed by Crin

Crin 4 Reviewer Score
C- Tuning
C- Tech
Soft, muddy, low resolution and lacks any sort of definition.

Crin original ranking

Crin Youtube Channel

Unique Melody MEST mkII (more reviews)

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Super* Review

Super* Review 10* * score normalized

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Jays Audio

Jays Audio 8.5 Reviewer Score
S- Tuning
S Tech
TOTL imaging chops/layering. Tons of micro-details. Great bass texture. Wide and 3D staging. Can be aggressive, and get fatiguing when cranked up/long-listening sessions.
Youtube Video Summary

UM MEST MKII delivers a distinctly sub-bass-oriented low end with excellent speed, separation, and texture. Mid-bass is punchy but avoids bloat, keeping the presentation clean and avoiding bleed. The unconventional decision to keep the 1–5 kHz region flatter and push energy into 5–15 kHz pays off: vocals stay open, natural, and clear—reminiscent of Variations but with a cleaner, leaner midrange and a more refined overall balance.

The stage is impressively wide and expansive—on the level of sets like Z1R and U12t—yet with notably better vocals. Treble is well-extended, slightly aggressive in a good way, and highly resolving, rendering micro-details with ease without tipping into artificial sharpness. As a result, technical ability—clarity, separation, and imaging—is top tier, making dense tracks feel effortless while still bringing energy and excitement to hip-hop and retaining emotional nuance for ballads.

In sum, MEST MKII stands out as a true all-rounder “endgame” that justifies its $1,500 tag more convincingly than most. Notable comparisons place it a step above sets like Meteor, Mahina, and Variations for the mix of enjoyment and technicalities, though value hunters may note EJ07M achieves roughly “90%” of the experience at a fraction of the price. The only caveat: treble can become too lively at very loud volumes (80 dB+), but at normal listening levels, MEST MKII remains a compelling benchmark for its category.


Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Audionotions

Audionotions 8.5 Reviewer Score
Very engaging. I usually prefer something more balanced and neutral, but this IEM has some special sauce. Very well-tuned from bass to treble - with a little bit of spice on top. Great tonality and amazing techs. Imaging is quite phenomenal, separation is great. Very detailed. If you have 700 to spend on IEMs, buy these on the used market and never look back. Warning - treble can be slightly hot. Also, timbre might sound just a tad artificial. Loaner

Audionotions original ranking

Website (Audionotions)

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Shuwa-T

Shuwa-T 8 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Comment: Bassier Mest v1 with slight cutback in clarity. Even more impressive bass response

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

Bass: S- Mids: A- Treble: A Soundstage: A+ Details: S- Imaging: S-

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Nymz

Nymz 7.6 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A Tech
Great bass and sheer detail, at the cost of wonky treble and not so accurate imaging queues. I find it work the best with eletronic music or modern metal. Still a solid contender to this date at a very good price in the used market.

Nymz original ranking

Nymz Website

Bass: S Mids: A- Treble: A- Details: A+ Imaging: A-

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Precogvision

Precogvision 7.1 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A- Tech
A warmer, more coherent MEST with setbacks in resolution and imaging.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
Bass: A- Mids: A+ Treble: B Dynamics: A- Details: A+ Imaging: A-

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Tim Tuned

Tim Tuned 7 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A+ Tech
Great balance, none offensive tuning with little to fault

Tim Tuned original ranking

Tim Tuned Youtube Channel
Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: A+

Unique Melody MEST mkII reviewed by Fresh Reviews

Fresh Reviews 5.5* * The score of this reviewer influences only the Gaming Score

Unique Melody MEST mkII User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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Ultimate Ears Live User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

No user reviews yet. Be the first one who writes a review!

Unique Melody MEST mkII Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6.7

Gaming Grade

B+

Ultimate Ears Live Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

2.5

Gaming Grade

D-

Unique Melody MEST mkII Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A-
  • Pleasing tonal balance with good technical control. Minor quirks present but not distracting. Demonstrates decent genre versatility.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Good technical performance. Clear separation and decent detail retrieval across various tracks. Soundstage shows reasonable width and depth.
Bass A+
Excellent bass response - powerful yet controlled. Deep extension with authoritative slam while maintaining clarity.
Mids A
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble A-
Excellent treble: airy, extended and well-controlled. Great micro-detail retrieval without sibilance or harshness.
Dynamics A-
Excellent dynamics with great contrast and speed. Transients are crisp and micro-details are clearly articulated.
Soundstage A+
Exceptional soundstage with holographic imaging. Creates a truly three-dimensional space where instruments float naturally around you.
Details A+
Exceptional resolution that uncovers the deepest layers. Retrieves even the most minute details while maintaining natural timbre.
Imaging A
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming B+
Respectable environmental presentation favors atmosphere over precision. Detects obvious directional cues while conveying game world ambiance. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Ultimate Ears Live Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

C-
  • Significantly flawed tuning. Noticeable frequency imbalances and unnatural timbre distract from music. Lacks versatility across recordings.

Average Technical Grade

C-
  • Limited resolution; finer nuances are masked. Soundstage feels narrow, and complex passages cause muddiness. Transitions lack finesse.
Gaming D-
Compromised imaging significantly impacts gameplay awareness. Directional cues often lack accuracy or consistency. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

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Ultimate Ears Live User Reviews

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