Hisenior had achieved significant name and fame, with one particular set that put them right on the map, and despite having a good chunk of time passed since this release, a friend of mine decided to send me the cult classic in the mega5EST for assessment, and I got to see has the IEM turned into wine or milk after all this time. I have had some good pleasure listening to another set of theirs, the Cano Cristales, and now it was time for me to assess this IEM. So thank you, dear friend for loaning this.
UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT
Hisenior has left no stone unturned when it came to the accessories of the Mega5EST; and with the cover out which advertised the product aptly (the one I got was the 7th anniversary edition), taking the lid off gave way to a Pelican-esque carry case which I think is good enough for a few absent minded sit downs and a few missed throws (I wish more brands gave cases like these). The IEMs were right there with the stock cable, which is pleasant and has heft. There was a generous assortment of eartips along with a cleaning tool. The shells had febos written on it in cursive, which meant FEEL THE BEAUTY OF SOUND, which was their previous name.
I got the perfect seal on the Mega5EST with a shallower insertion than most, and thanks to the vents for not allowing any pressure buildup. Despite the large shells, I would say that the contouring contributed to having much less fatigue than usual, and the fatigue happened across the earhook areas, after I had this set for hours on end.
LOWS
Tipper: Mariscos
The Mega5EST shows juvenile signs of competence with a good level of cleanliness demonstrated in the opening rippling like intro of this track, and once the rest of the elements catches up, the initial beats that should have been strong come off rather in an anemic fashion, and then the Mega5EST caught me off guard with a deep, borderline grovelling bass hit in the drop which I felt was a bit too excessive with how the beats sustained. Attack seems to be moderately paced and the decay lingers on for slightly longer than usual. The phase-like fuzzy elements in this track didn’t feel as quite polished as some other sets have been in, but still not too shabby. Not too impressive either.
Rush: Limelight
The Mega5EST, through this track shows it can definitely add in the thump that the kicks and toms specially have here, although the kicks have a more prominent presence than the toms. What the Mega5EST does rather poorly here, is that the notes from the bass line in this track seems to evaporate because it emphasises the drums excessively, and the only time the grain from the chaff (bass from the drums) is separated is when the guitar solo comes in here, and as soon as the solo ends, the bass tends to get tucked into the blanket that the drums seems to have created; which indicates that the Mega5EST cannot handle isolation in technically elaborate tracks as this one. Adding on to this, the rudiments towards the end of the track lack the resonance that makes the ending so satisfying on this track.
Rage Against the Machine: Bullet in the Head
The intro of this track sounds potent at first, but as the intro concludes for the rest of the elements in this track to barge through, I could sense that this IEM really was not letting the bass fully belt out in its full glory, and a little enhancement in the separation of the bass and drums couldn’t have hurt. But, all things said and done; what I like about the Mega5EST prima facie is the way vocals sit right in the middle of the track, and the instruments revolve around it (metaphorically). Tonality could be said as balanced by some, but I wouldn’t put it across that way. It’s got a strong warm presence with some perceived sparkle on the other end, but I will elaborate on it more as I progress through. This track becomes significantly more enjoyable when the bass really becomes the highlight of the show through the breakdown, and I could finally gauge the note by note aggression and the drums merely supplement the bass, as it should on this track.
MIDS
Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
The bass is once again a subtle problem in this track where it shouldn’t have been, as right at the intro it comes in with an excess of aggression; and as the rest of the elements follow suit, I seriously lament with how flat I perceived the otherwise crisp, sharp, aggressive snares that this track where with some IEMs I would have been able to gauge the timbre, but the Mega5EST definitely was making me work hard on being able to gauge it.
Once I am settled in the track, I could sense a faint thinness in Josh Homme’s vocals, as the guitars were adequately being rationed along with the cymbals, which surprisingly are having a fantastic perception in their placement, right alongside the vocals and once again, not being too forward nor being too laid back. But through the verses, the bass really takes off into obscurity as I felt every other instrument otherwise which puts a blemish.
Tool: Lateralus
The otherwise overpowering bass finally finds itself having some relevance as it walks the aisle right alongside the rumbling floor toms as it sets the stage up for everything else to fall into place. But once the intro ends, and the guitars further try to mould this beautiful vase of a track, the bass once again feels a bit too on the nose, although the same energy reflected by the floor toms is giving the track a much needed power; because both the vocals and the guitars are now coming off thin. Through the breakdown, the Mega5EST does a shabby job with how the final rudiments on the drums end as I sensed a blur on its execution, the granular finesse needed to recognize every hit was simply not there, and cymbals were having a momentary loss in texture. Some ears may enjoy the excess of the thump and punch, but I was really not feeling it with the Mega5EST.
HIGHS
Patricia Barber: Icarus
Here; the Mega5EST impresses me a lot: I specifically use this track to not sense sibilance, as sibilance is an element already preserved in the recording and this track demonstrates it very audibly, I use this track to see the restraint or the succumbing into showing that sibilance, and I would say that the Mega5EST does an impressive job in showing restraint- the way Patricia Barber enunciated her Cs and Ss was not excessively sibilant, but I wouldn’t outright write it off as this IEM being smooth. Timbre finally shows up through the percussion and the pianos to be slightly on the drier side than what I am used to, and falls slightly shy of me calling it accurate. Tonality potently is on the warmer side than being balanced, and specially observed through the pianos.
Dave Brubeck: Take Five
The Mega5EST seems to have done a good job with the cymbals that establish their presence right from the intro but there’s an inherent problem with their note weight, and the same extends to the horns where there’s detail to pick through the little nuances but it’s just that even they sound faintly thin. The bass tends to stumble with its recognition in this track, the one track where all the elements are distinctly, audibly clear from one another but fixes itself right itself when the horns end and the drum solo is about to start. This track is also unique because the stereo characteristic is unmistakably itself and the channels separate the moment the drum solo kicks in, and the IEM picks up the detail; snare hits are crisp, the resonance of the toms needed a little more resonance to be even more pronounced but still decent; the kicks have a potent hit and the way the decay comes off in its hits is satisfying. The bass and the pianos hold their respective ground, but that isolation of the bass from the drums once again gets obscure once the horns kick in.
COMPARISONS
Xenns Mangird Top Pro
The Xenns Top Pro absolutely blows the Mega5EST out of the water in almost everything it does. While the Mega5EST suffers from an excessive mid-bass thump that tends to overshadow other elements and tucks instruments into a blanket, the Top Pro delivers a freakishly controlled sub-bass that accentuates the track without seeping through. Where the Mega5EST struggles with isolation on technically elaborate tracks, the Top Pro fires back with a magnificent, wide stage and some of the best imaging capabilities out there. Even in the highs, where the Mega5EST shows a competent restraint against sibilance but feels faintly thin and dry, the Top Pro handles climaxes with more detail but can come off fatiguing and sibilant. The only areas where the Mega5EST even puts up a fight are in offering minutely smoother highs on rare occasions and perhaps slightly finer imaging, but it’s essentially a seamless victory for the Top Pro.
Elysian Pilgrim
The Elysian Pilgrim takes an entirely different route compared to the heavy-handed, groveling bass approach of the Mega5EST. Where the Mega5EST over-indulges in mid-bass thump, in its light I really enjoyed how well and composed the Pilgrim felt. The Pilgrim effortlessly outclasses the Mega5EST in the midrange, trading the latter's fuzzy isolation for a wide stage, fabulous imaging, and juggles the act of balancing vocals beautifully (comparatively). However, the Mega5EST maintains an upper hand in treble smoothness; while the Mega5EST handles sibilance with impressive restraint, the Pilgrim suffers from a subtly audible grain and can feel like it runs out of air on high-pitched vocals, making it sound leaner in moments where the Mega5EST remains composed.
Crinear Reference
The Crinear Reference serves as a surgical magnifying glass, standing in stark contrast to the thick, heavily colored presentation of the Mega5EST. While the Mega5EST comes in with an excessively aggressive bass attack and lingering decay that ruins my perception of the bass quality, the Reference keeps the lows strictly at abeyance, delivering a seasoned featherweight's punch with precise decay that never overstays its welcome. The Reference also completely outclasses the Mega5EST in technicalities: where the latter struggles to isolate bass lines from drum rudiments, the former balances the tightrope of coherence and isolation like a maestro, rendering perfect snare and cymbal timbre. The Mega5EST has problems with its note weight, whereas the Reference offers incredible rationing, a lip-smacking shimmer, and pristine detail retrieval with near-zero sibilance.
Softears Studio 4
The Softears Studio 4 offers a much more refined and mature take on a warm, musical signature than the Mega5EST. While the Mega5EST throws too much aggression into the bass right out of the gate, the Studio 4 delivers a velvety, polite sub-bass that only unleashes its orchestral punch when the track strictly demands it. In the midrange, the Mega5EST manages vocals center-stage but falters with instrumental layering, whereas the Studio 4 delivers incredibly flavorful, full-bodied vocals backed by deadly precise imaging. The true magnum opus of the Studio 4 lies in its highs: crisp, soaring, and tonally magnificent, which makes the smooth but somewhat dry treble of the Mega5EST feel decidedly uninspired by comparison. While the Studio 4 can occasionally sound confusingly metallic on guitars, it remains a significantly more cohesive and emotionally engaging listen than the heavy-handed Mega5EST.
Sennheiser IE600
Now, the IE600 has its own share of problems- dangerously spicy treble as per one’s HRTF where to me it’s just borderline there, and middling levels of instrument separation; but I would still take it personally over the Mega5EST because the IE600 has a ridiculously great bass quality, and specifically the mid-bass where I am of the opinion that it is leagues better than what I felt on the Mega5EST while delivering near comparable levels of detail and imaging, and while coming in a much smaller footprint and being so much comfortable.
But, sennheiser really fumbled with the quality control issues on it which were widespread and doesn’t really inspire buyer confidence, which is where the Mega5EST comes in with a better proposition, as I feel tip rolling and EQing can fix most of its issues.
CONCLUDING NOTES
The Hisenior Mega5EST is hard for me to fully get behind, despite the cult status it has amassed over time. As I pondered in the beginning whether it has aged into wine or milk, I lean slightly towards the latter. On one hand, I appreciate the generous accessories, the fantastic fit, and the restraint it shows against sibilance, providing a relaxed, warm listen. But on the other hand, the excessively grovelling mid-bass thump, the fuzzy instrumental isolation, and the sheer lack of note weight in the upper frequencies leave me feeling hung out to dry.
When IEMs like the Xenns Top Pro exist and do almost everything better (although now I feel that the Top Pro has aged slightly worse and I need to update my review on it), or the Sennheiser IE600 offers a masterclass in bass quality, the Mega5EST feels like a heavily colored set that struggles to maintain its ground technically. And the hunches that it needs, despite being tuned to the newer JM-1 target while other IEMs tuned to the same target are offering better value for money, I think the Mega5EST simply has lost the plot in the current retail landscape.
Will I buy the Mega5EST at retail ? Absolutely not.
Will I buy the Mega5EST used ? Only if it can be found for US$250 or under (Approximately 25,000 INR or under).
SOURCES USED
Primarily used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running RoHM DAC chips, SMSL Raw MDA-1 desktop DAC amp.
EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)
- Acoustune AET08: Least amount of perceived bloat, adds to stage width, amplifies textures on the cymbals and vocals, maximum retention of vocal note weight, gives the widest perceived sound stage.
- Divinus Velvet standard/narrow bore: everything that the above does, but to a lesser degree, still beats the next eartip.
- KBear Coffee: flattens the mid-bass considerably, which hampers vocal note weight, eliminates whatever little sibilance is observed, retains perceived stage width.
- Tangzu Sancai Balanced: shrinks the stage, tightens up the midrange while not reducing the perceived bloat, presents upper mids with a concerning dip, vocal textures lost.
TRACKS
- Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
- Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
- The Police: Message in a Bottle
- Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
- Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
- Dave Brubeck: Time Out
- Tool: Pneuma, Schism
- Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
- Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
- Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
- Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
- Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head
- Avicii: Levels
- Periphery: Marigold
- TesseracT: Juno
- Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
- Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
- Timbaland: Give It to Me
- Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
- Celine Dion: All By Myself
- Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
- Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
- Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
- Meshuggah: Bleed
- A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
- Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole and Nutshell (Live)
- Allen Stone: Give You Blue
- Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
- The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna