Hisenior Mega5-EST

The Hisenior Mega5-EST is a $549 tribrid in ear monitor. This review, features the “7th Anniversary Limited Edition”, with a deep blue, speckled shell. Accessories include a Pelican case, 6 pairs of silicone eartips and 2 pairs of foam eartips.

Somewhat nondescript in appearance and fairly lightweight, construction is seamless. The 290 core, silver-plated, coaxially shielded cable is pleasantly thick, gummy and tangle free.

The driver configuration is 1 dynamic for the bass, 2 balanced armatures for the mids, and 2 electrostatic “super tweeters”.

Hisenior has designed an IEM with good phase coherence between drivers. There is sense of tonal alignment and timing concurrence from bottom to top.

The Mega5est is remarkably revealing of bass content. Modern country music, often with lean lows, will sound exactly as it’s produced. Parker McCollum’s ‘Best I Never Had’ retains its neatly trimmed bass tone below 100Hz.

In contrast, if deep bass frequencies are in the signal, they will be brought to the fore with exuberance. Ryan Montbleau’s ‘Long for You Again’ showcases its ability to produce round, boomy pressurized lows with a sense of air being displaced.

Being responsive to 20Hz – 80Hz makes it useful as a mixing and mastering tool for sculpting the low end.

Lower midrange frequencies are accurate to source. On Neil Diamond’s ‘Love On The Rocks’, his baritone vocals are fully fleshed out with richness and conviction.

Mids are a shade more tamed than pronounced, but there is detail and cadence that draws the listener into the musical landscape. Some might prefer a more salient midrange but the Mega5est handles this area in a way that cradles and contains instrumentation and vocals with grace and elegance. An example of this is Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen’s ‘Surly Festival Field’ live performance of “Like I Used To” at index 52:46, where the guitars, keys and vocals are beautifully congruent and complimentary.

Highs have a fluidity and sweetness that are in harmony with the rest of the tuning. While it might not be characterized as an overly airy IEM, it has a nice way of reproducing the treble characteristics of different recordings. For example, Rilo Kelly’s ‘Portions for Foxes’ is delivered with silvery, saturated highs without sounding too glassy or grating.

Mega5est has the ability to scrutinize and dissect recordings, but it’s also malleable to a range of material. Listening to a 1976 recording, Genesis ‘Wot Gorilla’, we hear an unravelling of the busy, shimmery arrangement with good tonal layering, instrument distinction, and dynamic contrast.

Imaging is more natural than holographically enhanced. Staging keeps in line with the environment of the recording. A spacious piece like Hoff Ensemble ‘Polarity‘ sounds deep and immersive.

The Mega5est has become a new favorite, conducting itself with stunning taste, sensitivity, and refinement. Its notable technicalities never overstep its musical generosity.

Pro Audio Times would like to thank Hisenior for providing us with this review unit.