Unique Melody Maven III Review: The Gentle Art of Resolution
Unique Melody hardly needs another introduction at this point, not only because we’ve been covering a lot on About Audio but also because it’s one of the most well-reputed companies for high-end IEMs. UM covers just about every corner of the market, from TWS and budget IEMs (UXUE, From The Start, etc.) to all the way up to summit-fi flagships like the Soleil Tombé and Mason FS – plus the recently announced Brise Audio collaboration model, the PP6 Pro + Raptor. Still, if you ask which UM products people actually talk about the most, it usually comes down to two families: the MEST series and the Maven series.
I have a soft spot for the Maven line. I’ve been using them since the original Maven, and the Maven II is still in my favorite collection. Because of that, Maven III was one of the releases I’d been waiting on, and it’s finally here. Maven III Moonshard is a 12-driver quadbrid priced at $2,199, featuring titanium shells and UM’s latest acoustic architectures. Let’s go through the package and build, how it sounds, and how it stacks up against its competitors, including UM’s own lineup.
Packaging & Accessories
Maven III arrives in a neat box with the usual UM layout, laid out in two levels. The premium Dignis leather carrying case sits in the upper section, and the rest of the accessories are in a drawer underneath. The Dignis leather case is finished with a black ice-vein Turkish cowhide with geometric metal accents inlaid into the lid. It’s large enough to hold the earpieces with the cable still attached. Alongside the case, the box includes the MistRock cable, 6 pairs of various eartips, a pair of earpiece mesh bags, a leather cable clip, a manual, and the warranty card.
Inside the Package:
- Maven III IEMs
- Dignis premium leather case
- MistRock 4.4mm Stock cable
- 3 Pairs of AZLA SednaEarfit Xelastec tips (SS, MS, M)
- 3 Pairs of UM Blue-Core tips (S, M, L)
- 1 pair of earpiece mesh bags
- Cleaning cloth/tool
- Warranty Card
Beautifully-crafted, Titanium Earpieces
So far, UM has been using only titanium shells for the Maven series, and the same continues for Maven III. The shells are made of 3D-printed titanium with 3D-printed design inlays for the faceplates. The shells are mirror-polished, with faceplates that are inspired by the celestial theme and have hexagonal snowflake shapes. Considering Maven II had the product name ‘Crescent’, you can see Maven III ‘Moonshard’ extends that concept into the shard-of-light idea.
Bone Conductor Drivers – First of its Series.
Maven III is a 12-driver quadbrid sporting 2DD+4BA+4EST+2BCD per side. Built around an intricate 6-way crossover, two dynamic drivers handle the bass, four balanced armatures for mid-highs and highs, four electrostatic drivers take the ultra-highs, and the two bone conduction drivers playing a supplementary role for the rest of the drivers. It’s the first Maven product to feature a BCD driver, by the way.
The Wear & Fit
Maven III is surprisingly comfortable to wear and use. The earpieces are compact, noticeably more refined than the previous Maven, and the shells come in slightly smaller than the MEST Fortune – and much smaller than the Maven I. The nozzle shape and diameter, as well as the inner-side ergonomics, have been greatly improved, offering a much more comfortable wear and fit than the Maven II. Fit is excellent, and since the shells stay small, making one of the most convenient metal shell flagship IEMs in the market.
Maven III Moonshard Specifications:
- Total drivers: 12 (quadbrid)
- Driver configuration: 2 DD (bass) + 2 BA (mid-highs) + 2 BA (highs) + 4 EST (ultra-highs) + 2 BA bone conduction
- Crossover: 6-way
- Impedance: 8.8Ω
- Sensitivity: 105dB @ 1kHz
- Shell: 3D-Printed Titanium
- Cable: MistRock custom cable
- Cable Termination: 0.78mm 2-pin with 4.4mm balanced plug
- Price: US$2,199
Proprietary Custom-grade Cable: UM MistRock
The stock cable is the MistRock, another custom-grade cable made with PW Audio. UM has been pairing PW cables with their releases for years now, and the MistRock continues that arrangement with a pure copper build at 22AWG, a thicker gauge than the cable that came with the Maven II.
The cable is finished in matte grey, and the wires are soft and pliable with a PVC coating that keeps microphonics down. Hardware is the familiar PW Audio set: a shaped metal plug, matching Y-split and chin slider, and metal 2-pin housings with L/R markings, all held with gold screws. It’s a good cable, as PW stock cables generally are, and it suits the polished titanium shells visually.
Next Page: Deep dive into the Sound / How does the Maven III Perform?