DISCLAIMER: The Mefisto was provided by Forté Ears in return for my honest opinion. I am not personally affiliated with the company in any way, nor do I receive any rewards – monetary or otherwise – for a positive evaluation. I’d like to thank Forté Ears for their kindness and support. The article is as follows.
Forté Ears are in-ear makers from audio capital Singapore, Singapore. The brand turned eyes and ears when they launched their flagship Macbeth, garnering praise for its brazen aesthetics and technical performance. Amongst the many plaudits, though, were notions that its tone was fairly niche; catering to classical over, say, pop or hip-hop. In response, Forté now present their sophomore effort – the Mefisto – armed with new drivers, new tech and a crowd-pleasing sound.
Forté Ears Mefisto
- Driver count: Two dynamic, four balanced-armature and one planar magnetic drivers
- Impedance: 5.6Ω @ 1kHz
- Sensitivity: 105dB @ 1kHz
- Key feature(s) (if any): Diabolic Isolation System, Forté Circuitry Relay, Acoustic Resonance Chamber
- Available form factor(s): Universal acrylic IEMs
- Price: $2899
- Website: www.forteears.com
Packaging and Accessories
The Mefisto is packaged with the exact same design language as its bigger brother. The outer sleeve is coated again with that lovely iridescent finish, ensuring it stands out on a store shelf. Then, printed all around are images of cathedrals and thrones, evoking the product’s thematic inspiration. Capping the look are Mefisto text and logos, debossed in metallic print for contrast. Like the Macbeth’s, this sleeve is a masterclass in visual stimulation without resorting to wood, suede or lots of moving parts. Simple, when done right, can be lethally effective, and Riccardo and co. have proven it here. My one request would be to not use the stock iMovie font for your company website, social media and “All rights reserved” text on the back of the box, please.
Lifting the sleeve off, you’ll find a set of doors (which, to speak to Forté’s attention-to-detail, are split blue and red perfectly at the seam) that open to reveal the package’s contents. The upper compartment contains a microfibre cloth, adorned gorgeously with teal-and-red artwork, under which are the Mefisto IEMs and cable, tucked safely in foam inserts. The bottom compartment contains an owner’s plaque made of thick resin, and I have to credit Forté for achieving a much clearer, more transparent finish here than the plaque that came with my Macbeth. Beneath this is the Mefisto’s leather case; a tad smaller than its bigger brother’s, which I actually prefer, and with its own, mini cleaning cloth inside. And, last, a set of Eletech’s Baroque Stage tips in three sizes: Small, medium and large.
The included cable is from Eletech, featuring silver, copper and silver-plated copper conductors in a 4-wire braid. It’s of a similar thickness to the Macbeth’s, but I can’t help but feel that it’s a tad more plasticky. Perhaps, it’s the insulation, but it lends a cheaper feeling to the cable, which I’m not fond of. Eletech’s hardware is nice as always, and it’s an unintrusive cable overall. I just wish it felt a bit more premium.
Like they did on the Macbeth, I think Forté have achieved a clean sweep as far as accessories go. The only things I think they could’ve added are a cable tie and a wax pick. But, all the extra effort they put into the items they did include easily make those omissions forgivable. I would’ve also liked to see the leather case have measures to protect the Mefisto’s shells, whether that be sectioned-off compartments for each earpiece to snugly sit in, or the fabric bags that brands like Campfire Audio, Eletech and Van Nuys have employed in the past. Besides that, again, they’ve ticked every necessary box, especially in terms of brand identity and attention-to-detail, and I’d love to see their competitors do the same.
Aesthetics and Build
I won’t beat around the bush: The Mefisto has my favourite faceplates of the year right now. It does away with the Macbeth’s more divisive elements – the myriad of colours and the blend of chrome and gloss – and dials it into a more focused, efficient design with breathtaking impact.
These cast-silver plates thrive on texture and depth, brilliantly contrasting the sharp, polished foreground against the darker, furnaced surface beneath. Then, the sheer amount of intricate detail packed into the quatrefoils (both large and small) as well as the demonic claw reaching from below is simply peerless; unmatched by anything I’ve seen on the market. The literal jewel on top is a blood-red gem embedded in each earpiece, brilliantly breaking up the monochrome. And, lastly, the Forté and Mefisto logos on either side, letting you know whose handiwork this is.
Again, I can’t praise the design, engineering and machining enough. It’s one of those few times I can truly call an IEM an ‘artpiece’, and I hope Forté continue to maintain this standard for years to come.
Now, the shells underneath those faceplates are virtually identical to the Macbeth’s gloss-black acrylic. Personally, I wish they gave the Mefisto a different colour or a slightly different texture – perhaps, a little mica or glitter mixed into the resin – so that there’s distinction between it and its bigger brother. I understand the intention is to have the faceplates be the stars of the show, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some visual interest there too.
Build-wise, the Mefisto’s are constructed flawlessly. Its 3D-printing process ensures evenly-thick walls, which greatly aid weight distribution and heft. And, each peripheral element – the DD vent, the 2-pin socket, the wax guard and the outer lacquer coat – is pristinely done too. I appreciate Forté‘s use of high-quality, presumably spring-loaded sockets. You have to insert the 2-pin plug at just the right angle, but once you do, it slides right in and grips tight, instilling more confidence than the usual, friction-fit variant, which loosens over time. The wax guard, like the Macbeth’s, is a metal grille, which I prefer over the weaker wire mesh. And, here, Forté have even given it a rose window design to match the cathedral motif; a testament, again, to their attention-to-detail.
Now, as I was with the Macbeth, I’m not the biggest fan of the Mefisto’s acrylic shell. In this day and age, I’d want to see a stronger material like aluminium or titanium, like many of their peers have used (on far more affordable IEMs too). The Mefisto also lacks any BCDs, which was the main reason why the Macbeth didn’t use metal. So, as an advocate for the consumer getting the most bang for their buck, I’d love to see more robust chassis in the future. But, if you baby your gear anyway and aren’t concerned by a resin shell, the Mefisto’s build should very much suffice.
Wearing Comfort
Forté’s universal shape is a perfect fit for my ears. The Macbeth fit me almost like a custom, and the Mefisto is no different. They’ve been clever in avoiding any egregious bumps or bulges, but they’ve also kept enough material to adequately fill the concha and bowl. If you happen to have ears shaped similar to mine, you should feel little-to-no pressure whatsoever with the Mefisto in your ears. Now, I must say, the Baroque Stage tips are a bit wider than the standard variant. So, if I do feel any pressure, it’s certainly there, and I’d suggest going a size down (if possible) when going from the original Baroque tips to the Stage.
Technologies
DIS (Diabolic Isolation System)
The DIS is a precision-made acoustic chamber, which houses the Mefisto’s pair of 7.8mm LCP dynamic drivers. It’s a T-shaped structure, allowing the 2 drivers to face each other and output their combined energies through the tube sat perpendicularly between them. This design isn’t entirely new. I first saw it in JH Audio’s Lola, where it housed its midrange DDs, and I’ve since seen it in Nostalgia Audio’s earphones, Astell&Kern collabs and more. Obviously, however, the measurements, dimensions, materials, etc. are proprietary to each brand, just like it is here on Forté’s DIS. So, a ton of R&D still needed to be invested here. Aside from adding their outputs, the enclosure is also securely sealed, so no bass energy is lost to the air in the shell or the shell itself. It’s kept entirely in the sound waves headed to your eardrums.
FCR (Forté Circuitry Relay)
The FCR is a proprietary circuit also present in the Macbeth. As I talked about in its review, it seems simply like a fancy name given to a bog-standard crossover network, but Forté claim it does something extra. Unfortunately, Riccardo can’t reveal what that is without divulging trade secrets. All the brand will say is that the circuit uses a discontinued capacitor from the 90’s for its sonic performance. So, even if it’s shrouded in mystery, it at least has the appeal of novelty.
ARC (Acoustic Resonance Chamber)
ARC is essentially DIS, but for all the other drivers. With the use of 3D modelling and printing, Forté are able to integrate complex acoustic structures directly to the shells, where the drivers will fire and resonate according to the chamber’s precisely-calculated parameters. So, instead of hand-measured, hand-cut and hand-glued sound tubes like the old days, it’s all fabricated with machine precision, ensuring consistent acoustics between units and an expedited build process.
