I would like to thank Forté Ears’ Riccardo Yeh for sending us a Mefisto sample for this review, and for taking the time to share his personal insights as part of the review process. Your generosity, kindness and enthusiasm is greatly appreciated.
Forté Ears, still a young IEM upstart from Singapore, has been so fast out the blocks that it already feels like a veteran.
This aura is in part due to founder Riccardo Yeh’s long association with the likes of Hifiman and Eletech – the latter of which is still closely (and may I say positively) associated with the Forté Ears brand. But regardless of Riccardo’s history, with the release of the company’s follow-up IEM to its highly-acclaimed debut, Macbeth, the only trajectory I see is upward.
Like Macbeth, the $2,899 Mefisto takes its inspiration – both aesthetically and sonically – from Riccardo’s passion for classic Italian opera. Whereas Macbeth was based on the titular Shakesperean play of its namesake, Mefisto is derived from the dark character Méphistophélès in Gounod’s Faust – incidentally, the name Mefisto assumed during its prototype phase.
One scene in particular resonated with Riccardo, as he explains in his own words:
The inspiration behind Mefisto comes from an iconic operatic villain – Mephisto, the devil from Faust. Since he’s usually portrayed by a bass singer, I decided to focus this IEM on powerful low-frequency performance. Both the faceplate and the packaging cover depict the most dramatic moment in the opera: the cathedral scene, where Mephisto invades the church and curses Marguerite to hell.
This scene, famously depicted in Frank Cadogan Cowper’s oil on canvas, Margaret Tormented by The Evil Spirit (1919, above), can be interpreted, in audio terms, as such:
The cathedral scene in Gounod’s Faust functions like a powerful bass foundation in audio, where Méphistophélès’ low voice and the oppressive Dies Irae create an inescapable sonic weight that dominates the acoustic space much like subsonic frequencies command attention in a mix. The scene’s resonant, stone-cathedral acoustics amplify these deep tonal elements, creating the same psychological impact as sustained bass drones – an overwhelming sense of gravitas and doom that makes Marguerite’s delicate voice seem increasingly fragile and isolated against the dark harmonic underpinning.
How closely this tallies with the actual tonal character of Mefisto the IEM will soon be revealed, but suffice it to say, any IEM that puts dynamic driver bass front and centre has my immediate and undivided attention.
Packaging and accessories
Like Macbeth, Mefisto is packaged in a generously-sized box with a colourful, printed sleeve depicting an operatic scene – in this case the aforementioned Faust cathedral. Like doors to the cathedral, the box is fitted with a hinged lid that parts in the middle to reveal its contents.
Inside the box you’ll find two separate compartments, one with a foam cutout holding the two Mefisto earpieces on one side and the stock cable on the other; the other holding a red-dyed leather carry case embossed with the Mefisto logo, and underneath, a tray holding the included Baroque Stage ear tips (a new version of Baroque currently exclusive to Mefisto owners).
The stock cable is once again made by Eletech, and is a 4-wire pure stranded design made from 25 AWG silver, silver-plated copper and copper conductors. Like all Eletech cables it’s expertly made, very supple to hold, kink free, and comfortable on ear. Most importantly, it sounds really, really good, even in the company of significantly more expensive cables, but more on that later.
Staying with the operatic theme, you also get two extra pieces of paraphernalia: a fabric napkin with Mefisto decals, and a hard acrylic ‘ticket’ to a Faust performance, etched with your unique Mefisto serial number. It’s all quite grandiose-feeling, and even the case is generously large enough to hold more than just the cable and earpieces.
Design and specs
If you found Macbeth’s red-enameled faceplate a bit garish, Mefisto’s is significantly less showy and, if you ask me, far more refined.
Made from cast metal and pure oxidised silver, and inlaid with red gemstones (not real gemstones, but still), the faceplates look classy and relatively understated, although some might still find them blingy. I prefer the look to Macbeth’s, and find myself rolling them in my fingers to study the design almost every time I reach for them.
As Riccardo explains:
The faceplate design portrays the cathedral scene from Faust, where Marguerite enters the church to pray, only to be met not by angels, but by Mephisto, who curses her to Hell. The plate features gothic stained glass, a cross, and a claw, hinting at the devil’s presence. It’s made of silver, with an oxidised finish rather than colored paint. It adds a unique character to the tuning, which had to be carefully adjusted to accommodate its acoustic effect.
Mefisto’s black resin shells are identical in shape and size to Macbeth’s, so if you had no issue with Macbeth’s fit, then Mefisto’s will be the same. If, like me, the large shells gave you pressure points on your outer ear after some use, then you may want to think more carefully about how suitable they’ll be for the long listening sessions they’re designed for.
Attention to detail is exemplary, with smooth curved lines making for very comfortable skin feel – pressure points notwithstanding – and I love how Riccardo’s even managed to sneak in some cathedral-esque motifs into the metal nozzle covers.
Inside the shells, Mefisto changes things up quite significantly from Macbeth. Gone are the BA bass drivers, bone conduction and electrostats, replaced with a completely new design made up of two new-generation 7.8mm liquid crystal polymer dynamic bass drivers assembled in an isobaric array; four balanced armature drivers for midrange and treble; and one nano-diaphragm micro-planar super tweeter driver for select treble highlights.
Both the bass and treble drivers represent Forté Ears technologies unique to Mefisto:
Diabolic Isolation System (D.I.S.), described as a “a Forté Ears exclusive structural design crafted to maximise bass energy output with unmatched precision and efficiency.” According to Riccardo:
D.I.S. isn’t a completely new invention, but rather an optimised path for energy transmission from the dual dynamic bass drivers. The idea is to minimise loss before the bass reaches your ear canal, especially in the under-40Hz range, where it delivers an impactful and memorable experience. The two bass drivers are mounted on the same horizontal plane in a symmetrical layout. Using two smaller units instead of a larger one improves sensitivity and conserves power, something I kept in mind because I still want Mefisto to be easily driven by a dongle DAC or DAP.
Aria, the micro-planar driver, is “a specially designed and meticulously tuned driver which boasts high efficiency and exceptional fidelity, enriching the whole overtone series with an irresistibly alluring timbre.”
I have to admit, when I first heard that Mefisto was being fitted with a planar treble driver, I was concerned it would go the way of most planar treble drivers; that is, not so well. In my experience, IEM planar tweeters always seem to emit some sort of shrillness to the sound, an experience that even Riccardo acknowledges:
You’re not alone! At shows, many people told me they find most planar IEMs too bright and fatiguing. They were surprised that Mefisto, despite using a planar tweeter, avoids this. The truth is, it’s not the fault of the planar driver itself; it’s all about how it’s used. Do you spotlight it front and center, or let it blend in as just one voice in a harmonic chord?
He continues:
Aria handles the ultra-high frequency range. I won’t reveal the exact numbers, but theoretically, it covers the spectrum where human hearing is least sensitive. Still, it’s fascinating how those “inaudible” frequencies can deeply influence our perception of sound. I’ve been intrigued by planar drivers in IEMs for a while, but I’ve yet to encounter a full-range micro planar that satisfies me, especially in the mids and lows. However, for ultra-high frequencies, Aria’s performance finally met my expectations, which is why I decided to use it in this project.
In summary:
- Driver configuration: dual LCP dynamic drivers, four balanced armatures, micro-planar super tweeter.
- New tech: Diabolic Isolation System (bass) and Aria (treble)
- Current tech: Forte Relay Circuitry System with 4-way crossover; Acoustic Resonance Chamber (ARC)
- Impedance: 5.6Ω @ 1kHz
- Sensitivity: 105dB @ 1kHz
- Price: $2,899
- Website: www.forteears.com
Continue to sound impressions…
