BASN MT-Pro Review: The Planar Party
The Big Picture
Pros:
Generous accessory package
Solid construction
Smooth, articulate midrange
Highly-resolving treble with zero sharpness
Two included cables
Cons:
Overly-soft bass
Lacking in overall energy
Large shells impact users with small ears
Case construction and design lacks polish
Large accessory selection focuses on quantity over quality
Tech Specs
Driver: 14.5mm Planar
Shell Material: CNC’d Aluminum
Sensitivity: 102db@1KHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Cable Termination: 3.5mm
Sound Signature
Sonic Overview:
The MT-Pro is warm, soft, and relaxed. It’s the most chill planar-driver IEM I’ve ever heard, without sharpness or bright tilt at all. Unique timbre aside, the MT-Pro has a well-extended, but not emphasized bass, smooth midrange, and well-extended, but slightly recessed, treble. The MT-Pro’s driver is highly resolving and does a decent job of layering multiple elements. It has an average sound stage that could benefit from a more focused treble and upper midrange.
Sonic Breakdown:
Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands, Satisfy, Little One, Show Me How To Live (Live at the Quart Festival), Bittersweet Symphony
The MT-Pro’s treble is relaxed, smooth, and articulate. It maintains a strong sense of planar timbre that you’d find in other planar IEMs — its upper register is very fast. But its “chill” tuning robs the IEM of its overall sense of energy and air. It’s an interesting dichotomy: the MT-Pro resolves plenty of treble detail, but still doesn’t feel detailed like a brighter (or even neutral) IEM would. If you’re particularly sensitive to treble, then the MT-Pro might be well suited to your tastes — but if not, you’ll probably end up in my camp.
Midrange: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams, Too Close, Little Black Submarines, Bohemian Rhapsody, Cash Machine, Chasm
Most planar-driver IEMs are tuned to be cool and agile, though not the MT-Pro. It is warm — very warm — and prioritizes comfort and smoothness above all else. I generally enjoy warmth in my IEMs, but I find that the MT-Pro takes it a notch too far. Vocals, male and female alike, are intelligible but weighed-down. Instrumental separation is likewise fairly good, but tonally off.
Even dry-sounding tracks like Flagpole Sitta do not derive full benefit from the MT-Pro’s warmth. Its midrange’s unyielding thickness simply doesn’t highlight the best parts of the track. The upper-midrange details for the guitars and vocals could have used some additional emphasis for separation and staging purposes.
Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), War Pigs (Celldweller Remix)
I know that Planar drivers, especially large ones like the 14.5mm in the MT-Pro, are capable of producing bass; I’ve heard a few that excel on that front. But the MT-Pro’s lower register is lacking in both emphasis and control. This is a major disappointment for me, as I usually only enjoy warm IEMs if they cater to a bass-head crowd. The lack of viscerality and tactility in the MT-Pro’s bass makes me question which crowd BASN was targeting with this tuning — reference-seeking listeners won’t enjoy the extra warmth in the midrange, treble-heads won’t like the lack of upper-register emphasis, and fans of V-shaped sound signature/bass-heads will find the lack of mid-bass and sub-bass disappointing.
Packaging / Unboxing
There’s no doubt that BASN gives its customers a good unboxing experience. The packaging is simple, but substantial. Within the box’s magnetic flap lies the metal case and IEMs. The case contains all of the MT-Pro’s accessories and cables, all of which are neatly packed away.
Build
Construction Quality
The MT-Pro and its accessories strike me as aiming for a style that straddles industrial and luxury. That’s a tough fence to sit on, but the MT-Pro does so surprisingly well.
The shells are made from precisely-cut aluminum and appear to be divided into three major pieces: the faceplate, the housing, and the nozzle. Each piece sits flush and fits nicely. The faceplate features venting on its rear that helps prevent pressure buildup in the inner-ear.
The top face of the shells houses the MT-Pro’s MMCX connectors. These are the sturdiest, firmest MMCX sockets I’ve ever seen, which bodes well for long-term durability. Those of you with sharp eyes may have noticed that the right IEM pictured above already displays some signs of wear on its purple finish — this is how it came and is not a result of poor treatment on my part. I urge BASN to re-evaluate their shell design and finish of choice to ensure the MT-Pro doesn’t appear worn too quickly.
On the inside face of the shells you’ll find the nozzles. These are chamfered metal, much like the rest of MT-Pro. The nozzles are designed well and securely hold eartips in place. A simple perforated debris filter is set just beneath the nozzle’s lip that does a good job of keeping water and dust out.
The first of the MT-Pro’s cables is a simple 3.5mm-terminated OCC single-crystal cable. It features a simple 4-wire twist braid that is cleanly integrated into reflective metal finishings. The cable itself is soft and pliable, with only a minor amount of body and cable memory. It has nearly zero microphonics when walking or moving about, which is a nice bonus.
The second cable is a lighter, thinner 3.5mm TRRS cable featuring a generic plastic 3-button inline microphone. There’s nothing wrong with this cable, but its deviation in style and material from the other cable is a little disorienting. It just feels out of place and… generic. The microphone’s buttons are fine, but lacking it firmness and tactility. Microphone recording quality is, again, fine. It is similar in performance to the inline mic that comes with Akoustyx’s IEMs, but not as clear when there’s a lot of background noise.
Comfort
Disclaimer: comfort is a highly individual metric — no two people will have the same experience.
The MT-Pro is large, but mostly unobtrusive. It’s not the most comfortable IEM I’ve used but its far from the least comfortable. I was able to use it continuously for about 70 minutes before I needed to rest my ears with foam eartips. Passive isolation is decent, though swapping to better foam eartips would likely yield and improvement on this front.
Accessories
Inside the box you’ll find:
1x OCC Single Crystal 3.5mm Cable
1x In-Line Mic 3.5mm TRRS Cable
3x Pairs foam eartips
9x Pairs silicone eartips
1x 1/4in adapter
1x Shirt clip
1x MMCX puller
1x Metal storage case
This is a very generous accessory package, especially when you consider that the MT-Pro can often be purchased for under $150. Two cables, foam eartips, and a wide variety of silicone eartips ensure that there’s something for everyone included right in the box. And while I do heartily commend BASN for embodying the spirit of generosity here, I wish that there was a little more focus placed on quality over quantity. Yes, there are a lot of eartips, but none of them strike me as being particularly nice. They get the job done, but eartips are a very important part of making sure your users can comfortably and properly listen to your IEM. The foam eartips are average as well — and while I’m still glad they’re included, a softer, denser eartips would be a welcome improvement.
The metal case also features similar disparities in intent versus execution. Yes, it is a metal case, but the corners are actually made from plastic. The interior design is good, with BASN included elastic organizers and a soft-touch felt lining.
The corners of the case, as I mentioned earlier, are lacking in both fit and finish. The plastic pieces do not line up with each-other or the metal sections of the case. Some of the corners of the case arrived noticeably misaligned and with QC issues. Again, I want to stress that it is great that BASN wanted to include something special with the MT-Pro, but execution is key. It may do the brand well to scale back the MT-Pro’s case in order to work out design and QC flaws.
Comparisons
1: BQEYZ Frost ($179)
The Frost, on the surface, has many similarities to the MT-Pro. It has a planar (micro) driver, it has metal shells, and… well that’s really it. But when listening to these IEMs the differences couldn’t be any clearer. The Frost features precisely-intentioned sound signature. It has a brighter treble than the MT-Pro along with a cooler, more-neutral mirange. It has a more forward bass with better bass control. The Frost’s tuning is generally more mature and refined, though the MT-Pro’s smooth vocal range is a bit more consistent in delivery than the Frost.
The Frost’s accessories are fewer in quantity and similar in quality to the MT-Pro, save for its cable. The Frost’s cable is bespoke and very high-quality. It was clearly designed to be paired with the Frost and is generally more ergonomic than both of the MT-Pro’s cables. The MT-Pro does have a bigger case, but it doesn’t protect that the MT-Pro from drops as well as the basic BQEYZ case does. In terms of shell construction, the Frost features precisely-milled aluminum with a smooth, refined finish. The MT-Pro’s shells are indeed metal, but they’re coated with a two-tone finish that quickly-wears. I much prefer the Frost’s visual-design and construction, though personal aesthetic preferences do play a role here.
2: Rose Technics QT-9 MK3 ($165)
The QT-9 MK3 is somewhat of an inverse of the MT-Pro. It features a highly-energetic, incisive V-shaped sound signature. The MT-Pro’s buttery-smooth presentation contrasts the QT-9 starkly, highlighting major differences in tuning. The QT-9 is highly V-shaped, with a bright, forward treble and bountiful bass. The MT-Pro, by contrast, is closer to neutral and features a warm, unassuming sound signature.
The QT-9’s construction is also quite different. It has compact and lightweight shells, while the MT-Pro is large and visually aggressive. The QT-9 has a slimmer accessory package, but each inclusion feels more deliberate and better-selected. The MT-Pro does have a more generous approach, with its multiple cables and plethora of eartips, but the QT-9 MK3’s cable feels sturdier and better-constructed. Likewise, its eartips feel higher-quality and fit my ears better.
My general recommendation between these two will usually be the QT-9 MK3. The crowd that enjoys V-shaped IEMs is a lot larger than those who really like very warm, very smooth ones.
3: Akoustyx S-6 ($110-$175)
The S-6 likewise contrasts the MT-Pro’s design and tuning. It is a minimalist micro-driver planar IEM that targets a “north of neutral” sound signature. It has a transparent, bright sound signature without being screechy. The MT-Pro is warmer, bassier, and much smoother. But again, the MT-Pro isn’t exactly what most people want from a planar IEM — they’re usually looking for light-weight sound signatures with robust upper midranges, transparent treble, and precise bass — all of which the S-6 has. The S-6 can also often be found for much less than the MT-Pro.
Again, if the idea of a warm, smooth IEM with planar-timbre appeals to you, then you may enjoy the MT-Pro — but if you’re like me and want your IEMs to have a more articulate tuning with firmer bass control, then the S-6 would be your go-to.
Conclusion
The MT-Pro isn’t a bad IEM, but it isn’t a particularly competitive one. BASN is on the right track here, and I admire their spirit of generosity (and encourage other brands to take notes). Not every IEM needs to use novel or complex driver configurations, they just need to sound good. At $143 (post-discount), you could definitely do worse, but I also can’t imagine a scenario where the MT-Pro is my go-to recommendation.
BASN, I urge you to iterate on the MT-Pro. It has a solid foundation and could, with some improvements, be highly competitive in the space. To summarize my feedback:
1. Reduce the size of the accessory package if it requires you to use cheaper parts (case, foam eartips, mic cable)
2. Redesign the case to eliminate signs of poor fit-and-finish
3. Select finishes for the case and IEMs that are more resistant to scratching and edge wear
4. Improve bass response, both in terms of emphasis and control (mostly control)
5. Subtly refine treble response and add emphasis to improve “airy” sensation and layering
Who This is For
Listeners who want planar timbre in a warm, smooth tonal package
Who This isn’t For
Bang-for-your-buck buyers
Listeners seeking balanced, transparent sound signatures
Bass lovers
Buyers with discerning tastes for physical design
Thanks to BASN for the opportunity to review the MT-Pro. I appreciate the chance to provide feedback to the brand and advice to my readers.
As always, happy listening!
Article written by Aaron
Reprint from website: https://resonancereviews.com