64 Audio U12t Review (IEM)

[MacClintock]

By all accounts and reviews I’ve read/watched it seems the 64 Audio U4S is the pick of the bunch, I’d like to hear them but they’re £900 out of my budget.

Just look at the FR response graph and EQ to it. There is nothing more to it. But I would hope for you that your hearing does not go beyond 15kHz, otherwise this will be hurtful, as there is a horrible, stinging peak at about 16 kHz.

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Compare hundreds of frequency response graphs between IEMs and earphones from manufacturers like Moondrop, Sony, 64 Audio, Fiio, and more.

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[lewdish]

This review is now almost two years old and it is incredible how overpriced, superfluous and unnecessary these so-called flagship IEMs have become. They have high distortion, peaks, and worse target compliance than some $20-50 IEMs. The chinese manufacturers are wiping out the market in a brutal storm. It looks almost like an antiquity.

I still disagree to some extent theres some things here that the chifi market still hasnt keyed out yet imo, the chifi market has iems that measure fine but they have tiers to it as well. Moondrop has like 10+ IEMs at this point that all measure similarly and yet are prices between $15-$1000+ and as you scale up there are certain technical factors that you are gaining.

I own a ton of cheapo harman or harman-like IEMs and they sound good but none of them can do soundstage or image amazing. The distortion metrics are what youd find for most BA Designs, and although i do think they're expensive I do think theres a lot of research and technical performance that some of these crazy non-chifi kilobuck IEMs can do that go beyond just distortion and FR. Like if you've ever heard a pair of the U12T, Z1R, Andromeda, all of them are unmistakable when it comes to soundstage and imaging prowess.

There is something in the data that we just havent objectified properly yet outside of FR & Distortion.

 

[MacClintock]

I still disagree to some extent theres some things here that the chifi market still hasnt keyed out yet imo, the chifi market has iems that measure fine but they have tiers to it as well. Moondrop has like 10+ IEMs at this point that all measure similarly and yet are prices between $15-$1000+ and as you scale up there are certain technical factors that you are gaining.

Please, not again "technicalities", a totally invented term to justify overpriced products.

I do think theres a lot of research and technical performance that some of these crazy non-chifi kilobuck IEMs can do that go beyond just distortion and FR.

No. Like what?

Like if you've ever heard a pair of the U12T, Z1R, Andromeda, all of them are unmistakable when it comes to soundstage and imaging prowess.

Soundstage is extremely limited for all IEMs, these tiny differences, if they even exist, are not relevant at all. Probably they are pure invention.

There is something in the data that we just havent objectified properly yet outside of FR & Distortion.

Again no.

In general, you speak like a typical YouTube reviewer who has to talk about any of these made up differences to create tier lists and justify price differences, where in reality there is no difference in sound.

 

[Pe8er]

Tend to agree with @MacClintock, especially considering soundstage / imaging. I have never heard much of a difference between my a12t and my Zero:Red, when EQ'd to the same Harman target. The former may have more "visceral" bass, likely because of much deeper insertion and tighter seal. But that's it, rest is imagination.

 

[Pe8er]

Moondrop has like 10+ IEMs at this point that all measure similarly and yet are prices between $15-$1000+ and as you scale up there are certain technical factors that you are gaining.

The reason you think so is because their marketing worked well on you.

 

[markanini]

Tend to agree with @MacClintock, especially considering soundstage / imaging. I have never heard much of a difference between my a12t and my Zero:Red, when EQ'd to the same Harman target. The former may have more "visceral" bass, likely because of much deeper insertion and tighter seal. But that's it, rest is imagination.

Truthear Red has lacks a bit of lucid spatial retrieval that some other budget sets have, like Moondrop Lan. I don't want to comment beyond that on sets I didn't hear, but If differences exists in the budget range, surely they exist in the premium range too.

 

[majingotan]

Like if you've ever heard a pair of the U12T, Z1R, Andromeda, all of them are unmistakable when it comes to soundstage and imaging prowess.

I have heard all these three extensively (heck just look at my profile pic, I own the Andromeda and now the Bonneville). I strongly do not think their sound is OBJECTIVELY better than the $20 SOTA IEMs, but I love supporting western small businesses personally. However, the build quality, costumer support and the hand craftsmanship (just like buying a Ferrari) is what your money goes into when buying these things. Perceived sound is subjective and your personal tastes vary with others, but when it comes to objective performance, there's no denying that these $20 IEMs with a single dynamic driver beat any expensive IEMs full of balanced armature drivers out there. Nothing wrong with preferring a little bit of harmonic distortion inherent from the balanced armature drivers since historically audiophiles love tube distortion as well. These $$$ IEMs are NOT high fidelity but are definitely fun sounding sets though

 

[MacClintock]

The reason you think so is because their marketing worked well on you.

Well, beyond marketing there is design and used materials, the Solis II ($2,700), the Darksaber and the Illumination (each $800) for sure look nice and seem to be very well built. But do they sound better? No.

 

[leonasj500]

does 64 audio very overpriced by price/sound quality? im read TRN ratio is one of best 1=5 ratio. like 300eur trn iem sounds like 1500eur 64 audio?

 

[MacClintock]

does 64 audio very overpriced by price/sound quality? im read TRN ratio is one of best 1=5 ratio. like 300eur trn iem sounds like 1500eur 64 audio?

In my eyes 64 audio are totally overpriced, more by a factor of 10 or 20.

 

[markanini]

does 64 audio very overpriced by price/sound quality? im read TRN ratio is one of best 1=5 ratio. like 300eur trn iem sounds like 1500eur 64 audio?

On paper there's nothing 64 Audio sets does over a $80 hybrid driver like Truthear Hexa or 7Hz Sonus. Arguably the apex filters used to adjust bass levels are kind of neat, but not a required feature. Many 64 Audio owners will argue that their value is legitimate. If this is more than an indulgence bias then I don't have any plans to spend $2000 to find out. OTOH I don't hate 64 Audios pricing model, that seems irrational to me as consumption is voluntary action.

 

[leonasj500]

In my eyes 64 audio are totally overpriced, more by a factor of 10 or 20.

so,if i have spent 500-750eur what get iem to get totl sound and outperform 64 u12t ?

 

[leonasj500]

On paper there's nothing 64 Audio sets does over a $80 hybrid driver like Truthear Hexa or 7Hz Sonus. Arguably the apex filters used to adjust bass levels are kind of neat, but not a required feature. Many 64 Audio owners will argue that their value is legitimate. If this is more than an indulgence bias then I don't have any plans to spend $2000 to find out. OTOH I don't hate 64 Audios pricing model, that seems irrational to me as consumption is voluntary action.

i dont think hexa for 80eur can compare vs 64 audio tia trio or u12t or u4s, but moondrop variations think can. correct?

 

[Mr Swing King]

i dont think hexa for 80eur can compare vs 64 audio tia trio or u12t or u4s, but moondrop variations think can. correct?

Price has NOTHING to do with sound quality. You can get similar or objectively better measuring IEMs for waaaaaay cheaper.
Here are a couple:

7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM. It was kindly donated to me by a member and costs US $24.99. The cable is soft and longer than typical which I like. They take fair amount of effort to push it but then they make a reassuring...

www.audiosciencereview.com

TANCHJIM One IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Tanchjim One In-ear Monitor. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $27. Unlike many of its competitors, the ONE doesn't attempt to look like fake jewelry and instead, conveys a modern and stylistic design. The...

www.audiosciencereview.com

If you’ve got the dough to sling after 64 Audio products, then why not try out some cheap 20-25$ iems to see what’s what?
They probably won’t get your placebo senses tingling like a proper mulitbuck iem that has been forged on Pluto, but trust me the sound quality is awesome

 

[leonasj500]

Price has NOTHING to do with sound quality. You can get similar or objectively better measuring IEMs for waaaaaay cheaper.
Here are a couple:

7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM. It was kindly donated to me by a member and costs US $24.99. The cable is soft and longer than typical which I like. They take fair amount of effort to push it but then they make a reassuring...

www.audiosciencereview.com

TANCHJIM One IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Tanchjim One In-ear Monitor. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $27. Unlike many of its competitors, the ONE doesn't attempt to look like fake jewelry and instead, conveys a modern and stylistic design. The...

www.audiosciencereview.com

If you’ve got the dough to sling after 64 Audio products, then why not try out some cheap 20-25$ iems to see what’s what?
They probably won’t get your placebo senses tingling like a proper mulitbuck iem that has been forged on Pluto, but trust me the sound quality is awesome

got cheap epz q5 for 60eur. and its sounds like 50eur,even my airpods pro,bose qc ultra earbuds more detailed and better sounds via bluetooth.

 

[markanini]

got cheap epz q5 for 60eur. and its sounds like 50eur,even my airpods pro,bose qc ultra earbuds more detailed and better sounds via bluetooth.

It's not easier to find bad cheap IEMs than bad expensive IEM these day. You just happened to pick a mediocre IEM.

 

[leonasj500]

It's not easier to find bad cheap IEMs than bad expensive IEM these day. You just happened to pick a mediocre IEM.

im got fiio fx15,there is too bad reviews,but after 200hours of burn,with spinfit w1 eartips fx15 sounds like my focal stellia,tone,timbre,vocal,bass and even better treble on fx15...top noch resolution,bid soundstage,3D ,clarity,imaging on top level,details unbelievable ,and all this without EQ ,fun relaxed slightly v shape tune with fantastic bass,forward vocals but never harsh or fatique and electrostatic like treble. sound balanced,all freequency on place ,dont has recessed or too peaky. the graphs of fx15 shows nothink with its sound. my friend compared fx15 vs qdc anole vx and resolution is on pair,but anole dont has so good bass or so good est treble. fx15 outperformed oldtimer flagship....fx15 totally endgame for me.

 

[MacClintock]

so,if i have spent 500-750eur what get iem to get totl sound and outperform 64 u12t ?

My proposal, get the 7Hz Salnotes Zero 2 for about $20-30, get some really nice aftermarket cable (I recently got this: https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/1005004674982458.html, which I consider beautiful and very functional, no tangling or microphonces) for about $30. If you like, you can get some topnotch tips ( e.g. Azla SednaEarfit Xelastec, any Spinfit model of your liking or Moondrop Springtips) for about $10-20. The Zero 2 sounds very good out of the box, but you might want to add some EQ, with a Mac SoundSource is a very good and convenient option ($39). All together you have spend about $100 and have a SOTA system. Distortion is much lower than in any 64 audio IEM. And sound much better as well. We live in glorious audio times!

I have about 10-20 IEMs, my most expensive, which I traded in quite favourably, is the Moondrop Variations. I hardly use it anymore, as the larger body hurts my ears after some listening time and the sound is not better.

 

[markanini]

7Hz Zero 2 is the new Sony MH755.

 

[MacClintock]

7Hz Zero 2 is the new Sony MH755.

Kind of, but it does seem to have a huge advantage, no random item variation. I bought several MH755 and after EQ all sound differently, so you have to buy a G.R.A.S. 4128 as well to effectively make use of them.