ACS T1 Custom Review and impressions thread!
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mark_h
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No, called them this morning for advice will keep you posted. Very helpful and informative folk at ACS!
mark_h
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Well after a bit of a chat and some tests there is nothing wrong with my T1's. edited!!
Given your preferences and experience with CIEM's I would have a list of questions for the manufacturers to make sure they are probable contenders for you. That will get you something for your efforts at least.
Drop a line in here with what works for you. I am interested in the end of your quest.
Drop a line in here with what works for you. I am interested in the end of your quest.
mark_h
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I think I should of gone with the T2's, let me know what you think of the T1's when you receive yours. From the reviews I have read I am sill not convinced mine are 100%. my impressions thus far differ form the majority opinion of plentiful bass and slightly recessed top end?
Will do. Mine are being made in the UK, but the Sales Manager here in the US is home in England for the holidays. He said he will send them to me directly if they are done this week.
gerry123456
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Quote:
I'm very happy to report that ACS kept their promise to get my replacement monitors manufactured and shipped back within 1 week. Very impressed with that level of after-care service. Thank you ACS!
So far, the fit seems spot on, but to my ears, monitors can feel great one day, but less so a little down the line. Sound-wise, sadly they're not all that impressive straight out of the, but my last pair changed a bit each day until I had 100+ hours on them, at which point the mids were to die for (well, as good as I've heard in IEMs anyway), so I'm reserving judgement on fit and SQ for a while.
I'll post an update when I get 100+ hours on them. Should be soon as the Christmas wind-down is on at work, so I'll get to use them a lot, which is just fine by me
I'm very happy to report that ACS kept their promise to get my replacement monitors manufactured and shipped back within 1 week. Very impressed with that level of after-care service. Thank you ACS!
So far, the fit seems spot on, but to my ears, monitors can feel great one day, but less so a little down the line. Sound-wise, sadly they're not all that impressive straight out of the, but my last pair changed a bit each day until I had 100+ hours on them, at which point the mids were to die for (well, as good as I've heard in IEMs anyway), so I'm reserving judgement on fit and SQ for a while.
I'll post an update when I get 100+ hours on them. Should be soon as the Christmas wind-down is on at work, so I'll get to use them a lot, which is just fine by me
mark_h
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Fit is spot on and all is not lost, the very cool guys at ACS say the bass can can be sorted in the new year! Great customer service indeed!
I'll edit this post to add I may have to open my mind a little to the phenomena of burn in...!
I'll edit this post to add I may have to open my mind a little to the phenomena of burn in...!
gerry123456
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Hey mark_h, glad to hear you may be able to get some value from your ACS going forward.
With these monitors the phenomenon of burn in is very real to my ears. I've played music and/or put pink noise through them for 24 hours so far and the mids are really starting to shine. If my previous expeience is anything to go by, they'll get better and better over the next 3 days (i.e. a total of 100 hours).
YMMV, but I'd encourage anyone who buys these and has reservations over them to literally just leave them on at a lowish volume for a few days, then have another listen. Hopefully the listening experience would be a lot more positive at that stage.
If anyone wants to read about it, there's more info on the controvertial burn in phenomenon here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/56744/headphone-burn-in-faq. I personally reckon it's real (certainly with the ACS) because with my pair of T1 Classic, for the first days of use, I chose to do a little EQ-ing each day to get the ACS sounding as good as I could. The EQ-ing was different each day, which suggests a physical change occured in the monitors. Whether it be real, psychological or something else, I can't wait for the 100 hours of burn in to go by as my last ones sounded way better on day 4 relative to the day I opened the box.
With these monitors the phenomenon of burn in is very real to my ears. I've played music and/or put pink noise through them for 24 hours so far and the mids are really starting to shine. If my previous expeience is anything to go by, they'll get better and better over the next 3 days (i.e. a total of 100 hours).
YMMV, but I'd encourage anyone who buys these and has reservations over them to literally just leave them on at a lowish volume for a few days, then have another listen. Hopefully the listening experience would be a lot more positive at that stage.
If anyone wants to read about it, there's more info on the controvertial burn in phenomenon here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/56744/headphone-burn-in-faq. I personally reckon it's real (certainly with the ACS) because with my pair of T1 Classic, for the first days of use, I chose to do a little EQ-ing each day to get the ACS sounding as good as I could. The EQ-ing was different each day, which suggests a physical change occured in the monitors. Whether it be real, psychological or something else, I can't wait for the 100 hours of burn in to go by as my last ones sounded way better on day 4 relative to the day I opened the box.
mark_h
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I am a real burn in skeptic but I think I will have to concede that something is afoot with my T1's! Out the box they sounded nice, after a day they sounded horrible, a few days later the bass is really starting to fill out and I am begining to really enjoy them! They are very particular about what source drives them which I don't like, my clip+ struggles a bit so I am on the ipod 5th gen which sounds good. I've been looking for an excuse to buy a Colourfly C4 for a while...
I am a big believer in burn in...200 hours seems to be the sweet spot for a lot of gear. audio Research recommends 600 hours or more for some of their big $$ gear.
gerry123456
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My ACS T1s have been burnt in for 100 hours. When I first tried them they sounded no better than my Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10s (TF10). Thankfully they've improved vastly since.
It hardly seems fair to compare the two since the T1s cost me £550 (full retail price is £650) and I got the TF10 for a very special price of £120 (retail of £270). However I wish I'd been able to find a comparison when I had to decide between the T1 or custom sleeves for the TF10. Back in July 2012 I went with the custom sleeves which definitely improved the TF10, despite the fact I had a really good seal from the stock rubber TF10 tips. After getting the custom sleeves the TF10 had better bass, much improved isolation, and I could walk and eat without the TF10 getting loose or falling out of my ears. However, now I know what additional performance the T1 has, I wish I could go back in time and get the T1s rather than spending £100 on the custom sleeves.
These are the main differences in my opinion:
Bass: better bass texture in the T1, e.g. you can hear the reverberation of double bass strings in a good jazz recording in a way the TF10 simply never could. In terms of bass punch or impact, both are roughly the same, and to my ears I'd like a bit more punch from them to be honest. If ACS ever considered adding another bass driver to a future version of the monitors to help improve bass impact, I would urge them to do it.
Mids: very detailed and natural-sounding vocals. Much more lifelike and engaging than the TF10 - indeed they make them sound muddy and unidimensional by comparison. This is where the ACS really shine for me. Their clarity means connects you with the timbre of the music in a way that's very very impressive. Because the sound is like a few millimeters from your brain, you hear literally everything. For conveying pure detail, I'd say these are on par with my Grado PS1000s, though only in this section of the spectrum, and I find the Grado presentation more smooth and musical.
Highs: I don't perceive much difference between the two in this regard.
Overall: T1 has much better soundstaging - whereas with the TF10, the music sounds like it's in the middle of your head, the T1 have a surprising amount of width, but as good as they are, they in no way approach full size open cans. The T1 have better overall clarity and separation of instruments.
So, in summary, the T1 are a strong keeper for me! I'm a very happy customer and think the additional spend over the TF10 is well worth it. However, the T1 does have room for improvement and I hope that by the time I need to get a new pair (I've heard estimates of 2-4 years life) they're even better than now.
It hardly seems fair to compare the two since the T1s cost me £550 (full retail price is £650) and I got the TF10 for a very special price of £120 (retail of £270). However I wish I'd been able to find a comparison when I had to decide between the T1 or custom sleeves for the TF10. Back in July 2012 I went with the custom sleeves which definitely improved the TF10, despite the fact I had a really good seal from the stock rubber TF10 tips. After getting the custom sleeves the TF10 had better bass, much improved isolation, and I could walk and eat without the TF10 getting loose or falling out of my ears. However, now I know what additional performance the T1 has, I wish I could go back in time and get the T1s rather than spending £100 on the custom sleeves.
These are the main differences in my opinion:
Bass: better bass texture in the T1, e.g. you can hear the reverberation of double bass strings in a good jazz recording in a way the TF10 simply never could. In terms of bass punch or impact, both are roughly the same, and to my ears I'd like a bit more punch from them to be honest. If ACS ever considered adding another bass driver to a future version of the monitors to help improve bass impact, I would urge them to do it.
Mids: very detailed and natural-sounding vocals. Much more lifelike and engaging than the TF10 - indeed they make them sound muddy and unidimensional by comparison. This is where the ACS really shine for me. Their clarity means connects you with the timbre of the music in a way that's very very impressive. Because the sound is like a few millimeters from your brain, you hear literally everything. For conveying pure detail, I'd say these are on par with my Grado PS1000s, though only in this section of the spectrum, and I find the Grado presentation more smooth and musical.
Highs: I don't perceive much difference between the two in this regard.
Overall: T1 has much better soundstaging - whereas with the TF10, the music sounds like it's in the middle of your head, the T1 have a surprising amount of width, but as good as they are, they in no way approach full size open cans. The T1 have better overall clarity and separation of instruments.
So, in summary, the T1 are a strong keeper for me! I'm a very happy customer and think the additional spend over the TF10 is well worth it. However, the T1 does have room for improvement and I hope that by the time I need to get a new pair (I've heard estimates of 2-4 years life) they're even better than now.
Nice summary Gerry! Mine should be arriving shortly and I expected to give them 100+ hours of burn in.....Upgrading from Etymotic hf3's so a similar price jump for me as well.
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