[subguy812]

Thanks For confirming it Chris. FWIW - I loved the overall sonics of the U10 especially with APEX and an impedance adaptor. If I could have had the same thing but with ADEL, then for me personally it would be close to ideal. You guys know how to tune an IEM extremely well - and the 64Audio service (from personal experience) has always been impeccable. I just get a little bristly when someone claims they are the same (and I know it's not 64Audio making those claims now). Again I (and I think others) wish your partnership had remained.

Brooko bristly....naww never

 

[Matte82]

~Snip~
Thing about ADEL is that once you've tried it, it becomes increasingly difficult to switch to non-ADEL IEMs. I can't listen to any other IEM for more than an hour without ringing in my ears.

And ADEL is why I found empire ears. I wanted ADEL and wanted to like the 64 audio in-ears. And in fact I do really like them. But I also have to use them for mixing. And they're too colored for that. At least for me. So I decided to try empire ears. You can't go wrong with either. I just found ones I fell in love with. And had ADEL. So my wallet will be crying for a long time, but my ears are happier than ever.

 

[subguy812]

Dedicated some nice time with my U12 today. Listening to some Diana Krall and then some Rush...A Farewell To Kings...between Geddy's bass and The Professor on the drum kit I was in FLAC bliss...Xanadu came alive

 

[ironpeg]

   
Well, after an amazing third day here at NAMM, I found a couple minutes to check up on the thread and put together a quick reply...
 
We have, as a company, never made any health benefit claims about our apex modules and their implementation in our IEMs.  You're absolutely right, they don't do the same thing.  Our apex modules create, essentially, a controlled leak which helps to remove pressure trapped inside the ear canal as an IEM is inserted and worn.  It doesn't act quite the same as a compliant membrane and the resistive material that we use is an acoustic foam, not a membrane in any sense of the word.  For our requirements to keep tunings and model performance equivalent, our modules were designed to offer the same amount of bass drop at 20Hz and approximately the same amount of isolation at 350Hz, where both our modules and the ADEL modules were spec'd for overall performance.

So... Will APEX reduce or remove ear fatigue?

 

[pfurey89]

I snagged the Onkyo x1 DAP to compare to the Mojo with u12. Here are my thoughts, so far, including a blind test.

X1
Bright, airy, treble is benefited slightly
Mids remain similar, upper midrange a tiny bit 'grainy' and forward, reminds me of upper mids of Shure's 846.
Lows are snappier. Similar extension but faster.

Mojo
Relaxed highs, airy and slightly more 3D. Not as much detail to my ears.
Mids are by far smoother and more organic.
Lows are a little more bloated but still hard hard and with authority.

Anyone else compare these? In a blind test I preferred the added treble from x1, but wish it was as smooth as the Mojo in its handling of the overall sound signature.

 

[linux4ever]

I snagged the Onkyo x1 DAP to compare to the Mojo with u12. Here are my thoughts, so far, including a blind test.

X1
Bright, airy, treble is benefited slightly
Mids remain similar, upper midrange a tiny bit 'grainy' and forward, reminds me of upper mids of Shure's 846.
Lows are snappier. Similar extension but faster.

Mojo
Relaxed highs, airy and slightly more 3D. Not as much detail to my ears.
Mids are by far smoother and more organic.
Lows are a little more bloated but still hard hard and with authority.

Anyone else compare these? In a blind test I preferred the added treble from x1, but wish it was as smooth as the Mojo in its handling of the overall sound signature.

 
I didn't compare them nor do a blind test. What I did was connect Onkyp dp-x1 via usb to Mojo and have been having lots of fun. Getting best of  both.

 

[seamon]

Can anyone who has heard both Layla and U12 comment on which is more engaging?

 

[pfurey89]

Can anyone who has heard both Layla and U12 comment on which is more engaging?

Guy I bought my u12 from went on to the Noble k10, and then decided to buy a brand new u12. He said the newer Apex wasn't nearly as good, and returned it for a restocking fee.

He then went on to the Layla II and said he was finally satisfied.

I am also interested in hearing them.

 

[Levanter]

Can anyone who has heard both Layla and U12 comment on which is more engaging?

Only heard the AK Layla (apparently some said the JH Layla sounds different) 1st version.
Many I know who've heard them described their mids as sounding like socks/tissues stuffed into the speakers.

To me the mids are very recessed which helps with their unnaturally wide soundstage.

 

[tim0chan]

Only heard the AK Layla (apparently some said the JH Layla sounds different) 1st version.
Many I know who've heard them described their mids as sounding like socks/tissues stuffed into the speakers.

To me the mids are very recessed which helps with their unnaturally wide soundstage.

I agree, the sound is muddy overall but the soundstage is surreal

 

[fritobugger]

  If I find the A6 way too dark sounding (bass-heavy), would the A10 be much more neutral to me? Or would it be too harsh and sibilant?
 
Thanks to Ericr, I was able to listen to the U12, and to me that sounded fantastic, but I wasn't sure if I had a slight seal issue which made it sound a bit brighter. The FR curve makes it seem like the U12 should be a bit bass-heavy, yet very detailed. 
 
Not planning on buying anything soon, but just want to know if I've been looking at the wrong things. I want something like the Sennheiser HD 600 for my ears!

 
U10 is far from harsh or sibilant to me.  

 

[fritobugger]

  Can anyone who has heard both Layla and U12 comment on which is more engaging?

I thought Layla was a bloated and veiled POS compared my U10.

 

[subguy812]

I always had seal issues with the Layla(AK version). The sound with a proper seal and the proper HQ file was really good. I didn't keep them long because of comfort and seal.

 

[seamon]

  I always had seal issues with the Layla(AK version). The sound with a proper seal and the proper HQ file was really good. I didn't keep them long because of comfort and seal.

If you didn't have seal issues and judging by sound quality alone, would you rate Layla better than U12?

 

[subguy812]

  If you didn't have seal issues and judging by sound quality alone, would you rate Layla better than U12?

This is going to sound so evasive. I preferred the Angie to the Layla and I prefer the U12 to the Angie. All are different and I don't like to keep many different IEM's around because to me it is confusing. I have the Solar still which I am having socket work done on them and when they return I will listen to them again and decide if I am going to keep them as backup or sell them. The thing is if you view my profile you can see the progression in the level of IEM's I have owned. There are levels based on price and some out perform their level. I have had quite a few headphones in that mid pricing tier and as I have progressed to the TOTL offerings. At the TOTL level none of these sound bad. It comes down to a sound signature that checks your boxes. I read a lot of comments and if I see a pattern and it is a pattern of a sound signature I like I buy it. When my new IEM arrives I decide which I prefer and sell one. The one IEM I sold quicker than any other was the SE846 I did not like the whole package from cable to sound. 
 
So to answer your question...my ears hear differently than yours. None of the IEM's you are talking about sound bad it is a matter of whether it is a sound you like better than another. I am fortunate I can afford to demo things at my will. Understand, I try to find retailers with a liberal return policy as well so I can have 15-30 days at my leisure to demo.