With Expeditionary's comment on the soundstage I'm getting pumped - soundstage, instrument placement/separation and spatial realism is really important.
With Expeditionary's comment on the soundstage I'm getting pumped - soundstage, instrument placement/separation and spatial realism is really important.
Indeed. There's a big difference in clarity. It's like the difference between drinking fresh clean water and drinking milk. (a bit of an exaggeration but it feels that way)
Wednesday, I listened with my A12's throughout the workday for 6-7 hours straight. Still no audio fatigue. Thursday, I sang with my group for ~2 hours with my A12's. Again no fatigue. I was riding the overall volume levels on my IEM pack much lower. Vocals were clear as a bell. Had to adjust mid-highs and highs down in my ear mix because it was adjusted for my old reshelled TF10's.
I'm beginning to become convinced that ADEL works.
Indeed. There's a big difference in clarity. It's like the difference between drinking fresh clean water and drinking milk. (a bit of an exaggeration but it feels that way)
Wednesday, I listened with my A12's throughout the workday for 6-7 hours straight. Still no audio fatigue. Thursday, I sang with my group for ~2 hours with my A12's. Again no fatigue. I was riding the overall volume levels on my IEM pack much lower. Vocals were clear as a bell. Had to adjust mid-highs and highs down in my ear mix because it was adjusted for my old reshelled TF10's.
I'm beginning to become convinced that ADEL works.
My A12s have arrived? Unfortunately, I can't listen to them right now. Drat/! And I have to go to a party tonight. Double drat. I feel so so so anti-social right now. I wish I could just listen.
Been on last stage since 3/16 so getting a little frustrated. On the positive side my Oppo HA-2 will most likely be here before the A12 so I'll have a decent DAC/amp to use with them.
My A12s have arrived? Unfortunately, I can't listen to them right now. Drat/! And I have to go to a party tonight. Double drat. I feel so so so anti-social right now. I wish I could just listen.
OK, I managed to sneak out of the dinner party early and get an hour in using MacBook Air and iTunes with Bitperfect, or my FiiO X5 as sources. Listening was done using 24/48 and 24/96 FLAC files of well made recordings. I just skipped around from track to track on different genres and artists. I was not impressed with the MacBook minutes (granted the A12s were brand new) so I switched over to the FiiO X5. That made me feel a lot happier with the A12s.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a headphonophile, I have a lot of experience in audio and like high quality sound but I am not too picky or hard to please even though I can detect imperfections. I enjoy listening even if the source isn't perfect. I have resisted succumbing to the quest for the ultimate system.
Suffice it to say I am happy with backing A12s on Kickstarter. The A12s sound more like a live performance than any IEM I have heard. Nothing really stood out or called attention to itself but reality, clarity and neutrality. Basically the A12 disappears and leaves the music. Once inserted I didn't feel them at all. They blocked the sound of a TV in the same room pretty well with no music playing and with music on I couldn't hear any outside sounds at all. The question of whether ADEL doesn't allow good isolation is settled in my mind. It's pretty good; good enough for air travel.
Yes, I'm pretty impressed. I'd be happy to answer questions and after I've had enough time with them to be a little more analytic I may post a review.
I received them today, and am finding it very hard to post sober impressions. These have knocked me out in a way few of my other TOTL IEMs have at first blush. I spent yesterday rotating through my Legend R, K10, SE5 Ult and CT6E (it was a longgggg day of work). They're all awesome but somehow when my A12 appeared today I still managed to be floored.
That note presentation, spacious airy soundstage, PRaT, and clarity, all while being beautifully non-fatiguing...
Sound signature wise both are quite different, Layla's mids and highs are a bit more recessed compared to A12. I won't touch much on the bass as Layla's bass is adjustable. However both Layla and A12 have satisfying bass response.
PRaT wise A12 is a touch faster than Layla, making them a bit more enjoyable on fast paced songs.
Soundstage wise, Layla is still noticeably bigger than A12. However surprisingly, i found A12 with better imaging and separation despite the smaller stage. This does present a sense of better clarity for the A12.
While Layla in some tracks sounded epic due to their bigger soundstage and impressive bass response, i found their sound lacking in emotion. Maybe as some have mentioned, due to their "flat" characteristic, they are more of a monitoring type. A12 on the other hand is immersive and sounded more natural which brought more feelings into the songs.
I.e.- After watching the ending for Fast & Furious 7 yesterday, the last 2 songs (Whiz Kalifa - See You Again & Skylar Grey - I Will Return) brought me a gush of feelings which i attempted to re-enact today. Needless to say, the A12 brought me closer to what i felt yesterday while Layla didn't.
This would probably boil down to preference, but to me i'd pick the A12 over the Layla any other day.
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