[moses1258]

U10 and 12? Do you mean the ambient series? Or do you mean universal versions of the a10 and a12?

Sorry...I meant the universal versions of the 12 and 10.

 

[ChefNate]

HI guys,
I just wanted to thank everyone for making my wait for my a12 more bearable. I don't know why I waited so long to join the forums since I have been lurking since I backed the kickstarter an hour before it ended. Either way I received my a12's 5 days ago and I can't take them out. I am absolutely addicted. As my first set of customs I am impressed to no end with 1964s level of fit, finish, and the sound wow. Tomorrow morning I am going to be able to test them with my new idsd micro and I am more then eager to hear this combination. Is anyone else using this unit with there a10s or a12s?

 

[AudioBear]

My ifi Micro iDSD arrived yesterday afternoon.  I don't believe in huge burn-ins but I left it randomly playing my music library overnight.  It says to charge it for 24hr before use but I figured it would charge while connected to a powered USB connection--sure hope so.  I'll let you know what I think of the pairing, right out of the box it sounded quite good but then everything sounds good on the A12.
 
If you were one of the last to back Kickstarter on the A12 that means that they have cleared out their backlog of A12 Kickstarter orders which will make others here very happy.  It also means  there are a lot of happy A12 owners out there too.  You will soon know why I say that.
 
Enjoy!

 

[Levanter]

The A10 is a bit of a rarity in here. Hardly seen any reviews on that so far.

 

[Dithyrambes]

I emailed 1964. After they finish all their kickstarter obligations, they will provide a program to upgrade the v series to the a series. Can't wait to upgrade my v6s to A6s, especially with the differences everyone is posting! It would be nice if someone could give Impressions of the difference in ADEL and non ADEL earphones from 1964.

 

[ChefNate]

My ifi Micro iDSD arrived yesterday afternoon.  I don't believe in huge burn-ins but I left it randomly playing my music library overnight.  It says to charge it for 24hr before use but I figured it would charge while connected to a powered USB connection--sure hope so.  I'll let you know what I think of the pairing, right out of the box it sounded quite good but then everything sounds good on the A12.

If you were one of the last to back Kickstarter on the A12 that means that they have cleared out their backlog of A12 Kickstarter orders which will make others here very happy.  It also means  there are a lot of happy A12 owners out there too.  You will soon know why I say that.

Enjoy!

Short of anyone that has not submitted impressions or designs I can imagine the're where more then a hand full of people after me I was the final hour of the backing so they should be preparing to do the Non Adel upgrading anytime soon. And you are absolutely right the a12 do sound amazing regardless of what source they are using or the genre they are playing.

 

[AudioBear]

I won't make this a long review.  At first I thought it was pretty similar to the FiiO X5 but after listening more carefully it just sounds better.  I hate audiophile terms.  Let's just say the music is better and I hear a little more detail.  So far I like it better by a tad than than the FiiO but would have no problem crying the FiiO around on a trip since it's an all in one.

 

[nmatheis]

I won't make this a long review.  At first I thought it was pretty similar to the FiiO X5 but after listening more carefully it just sounds better.  I hate audiophile terms.  Let's just say the music is better and I hear a little more detail.  So far I like it better by a tad than than the FiiO but would have no problem crying the FiiO around on a trip since it's an all in one.

???

 

[AudioBear]

@ChefNate asked how the iDSD was with the A12 in an earlier post. Sorry I didn't make that clera.

 

[ericr]

  I emailed 1964. After they finish all their kickstarter obligations, they will provide a program to upgrade the v series to the a series. Can't wait to upgrade my v6s to A6s, especially with the differences everyone is posting! It would be nice if someone could give Impressions of the difference in ADEL and non ADEL earphones from 1964.

 
That's cool!  Though it's going to be a while 'til the get through all KS obligations (the U series and Control series shipped).

 

[ericr]

  @ericr Thanks for that review. Would you be able give us a quick compare to the V6S? (it will make a nice reference point for those of us who backed the U6, I think!)

 
After a good deal of comparison the V6-Stage still impresses.  It's not hard to see the family resembalance and how the A12 builds upon and improves upon the V6-Stage.  And improve on the V6-S it does!
 
To me the question is the source of the improvements.  That is, which are from the ADEL technonlolgy and which are the result of having twice as many drivers?
 
The soundstage, seperation and placement is a strong point on the V6-S and the A12 adds an really nice holistic and realistic sense without giving up any of what the V6-S brings.  My guess is this is the ADEL and the U6 will benefit significantly.  The A12 have a distinct lack of the "pounding your ears" sensation you quickly grow to appreciate.  Sorry I can't explain it better, as I never thought the V6-S pounded my ears -- until the A12 that is.  Again I attribute ADEL and suspect another win for the U6 (and maybe even moreso the U8).
 
The A12 has a warmer signiture, yet somehow manages to deliver noticably higher level of detail across the entire frequency spectrum.  The V6-S is no slacker when it comes to detail, but seems to reach this level of detail by adding brightness at the expense of some tonal balance on the upper registers of the accoustic guitar, piano, etc.  Like the K10, the A12 presents detail effortlessly (and to a greater extent than the K10 - per memory).  This to my mind is the result of the 6 additional drivers and the freedom of tuning they give Vitaliy.  I'm wondering if maybe all of the mid drivers are not identical, or not driven identically (and the same about the high drivers)?
 
Dispite an overall warmer signiture on the A12 it has more detail and a very plesant sparkle to the treble.  I'll credit the additional drivers here.
 
The A12 has a greater quantity of bass, more capable bass, more bass detail, and less (yes less) sub-bass extension/depth than the V6-S.  Thankfully as with the V6-S, the A12 has no bass bleed into the mids or artificial mid-bass hump.  Sub-bass depth on the V6-S is amazing and using a sine sweep I can feel the bass begin at about 12-15Hz and begin to hear it just above 20Hz.  With the A12 the bass is strong at about 20Hz, but is without sensation below 20Hz (an ADEL limitation?).  Monster by Skillet is a loud, busy, bass heavy (and somewhat compressed) track and the A12 has more thump and drive than the V6-S.  Listening to last third of the song on the A12 I could clearly pick out sections where the drummer puts the hammer down on dual kick drums -- a visceral sensation for sure -- that I never felt or could pick out with the V6-S.  I'll score this 3/4 to the additional drivers and 1/4 to ADEL for the amazing clarity and detal amid musical chaos.  A big win for the A12, but there should be a benefit to the U Series as well.
 
Both the V6-S and A12 are very coheasive and coherent where all parts work very well together and with nothing standing out as odd or off.  The A12 then adds this holistic, realistic and natural sense across all aspects of its performance for an immersive yet effortless experience.  I'll score 1/2 credit to impecable tuning of very capable drivers and 1/2 to ADEL -- another win for the U6 in my mind.
 
 
Hope that's helpful! 
 
This stuff is hard to explain (that took me about an hour), so let me know if you have questions or I can clarify.
 
-Eric
 
 
P.S. Both my V6-Stage and A12 are universal fit.  Windows > FLAC (mostly 16-bit rips) > Fubar > WASAPI > Uber Bifrost > Project Ember*
 
* a nice amp when powering these mega-driver BA CIEMs

 

[popthinker]

Thanks for the comparison, ericr. If I weren't already salivating pending the arrival of my own U6, I CERTAINLY am now!

 

[nudd]

Great info and makes me very excited. Maybe one way of checking on the ADEL module is to try it fully closed and then at the setting that you prefer. That might give you an indication of how much difference is due to ADEL, because if it is fully closed doesn't it mean it is pretty much acting like a normal iem?

Does you get the ear pounding sensation when the module is fully closed?

 

[ads1107]

Anyone using different cables on their A10/A12?

 

[ericr]

Great info and makes me very excited. Maybe one way of checking on the ADEL module is to try it fully closed and then at the setting that you prefer. That might give you an indication of how much difference is due to ADEL, because if it is fully closed doesn't it mean it is pretty much acting like a normal iem?

Does you get the ear pounding sensation when the module is fully closed?

That's a great idea I'll try - in the future.

Currently the A10 & A12 are shipping with a fixed "self adjusting" ADEL module with the adjustable modules on IOU and coming soon.