[emilsoft]

I have the u12t for few months now. I had the Andromedas before, sold them - I used both with Sony ZX2. The u12t is remarkable in many ways, like the Andromeda I think it is incredibly good but in different ways. I tried the u18t, but found it too bright and tiring, the 12 is more balanced in my view - a more reference sound.

Highlights:
* Scales very well - I can easily discern different source characteristics more so than most other headphones. Sounds bombastic out of ZX2, smooth and delicate out of Arcam rHead+Arcam Airdac.

* ZX2 recommended if you want an involving punchy and ballsy sound, top to bottom.

* Non issues with output impedance, work fine out of any source. Unlike Andros.

* Anything else but Comply tips sound a bit bright around 12-14khz specifically - the tia driver is quite extended and bothers me a bit. Comply tips bring it line neutral/balanced signature.

* It has a freaky seriously wide soundstage with precise imaging, all instruments and voices feel like they have their own driver assigned to them and don't break a sweat; they just pop out of nowhere and you can point them out with your finger - there's the guitar to the left, the vocals centre right, hihats above the vocals but to the left a bit.. it's ridiculous actually, maybe because it's an IEM and it just feels like it shouldn't be physically possible to do this.

* Andromedas are more holistic/coherent, bit clearer, but a bit more boring - sort of like a cleaner HD650. Still fantastic though... but they don't grab you by the ballz like the u12t. The Andros are like being in a good studio with great speakers, room treated well, excellent for analysing and enjoying the music, but you won't be fooled completely that you are listening to a live gig. The u12t are like being stuck front row in a private concert, with the musicians surrounding you.

* The u12t sounds quite analogue, for lack of a better word - there's something almost a bit gritty/aggressive but at the same time warmish and not tiring. Just overall a bombastic sound that demands attention, the bass kicks deep and hard when needed, the treble soars when called for, instruments pop far right and left, behind your head - it doesn't tire but I certainly won't be falling asleep with them because my foot is tapping away uncontrollably.

* Last but not least - frequency is relatively balanced with comply (checked with some frequency sweeps); like a much improved HD650 which is super extended on both ends with a bigger soundstage, and better instrument separation. Watch that tia driver though, it needs to be tamed, use comply (the ones with the wax filter tame it even more if required).. this is it's only achilles heel

 

[PunchLine]

Seeking your advice, if you could spare a moment.

I'd like to to put my A12t up for sale. It's merely a month old, and I have only tried it out for an hour or so. Beautiful blue faceplates with gear work on one side. All the accessories are available.

64 Audio will do a reshall for $400

** What should be the asking price?
** Where should I put it up? On this site?

For interest's sake: due to a short visit in the USA, I hedged my bets and ordered another CIEM from a different vendor. As it turned out, its flat, neutral signature suits me better.

Cheers!

 

[PunchLine]

Recently, I’ve given my new A12t the time of the day. At first, I was skeptic, but I actually like the product very much, the primary reason it being highly musical. A sheer fun to drive my motorbike and get hammered by some sweet bass…


My other IEM is much more analytical, which on many occasions is too revealing. The A12t, on the other hand, masks quite a bit of the imperfections and delivers a more rewarding listening experience.


Now I have the A18t on my mind. Will it be too revealing vis-à-vis the A12t? I’m aware the sub will be more subdued and the mid less recessed, which is fine by me. But will experience a similar “forgiveness” so the speak?


Any input?

 

[ceeloChamp]

Recently, I’ve given my new A12t the time of the day. At first, I was skeptic, but I actually like the product very much, the primary reason it being highly musical. A sheer fun to drive my motorbike and get hammered by some sweet bass…


My other IEM is much more analytical, which on many occasions is too revealing. The A12t, on the other hand, masks quite a bit of the imperfections and delivers a more rewarding listening experience.


Now I have the A18t on my mind. Will it be too revealing vis-à-vis the A12t? I’m aware the sub will be more subdued and the mid less recessed, which is fine by me. But will experience a similar “forgiveness” so the speak?


Any input?

I have the A12t, Fourte, and the U18t. I am currently in the process of selling my U18t because I am one of those rare people who prefer the Fourte to the U18t. I think having both the A12t and the A18t would make for a bit of redundancy, the 18 has a more obviously cleaner, less “musical” sound. It is much more analytical to the point where I find it to be a bit boring. With the A12t you get really small details, but you have to go find them, with the 18t the smallest details are right out in the open, unmasked. I also feel as though it is a pretty linear representation of music which makes the 18 feel like it doesn’t really have much of a personality. If you want that analytical, clean sound it is fantastic, but personally i’d get somthing a bit different if I was going to spend 3k on IEMs. Having said that if you want to buy a pair, i’ve Got a pair of mint ones for a very good price as I need to re-do my deck

 

[PunchLine]

I have the A12t, Fourte, and the U18t. I am currently in the process of selling my U18t because I am one of those rare people who prefer the Fourte to the U18t. I think having both the A12t and the A18t would make for a bit of redundancy, the 18 has a more obviously cleaner, less “musical” sound. It is much more analytical to the point where I find it to be a bit boring. With the A12t you get really small details, but you have to go find them, with the 18t the smallest details are right out in the open, unmasked. I also feel as though it is a pretty linear representation of music which makes the 18 feel like it doesn’t really have much of a personality. If you want that analytical, clean sound it is fantastic, but personally i’d get somthing a bit different if I was going to spend 3k on IEMs. Having said that if you want to buy a pair, i’ve Got a pair of mint ones for a very good price as I need to re-do my deck

Super helpful. Posts like this is the reason I like being on this forum…

Have you auditioned the N8t? Might be that IEM is a good complement to the A12t…Also very LF biased, BTW.

 

[sleeping_citizens]

I have the A12t, Fourte, and the U18t. I am currently in the process of selling my U18t because I am one of those rare people who prefer the Fourte to the U18t. I think having both the A12t and the A18t would make for a bit of redundancy, the 18 has a more obviously cleaner, less “musical” sound. It is much more analytical to the point where I find it to be a bit boring. With the A12t you get really small details, but you have to go find them, with the 18t the smallest details are right out in the open, unmasked. I also feel as though it is a pretty linear representation of music which makes the 18 feel like it doesn’t really have much of a personality. If you want that analytical, clean sound it is fantastic, but personally i’d get somthing a bit different if I was going to spend 3k on IEMs. Having said that if you want to buy a pair, i’ve Got a pair of mint ones for a very good price as I need to re-do my deck

To play the other side of Champ's coin, I own A12t and A18t and I've found them highly complementary. I've been using the A18t at work (I work in the audiobook industry) as they have such incredible micro-detailing and basically everything I ever wanted out of a reference IEM (I was a long time fan of Etymotic and the A18t is like the uber upper echelon ER4). The A12t is my go-to commute IEM (dat sub bass tho, very useful when blocking out subway and other noise). And I love that I can have the open analytical uber-clean A18t and then put on my A12t, where I lose a little bit of the soundstage and the resolution/imaging, but I instantly get more in-your-face connection to the music (I'd wear the A12t when I want to enjoy heavy rock/hardcore/electronic and A18t when I'm in an Elliot Smith/Radiohead/Broken Social Scene mood). In fact, I've been enjoying these two IEMs so much that I'm very close to selling my Campfire Andromeda and Vega. They're great IEMs, but they're a little redundant when compared to the A12t and A18t.

If you can, I recommend hearing the U18t before making a purchase. You can ask 64 Audio for a loaner pair, just contact Support and they'll work it out.

 

[ceeloChamp]

I could see them being complementary, I guess my point was they are more linear with a more reference sound. I’d probably keep them if I didn’t have the Fourte, but I think I prefer the A12t to the A18t for purely listening to music I think they are more fun and also still very very clear, you just have to look for the details, which is fun.

I cannot justify owning the A12t, the fourte, and the U18t. It is a gratudious waste, but I guess I could see owning 2 of those 3 if your budget allows, I just don’t think the U18t are enough different for me to recommend to A12t users that they get them. The fourte on the other hand are far different. I suppose it would depend on what you want.

 

[sleeping_citizens]

I could see them being complementary, I guess my point was they are more linear with a more reference sound. I’d probably keep them if I didn’t have the Fourte, but I think I prefer the A12t to the A18t for purely listening to music I think they are more fun and also still very very clear, you just have to look for the details, which is fun.

I cannot justify owning the A12t, the fourte, and the U18t. It is a gratudious waste, but I guess I could see owning 2 of those 3 if your budget allows, I just don’t think the U18t are enough different for me to recommend to A12t users that they get them. The fourte on the other hand are far different. I suppose it would depend on what you want.

Totally! I haven't heard the Fourte so I don't have the knowledge of what the three sound like as a group. It's probably more that the A12t and A18t are both in my wheelhouse in terms of of preferred sound, so the differences between them may only be incremental to most, but to me they're significant enough to have both IEMs. Though, to be honest, if the Fourte was custom and I was able to listen to it, I might have gone with that over the A18t. Big reasons why I also purchased is A18t is that 64 already has my impressions, they're stellar on custom fits, and I really dig the apex system. I also didn't see any other "reference" custom IEM on the market that had those qualities. I'd say that I could definitely listen analytically on the A12t since I know it's soundscape, but I would only edit or mix on the A18t. And, at the end of the day when considering the prices on these IEMs, it may be better to use the budget to buy 2 or even 3 IEM pairs to expand one's range of flavors. It's like how I see purchasing guitars. Yeah, I could drop $3,000 on an American-made Fender or Gibson, but I could also get 2-3 guitars for the same price and could possibly be as, if not more, happy with the results. Definitely more versatility.

 

[ceeloChamp]

I agree! You gotta try the tri-copper Plussound cable with the A18t, I love that pairing.

 

[491326]

Well I’ve had some time with the A12t now. Enough that I feel I can share my thoughts. I almost don’t want to share everything because I know how well liked these are and I’m afraid my comments will ruffle some feathers. But alas I’ll do it anyways in case anyone has some suggestions for me.

I’m really am enjoying them in general, but I must admit I’m not blown away. I’m a little worried that maybe I should have forked over the extra dough for the A18t. It might be more towards my preference in sound. However I’ll say right off the bat that after a few days with them I can easily hear why the A12t can be an end game IEM for many people. Especially depending on what genres they prefer. I tend to listen to rock, jazz, classical, hip-hop, blues and female vocals so I really need something versatile.

I guess I’ll get into my gripes first. Overall they have a warm character which isn’t necessarily bad with certain genres, but (and I know I risk getting flamed here) I dare say at times they sound just a touch veiled and muddy. I tend to prefer a neutral sound with a bit of an emphasis in the mids. No doubt the bass is there in spades and sounds great with the M20, but it feels like it leaks into the mids followed by a dip in the mids. The vocals sound a bit recessed and not as airy and lifelike like as prefer. I don’t think classical is this IEMs forte nor is rock. I have been absolutely spoiled by the HE1000v2 and I’m realizing that now, it just does everything well and effortlessly.

Before anyone asks why the heck did I get the A12t since it’s known to have a warm character, the answer is I was lucky enough to have won them for free. And yes I feel like a bit of an ass already for daring to criticize a $2k IEM I received for free.

I don’t hate this IEM at all, I am truly enjoying it with many songs, and I can appreciate its strengths. I am just left wanting a little bit more. I feel like I can’t let a playlist of my favorite tracks across different genres just play and every song sounds great. I find myself skipping a bit to get to songs that hit the A12t sweet spot, but it’s a great sweet spot

I’m very impressed with how well it brings the bass and just when I think the warmth is going to spoil the party there’s still a tremendous amount of transparency, detail, instrument separation, spaciousness and treble sparkle. I don’t know how they achieved this but it’s awesome. Like I said, im enjoying the hell out of many songs with the A12t, it’s just not 100% perfect for me across the board.

I wish there was an M17.5 module. Something right smack in the middle of the two they offer. I love the airiness and spaciousness the m15 achieves as the music just flows delicately around my head. However it’s just missing a bit of punch and the some instruments lack a bit of texture. The M20 is the total opposite... the soundstage closes in for an intimate injection of sound right to your brain. The bass reaches deep and gives the guitar, bass and drums amazing texture and pulp. I can really feel each note. However the warmth becomes a little too much and the vocals aren’t as life-like. It’s like the M15 is a little thin and the M20 is a little fat. I know that’s far too simplistic but there it is.

I listen mainly to Tidal, Masters when I can. I’ve been using two amps, a Mojo and a Rupert Neve RNHP. The RNHP uses a Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC. The Mojo maintains the musicality, power and just overall fun presentation of music like always, but the extra warmth it adds is not ideal with the A12t for my tastes. The Rupert Neve combined with the Bifrost Multibit outclasses the Mojo big time IMO with the A12t. It’s really a beautiful pairing and I hope others here have a chance to try it. I am borrowing it from a friend and I may have to buy one. It appears to be a very neutral amp and seeems to squeeze every bit of quality out of the A12t. The background is blacker, the instruments more separated and microdetail is pronounced. It just produces the music in such an effortless way that is so pleasing to my ear.

I just purchased the Alo Reference 8 from a member here so I’m hoping it can reduce the warmth, lift the veil a little and tighten the low end a bit.

I am absolutely nit picking here as the A12t is great. I’ve just kinda reached a point in my listening where I feel like I should be able to fine tune a sound that is perfectly suited to my preferences. The HE1000v2 is literally perfect to my ear and I’m hoping I can achieve close that with the right amp, DAC and cable pairing with the A12t.

I know it's been a while since this was posted but I have to agree with your assessment. I got an a12t in February-ish and am finding the bass and lower mids to be too muddy and overbearing on certain rock and classical tracks. I too listen to a variety of genres and need more clarity and energy. I originally liked the warmth, but on certain sources and certain tracks, bass guitars would overshadow guitars and vocals and double basses and cellos would sound far too large

 

[FangJoker]

I auditioned the U12t and thought it was great when I could get a good seal. I plan on purchasing the A12t as I want a perfect fit every time.

 

[Gibson59]

Just put my A12t and Alo Reference 8 cable up for sale in the classifieds. Awesome combo but I just didnt end up using IEMs that much.

 

[want]

A question for ceeloChamp. What mobile DAC/amp and cable do you use for the A12t. Do you use the 15 or 20 apex?

 

[Alanaudio]

I'm looking for a used U12t, please PM me if anyone is willing to sell

 

[jgosroc]

There are definitely IEMs with less drivers that have a more linear sound. But i wouldn’t say anything about the A12t is “botched” the sound is fantastic, but it may not suit everyone’s tastes. The mids are present, but they are not the star of the show and they are recessed.

I am going to continue comparing this A12t/U12t to the Campfire Audio. Both the Vega and Andromeda are half the price of the 64 Audio, and they both do certain things well...the Vega does bass very well, and the Andromeda does everything else fantastically, but i’d Take the A12t over both. The reason being is that the A12t is a solid performer across the board and also has standout bass and clear highs. The mids are recessed, but not to the point where they are muddied out like they were in the previous iteration.

I’d say it is an expensive IEM, but for what you get it is not that much more expensive then comparable models.

@PunchLine what kind of sound do you like? What kind of music?

I have the universal versions of these, and these for me are “end game”. I do get the straight A student analogy, but straight out excellence is a characteristic that I’ve been chasing since getting into this hobby(I think we all are!). One review on headfi spoke about the Lid tech, being particularly friendly to playing straight out of the iPhone. I’ve found this to be true. I may hook up a Mojo for a few extra percent, but I love its convenice in driving superb performance. For an analogy, I think it’s like a sports Lexus. Ample, power, tech but perhaps missing the quirks that many find endearing, but I don’t miss. There’s some sparkle in that Tia driver that took me a little while to adjust, but I’m there. I’ve adjusted and won’t go back. I’ve tried the u18s but prefer this, I think because of how friendly it is to drive if I’m honest. It’s a worthwhile trade off in my opinion.