As requested - I decided to grab my U12T from my friend that I lent and do a quick comparison between the Empire Ears Hero and 64 Audio U12T
For some context - I just purchased the Hero yesterday and have been using it pretty much non-stop with some breaks inbetween to compare it with my recently acquired Legend X as well. I would say the Hero has about 20-23 hours of burn-in as I left it playing over night
For starters - I consider myself an amateur as I didn't really get too into this hobby until Jan this year, prior to that I've been using my HD650 for about 3 years or so. I was mainly a headphone guy and tried quite a variety of headphones before settling for my Empyrean now (tried He4xx, HD650, Fostex TH-X00, HD800S, LCD2F, Arya, HeXv2) but due to needing a solution for night time listening and not disturb my SO with openbacks i slowly ventured into IEMs (Blon BL03, Andromeda, Solaris OG, Solaris 2020, Polaris v2, Thie Audio Legacy 3,64 Audio Trio, Final Audio A8000, EE Bravado) as closed backs didnt quite do it for me and the pressure hurted my ears. Its been a pricey 8 months but thats the cost to play in this hobby and now I have developed a better idea on what kind of sound preference I like. I am a closet bass head but I love clarity and detail.
For this comparison I ran them through my RME ADI-2 Dac - Hero on Final E tips and stock Alpha 4 cable, U12T on Final E tips and a 8 core copper cable as the stock cable was unbearable in comfort
64 Audio U12T
- I love this pair of iems and is what made me sell my Andromeda and Solaris 2020
- For this review I only used the M20 module as that is what I prefer
- I have a bit of fitment issues with the U12T if I push the U12T in too much but after hours of listening, I have a better idea on how to get a proper seal and not have any fitment issues
- The bass on the U12T is amazing considering it is BA and not DD, not as powerful or impactful as the Hero
- Mids are super smooth and full but compared to the Hero it can sound a tad thin
- Mids have more clarity with the U12T but not as much energy, which makes the Hero more 'fun' to me
- Highs are super detailed and resolving yet has 'something special' that I cant put the proper word to it
- Staging/Resolution on the U12T feels really natural
- Overall U12T is what I would consider a super smooth IEM, it tends to do a lot of things great but not particularly exceeding in any department
Empire Ears Hero
- Most likely my new all time favorite
- Fitment is comfortable and have the same issue I do with the U12T, it may be due to my inexperience but most of the time I know how to make it feel comfortable for me now, no issues here.
- Bass is amazing, well bodied, and slams hard. I am still surprised by the amount of bass coming from only 1 W9+ driver vs the 2 W9 driver in the LX
- If I had to rate the Bass, the LX will be a +6, Hero a close +5, and U12T a good +2
- Mids on the Hero was the deciding factor on why I chose this over the 64 Audio Nio, its very full bodied
- The Hero presents mids differently than the U12T, it is a tad less detailed and not as clear in comparison but it is no slouch at all. Small price to pay for that sweet sweet bass
- Highs on the Hero have really good energy and detail, once again a bit less than the U12T but it is still what I would considered 'detailed'
- Stage/Resolution on the Hero is good but the U12T has more 'direction' per say
- Overall hero is what I would consider a fun IEM with bass that (in my opinion) is ranked 2nd (1st being the LX)
If I wasn't in the process of buying an Odin, I would honestly keep the U12T and Hero as I feel they compliment each other really well. One for fun listening sessions (Hero) and one for smooth winding down after a long day at work session (U12T).
So where does the Odin come in?
The Odin, to me, does everything the U12T does but takes it up a notch.
Better bass, smoother and more bodied mids, and sparkly + detailed highs
Like I mentioned above, the U12T does everything well but doesn't exceed in any particular department.
Well the Odin seems to do everything the U12T does but just a bit better. Is it worth the extra cost on top? Maybe not for some, but if you consider the overall package of the Odin (i don't believe in cables but if its included, I am a sucker for it), it should be a no brainer for some.
Whats going to happen to my Legend X?
Despite only purchasing it yesterday, I decided to list it for sale locally on CAM.
Reason being is that while I thoroughly enjoy the bass on the LX more than the Hero, I can't get over how fun the Hero is.
On the LX, my mood is less fun and more analytical which is not a bad thing don't get me wrong. But if I am going for a more clarity / analytical listening, I would much prefer the Odin.
The Hero is also more bodied in the mids than the LX ,which to my surprise, is what I prefer.
I might regret this decision, but atleast if I need to change it up in the future the LX might've evolved into LX MK2 or I will be able to get a trade with some cash in my pocket (haha)
Now... if
@Jack Vang can make an IEM that sounds like the Hero with 2 W9+ drivers and sound exactly like the Hero with the bass of LX, that would be my
endgame.