[kalsonc]

met @Resolve in person when I went to test the Nio, Hero, and Odin

Some points align with mine (i posted my impressions here earlier) but I found the Hero have more bass quantity and quality without the muffled mids that the Nio had.

Regardless I feel you cannot go wrong with either Nio or Hero at those price points if you are a basshead like me

 

[Zachik]

met @Resolve in person when I went to test the Nio, Hero, and Odin

Some points align with mine (i posted my impressions here earlier) but I found the Hero have more bass quantity and quality without the muffled mids that the Nio had.

Regardless I feel you cannot go wrong with either Nio or Hero at those price points if you are a basshead like me

@Resolve definitely creates very informative reviews. I also like the quality and format of his reviews (and the fact I do not have to clear my entire evening, like for Z reviews... )
Being a mild basshead myself, I definitely took interest in the Hero, but the treble does worry me!
I will wait for more people to post impressions of the Hero in the near future, but since I am looking at CIEMs - foam tips is not an option to tame the treble.

 

[Resolve]

@Resolve definitely creates very informative reviews. I also like the quality and format of his reviews (and the fact I do not have to clear my entire evening, like for Z reviews... )
Being a mild basshead myself, I definitely took interest in the Hero, but the treble does worry me!
I will wait for more people to post impressions of the Hero in the near future, but since I am looking at CIEMs - foam tips is not an option to tame the treble.

Hey thanks for the positive feedback! I have some measurements of them, but not ready to post them yet - maybe in about a week or so. But they do have a somewhat similar FR overall, with the Hero leaning more towards 6khz emphasis.

 

[jwbrent]

The burn-in process is proceeding on my Odin, but I did give it a bit more critical listen today listening to this album:

Sounds quite spacious, ethereal even ...

 

[subguy812]

The burn-in process is proceeding on my Odin, but I did give it a bit more critical listen today listening to this album:



Sounds quite spacious, ethereal even ...

Great choice

 

[mr.karmalicious]

The user guide specifically states not to use alcohol wipes.

Hmmm. It sounds like the ultraviolet unit mentioned is a necessity then. Tks.

for what it's worth—Austin said that this is just to prevent people from like, soaking a tissue in rubbing alcohol and getting liquid into the IEMs. If you have those little sterile alcohol prep pads, those are both safe and very useful for this. I clean mine with one of these little pads after every use.

 

[soundperfection]

Wouldn’t the A18s or A18t or Tia Foute be more appropriate? Nio is not TOTL in 64 Audio’s lineup.

U12T is still the best iem in their lineup even if its not a flagship

 

[Zachik]

Hey thanks for the positive feedback! I have some measurements of them, but not ready to post them yet - maybe in about a week or so. But they do have a somewhat similar FR overall, with the Hero leaning more towards 6khz emphasis.

You deserve any compliment - seriously, there are plenty reviewers on youtube (and Head-Fi) but most are annoying in one way or another, or just not trust-worthy.
I was very happy to see you are now going to do it more regularly and frequently!
One quick comment on the videos - they are pretty dark! You may want to consider adding some more or better lighting

As for the Hero - I was happy to see someone not praising them as being perfect... Nothing is perfect, and when I keep reading impressions all agreeing the Hero is amazing - I am a little skeptic! Personally, I would have preferred smooth treble as opposed to peaky or borderline sibilant / sharp treble. Granted, you may be more sensitive than I am to treble.

@Jack Vang - any chance for a tour, now that many of us have no reasonably close place to audition? My closest location is probably TSAV in SoCal, and that is 6 hours away (each way). I would order custom version once it is available, if the treble is not offensive to my taste!

 

[jwbrent]

Here’s the other album I listened to today, in hi res, that I strongly recommend if you’re into such music ... really shows off the Odin’s ability for delicacy:

 

[mwhals]

U12T is still the best iem in their lineup even if its not a flagship

I love my A12t. Good balance between musical and analytical with good bass.

 

[kalsonc]

You deserve any compliment - seriously, there are plenty reviewers on youtube (and Head-Fi) but most are annoying in one way or another, or just not trust-worthy.
I was very happy to see you are now going to do it more regularly and frequently!
One quick comment on the videos - they are pretty dark! You may want to consider adding some more or better lighting

As for the Hero - I was happy to see someone not praising them as being perfect... Nothing is perfect, and when I keep reading impressions all agreeing the Hero is amazing - I am a little skeptic! Personally, I would have preferred smooth treble as opposed to peaky or borderline sibilant / sharp treble. Granted, you may be more sensitive than I am to treble.

@Jack Vang - any chance for a tour, now that many of us have no reasonably close place to audition? My closest location is probably TSAV in SoCal, and that is 6 hours away (each way). I would order custom version once it is available, if the treble is not offensive to my taste!

i dont think anyone is calling the Hero 'perfect' but more so for the price you paying for the Hero - its checks more boxes than other IEM in that price range which is what makes it so amazing.

The kind of sound you get out of the Hero you would assume (to the experienced) its more aligned with the Nio at $1,700.00.

 

[CL14715]

i dont think anyone is calling the Hero 'perfect' but more so for the price you paying for the Hero - its checks more boxes than other IEM in that price range which is what makes it so amazing.

The kind of sound you get out of the Hero you would assume (to the experienced) its more aligned with the Nio at $1,700.00.

Agreed... I was neutral in my review of the Hero and it still came out glowing. Part of me didn't like that but ultimately came to the realization that it is what it is. It's a great IEM that punches above its price point. I did touch on the highs specifically stating, "The treble falls right on the line of reference and energetic and sounds like accurate treble should; lively". I give this conclusion because anyone who has heard cymbals in person knows they can be brutal if the drummer is heavy-handed (they wear earplugs for a reason) and can be soft other times. The Hero captures this unadulterated. Many people attribute sharp, bright, or crisp highs to tuning but in reality, some instruments just sound that way in their rawest form. I don't perceive the treble tuning of the Hero elevated, I perceive it as not tuning it down in the event that the recording is energetic in the treble region.

 

[rantng]

How the hero compare with tux5?

Haven’t listened to the Tux5 in a while, but hopefully will get a chance to go through my collection this weekend. I do remember Tux5 having quite a bit of thump. I’m realizing I have not just way too many IEMs, but too many IEMs that have similar sound profiles/proficiencies that they render each other redundant. I need to do more listening, less collecting if you will.

 

[NovaFlyer]

@Resolve definitely creates very informative reviews. I also like the quality and format of his reviews (and the fact I do not have to clear my entire evening, like for Z reviews... )
Being a mild basshead myself, I definitely took interest in the Hero, but the treble does worry me!
I will wait for more people to post impressions of the Hero in the near future, but since I am looking at CIEMs - foam tips is not an option to tame the treble.

Like you I prefer customs and was wondering the difference between customs and universals based on the tip used during the demo.

 

[jwbrent]

I’ve decided to up my dap game by ordering the new HiBy flagship, the R8, which will be shipping in a month. As such, I’m letting go of my AK240SS and have an interest check listed.

The HiBy is going to sell for $1,900, the one without 4G capability which I don’t need. I’ve owned four A&K daps, and it will be hard for me to leave this brand, but the SP2000 will be replaced early next year since A&K is on a two year refresh cycle for its flagship ... we’ll know because they will release a special edition SP2000 a month before an announcement on a new flagship. This is tradition starting with the AK120 Titan, the AK240SS, the AK380SS, the SP1000M Gold, and I do believe the SP1000SS as well.

The Odin even without complete burn-in, is, in my humble opinion, on a totally different level performance wise from my past experience. Seems fitting to have a source on hand to extract all the Odin is capable of.