[hifilover1]

I bet you would. Send me them IEMs and I'll let you know where they stand.

I wish I had those IEMs too lol....

 

[Ike1985]

I respectfully disagree. If one considers "proficiency" to mean the ability of a monitor to reproduce all frequencies completely and in a balanced way, then to me, the U18 is the more proficient monitor.

Fourte had better layering and separation to my ears, Fourte bass also extended deeper. Mids were more detailed on fourte as well whereas A18t mids sounded a bit more laid back, slightly less detailed and slightly more congested. All that said, I much prefer A18t for signature and would choose it or Trio over Fourte any day.

 

[Sonicears]

Hello again. I have been busy with my work, so until last week I have not been able to spend more time to listen to the custom earphones again and decide.
I think that again, even when i borrow my friend’s portable Astel Kern SP1000, I still like the details of the 64 audio 18T, and the Ultimate Ear Reference earphone. I tried the Empire earphones again, and on my friend’s SP1000 the vocals like Spanish Harlem sounded nice on the Phantom, and the Legend X too. However once I changed to very fast changing songs like the Chesky Dynamic march track, the Phantom and Legend X sounded very unclear again. I think that this means that the Empire stuff does not seem to be a good choice for my songs where precise note and details is more important than a Long sound that lingers. I did try the ESR of the Phantom and I thought that it was the best of the lineup, but when I listen to the Ultimate Ear Reference earphone later it also sounded muddy. My ZX300 is not as good as my Friend’s SP1000, so I need to make sure that my earphone is, technical and details. (Sorry, not sure if “technical” is the word but that is what my Friend said the word is when I described what I meant in Mandarin). I also liked his Spiral Ear 5 Ultimate as it sounded good, but I think I will not be buying that as his custom had a funny smell and feeling which I think is the oil stuck in the soft earphone shell.

So, now I am almost sure that I will be getting either the 64 N8T, the 18T or the Ultimate Ear reference. I also am thinking of getting the FItEar 335 Monet after I listened to it as I like how my female Singers sound on it. But I will make my FitEar when I go to Japan in July.

I am now trying to find opinions and read what other people have written about the 64 N8T. But it seems like most opinions are on universal units. I am looking for custom earphone opinions but there seems to be none. I am Not sure if I should now buy the 18T as I have read the universal and the custom earphone reviews sounds similar to what I heard, or wait for people to start writing about the N8T and then decide again. I am surprised that the N8T custom opinions are not out yet. Some people tell me that universals and custom sound abit different, so I feel that waiting for custom opinion is a good idea.

Also, I will be stopping by Malaysia to visit my Friend and then continue to to Japan in June. Are there any good earphone shop locations in Malaysia or near Malaysia? Thank you.

 

[toranku]

No idea about Malaysia, but perhaps check out Singapore. We have a lot of stuff here from 64 to Empire to even chifi.

 

[ranfan]

Mentor V3 I think suits better than Mason V3 for those liking more sparkle, and less bass. I felt it sounded clearer, and less warm overall. However, the memory wire, dual-tone, and wheel are a minus for me.

I'm currently waiting for the Oriolus Finschi/Finsky. Hoping it will be released soon this year. The harmony between its DD bass, and BA sound are very good in my demo experience.

 

[Deezel177]

Hello again. I have been busy with my work, so until last week I have not been able to spend more time to listen to the custom earphones again and decide.
I think that again, even when i borrow my friend’s portable Astel Kern SP1000, I still like the details of the 64 audio 18T, and the Ultimate Ear Reference earphone. I tried the Empire earphones again, and on my friend’s SP1000 the vocals like Spanish Harlem sounded nice on the Phantom, and the Legend X too. However once I changed to very fast changing songs like the Chesky Dynamic march track, the Phantom and Legend X sounded very unclear again. I think that this means that the Empire stuff does not seem to be a good choice for my songs where precise note and details is more important than a Long sound that lingers. I did try the ESR of the Phantom and I thought that it was the best of the lineup, but when I listen to the Ultimate Ear Reference earphone later it also sounded muddy. My ZX300 is not as good as my Friend’s SP1000, so I need to make sure that my earphone is, technical and details. (Sorry, not sure if “technical” is the word but that is what my Friend said the word is when I described what I meant in Mandarin). I also liked his Spiral Ear 5 Ultimate as it sounded good, but I think I will not be buying that as his custom had a funny smell and feeling which I think is the oil stuck in the soft earphone shell.

So, now I am almost sure that I will be getting either the 64 N8T, the 18T or the Ultimate Ear reference. I also am thinking of getting the FItEar 335 Monet after I listened to it as I like how my female Singers sound on it. But I will make my FitEar when I go to Japan in July.

I am now trying to find opinions and read what other people have written about the 64 N8T. But it seems like most opinions are on universal units. I am looking for custom earphone opinions but there seems to be none. I am Not sure if I should now buy the 18T as I have read the universal and the custom earphone reviews sounds similar to what I heard, or wait for people to start writing about the N8T and then decide again. I am surprised that the N8T custom opinions are not out yet. Some people tell me that universals and custom sound abit different, so I feel that waiting for custom opinion is a good idea.

Also, I will be stopping by Malaysia to visit my Friend and then continue to to Japan in June. Are there any good earphone shop locations in Malaysia or near Malaysia? Thank you.

It looks like you’re looking for an IEM with great treble presence for maximum detail and clarity. I don’t think you can get any better than the A18t for that. Ultimate Ears just released their flagship Live CIEM, though. You can demo 64Audio’s products (including the N8, I think) and the new UE Live at Singapore in a store called Music Sanctuary. There’s a shuttle service to travel between Malaysia and Singapore, so you can definitely go there to demo them. You can also find Euphoria Audio in Singapore where you can try Jomo Audio’s products, Stereo Electronics for Unique Melody products, and AVOne and Jaben for Vision Ears, JHAudio, AAW and Kumitate Labs.

There are no custom impressions of the N8 because it’s not released yet. It’s only available in universal demos for now and I think the custom units will only enter production some time next month. The SE5U is silicone and if there’s a funny smell, then it hasn’t been cleaned properly. Silicone can be maintained by spraying it with strong isopropyl alcohol to eliminate the germs and oils on the earphone, then wiped down with a paper towel as per @piotrus-g’s instructions.

 

[natemact]

Mentor V3 I think suits better than Mason V3 for those liking more sparkle, and less bass. I felt it sounded clearer, and less warm overall.

Good to know!!

I'm currently waiting for the Oriolus Finschi/Finsky. Hoping it will be released soon this year. The harmony between its DD bass, and BA sound are very good in my demo experience.

Any info you can toss our way on possibly the best named iem ever Finsky?

 

[Gavin C4]

I gotcha, man!

"The ESR puts a little twist on things with a beautifully warm upper-bass. It's not accentuated per se, but compared to the Spartan's drier and more even approach to the low-end, the ESR has more body, emotion and boldness down low. Fortunately, none of this introduces any kind of bloat into the midrange, and what it introduces in the bigger picture is a chesty foundation to the stage; rather than keeping it strictly clean and sterile. The midrange of the ESR is open and airy, benefitting from an upper-mid bump for extra articulation. Compared to the Spartan, vocals are less top-heavy. This is because the ESR's uses that upper-bass foundation to give meat to its vocals; bolstering midrange resolution. The Spartan sounds thinner in comparison, even though both have a pleasing timbre. The ESR - I feel - is technically stronger in the treble, due to increased linearity and extension. The Spartan is almost Zeus-like in its lower-treble and upper-treble peaks, creating notes that are clean and clear, but are almost hard and brittle in nature. The ESR maintains that clarity through sheer extension, but smoother note release allows it more forgiveness with poorer recordings.

In terms of overall resolution, I find the ESR superior to the Spartan due to several factors I mentioned above. Bass layering and precision benefits from superior low-end extension and the ESR's more stable stage makes it easier to keep up with where the bass is in the recording. An increase in note weight and note body - again, stemming from the upper bass - improves midrange resolution; endowing instruments with more physicality and palpability. The ESR's more linear treble is also instrumental in forming its blacker background. As a result, midrange notes contrast more clearly against the background, which - again - improves resolution as well as micro-dynamics without having to resort to a brighter signature. The Spartan is on par with the ESR in terms of macro-dynamics, though, due to the latter's more aggressive treble. The ESR's treble decays at a greater rate in comparison, keeping the background black and the overall timbre beautifully neutral-natural. The Spartan's overall tone is just slightly more neutral, due to a tinge of dryness in its note presentation. One is not brighter than the other per se; their notes just take on different textures. For reference, the ESR in the treble is probably more like the Andromeda in smoothness and openness, but - again - the latter has a dryness - due to an attenuated upper-bass - that the former does not."



In terms of your bass conundrum, I think it's a matter of extension vs. accentuation. An accentuated bass will have the necessary presence, but it runs the risk of overpowering or being more pronounced than the midrange and treble. On the other hand, a low-end that extends all the way to the sub-bass regions - and is linear up to the upper-bass into the lower-midrange - will have great physicality even when not overtly accentuated. The bass then becomes a foundation of sorts for the in-ear's presentation and only rumbles, or jabs, or punches, etc. when called upon by the track or the source. It should be noted that I had no idea what the prices of the IEMs were when I did my whole EE article detailing my impressions of both EP and X line-ups (click here if you haven't seen that yet). I agree, by the way, the Aeon Flow Open is one of my favourite headphones regardless of price - beautiful pair of cans.

120% Agree with the Aeon Flow Open. I was once a treble guy that always love extreme detail like the HD800 and the HE1000. But recently I realized my taste in music has slightly changed. Although I still love my HE1000, the slightly warm and smooth Aeon Flow Open grabbed a lot of my listening time recently. I also kept visiting the Phantom demo as it brings a very smooth and realistic listening experience. To be honest, I think I am not a treble guy anymore, now I want BASS and a warm sound.


Apart from this lovely Aeon Flow Open that I have with me, I got new pair of custom from EE arrived at my door steps....

 

[deafdoorknob]

just auditioned a left field upgrade for those who loves the bravado but wishes more refinement, microdetails - the fender fxa-11, i found that it is less dark than the vantage and less thin in the lower mids against the nemesis. It is closer to a souped up bravado tonally than the rest of the EE hybrid line up in terms of tonality. the fit and build is lovely, and unlike the rest of the fender range, it uses 2 pin connectors. Instead of the double DD, it uses one of the bigger DD driver around @ 14mm, something that needs adequte power to whip it into shape. zx300, balanced with high gain works well enough. SE via alo national with medium gain also worked very nicely.

tldr, a must listen if you like the Bravado but wants more refinement and detailing, yet retaining a generally relaxed presentation.

 

[Mimouille]

just auditioned a left field upgrade for those who loves the bravado but wishes more refinement, microdetails - the fender fxa-11, i found that it is less dark than the vantage and less thin in the lower mids against the nemesis. It is closer to a souped up bravado tonally than the rest of the EE hybrid line up in terms of tonality. the fit and build is lovely, and unlike the rest of the fender range, it uses 2 pin connectors. Instead of the double DD, it uses one of the bigger DD driver around @ 14mm, something that needs adequte power to whip it into shape. zx300, balanced with high gain works well enough. SE via alo national with medium gain also worked very nicely.

tldr, a must listen if you like the Bravado but wants more refinement and detailing, yet retaining a generally relaxed presentation.

Interesting feedback. It does cost at least 1600$, so I sure hope it performs at that level though. What is your take on that?

 

[deafdoorknob]

Interesting feedback. It does cost at least 1600$, so I sure hope it performs at that level though. What is your take on that?

if you look at other bassy done well iems, like EEs own or campfire DD or hybrids (not really done that well but anyway) or 64 ears, i would say it is at least competitive and it does bring something unique to the table but if you look the market as a whole, i would say Bravado gets you 85-90% there sonically, so whether the other factors like fit, production quality etc (it seems to be quite rugged and soild vs the EEs) are worth the additional outlay, that's purely subjective.

i feel it is harder to quantify the worth of a designed that is innately non-neutral in that, you are paying for a certain signature done well as opposed to a compliance more universally objective standards. (ie most here would think that fitear tg334 is not worth its value, yet few would be able to point to an alternative that does what it does well.) if you know what i mean...

 

[Mimouille]

if you look at other bassy done well iems, like EEs own or campfire DD or hybrids (not really done that well but anyway) or 64 ears, i would say it is at least competitive and it does bring something unique to the table but if you look the market as a whole, i would say Bravado gets you 85-90% there sonically, so whether the other factors like fit, production quality etc (it seems to be quite rugged and soild vs the EEs) are worth the additional outlay, that's purely subjective.

i feel it is harder to quantify the worth of a designed that is innately non-neutral in that, you are paying for a certain signature done well as opposed to a compliance more universally objective standards. (ie most here would think that fitear tg334 is not worth its value, yet few would be able to point to an alternative that does what it does well.) if you know what i mean...

I agree on your take. My take is generally to compare to the best value (in my opinion) around the same price range. For instance, I own the Nerva X (which I did not pay full price for). At 2.7k$, it performs more or less other TOTLs around 1.5-2k, so at 2.7k the value is bad, unless you like silver IEMs. On the other hand, the IE800s, which costs 999$ (I got a discount too), performs, in my opinion, as well as dynamics up to 2k$, so the value is good.

From what I understand from your feedback, value is certainly better than Fourte or Legend X...

 

[Ike1985]

I agree on your take. My take is generally to compare to the best value (in my opinion) around the same price range. For instance, I own the Nerva X (which I did not pay full price for). At 2.7k$, it performs more or less other TOTLs around 1.5-2k, so at 2.7k the value is bad, unless you like silver IEMs. On the other hand, the IE800s, which costs 999$ (I got a discount too), performs, in my opinion, as well as dynamics up to 2k$, so the value is good.

From what I understand from your feedback, value is certainly better than Fourte or Legend X...

I am loving tia trio, I'd take it any day over fourte. To me it's an exceptional value if you could score one used for say $1500-$1700. Never any for sale though!

 

[Mimouille]

I am loving tia trio, I'd take it any day over fourte. To me it's an exceptional value if you could score one used for say $1500-$1700. Never any for sale though!

I don't buy anything from 64 Audio, AK, Noble out of principle. I am sure they sound nice, but I decided that companies pushing the price tag for no good reason should be on my crap list. Of course this is entirely subjective.

 

[EagleWings]

Aeon Flow Open.. It’s like a warm blanket on a cold night. The name says Open, but it’s more of a Semi-Open headphone. A warm, woolly bass, supplemented by a linear, soothing treble, bridged by a romantic mid-range that, make you fall in love with your music all over again. Okayish technicalities in terms of soundstage, imaging, separation, layering, resolution and transparency. But the coherency and focus is top notch. The timbral resolution may be average, but the timbral tone is very pleasing and almost accurate. All that in a light weight package at just 330g or .6 lbs. This one’s a keeper.

Now, the LCD-2C... I’d be in trouble if I called it a keeper, as it is a loaner. Very good technicalities and performance for its price. An epitome of balance between tonality and technicality. While it may not have the same linear treble of the AFO, it impresses with its very clean bass and a comforting mid-range. The 2C is one of those headphones that may be a little difficult to describe because it doesn’t have a very strong character. I mean in a good way. In it’s all-black and wrought-iron rugged look, it looks spectacular and badass. If Batman wanted a black headphone, this would be the one.