[491326]

I'd rather not have a man penetrate my ear. Not the sort of connotation I'd want associated with my audio gear.

I'm guessing you're not interested in having an ancient man penetrate your ear then, will you try out the CTM Da Vinci sometime?

 

[PinkyPowers]

I'm guessing you're not interested in having an ancient man penetrate your ear then, will you try out the CTM Da Vinci sometime?

Don't know what that is. But Da Vinci is a master. I'd trust him.

 

[Deezel177]

My turn!

64Audio A6t - Whole Lotta Love
​

 

[fiascogarcia]

I'm guessing you're not interested in having an ancient man penetrate your ear then, will you try out the CTM Da Vinci sometime?

Guess naming one after Rod Stewart would be bad too. "The Rod"!

 

[Alcarinquei]

Yeah, definitely. It’s because recessing the lower-mids boosts note definition, creating a sense of detail and cleanliness outlining each instrument. But, the compromise is in timbre and body. This is why I appreciate IEMs like the Phantom and Layla so much. They’re IEMs that not only highlight the lower-mids (the Phantom moreso than the Layla), but they also get it right in terms of texture, definition and tone.

I tried the Phantom with Mojo, and they sounded very slow and there is definitely a hiss. It was ok with jazz or classical (orchestra sounded great) but switching to some Led Zeppelin for example, it was waay to slow.

Tried it as well with Hiby R6, balanced, and things were back in order.

Any Idea why I could have had this sensation of slowness?

Still have this sound in mind though... But not working very well with the Mojo

 

[Deezel177]

I tried the Phantom with Mojo, and they sounded very slow and there is definitely a hiss. It was ok with jazz or classical (orchestra sounded great) but switching to some Led Zeppelin for example, it was waay to slow.

Tried it as well with Hiby R6, balanced, and things were back in order.

Any Idea why I could have had this sensation of slowness?

Still have this sound in mind though... But not working very well with the Mojo

It probably had to do with the balance between mid-bass and upper-treble. The Phantom definitely has a bias towards the latter, which may make it sound more bloomy and euphonic. The HiBy R6's electrical properties may simply tone down the bass (or boost the treble) to the point where its presence doesn't linger as much.

 

[davidmolliere]

It probably had to do with the balance between mid-bass and upper-treble. The Phantom definitely has a bias towards the latter, which may make it sound more bloomy and euphonic. The HiBy R6's electrical properties may simply tone down the bass (or boost the treble) to the point where its presence doesn't linger as much.

Indeed, since the output impedance is 10 ohm no less on the R6, it will skew the signature alright...

I never found the Mojo to be a great pairing with the Phantom, it adds too much mid bass to my taste and overall makes the Phantom congested IMHO...

 

[KuroKitsu]

@Deezel177
That was one long review in the making Been waiting for this one since I got your intial impressions about the A6t back in August. That glorious elaboration!

Kinda funny how I went from A6t to Phantom to Zeus since then eh?And now back to Phantom. I use to think cleanliness and detail was my thing but your description of the A6t being in that regards made me rethink that, maybe more so in the other direction.

I noticed that you mentioned A6t being more forgiving of bad mastering, that seems to be a thing with 64 Audio's lineup, making everything good and bad mastering be damned.

 

[deafdoorknob]

My turn!

64Audio A6t - Whole Lotta Love
​

lovely review Daniel, any idea how much of A6t’s soul, flesh and density are sacrificed for technical prowress in the tuning of the U12t?

in a way, i am tempted to source a used pair of U12 as a principled stance against modern totl tuning lolz.

(i liked the phantom, a lot, but if its universal fit is same as the bravado - which i own, it is not for me unfortunately, they need to lengthen the nozzle and have a lip of some sort, EE universals + small tips = daily dislodged tips during “pull out”)

 

[491326]

lovely review Daniel, any idea how much of A6t’s soul, flesh and density are sacrificed for technical prowress in the tuning of the U12t?

in a way, i am tempted to source a used pair of U12 as a principled stance against modern totl tuning lolz.

(i liked the phantom, a lot, but if its universal fit is same as the bravado - which i own, it is not for me unfortunately, they need to lengthen the nozzle and have a lip of some sort, EE universals + small tips = daily dislodged tips during “pull out”)

from what I hear, the U12 was different from totl of its day as well. I only heard it once briefly but it was warm, but clear and quite articulate in the treble. It felt like listening to everything in slowmo. As for the U12t, I can't make any comparisons to the A6t as I haven't heard it yet but honestly, the A12t sounds a little flat when it comes to drums. It feels like they're only there for rhythm. They don't have any musicality.

 

[Deezel177]

lovely review Daniel, any idea how much of A6t’s soul, flesh and density are sacrificed for technical prowress in the tuning of the U12t?

in a way, i am tempted to source a used pair of U12 as a principled stance against modern totl tuning lolz.

(i liked the phantom, a lot, but if its universal fit is same as the bravado - which i own, it is not for me unfortunately, they need to lengthen the nozzle and have a lip of some sort, EE universals + small tips = daily dislodged tips during “pull out”)

Thanks! Ironically, I feel like the A6t's soul per se actually comes from its near-lack of headroom. As I said in the last line of Presentation, it's a relatively packed stage, but that adds a human element in some ways. The downside is of course imaging precision, and the A6t isn't the most effortless IEM you'll ever hear. The U12t is definitely less dense and solid (in terms of punchiness) compared to the A6t. When I heard it, the impression I got was technically-impressive neutrality. It's an IEM that sounds like it's just there, for better or for worse. The A6t is much livelier and more concentrated-sounding, but it's less breezy too; less easy to take in than the U12t.

 

[deafdoorknob]

Thanks! Ironically, I feel like the A6t's soul per se actually comes from its near-lack of headroom. As I said in the last line of Presentation, it's a relatively packed stage, but that adds a human element in some ways. The downside is of course imaging precision, and the A6t isn't the most effortless IEM you'll ever hear. The U12t is definitely less dense and solid (in terms of punchiness) compared to the A6t. When I heard it, the impression I got was technically-impressive neutrality. It's an IEM that sounds like it's just there, for better or for worse. The A6t is much livelier and more concentrated-sounding, but it's less breezy too; less easy to take in than the U12t.

thats what i thought wrt the demo version of the A6t, again, smilar to the bandwidth limited, slightly compressed vintage standmounted monitors with like tannoys, or earlier incarnations of ATC.

bandwidth limiting is a lost art methinks

 

[Deezel177]

thats what i thought wrt the demo version of the A6t, again, smilar to the bandwidth limited, slightly compressed vintage standmounted monitors with like tannoys, or earlier incarnations of ATC.

bandwidth limiting is a lost art methinks

Exactly! I was gonna make references to compression and limiting to describe the A6t, but I was afraid it wouldn’t come across as easily to general audiences.

 

[Raketen]

The key difference is that Sony can get my money even if they try to sell me an IEM which is just a solidified turd with a cable plugged into it, but for Noble to achieve that, their IEM would need to solve world hunger and Fermat's theorem. I have a slight bias.

Proved by non-IEM being(s). Your money is safe from Noble. Happily, research continues apace on new Fecund Wizard editions of their lineup featuring Chia Pet inspired autogerminating faceplates.

 

[Jackpot77]

Anyone here have any experience with the MiniDSP EARS measurement rig?