Not sure how real those degrees are because I seem to be working an awful lot for very little pay or recognition.
Thanks! The classical music series will be back soon. I had a few regular reviews in between and busy with teaching, but am getting back to it as we speak. Really like doing something a bit different, so good to hear people enjoy it.
Vision Ears’ VE8 tends to fall in the same camp of the jack-of-all-trades. It’s how I described the VxV in my upcoming review of it as well: An in-ear that just rides with the music. As others have mentioned, what may turn off the U12t for some people is its lack of a warm, soulful pull; the ability to allure or seduce, perhaps. But, again, that’d be in exchange for the U12t’s fantastic measuredness and neutrality as well, so it’s all a game of trades. I’d definitely be for 64’s next custom flagship being something in line with the U12t’s linear, straight-edged tone, but with even more technique and imaging.
That's what everyone was saying the A/U18s was, and as it turns out, it wasn't. So yes, make a U12t with maxed out technicalities and a touch of inoffensive spice and you have a winner. I'd love to see the U12t tuning/technicalities with a DD in the mix. Nio isn't it. N8 isn't it. Can it even be done I wonder?
Haven't yet checked out that album (the third, right?). Mostly been listening to 'We Are Not Your Kind', 'The Grey Chapter' and a lot now to their self-titled debut album. 'Iowa' I have not been able to get into because of how dark it is, but it might still come because I initially did not get into 'Slipknot' either and love the album now. Was just listening while cooking, but it is especially good when I hit the gym.
I personally find the A18S to be an improved A12t in almost every way honestly. I’ve been listening to the A12t a lot recently since JH has my A18S for scanning, and there is so much resemblance between the two to my ears
The U/A18s was likened to the A12t; not the U12t. The common consensus based on impressions and measurements is that the A12t is warmer-sounding than the U12t. So, the comparison against the U/A18s would indeed be accurate.
Awesome impressions, man. Dynamic range was also my point of praise when I revisited the U12t on my CanJam SG 2019 impressions. It’s what hugely separated it from the A6t, despite their similar tonalities, and it’s also what put it among the best - technique-wise - on the day for me.Wow, lots of U12t talk. I guess I have to drop my 2 cents as the resident U12t shill. At this point, I've put hundreds of hours onto my U12t, so I think I have a pretty good feel for where I stand with it.
eye-candy so you don't have to stare at my wall of text
The U12t has the best BA bass I've heard, but at the end of the day it's a compromise. By default, it's never going to quite match the best DD woofers. The U12t's midrange is ridiculously safe, but that's because it chooses to dip the upper-midrange which some might find sounds overly dampened. That's a compromise. It has terrific treble extension and air, but that's because of the tia tweeter's crazy treble peak. It's totally unnatural relative to what you'd hear in-real-life. Again - a compromise. Technicalities, I won't say it's not a very technical IEM, but the softer attack transients definitely take the edge off of perceived resolution. Furthermore, the cleaner, more natural pattern of decay the U12t exhibits, to eschew BA timbre, is a trade-off. To this end, I've found myself second-guessing its microdynamic ability lately, especially relative to the HD800S and Clear I have on-hand. The U12T has decent micro-detail for an IEM to be sure, but more intimate fluctuations themselves seem a tad smoothed over, particularly in terms of resonance.
There's a prevalent theme of middle-ground at hand, and I really do think that the U12t is the epitome of it in many respects. I've said this before, but the U12t's that kid in school who gets a 90% in every subject, but can't seem to get 100% in everything. If you want the best bass in an IEM then there's IER-Z1R, if you want the best midrange for male vocals then there's the VE8, if you want the best treble, again, there's IER-Z1R, and if you want the best technicalities go buy a KSE1500 or VX. As the type of person who always wants to own the best, that was one of the hardest things to come to terms with in this hobby. IEMs themselves, from inception, are a fat compromise in that they'll not match a headphone for many aspects of sound production.
But enough ragging on my favorite IEM. Aside from the tuning, I would say a large part of the reason I keep coming back to the U12T is for the impressive dynamic range. The way it scales and pushes into macrodynamic swings is incredible for an IEM, and most everything else I’ve heard comes off as somewhat flat by comparison. This is what largely qualifies so-called "engagement factor" to my ears (again, for me only). To come off of something like the Focal Clear, a headphone known for its terrific macrodynamic punch, and not be immediately disappointed is impressive. And then there's the U12t's center image which I don't hear talked about often. The U12t's upper-midrange recession and post-10kHz treble contrast create the psychoacoustic illusion of the sound actually projecting in front of a listener in a speaker-like manner. It's uncanny, and intended by 64 Audio or not, distinctive to me of what the right synergy between tuning and intangibles can pull-off. Heck, I've yet to hear a headphone that does center image like the U12t can. This is one IEM I don't think I'm ever going to be able to stop talking about (and yes, I've literally gotten complaints from people dreading their favorite IEM being compared to the U12t). Like so, for a lot of people it'll just be the IEM that gets the most done right and makes the least mistakes. And you know what? I'm cool with that because that's pretty darn commendable of itself too.
Well, mentally I'm still a bit of a teenager and I like the anger when I am training, helps me get through the burn.
Awesome post man! Even more impressive if you put on some soft violin music while reading it. If anyone wants to know what makes U12t special, just point them to this post.Wow, lots of U12t talk. I guess I have to drop my 2 cents as the resident U12t shill. At this point, I've put hundreds of hours onto my U12t, so I think I have a pretty good feel for where I stand with it.
eye-candy so you don't have to stare at my wall of text
The U12t has the best BA bass I've heard, but at the end of the day it's a compromise. By default, it's never going to quite match the best DD woofers. The U12t's midrange is ridiculously safe, but that's because it chooses to dip the upper-midrange which some might find sounds overly dampened. That's a compromise. It has terrific treble extension and air, but that's because of the tia tweeter's crazy treble peak. It's totally unnatural relative to what you'd hear in-real-life. Again - a compromise. Technicalities, I won't say it's not a very technical IEM, but the softer attack transients definitely take the edge off of perceived resolution. Furthermore, the cleaner, more natural pattern of decay the U12t exhibits, to eschew BA timbre, is a trade-off. To this end, I've found myself second-guessing its microdynamic ability lately, especially relative to the HD800S and Clear I have on-hand. The U12T has decent micro-detail for an IEM to be sure, but more intimate fluctuations themselves seem a tad smoothed over, particularly in terms of resonance.
There's a prevalent theme of middle-ground at hand, and I really do think that the U12t is the epitome of it in many respects. I've said this before, but the U12t's that kid in school who gets a 90% in every subject, but can't seem to get 100% in everything. If you want the best bass in an IEM then there's IER-Z1R, if you want the best midrange for male vocals then there's the VE8, if you want the best treble, again, there's IER-Z1R, and if you want the best technicalities go buy a KSE1500 or VX. As the type of person who always wants to own the best, that was one of the hardest things to come to terms with in this hobby. IEMs themselves, from inception, are a fat compromise in that they'll not match a headphone for many aspects of sound production.
But enough ragging on my favorite IEM. Aside from the tuning, I would say a large part of the reason I keep coming back to the U12T is for the impressive dynamic range. The way it scales and pushes into macrodynamic swings is incredible for an IEM, and most everything else I’ve heard comes off as somewhat flat by comparison. This is what largely qualifies so-called "engagement factor" to my ears (again, for me only). To come off of something like the Focal Clear, a headphone known for its terrific macrodynamic punch, and not be immediately disappointed is impressive. And then there's the U12t's center image which I don't hear talked about often. The U12t's upper-midrange recession and post-10kHz treble contrast create the psychoacoustic illusion of the sound actually projecting in front of a listener in a speaker-like manner. It's uncanny, and intended by 64 Audio or not, distinctive to me of what the right synergy between tuning and intangibles can pull-off. Heck, I've yet to hear a headphone that does center image like the U12t can. This is one IEM I don't think I'm ever going to be able to stop talking about (and yes, I've literally gotten complaints from people dreading their favorite IEM being compared to the U12t). Like so, for a lot of people it'll just be the IEM that gets the most done right and makes the least mistakes. And you know what? I'm cool with that because that's pretty darn commendable of itself too.
I believe it’s referred to as, Odin.
Funny actually listening to Lateralus right now.
Awesome post, couldn’t agree more with what you wrote. My U12T is going nowhere. Still I would love to hear your comparisons to Traillii.Wow, lots of U12t talk. I guess I have to drop my 2 cents as the resident U12t shill. At this point, I've put hundreds of hours onto my U12t, so I think I have a pretty good feel for where I stand with it.
eye-candy so you don't have to stare at my wall of text
The U12t has the best BA bass I've heard, but at the end of the day it's a compromise. By default, it's never going to quite match the best DD woofers. The U12t's midrange is ridiculously safe, but that's because it chooses to dip the upper-midrange which some might find sounds overly dampened. That's a compromise. It has terrific treble extension and air, but that's because of the tia tweeter's crazy treble peak. It's totally unnatural relative to what you'd hear in-real-life. Again - a compromise. Technicalities, I won't say it's not a very technical IEM, but the softer attack transients definitely take the edge off of perceived resolution. Furthermore, the cleaner, more natural pattern of decay the U12t exhibits, to eschew BA timbre, is a trade-off. To this end, I've found myself second-guessing its microdynamic ability lately, especially relative to the HD800S and Clear I have on-hand. The U12T has decent micro-detail for an IEM to be sure, but more intimate fluctuations themselves seem a tad smoothed over, particularly in terms of resonance.
There's a prevalent theme of middle-ground at hand, and I really do think that the U12t is the epitome of it in many respects. I've said this before, but the U12t's that kid in school who gets a 90% in every subject, but can't seem to get 100% in everything. If you want the best bass in an IEM then there's IER-Z1R, if you want the best midrange for male vocals then there's the VE8, if you want the best treble, again, there's IER-Z1R, and if you want the best technicalities go buy a KSE1500 or VX. As the type of person who always wants to own the best, that was one of the hardest things to come to terms with in this hobby. IEMs themselves, from inception, are a fat compromise in that they'll not match a headphone for many aspects of sound production.
But enough ragging on my favorite IEM. Aside from the tuning, I would say a large part of the reason I keep coming back to the U12T is for the impressive dynamic range. The way it scales and pushes into macrodynamic swings is incredible for an IEM, and most everything else I’ve heard comes off as somewhat flat by comparison. This is what largely qualifies so-called "engagement factor" to my ears (again, for me only). To come off of something like the Focal Clear, a headphone known for its terrific macrodynamic punch, and not be immediately disappointed is impressive. And then there's the U12t's center image which I don't hear talked about often. The U12t's upper-midrange recession and post-10kHz treble contrast create the psychoacoustic illusion of the sound actually projecting in front of a listener in a speaker-like manner. It's uncanny, and intended by 64 Audio or not, distinctive to me of what the right synergy between tuning and intangibles can pull-off. Heck, I've yet to hear a headphone that does center image like the U12t can. This is one IEM I don't think I'm ever going to be able to stop talking about (and yes, I've literally gotten complaints from people dreading their favorite IEM being compared to the U12t). Like so, for a lot of people it'll just be the IEM that gets the most done right and makes the least mistakes. And you know what? I'm cool with that because that's pretty darn commendable of itself too.
They’re pretty different tonally, though; not worlds apart measurement-wise, but they’re clearly made for different audiences.I believe it’s referred to as, Odin.
