Hidition NT-6 Custom IEM Review: The Ultimate Reference?

[headwhacker]

@headwhacker Did you have a chance listen to Oriolus Mellianus and Unique Melody Mason V3? I was told those two IEMs are at the moment the best on the market. I would like to know how they compare to NT-6. For me is like impossible to demo them.

Nope, a lot of iems were proclaimed the best there is. including totl many times more expensive. But to be honest they just sound different. most sound so much better on some genre but disappointing on others.

I have not found anything other than nt-6 that i enjoy on as many genres.

I have not bought much iems after I had the NT6. Only because my NT6 need repair after a few weeks after I initially had them and had to wait for more than a month.

If I had the nt6 to compare side by side with fitear 333 and ue18+. I would not have gotten both. The PP8 I only got as I think it is the closest to NT6 in universal form.

KSE1500 was for the unique sound and only considered it after getting a good deal used.

I tried the fourte, zeus, gemini, VE6 and other TOTL and found them excellent sounding but could not get myself add another iem in my collection.

The only thing that nt6 could not give is the spaciousness and soundstage of a full-size headphones. (Now I enjoy the cascade for it’s unique sound and portability/durabilty)

I still try new iems as they come along but I could not get the same wow factor when I first demoed nt6. Right there, I know I had to get it no matter what. Now that the price of NT6 has gone up, I realize I had to take better care of my nt6.

 

[SilverEars]

Nope, a lot of iems were proclaimed the best there is. including totl many times more expensive. But to be honest they just sound different. most sound so much better on some genre but disappointing on others.

I have not found anything other than nt-6 that i enjoy on as many genres.

I have not bought much iems after I had the NT6. Only because my NT6 need repair after a few weeks after I initially had them and had to wait for more than a month.

If I had the nt6 to compare side by side with fitear 333 and ue18+. I would not have gotten both. The PP8 I only got as I think it is the closest to NT6 in universal form.

KSE1500 was for the unique sound and only considered it after getting a good deal used.

I tried the fourte, zeus, gemini, VE6 and other TOTL and found them excellent sounding but could not get myself add another iem in my collection.

The only thing that nt6 could not give is the spaciousness and soundstage of a full-size headphones. (Now I enjoy the cascade for it’s unique sound and portability/durabilty)

I still try new iems as they come along but I could not get the same wow factor when I first demoed nt6. Right there, I know I had to get it no matter what. Now that the price of NT6 has gone up, I realize I had to take better care of my nt6.

You tipped it off for me to get back on NT6. I just sent off my impressions to Hidition. I agree what you say, it was the iem that I referenced with and was hard to beat back then and probably even now. Similarly, it was the stopping game for me as well.

 

[proedros]

according to another poster , there were 2 universal nt6/nt6pro sold from a big asian store for 550$ today , low price due to clearance sale, being shop demos

whoever got them got a bargain

 

[headwhacker]

You tipped it off for me to get back on NT6. I just sent off my impressions to Hidition. I agree what you say, it was the iem that I referenced with and was hard to beat back then and probably even now. Similarly, it was the stopping game for me as well.

Nice, NT6 is easily one of the classic TOTL ciem. The only remaining iem/s I am curious about is the SE5U and now SE6. But without the ability to listen to a demo. I just can’t make a blind purchase. Especially, the SE6.

 

[SilverEars]

Nice, NT6 is easily one of the classic TOTL ciem. The only remaining iem/s I am curious about is the SE5U and now SE6. But without the ability to listen to a demo. I just can’t make a blind purchase. Especially, the SE6.

I would not recommend making blind buy of Spiral Ears iems (well, anything that's high in price for that matter, but SE5 and 6 are pretty excessive in pricing). It has a peculiar sounding sig that will create polarizing opinions. Bass is great though, but I wasn't into it's mids and the treble. Such a darker signature doesn't suit me, but the bass does. Mids sounded nasal like the Forte. It has the best BA bass I've heard, and it's hard to believe it is actually BA bass, which is odd. it's a bit slow in speed as well, so it's not for those listen to a lot of EDM or fast paced music like hardcore rock. It's mainly suits jazz type stuff. Analogy would be the HD650 with lots of bass.

It actually doesn't have great extension if you consider the treble ranges that matter for instruments, particularly the cymbals. Not some mosquito flying around.

 

[headwhacker]

according to another poster , there were 2 universal nt6/nt6pro sold from a big asian store for 550$ today , low price due to clearance sale, being shop demos

whoever got them got a bargain

Universal is still at least a shade different than the custom version.

hidition iems is only one of a few I think which is inserted deep enough into my ear canal and be consistent isolation-wise. It makes a huge difference in perceiving bass response. Especially, subtle bass notes transition, details and layers. Which could sound muddy, bloated or just a single note on some iems.

An example is my UE18+ has more solid bass, impact and quantity. But they don’t quite deliver the same bass articulation as NT6 does. Which alao noticeably goes tighter/solid if you feed it with better source. Hence, the impresiion of scalability.

My fitear 333, sometimes could sound totally lacking bass. I have to re-insert it to get the proper isolation. I thought at first its just the fit. But I found out it is because of the shallow insert that the seal can easily break/leak.

 

[SilverEars]

Universal is still at least a shade different than the custom version.

hidition iems is only one of a few I think which is inserted deep enough into my ear canal and be consistent isolation-wise. It makes a huge difference in perceiving bass response. Especially, subtle bass notes transition, details and layers. Which could sound muddy, bloated or just a single note on some iems.

An example is my UE18+ has more solid bass, impact and quantity. But they don’t quite deliver the same bass articulation as NT6 does. Which alao noticeably goes tighter/solid if you feed it with better source. Hence, the impresiion of scalability.

My fitear 333, sometimes could sound totally lacking bass. I have to re-insert it to get the proper isolation. I thought at first its just the fit. But I found out it is because of the shallow insert that the seal can easily break/leak.

I think you're right, it's probably the tight fit that contributes to such a bass response with the 6 drivers. Most often times when people refer to neutral bass, I find it's rolled-off a bit, and NT6 isn't and I would say it's what I consider neutral bass (with low extension).

@proedros I think there is a difference between their universal and customs.

 

[headwhacker]

I would not recommend making blind buy of Spiral Ears iems (well, anything that's high in price for that matter, but SE5 and 6 are pretty excessive in pricing). It has a peculiar sounding sig that will create polarizing opinions. Bass is great though, but I wasn't into it's mids and the treble. Such a darker signature doesn't suit me, but the bass does. Mids sounded nasal like the Forte. It has the best BA bass I've heard, and it's hard to believe it is actually BA bass, which is odd. it's a bit slow in speed as well, so it's not for those listen to a lot of EDM or fast paced music like hardcore rock. It's mainly suits jazz type stuff. Analogy would be the HD650 with lots of bass.

Yeah that’s what Im afraid of. I don’t like warm signatures with rolled off treble. It always feel sinething is missing or everything sounds too distant.

The only warm headphone I enjoy is the ca cascade. Just because it has exaggerated bass response which makes it warm. However EQ and/or the cloth pad brings the bass down and make it one of pleasurable headphones to listen with.

Together with NT6, this is my daily on the go combo with DX200TI as the source in one compact case that easily fits in my bag.

 

[SilverEars]

Well, Cascade bass makes it warm, but I wouldn't characterize treble as rolled off. I think they lifted the low-bass to not bleed (at least not much) to the mids and the big thing is, it's a dynamic that does what it does and closed.

 

[Catomon]

according to another poster , there were 2 universal nt6/nt6pro sold from a big asian store for 550$ today , low price due to clearance sale, being shop demos

whoever got them got a bargain

It's null audios, when they just send off the email and I received, I stopped whatever I was doing and went to buy the nt6 demo in a heartbeat, however there was some transaction error and before I was able to resolve them somebody else went and bought it, I'm still rather antsy thinking about it

 

[proedros]

I would not recommend making blind buy of Spiral Ears iems (well, anything that's high in price for that matter, but SE5 and 6 are pretty excessive in pricing). It has a peculiar sounding sig that will create polarizing opinions. Bass is great though, but I wasn't into it's mids and the treble. Such a darker signature doesn't suit me, but the bass does. Mids sounded nasal like the Forte. It has the best BA bass I've heard, and it's hard to believe it is actually BA bass, which is odd. it's a bit slow in speed as well, so it's not for those listen to a lot of EDM or fast paced music like hardcore rock. It's mainly suits jazz type stuff. Analogy would be the HD650 with lots of bass.

It actually doesn't have great extension if you consider the treble ranges that matter for instruments, particularly the cymbals. Not some mosquito flying around.

thanx for the SE5 impressions , looks like not my cup of tea

regarding NT6 , what cable do you pair it with ? i may have to go get a new one as my whiplash hybrid is having bended pins

btw as much as i love my NT6 i find Zeus to be a better one (but Zeus cost me like twice and NT6 is more like 80-85% as good as Zeus so yeah def a keeper)

 

[headwhacker]

I just tried the NT-8 demo today at Zeppelin & Co. I have my custom NT-6 for comparison.

First of all the demo is a universal version. So consistency is really an issue putting the IEM on and off while comparing with my custom NT6. So this will take consideration.

Long story short, NT-8 is from my impression is nothing like the NT6 nor the NT6Pro. Whether, you like it or not depends on how you like NT-6.

If you absolutely love NT6 for it’s bell-like clarity and mid/treble sparkle, you may not like the NT-8. On the otherhand, if you hated NT-6 for the same reason then you might like the NT-8.

Overall, NT-8 has a smoother or rolled off treble in comparison to NT-6 enough to make cymbals appear distant or soft sounding. Timbre is also noticeably different for obvious reason because of that treble sparkle we came to love (or hate) with NT6 that is now absent in NT-8. Clarity is still there however.

I would treat NT-8 something like a different family of iem than a derivative of now legendary NT6/Pro. NT8, reminds me of PP8, technically very capable, but does not give me that jaw-dropping moment I had when I first listen to NT6( which I admit may not hapoen again nor very difficult to repeat at this point in my experience)

The bass does not sound elevated or greater than NT6, perhaps due to being a uni vs custom thing so cant really hear how the 2 addtional bass drivers made a difference. To be fair NT-6 bass is very good already to begin with.

Still, if I want an NT6 with a bit more bass, applying a LSF boost or HSF cut is the best option.

 

[SilverEars]

I just tried the NT-8 demo today at Zeppelin & Co. I have my custom NT-6 for comparison.

First of all the demo is a universal version. So consistency is really an issue putting the IEM on and off while comparing with my custom NT6. So this will take consideration.

Long story short, NT-8 is from my impression is nothing like the NT6 nor the NT6Pro. Whether, you like it or not depends on how you like NT-6.

If you absolutely love NT6 for it’s bell-like clarity and mid/treble sparkle, you may not like the NT-8. On the otherhand, if you hated NT-6 for the same reason then you might like the NT-8.

Overall, NT-8 has a smoother or rolled off treble in comparison to NT-6 enough to make cymbals appear distant or soft sounding. Timbre is also noticeably different for obvious reason because of that treble sparkle we came to love (or hate) with NT6 that is now absent in NT-8. Clarity is still there however.

I would treat NT-8 something like a different family of iem than a derivative of now legendary NT6/Pro. NT8, reminds me of PP8, technically very capable, but does not give me that jaw-dropping moment I had when I first listen to NT6( which I admit may not hapoen again nor very difficult to repeat at this point in my experience)

The bass does not sound elevated or greater than NT6, perhaps due to being a uni vs custom thing so cant really hear how the 2 addtional bass drivers made a difference. To be fair NT-6 bass is very good already to begin with.

Still, if I want an NT6 with a bit more bass, applying a LSF boost or HSF cut is the best option.

NT8 isn't similar to PP8 right? Since you are pointing out a common aspect of the two, I'm wondering if you think there are similarities to their signature. If NT8 sounds rolled off (relatively speaking), and based on what I've heard of PP8 (I'm quite familiar with it as I heard it extensively), they can't be alike in signature, unless you find PP8 rolled off (which wan't for me, I found it a bit prominent treble wise, and not truely that resolving even though one may think so with the lifted treble thinking more details are there), which I can't imagine.

I just realized this, PP8 and NT8 both have 8 drivers. Is this their similar technicalities? Just the number of drivers?

I assumed they would add the drivers for a more enhanced bass response, but if that's not it, I wonder what changes are made with the addition of new drivers? Perhaps more control of how the treble is tuned, when you say treble doesn't sound as bright as NT6.

I recall NT6 sounding it's best if I didn't listen to it for a awhile, and then your ears get used to and it gets boring again. LOL.

 

[SilverEars]

They started work on mine, and probably take about 3 weeks. Currently, they do not except any sort of online payments for folks from outside South Korea (I guess they faced some complications with this). They only except wire transfers like Spiral Ears. It's worth noting that banks charge for wire transfers, and it's not cheap. It can vary depending on the bank and my bank goes through a bank in NY is why it's costlier.

For wire transfer, they will provide all the info and the payment should be to Hidition and the company's address.

When you get the impression made, it should be relaxed closed mouth jaw. Also, make sure to point out to the audiologist to get more excess at the exterior based on the images on this page. Take the images of the impression in different perspectives making sure they see the the base or the excess part, to get approval to get it made.

http://hidition.co.kr/process_a

Once approved by them via email, you send the impressions to this address (which is in this link along with the instructions).

http://hidition.co.kr/81581

They will ask for your choice in color of the earphone and art. They will also ask for what cable colors you want as they provide varieties of options for that as well. Here is the link.

http://hidition.co.kr/86423

The cables look like this.

 

[headwhacker]

NT8 isn't similar to PP8 right? Since you are pointing out a common aspect of the two, I'm wondering if you think there are similarities to their signature. If NT8 sounds rolled off (relatively speaking), and based on what I've heard of PP8 (I'm quite familiar with it as I heard it extensively), they can't be alike in signature, unless you find PP8 rolled off (which wan't for me, I found it a bit prominent treble wise, and not truely that resolving even though one may think so with the lifted treble thinking more details are there), which I can't imagine.

I just realized this, PP8 and NT8 both have 8 drivers. Is this their similar technicalities? Just the number of drivers?

I assumed they would add the drivers for a more enhanced bass response, but if that's not it, I wonder what changes are made with the addition of new drivers? Perhaps more control of how the treble is tuned, when you say treble doesn't sound as bright as NT6.

I recall NT6 sounding it's best if I didn't listen to it for a awhile, and then your ears get used to and it gets boring again. LOL.

NT-8 is not similar to PP8. I dont know NT-8 just reminded me of PP8 just technically very capable but does not have the same magic as NT-6. Though I always listen to PP8 at different switch settings. I might have remember its sound with the bass on and treble switch off. Hence, the reference.

I actually find the bass of NT6 more detailed. that NT-8. NT8 just a little bit more if quantity. But most of the time it just feel the same. Maybe on some music with more bass content I hear a little bit more mid bass but I felt NT6 has more subbass.