[Takeda`1537]

I've heard many hype the ie200... I believe they're similarly tuned, no? I even saw the ie900 for 500$ on ebay but then i got sketched out, it looked too good to be true. I'll probably get the ie 200 or 300 to get a feel for a single dd and just the ie line up, and if I like, then get the 600. This is after my pinnacle u12t of course

U12t is a no brainier ... I was listening at mines today moving in between meetings and conference calls (not that conference calls need such a great sound prowess, but Twisted Into Form and Witherfall do need sonic proficiency... ) ... They sounds soooooo good!

I have tried the IE300 and IE900... IE600 are on another level. I managed to find a pair for just under 400 on eBay. So it may be worth hunting for a good deal with a bit of patience vs. the cost or random try/release trials ..

 

[LucasKA]

To push you further into the rabbit hole, this is a good thread where people talks about the "best IEM" (subjective of course) they had heard. Its good to see that U12t are often in people's top list.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/rank-the-iems-youve-heard.454855/page-329#post-17731689

 

[Takeda`1537]

To push you further into the rabbit hole, this is a good thread where people talks about the "best IEM" (subjective of course) they had heard. Its good to see that U12t are often in people's top list.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/rank-the-iems-youve-heard.454855/page-329#post-17731689

Thanks, was not aware of it. This looks like a very interesting thread ...
All is subjective preference-wise but interesting to read ...., just hope it will not give me too many ideas to buy too many more of these kits .....

 

[Yamil]

U12t is a no brainier ... I was listening at mines today moving in between meetings and conference calls (not that conference calls need such a great sound prowess, but Twisted Into Form and Witherfall do need sonic proficiency... ) ... They sounds soooooo good!

I have tried the IE300 and IE900... IE600 are on another level. I managed to find a pair for just under 400 on eBay. So it may be worth hunting for a good deal with a bit of patience vs. the cost or random try/release trials ..

what about ie 600 made you like more than the ie900? shouldn't the ie900 be better than all the ie lineup in every way?

 

[Takeda`1537]

what about ie 600 made you like more than the ie900? shouldn't the ie900 be better than all the ie lineup in every way?

As ever, all depends on personal preferences and perceptions. While AB-ing I felt the IE600 to be slightly more punchier and detailed than its more expensive sibling.
I also assumed, initially, that the most expensive of the two would have been better and I ended up liking the IE600 over the IE900.

(albeit I have to say that, occasionally I question myself about how much my perceptions are actual and how much these may be just influenced by reviews and frequency response graphs. This is particular for items that I can try only for a limited amount of time before making taking a view)

 

[LucasKA]

Thanks, was not aware of it. This looks like a very interesting thread ...
All is subjective preference-wise but interesting to read ...., just hope it will not give me too many ideas to buy too many more of these kits .....

You are welcome....it was useful for me to know what is beyond U12t and what other interesting choices there are...it did push me to buy the VE Phonix, and I am now also interested to hear Trifecta....

 

[Yamil]

As ever, all depends on personal preferences and perceptions. While AB-ing I felt the IE600 to be slightly more punchier and detailed than its more expensive sibling.
I also assumed, initially, that the most expensive of the two would have been better and I ended up liking the IE600 over the IE900.

(albeit I have to say that, occasionally I question myself about how much my perceptions are actual and how much these may be just influenced by reviews and frequency response graphs. This is particular for items that I can try only for a limited amount of time before making taking a view)

It's weird to see cheaper iems do better than the more expensive ones. I know it's partially subjective, but it feels like it shouldn't be that way. Personally, I like my kiwi quintets (220$) and 7hz timeless ae (260$) more than both of my mid-fi iems (dunu sa mk2, and Mangird xenns top, which are closer to the 600$ range) Obviously, they don't compare in resolution to either of the mid-fi iems, but once you hear resolution, you begin looking for more specific things in an iem.

I totally agree with the influence of reviewers and frequency response graphs, although, I can't read those too well. It makes you doubt yourself when everyone is heavily criticizing an iem that you thought was good. I felt that way when I bought the Mangird Xenns Top instead of the Moondrop Variations. I saw some reviews calling the Xenns Top the better Variations, but I still doubt that to this day, especially because the Variations are so highly praised for a mid-fi iem. I sort of learned to trust the hype around iems (and headphones), because most of the time they won't disappoint. I got the Sennheiser hd600 not too long ago, and I was blown away by how good they were for the price.

 

[Yamil]

You are welcome....it was useful for me to know what is beyond U12t and what other interesting choices there are...it did push me to buy the VE Phonix, and I am now also interested to hear Trifecta....

4000$ for an iem seems insane, but 2000$ also seemed insane when I was still buying mid-fi iems, so maybe one I'll get them. I'm trying really hard to keep my expectations low for the u12t. I don't think it'll be 2x better than the u4s (1100$), although I would love that. I just don't know what 2000$ is supposed to sound like.

 

[Takeda`1537]

As ever, all depends on personal preferences and perceptions. While AB-ing I felt the IE600 to be slightly more punchier and detailed than its more expensive sibling.
I also assumed, initially, that the most expensive of the two would have been better and I ended up liking the IE600 over the IE900.

It's weird to see cheaper iems do better than the more expensive ones. I know it's partially subjective, but it feels like it shouldn't be that way. Personally, I like my kiwi quintets (220$) and 7hz timeless ae (260$) more than both of my mid-fi iems (dunu sa mk2, and Mangird xenns top, which are closer to the 600$ range) Obviously, they don't compare in resolution to either of the mid-fi iems, but once you hear resolution, you begin looking for more specific things in an iem.

I totally agree with the influence of reviewers and frequency response graphs, although, I can't read those too well. It makes you doubt yourself when everyone is heavily criticizing an iem that you thought was good. I felt that way when I bought the Mangird Xenns Top instead of the Moondrop Variations. I saw some reviews calling the Xenns Top the better Variations, but I still doubt that to this day, especially because the Variations are so highly praised for a mid-fi iem. I sort of learned to trust the hype around iems (and headphones), because most of the time they won't disappoint. I got the Sennheiser hd600 not too long ago, and I was blown away by how good they were for the price.

It may feel counter intuitive and there is fair degree of discretion and personal preference in anyone’s preference and it is difficult to find anything that is able to meet everybody’s preference, moreover across multiple parameters…

Fourte has an amazing level of detail but some find it having too much slam and a sub-par bass.. Many reviewers consider the cheaper Trio better than the more expensive sibling.
Trio has top-of-the-line bass but some may find it lacks detail .. I fall in latter category.

Regarding U4s vs U12t…there is quite a gap in terms of technicalities. I can only say what my experience and preference are like. Ultimately there is no replacement to you trying them out and making your mind overtime (including the likely option that you may change your mind overtime).
U12t is one of my preferred IEMs, it has been for a few years by now but that is me, others will have their own views...

 

[Takeda`1537]

4000$ for an iem seems insane, but 2000$ also seemed insane when I was still buying mid-fi iems, so maybe one I'll get them. I'm trying really hard to keep my expectations low for the u12t. I don't think it'll be 2x better than the u4s (1100$), although I would love that. I just don't know what 2000$ is supposed to sound like.

second hand U4t and U12t deals do not cost too far from each other...

 

[virgil990]

The u12ts for me are end game. The right cable to add some warmth and balance it out with a Hugo 2 is bliss. As others have said the second hand price on u12ts is nearly impossible to beat. They take you right up to the edge in technicalities. Anything above is simply different. It may be better at certain things but will be worse at others. U12ts take you right up to the edge, all guns blazing, anything down in the valley takes a single spectacular horse.

 

[Shungite Trillionaire]

The u12ts for me are end game. The right cable to add some warmth and balance it out with a Hugo 2 is bliss. As others have said the second hand price on u12ts is nearly impossible to beat. They take you right up to the edge in technicalities. Anything above is simply different. It may be better at certain things but will be worse at others. U12ts take you right up to the edge, all guns blazing, anything down in the valley takes a single spectacular horse.

Do you think the Mojo 2 would be enough for the U12t in terms of transparency? The soundstage is usually pretty limited regardless of what I plug into it and I compared Elegia and Clear OG and it didn't seem as if the Mojo 2 was able to provide all the information from the Clear, but these are full sized HPs so idk. The Cadenza sounded better than the EJ07M but not by much, which truth be told might not be the Mojo's fault, but it could be.

 

[maynardewm]

Hi! Resurrecting a thread from about 6 months ago but I can contribute to this discussion because I have both the U4S and the U12T. They are both similar. The U12T is more detailed, and has a wider sound stage. I wouldn't say it's a significant difference, but it's definitely there. I actually like the bass of the U12T better. The U4S has more bass, but hear me out! The U4S with the m15 (medium) module was too overpowering in the bass for me. It sound unnaturally bass boosted. So I like using the U4S with the M12 module but it's just a hair too little bass in my opinion. The U12T with the M15 module is the perfect amount of bass though. I also find the bass on the U12T to be a bit less muddy, which is maybe my biggest complaint with the U4S.

If I had to summarize it in one word for each, the U4S is a "fun" tuning, and the U12T is a more "accurate" tuning. Is it worth the $1000 difference? Yes and no. It's worth it to me I guess because $1k is no big deal when talking about something that I'm going to use every day for years. Might as well make the most of it I say! But it's not going to be twice as good. Maybe like 20% better. But it's like the difference between something that is in my opinion perfect (the U12T) and something that is great (the U4S). When I listen to the U12T it's not a mind blowing experience. It's a feeling of "ahh, yeah that's what it should sound like. That's what I'm looking for". And the U4S experience is a "woah, that is good". Hope this helps someone!

 

[Takeda`1537]

The u12ts for me are end game. The right cable to add some warmth and balance it out with a Hugo 2 is bliss. As others have said the second hand price on u12ts is nearly impossible to beat. They take you right up to the edge in technicalities. Anything above is simply different. It may be better at certain things but will be worse at others. U12ts take you right up to the edge, all guns blazing, anything down in the valley takes a single spectacular horse.

It would not make much difference at all to use different cables with the U12t (or the U4s), aside from aesthetics.
U12t (& the U4s) have a LID tech, and they sound the same regardless of the cable's impedance

https://www.64audio.com/pages/lid

 

[Yamil]

Hi! Resurrecting a thread from about 6 months ago but I can contribute to this discussion because I have both the U4S and the U12T. They are both similar. The U12T is more detailed, and has a wider sound stage. I wouldn't say it's a significant difference, but it's definitely there. I actually like the bass of the U12T better. The U4S has more bass, but hear me out! The U4S with the m15 (medium) module was too overpowering in the bass for me. It sound unnaturally bass boosted. So I like using the U4S with the M12 module but it's just a hair too little bass in my opinion. The U12T with the M15 module is the perfect amount of bass though. I also find the bass on the U12T to be a bit less muddy, which is maybe my biggest complaint with the U4S.

If I had to summarize it in one word for each, the U4S is a "fun" tuning, and the U12T is a more "accurate" tuning. Is it worth the $1000 difference? Yes and no. It's worth it to me I guess because $1k is no big deal when talking about something that I'm going to use every day for years. Might as well make the most of it I say! But it's not going to be twice as good. Maybe like 20% better. But it's like the difference between something that is in my opinion perfect (the U12T) and something that is great (the U4S). When I listen to the U12T it's not a mind blowing experience. It's a feeling of "ahh, yeah that's what it should sound like. That's what I'm looking for". And the U4S experience is a "woah, that is good". Hope this helps someone!

Hello, i completely forgot about this post but I did end up getting the u12t, along with many other iems since then. I even returned the u4s because I found the u4s and u12t to be similar enough. obviously, the u12t is the superior iem, but I'd actually say its only 10% of an improvement. Those diminishing returns hit extra hard past the 1k$ mark.

My one and only critique of the u12t is the timbre on cymbals and hi hats. I really tried to like it, but that zing bothers me. A lot. Still, everything else is perfect about the u12t. I saw it more of a learning curve, a very expensive one, but I realized how much I valued a natural sound. I guess that's the sacrifice for extreme resolution? I recently got the Unique Melody Mk2 and apart from it's superb bass texture, I loved how natural it sounded given its high levels of resolution. Its currently my favorite iem with u12t very very close to it.