I made my choice last year using the universal version against a number of top IEM’s. I then purchased the custom version based on the sound improving overall and the bass in particular. And that is exactly what happened. My emotional feeling was one of being more connected to the music and just greater enjoyment. On an objective level, the bass had a bit more impact which made the overall sound of the IEM that much better. I liked it much better than all of the 64 Audio line as an example. At this year’s Canjam, it was again superior, in my opinion of course, than the Mason V3+, the Mest, the Final A8000, etc. I did really like the Luna however, but in a quick comparison I still preferred the QDC, but I would like to listen more to the Luna in the future.
One other thing, QDC does a great job on the build of a custom. I went for a wood faceplate. They might have more custom choices vs the online tool if you ask. I posted a picture of mine below. Please let us know what you choose and your impressions of them. Good listening. Tks.
Thank you for the response! I'll probably go with the universal just because it's so much cheaper (planning on getting them used in Shanghai/Headfi). If I really like the QDC I don't mind selling the universals and getting the customs
After being pretty disappointed by my A12Ts I'd rather play it safe.
Thank you for the response! I'll probably go with the universal just because it's so much cheaper (planning on getting them used in Shanghai/Headfi). If I really like the QDC I don't mind selling the universals and getting the customs
After being pretty disappointed by my A12Ts I'd rather play it safe.
@eternairest thats prob the safer move, also depends on where you are, you can also send your VX-S in to get in made into a VX-C, and ofc it will cost quite a bit more than just getting the VX-C. but unlike 64, qdc don't have a inconsistency issue between their universal and custom model. most of the benefit you get from a custom VX is obviously fit, and the better bass response from it, also a deeper fit and a more preferable treble peak from that. also qdc have a upgrade program if you are the original owner of your VX and brought it from an authorized dealer. so you are not stuck with your old qdc flagship iem when a new flagship comes out.
I don't think I've ever seen that written down, so now I'm curious. Were you disappointed in the A12t in comparison to a U12t, or just with the x12t in general?
I don't think I've ever seen that written down, so now I'm curious. Were you disappointed in the A12t in comparison to a U12t, or just with the x12t in general?
I tried the U12T in-store and they didn't blow me away but they sounded good and I wanted to finally get customs and that was the best I could find. After getting my A12Ts, I realized I much prefer my Andromedas... The bass in the A12Ts is too overpowering for me and for some reason, they always sound muddy compared to the andros.
My A12Ts are getting probably 1-2 hours of use a month (when my roommate is being loud lol). I did try the QDC VX in Singapore and they sounded so much better than the A12Ts and now I'm regretting getting them...
I tried the U12T in-store and they didn't blow me away but they sounded good and I wanted to finally get customs and that was the best I could find. After getting my A12Ts, I realized I much prefer my Andromedas... The bass in the A12Ts is too overpowering for me and for some reason, they always sound muddy compared to the andros.
My A12Ts are getting probably 1-2 hours of use a month (when my roommate is being loud lol). I did try the QDC VX in Singapore and they sounded so much better than the A12Ts and now I'm regretting getting them...
@eternairest thats prob the safer move, also depends on where you are, you can also send your VX-S in to get in made into a VX-C, and ofc it will cost quite a bit more than just getting the VX-C. but unlike 64, qdc don't have a inconsistency issue between their universal and custom model. most of the benefit you get from a custom VX is obviously fit, and the better bass response from it, also a deeper fit and a more preferable treble peak from that. also qdc have a upgrade program if you are the original owner of your VX and brought it from an authorized dealer. so you are not stuck with your old qdc flagship iem when a new flagship comes out.
I tried the U12T in-store and they didn't blow me away but they sounded good and I wanted to finally get customs and that was the best I could find. After getting my A12Ts, I realized I much prefer my Andromedas... The bass in the A12Ts is too overpowering for me and for some reason, they always sound muddy compared to the andros.
My A12Ts are getting probably 1-2 hours of use a month (when my roommate is being loud lol). I did try the QDC VX in Singapore and they sounded so much better than the A12Ts and now I'm regretting getting them...
I spent a lot of time with the 4SS over the last week and compared it with my 3 DD IEMS, the Sony EX1000, Astell & Kern T8iE MKII and a modded JVC FD02 (basically identical with Drop FDX1) Keep in mind that my experience in analyzing and describing sound is limited, but I played the piano for many years and used to visit classical concerts frequently.
Source used: CHORD Mojo, Tidal Hifi and FLAC
Resolution and detail:
The 4SS is much faster and has much higher resolution than any of my DD IEMs, which gives it plenty of detail and texture from top to bottom. The detail really comes from the resolution and not from any trickery with the frequency response, which is dead flat without spikes and valleys in a frequency sweep test. Downside of that fast and detailed presentation is that it can simply be too fast to sound natural. Cymbals hit with the metal brush can sound grainy and notes decay quickly without the natural shimmer. Likewise, piano notes can lack a natural sustain and decay.
The T8iE is closest in resolution and detail also a bit faster than natural and more coarse detail, the EX1k strikes the best and most natural balance IMO with a very realistic attack and decay.
Soundstage
The soundstage is wide and deep with very precise positioning, separation and layering, better than any of the DDs. EX1k is wider but less deep and quite fuzzy in terms of positioning, the T8iE is closest with similar width, maybe even a little more depth and good positioning, but the 4SS has clearly better positioning and layering and excellent width and depth.
Bass
The frequency response is well extended, although the sub bass does not reach down into the very lowest registers, and while it has punch, it does not have the slam of the DDs, especially the EX1k with it’s really well extended, textured and energetic, dynamic bass.
The peculiar character of the 4SS
I find describing the midrange and overall signature extremely difficult. I believe it is a combination of the highly resolving and fast BA sound with the flat frequency response that creates a quite different presentation. Really monitoring flat neutral. My DD IEMs all have a clarity and smoothness, a certain shimmer, some musicality, color, or whatever you want to call it. The 4SS is so damn flat that it can appear like there’s a veil or haziness, but there is none! It’s refined and detailed, just in a flatter and drier way than the DDs. That also gives it nicely forward vocals, especially male ones. But it needs some time for the brain to adapt.
Treble is a bit like bass, detailed, textured and highly defined, both in the time and space domain. The price to pay for that resolution and speed is the sometime too fast decay and in rare cases a grainy cymbal hit.
In the end it’s easily the most detailed and resolving IEM in my collection, with the most precise sound stage positioning and layering. It is also the most revealing and accurate, as it should be for a monitoring IEM. With good recordings, and after a little adaptation to the signature, the 4SS is a stunnigly precise IEM that is also a lot of fun to listen to and gives me a new perspective on my music collection. And finally there’s a good IEM for male vocals…
So is it good? I think yes, it is really, really good at what it is designed for, but it is not a mainstream IEM.
Some selected notes about specific pieces:
Nitro Heist
Winner: 4SS, 2nd: EX1k
4SS is….
Very precise, detailed, surprisingly powerful in bass, but not as mighty
Soundstage is wide and deep, very precise
Very controlled
T8iE is…
More diffuse in the soundstage
Has a different timbre
More bite and sparkle in the treble (plucked steel strings)
More energy but really smaller soundstage and fuzzy
This is the first time I feel that the T8iE is lacking clarity!?!?
EX1k has…
similarly wide soundstage, but less pinpoint accurate, maybe even wider
More powerful than 4SS, but closer in signature than T8iE
More fluid in the sound presentation
A little more macro detail instead of microdetail
Less mid-forward, strings sound less forward
More congested!?!? 4SS has better separation and layering
More shimmering
Holst – the Planets, Jupiter, Vienna Philharmonics
Winner: EX1k, 4SS/FD02
FD02: strident, a little bright, but engaging. Soundstage ok, not very big, not very focused.
EX1k: Big and open, more “distant”, more foundation, “center of gravity is lower”
A bit smoother than FD02, but not necessarily better positioning, detail
Still, a bit “better”. Overall very natural, dynamic, clear and open
T8iE: More precise than EX1k. Stage also very wide but significantly better focused. Better layering and separation. More colorful than EX1k. Lots of information. That is a little more intense to listen to, not as relaxing. EX1k strings sound more natural. T8iE makes me feel a little unwell?? Almost too much? Fake detail?
4SS: different… flatter… But feels natural… detailed… This special signature, almost veiled, different, a bit “hollow”? Not bad, but needs getting used to. Ever so slightly dry, not gritty but also not as smooth as the EX1k or even the FD02
Very clean. Very detailed. I like it, but there is a hint of the same feeling as with the T8iE, a little technical rather than musical. I’d like a bit smoother and warmer sound. Also dynamics (contrast) seems a little limited.
Andras Schiff, Peter Serkin Piano: Winner: EX1k
4SS: sounds good. Clear, detailed, nothing harsh.
EX1k: more fluid, more dynamic, shimmery, lively, more realistic decay. Even at same volume setting it sounds more powerful. More musical. Clear winner
Makes 4SS sound dry and a bit lifeless and sterile.
Neil Diamond, “The Story of My Life” 50th anniversary collection
4SS: vocals like a separate layer above the music. “Grande” impression
Vocals forward, in the center of the music. Present. Less smooth than the DDs. Very hard to describe. It’s like the sound has a microtexture like paper, whereas the FD02 is more like a smooth plastic, EX1k almost as smooth and T8iE somewhere in between.
T8iE: warmer, vocals a little recessed, more embedded in the music, less forward.
Still very clear, more relaxed. Slightly less present detail
FD02: Smoother, music more presented as a whole trather than the sum of many tiny details. Slight “halo” effect, a little fuzzy, sweeter, more pronounced bass in a filling, rolling way.
Vocals a more recessed than T8iE, music can slightly overpower the voice. Smooth and sweet.
EX1k: similarly smooth as the FD02, also a little sweet, but tighter and more neutral, vocals more forward,
Pink Floyd “Time”
EX1k: Sharp bell ringing. Clean, clear and powerful, yet realistic not boosted, tight bass. Good sense of space but positioning a little fuzzy. Vocals clear, but synth sounds a little muffled. (in the recording)
FD02: slightly softer but perfectly natural bell ringing. A bit less open and spacious sounding, even fuzzier positioning. Less clarity and definition than EX1k. Vocals a tad brighter and more forward and centered, bass more present but with less definition and resolution and separation.
T8iE: bells almost as sharp as the EX1k, sharper than FD02. Soundstage not as wide as EX1k but much deeper, with better positioning. A little faster and more resolving. Vocals slightly recessed due to the more forward bass. Sharper detail, a little grittier e-guitar.
4SS: bells just slightly harsh, not just energy but a bit also the speed. Soundstage slightly smaller than T8iE but even sharper focus. Very good separation of elements. quite a bit more resolution than the T8iE but smoother, guitar and vocals are much more forward and well separated from rest of music. Background music really moves back a step and is on one hand detailed but also muffled. (a bit more than with other IEMs)
@surfgeorge hey, nice write up! I'm generally against blind buying, but you seems to know what you wanted and I'm glad you end up liking them. Sadly there is not really an upgrade to 4SS, since qdc's own 8SS not really the same. the 5.5kHz dip on the 8SS is more apparent due to how neutral it is.
But if you like the sound signature of your JVC
you know which qdc you have to get next XD
@surfgeorge hey, nice write up! I'm generally against blind buying, but you seems to know what you wanted and I'm glad you end up liking them. Sadly there is not really an upgrade to 4SS, since qdc's own 8SS not really the same. the 5.5kHz dip on the 8SS is more apparent due to how neutral it is.
But if you like the sound signature of your JVC
you know which qdc you have to get next XD
@surfgeorge hey, nice write up! I'm generally against blind buying, but you seems to know what you wanted and I'm glad you end up liking them. Sadly there is not really an upgrade to 4SS, since qdc's own 8SS not really the same. the 5.5kHz dip on the 8SS is more apparent due to how neutral it is.
But if you like the sound signature of your JVC
you know which qdc you have to get next XD
Thanks for the recommendation! Yes, I think I would like the VX, but for now my funds are used up
The most interesting part of this is to actually own a BA IEM and give it the long and thorough listen that's necessary to understand it's strengths and limitations.
It's really different from my DDs, and definitely a really high quality addition to my collection.
@Focux
I made a really bad joke a while back saying Fusion is just a better solaris at half the price. I have not tried the Fusion since I didnt have access to it when i went to JP. But Antman was kind enough to send me his Uranus which use the same DD and implementation of that DD. I'm not a big fan of how the DD should sound which is very BA like...
I spent a lot of time with the 4SS over the last week and compared it with my 3 DD IEMS, the Sony EX1000, Astell & Kern T8iE MKII and a modded JVC FD02 (basically identical with Drop FDX1) Keep in mind that my experience in analyzing and describing sound is limited, but I played the piano for many years and used to visit classical concerts frequently.
Source used: CHORD Mojo, Tidal Hifi and FLAC
Resolution and detail:
The 4SS is much faster and has much higher resolution than any of my DD IEMs, which gives it plenty of detail and texture from top to bottom. The detail really comes from the resolution and not from any trickery with the frequency response, which is dead flat without spikes and valleys in a frequency sweep test. Downside of that fast and detailed presentation is that it can simply be too fast to sound natural. Cymbals hit with the metal brush can sound grainy and notes decay quickly without the natural shimmer. Likewise, piano notes can lack a natural sustain and decay.
The T8iE is closest in resolution and detail also a bit faster than natural and more coarse detail, the EX1k strikes the best and most natural balance IMO with a very realistic attack and decay.
Soundstage
The soundstage is wide and deep with very precise positioning, separation and layering, better than any of the DDs. EX1k is wider but less deep and quite fuzzy in terms of positioning, the T8iE is closest with similar width, maybe even a little more depth and good positioning, but the 4SS has clearly better positioning and layering and excellent width and depth.
Bass
The frequency response is well extended, although the sub bass does not reach down into the very lowest registers, and while it has punch, it does not have the slam of the DDs, especially the EX1k with it’s really well extended, textured and energetic, dynamic bass.
The peculiar character of the 4SS
I find describing the midrange and overall signature extremely difficult. I believe it is a combination of the highly resolving and fast BA sound with the flat frequency response that creates a quite different presentation. Really monitoring flat neutral. My DD IEMs all have a clarity and smoothness, a certain shimmer, some musicality, color, or whatever you want to call it. The 4SS is so damn flat that it can appear like there’s a veil or haziness, but there is none! It’s refined and detailed, just in a flatter and drier way than the DDs. That also gives it nicely forward vocals, especially male ones. But it needs some time for the brain to adapt.
Treble is a bit like bass, detailed, textured and highly defined, both in the time and space domain. The price to pay for that resolution and speed is the sometime too fast decay and in rare cases a grainy cymbal hit.
In the end it’s easily the most detailed and resolving IEM in my collection, with the most precise sound stage positioning and layering. It is also the most revealing and accurate, as it should be for a monitoring IEM. With good recordings, and after a little adaptation to the signature, the 4SS is a stunnigly precise IEM that is also a lot of fun to listen to and gives me a new perspective on my music collection. And finally there’s a good IEM for male vocals…
So is it good? I think yes, it is really, really good at what it is designed for, but it is not a mainstream IEM.
Some selected notes about specific pieces:
Nitro Heist
Winner: 4SS, 2nd: EX1k
4SS is….
Very precise, detailed, surprisingly powerful in bass, but not as mighty
Soundstage is wide and deep, very precise
Very controlled
T8iE is…
More diffuse in the soundstage
Has a different timbre
More bite and sparkle in the treble (plucked steel strings)
More energy but really smaller soundstage and fuzzy
This is the first time I feel that the T8iE is lacking clarity!?!?
EX1k has…
similarly wide soundstage, but less pinpoint accurate, maybe even wider
More powerful than 4SS, but closer in signature than T8iE
More fluid in the sound presentation
A little more macro detail instead of microdetail
Less mid-forward, strings sound less forward
More congested!?!? 4SS has better separation and layering
More shimmering
Holst – the Planets, Jupiter, Vienna Philharmonics
Winner: EX1k, 4SS/FD02
FD02: strident, a little bright, but engaging. Soundstage ok, not very big, not very focused.
EX1k: Big and open, more “distant”, more foundation, “center of gravity is lower”
A bit smoother than FD02, but not necessarily better positioning, detail
Still, a bit “better”. Overall very natural, dynamic, clear and open
T8iE: More precise than EX1k. Stage also very wide but significantly better focused. Better layering and separation. More colorful than EX1k. Lots of information. That is a little more intense to listen to, not as relaxing. EX1k strings sound more natural. T8iE makes me feel a little unwell?? Almost too much? Fake detail?
4SS: different… flatter… But feels natural… detailed… This special signature, almost veiled, different, a bit “hollow”? Not bad, but needs getting used to. Ever so slightly dry, not gritty but also not as smooth as the EX1k or even the FD02
Very clean. Very detailed. I like it, but there is a hint of the same feeling as with the T8iE, a little technical rather than musical. I’d like a bit smoother and warmer sound. Also dynamics (contrast) seems a little limited.
Andras Schiff, Peter Serkin Piano: Winner: EX1k
4SS: sounds good. Clear, detailed, nothing harsh.
EX1k: more fluid, more dynamic, shimmery, lively, more realistic decay. Even at same volume setting it sounds more powerful. More musical. Clear winner
Makes 4SS sound dry and a bit lifeless and sterile.
Neil Diamond, “The Story of My Life” 50th anniversary collection
4SS: vocals like a separate layer above the music. “Grande” impression
Vocals forward, in the center of the music. Present. Less smooth than the DDs. Very hard to describe. It’s like the sound has a microtexture like paper, whereas the FD02 is more like a smooth plastic, EX1k almost as smooth and T8iE somewhere in between.
T8iE: warmer, vocals a little recessed, more embedded in the music, less forward.
Still very clear, more relaxed. Slightly less present detail
FD02: Smoother, music more presented as a whole trather than the sum of many tiny details. Slight “halo” effect, a little fuzzy, sweeter, more pronounced bass in a filling, rolling way.
Vocals a more recessed than T8iE, music can slightly overpower the voice. Smooth and sweet.
EX1k: similarly smooth as the FD02, also a little sweet, but tighter and more neutral, vocals more forward,
Pink Floyd “Time”
EX1k: Sharp bell ringing. Clean, clear and powerful, yet realistic not boosted, tight bass. Good sense of space but positioning a little fuzzy. Vocals clear, but synth sounds a little muffled. (in the recording)
FD02: slightly softer but perfectly natural bell ringing. A bit less open and spacious sounding, even fuzzier positioning. Less clarity and definition than EX1k. Vocals a tad brighter and more forward and centered, bass more present but with less definition and resolution and separation.
T8iE: bells almost as sharp as the EX1k, sharper than FD02. Soundstage not as wide as EX1k but much deeper, with better positioning. A little faster and more resolving. Vocals slightly recessed due to the more forward bass. Sharper detail, a little grittier e-guitar.
4SS: bells just slightly harsh, not just energy but a bit also the speed. Soundstage slightly smaller than T8iE but even sharper focus. Very good separation of elements. quite a bit more resolution than the T8iE but smoother, guitar and vocals are much more forward and well separated from rest of music. Background music really moves back a step and is on one hand detailed but also muffled. (a bit more than with other IEMs)
What’s great about your write-up is it seems honestly objective. Such a self-test and maybe slightly brave to have all DD and order a BA “monitor” which is going to be designed closer to flat. Also your knowing of mental burn-in and the added reality that’s at times beyond our perception if we are used to a single IEM sound.
It’s also always cool to read of someone taking a slight risk and being happy. Cheers!
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I'd rather play it safe.
