[MRT-Man]

I just got the same strap, for use with my SP1000 and KSE1500. It's a bit of a tight fit with the KSE1500, but it works. I have to be careful with positioning though, because otherwise the strap applies upward pressure on the interconnect cable, which can make it loose. But overall I'm happy with the setup -- much less annoying than using a strap, which inevitably ends up covering an inconvenient part of the screen.

I'm also using the Pelican 1040 for the SP1000 & KSE, though personally I think the 1020 is better for the IEMs so that they can be coiled a little less tightly.

 

[siruspan]

Auditioning 64audio U18tzar, tia fourte and kse1500 head to head

 

[John Culter]

Auditioning 64audio U18tzar, tia fourte and kse1500 head to head

Can't wait those impressions ... please can you briefly compare U18t with comply tips vs KSE1500 with olive tips?

Still very impressed with the small size of U18t. Didn't realised before it's even smaller than KSE1500 when compared side by side.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Looking forward to testing KSE during my European tour, which will start next Wednesday.

 

[bflat]

LOL. Didn't notice until today, the KSE1200 IEMS are labeled KSE1500. Also I just needed to add some 6mm foam to the top lid of Pelican 1040 case and it fits the SP1000 + KSE1200 amp stack perfectly.

 

[siruspan]

I was listening u18tzar, tia fourte and my KSE1500 (KSE1200 to be exact) out of my Sony WM1a.

Tia fourte - very wide soundstage, incredible clarity but they are rolled off somowhere between mids and highs which kills the timbre and what's worse they have an unpleasant highs. The highs arent harsh but there are boosted and very accentuated on piano notes for example. I consider myself a neutral-trebble head but I've been listening to them about 15-20 minutes and I've already felt fatigue. I've tried both stock foams and silicone tips.

u18tzar - now that's more like it. They are warm and with boosted bass however they retain correct timbre. Resolution is stunning, the soundstage is very good. They have very "fun" tuning with punchy sound but with world class technicalities. Kinda remainded me UE triplefi10 but 10 times better in every aspect. Thick midrange, fat bass, with good inoffensive highs. I would call highs that they are good enough. What was very suprising with their warmer and more fun approach they hold their own in more audiophile recordings.

KSE1500 - most neutral, transparent, with best clarity and coherence but also they are not immediately striking Smaller soundstage than u18tzar but the sound is also closer, so close that you feel you almost can touch it. Highs are by far the best out of the three. Midrange, neutral and accurate, definately not as weighty and thick as u18tzar. Less bass which is also faster and more compact but still not lacking. Same as in u18tzar it's suprising is how versatile they both are. I would expect that they will be great with softer music but they hold their own with rock, metal and electronics as good as u18tzar in audiophile recordings.

Tia fourte was packed into box after 20 minutes. I wouldn't call them a let down but they are half baked to me.
I've spent over an hour comparing u18tzar and KSE1500 and I think they are very comparable. They have very different tuning but they both are very versatile. I think that I could live with both of them.



@John Culter u18tzar are indeed not very big but they are very thick so they protrude out of the ear quite a lot. Tia fourte are even bulkier, not by much but still. KSE1500 basically fit entirely in ear.

 

[avo7007]

Thanks for the comparison. KSE1200 is remarkable considering its price of USD2k vs U18 Tzar's USD3k, and to top it off KSE1200 comes with an amp.

 

[siruspan]

I've a strong relapse of audiophilia nervosa. Because 64audio just received an official distributor in my country I was offered a huge discount on u18tzar so that it would be only slightly more expensive than KSE1200. I still can return KSE no questions asked for a week an a half so I went for a second round of listening of u18t. I've checked them on spinfit cp800 and cp240 and jvc spiral dots. I was listening on both apex modules. This is my thoughts.

U18tzar are great, better than Inear Prophile 8 which I used to own, better than Campfire Vega which I own and better than Andromedas which I auditioned. Are they better than KSE1200/1500? No. Not comparing each individual range head to head u18 sound like the best audio equipment that you can buy. It's like seeing movie on the best in the world tv set for a 100 grand. However listening on the KSE1500 ls like having no equipment at all. It's like being there in the recording studio standing i the the same spot as the microphone. They are really so incredibly real.

You can always say thay you would like to have more/less bass, weightier midrange or more sparkly highs but If you want the same feeling thay you had when one of your friends played on an accoustic guitar next to bonfire than KSE1500 are just that. It's like being there when the music was originally performed.



What I don't like in the KSE - need for an amp, heavy cable, plastic nozzle and shells and not detachable cable - I've got strong concerns about their durability, balanced not possible

What I like about u18tzar - easy to drive, all metal shells incuding the nozzle, detachable and upgradable cable with balanced mode.

 

[cj3209]

However listening on the KSE15000 ls like having no equipment at all. It's like being there in the recording studio standing in the the same spot as the microphone. They are really so incredibly real.

I feel the same when the KSE1500s handle acoustic guitar and even electric guitar - I feel like I'm there which is really well done for any headphones. My biggest quibble is that I can't get a good fit for any of the tips.

 

[csglinux]

I feel the same when the KSE1500s handle acoustic guitar and even electric guitar - I feel like I'm there which is really well done for any headphones. My biggest quibble is that I can't get a good fit for any of the tips.

Have you tried the SpinFit varieties (Cp800 and Cp240)? They extend a little farther out on the nozzle and both come in S, M and L sizes. I'd bet one of them would fit you!

 

[siruspan]

Spinfit cp240 are great. I usually use large tips and sometimes medium so I've bought M and L and can use both sizes Large ones offer slightly better isolation but are a little unconfortable for long sessions so I use mediums all day long.

 

[NaiveSound]

Between kse1500 vs kse1200 is there a big difference in sound due to different amp? But safe iem right?

 

[avo7007]

Between kse1500 vs kse1200 is there a big difference in sound due to different amp? But safe iem right?

 

[nanaholic]

Pulled the trigger on the KSE1200 today. The Dignis AK70/Mojo stack case I have ended up also being perfect for the AK70 + KSE1200 stack - there's a bit of space as the amp is less wide than the Mojo but some hard foam wedged into the gaps easily fixed it - no rubber bands over the screen and this is probably as portable as I'm going to get at the moment with the gears I have. Next probably get some new tips...

 

[nanaholic]

So as I was just researching what tips to buy I came across a DIY mod. My favourite tips in terms of comfort and the least affect in sound is actually the new Sony triple comfort hybrid foam tips and I have a few spares lying around, but they only come in one nozzle size (~4mm) which is too wide for the thin Shure nozzles. The DIY mod tip was originally for other Spinfit tips with large nozzle tube bore holes to fit onto Shure IEMs but I thought what the heck it's worth trying, and turned out it worked and I didn't have to buy anything!

Anyways, first is to pick one of the included silicon tips which you won't be using, in my case I picked the L size ones. Then turn them inside out and cut off the stem like so:

Then take the stem and partially fit them onto the nozzle about half way down, so the tip of the stem isn't expanded out yet:

Then fit the Sony tips onto the stem:

Then carefully push the Sony tips until it is fully inserted:

One happy camper!