A/B Comparisons - iems, buds, cans, daps, and more - Tips & Impressions
Jul 25, 2022 at 10:25 AM Post #121 of 396
82. 64 audio u12t (W) vs dunu zen pro:

The u12t is clearer, airier, has leaner mids, clearer bass, leaner treble, is more transparent, has a better bass-mids-treble balance, better instrument separation, a little better and closer background detail.

The zen pro has more bass and sub-bass, a wider soundstage, better strings, is smoother, more holographic, and is more natural.
 
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Jul 27, 2022 at 11:07 AM Post #122 of 396
83. thieaudio monarch mk2 (W) vs dunu zen pro:

The monarch has clearer mids, clearer bass, is more natural, more transparent, has better background detail, better instrument separation, a leaner treble, and sounds more as a whole.

The zen pro has a smoother treble, is more holographic, airier, has more bass, a little more forward mids, a wider soundstage, and needs less power.
 
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Jul 29, 2022 at 6:12 PM Post #123 of 396
84. hifiman arya stealth (W) vs focal elex:

The arya is airier, with a wider soundstage, sparklier and clearer treble, leaner mids, livelier, with better strings, better instrument separation, better background detail, is clearer overall, more transparent, with better bass, better imaging, more height, and is comfier.

The elex has more bass and sub-bass, sounds more as a whole, is smoother, more relaxed, more natural, and requires less power.
 
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Jul 31, 2022 at 11:00 AM Post #124 of 396
85. hifiman arya stealth (W) vs 64 audio u12t:

The arya has a little more bass impact, is airier, has more sub-bass, a wider soundstage, better imaging, better background detail, better layering, is more expansive, livelier, a little clearer, more natural, leaner treble, more holographic sound, and sounds more as a whole.

The u12t has leaner mids, which are a little more forward, and sounds more subdued.

To be honest, I thought the arya sounds better in most areas out of my hugo 2, but it’s not like the advantage is huge. At the same time, it was hard for me to pinpoint much that the u12t clearly did better than the arya.
 
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Aug 2, 2022 at 11:25 AM Post #125 of 396
86. thieaudio monarch mk2 vs sony ier-z1r (W):

The monarch has smoother treble, more natural mids, is more holographic, sound more as a whole and is smoother in general.

The z1r has better background detail, better treble (which can get shouty), is more transparent, more forward mids, is sparklier, clearer, better bass, more sub-bass, great cello, better instrument separation, is airier, more expansive.
 
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Aug 4, 2022 at 11:12 AM Post #126 of 396
87. sony ier-z1r vs 64 audio u12t (W):

The z1r has more bass and sub-bass, is a little faster, has a brighter treble (sometimes harsh), better strings, is airier, more expansive, more holographic, livelier, more forward mids, a little more transparent, wider soundstage, more natural strings, but can be fatiguing.

The u12t has leaner mids, smoother treble, better imaging, tighter bass, more natural drums, better bass-mids-treble balance, and takes less power.

To be honest, this one was a little difficult for me to call. On the u12t nothing sounds harsh, everything is well controlled and it is less grainy than the z1r. It’s the all-rounder and very few times will you ever go “well, that sounded weird” on this monitor. The z1r is does more things wrong; its faults are obvious, but what it does well, it does very well. And I guess the preference is whether you want a higher average, or if you want higher peaks.

At first I prefered the z1r for its magic, but now the shortcomings of the z1r are even more apparent, and I prefer listening on the u12t.
 
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Aug 6, 2022 at 10:27 AM Post #127 of 396
88. focal elex (W) vs focal listen wireless:

The elex is airier, with a little wider soundstage, more holographic and expansive, a little clearer, a little better background detail, a little better instrument separation, a little more bass, with better imaging, and is smoother.

The listen has a little leaner mids and treble.

To be honest, I was very surprised at how closely these sounded. Of course, being from the same company, a similar sound signature is no surprise. However, I bought the listen at $120 new, and these sound almost as good as the elex ($750 msrp). A great value I say! The 3.5mm cable was used on the listen (I didn’t try the bluetooth), and both were powered by a hugo 2.
 
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Aug 9, 2022 at 11:46 AM Post #132 of 396
89. thieaudio monarch vs thieaudio monarch mk2 (W):

The mk1 is more transparent, with leaner mids, a shoutier treble, better instrument separation, closer background detail, and is leaner overall.

The mk2 has more bass and sub-bass, a much wider soundstage, is clearer, has better background detail, smoother treble, is more natural, more holographic, better imaging, sounds more as a whole, and is smoother overall.
 
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Aug 11, 2022 at 1:09 PM Post #133 of 396
90. thieaudio monarch mk1 vs 64 audio u12t (W):

The monarch has more bass and sub-bass, is airier, has shoutier treble, more natural instruments, and leaner mids.

The u12t is more transparent, has clearer bass, more forward mids, better background detail, better imaging, sounds more as a whole, better bass-mids-treble balance, requires less power and has fewer rough edges in comparison.
 
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Aug 13, 2022 at 12:18 AM Post #134 of 396
What a thread! Thank you for your work.

I'd appreciate a bit of clarification on what you mean when you say the midrange is more "forward". Do you mean that there is more upper-mids than lower-mids (being clearer and hence more "forward"), or that there is more lower-mids than upper-mids (more "forward" due to the proximity effect), or do you simply mean that there is more midrange relative to bass/treble? Thank you!
 
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Aug 13, 2022 at 12:36 AM Post #135 of 396
What a thread! Thank you for your work.

I'd appreciate a bit of clarification on what you mean when you say the midrange is more "forward". Do you mean that there is more upper-mids than lower-mids (being clearer and hence more "forward"), or that there is more lower-mids than upper-mids (more "forward" due to the proximity effect), or do you simply mean that there is more midrange relative to bass/treble? Thank you!
Thanks for the appreciation ^^

I use "forward" as a spacial term, so your second definition seems to fit.
For the first, I normally use "clearer" or "cleaner" and for the third I normally talk about it a roundabout way (more or less bass/treble, or about balance).

Of course, these are comparisons, so just because in my particular setup an iem sounds more forward than the other one, it does not mean that it is more forward than the average iem.

Thanks!
 

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