[twister6]

I think it looks even better in person, pictures don't do it justice to capture 3D effect of the faceplate. But either way, my full detailed review is up! Enjoy the read!

 

[xenithon]

I love that U18s design.

Me too. Fresh, clean, modern.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Personally the U18s design is not my preference, based solely on the photos. But I have not heard the sound yet.

I can hear pretty Jolene is calling me lol. Waiting for your endorsement and impression @Deezel177

Ohhh sweet Jolene has made a lot of turmoil around haha I feel you brother ;p

 

[iDesign]

Crinacle published an updated ranking list today and his very low B+ ranking of the U18S Demo/A18S validates my experience and thoughts. The sound just isn’t cohesive and it’s perhaps the most veiled IEM I have heard.
https://crinacle.com/rankings/iems/

 

[Deferenz]

I think it looks even better in person, pictures don't do it justice to capture 3D effect of the faceplate. But either way, my full detailed review is up! Enjoy the read!

I’m not able to read it just yet, but this is a review I have been really looking forward to.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Crinacle published an updated ranking list today and his very low B+ ranking of the U18S Demo/A18S validates my experience and thoughts. The sound just isn’t cohesive and it’s perhaps the most veiled IEM I have heard.
https://crinacle.com/rankings/iems/

I mean coming from a Utopia, one of the most revealing headphones there is, yeah the A18S is pretty veiled in comparison. I think the Odin might be more in line with your preferences, I found it kinda similar to the utopia

 

[Sound Eq]

I think it looks even better in person, pictures don't do it justice to capture 3D effect of the faceplate. But either way, my full detailed review is up! Enjoy the read!

feels as if you are saying wait for the next big thing to be revealed

 

[Vitaly2017]

Great review @twister6 thanks for writing as much impressions you could.

I think I saw a new pattern design in the ba drivers? on the back box it seems it uses a more direct pipe rather then the tube as in the 18t model to direct the sound to the bore?

I knew the 18s will be like the noirs with a more mid bass then the T, but when you said 18s has more mid bass punch then the Noirs that striked me hard as I cant handle the noirs mid bass, it did made me go back to Og cause of that

The last picture you showed at the end with the 3 iems to come in future releases, i have a feeling that the one on the left is maybe the new fourte flagship successor ;p

 

[twister6]

I mean coming from a Utopia, one of the most revealing headphones there is, yeah the A18S is pretty veiled in comparison. I think the Odin might be more in line with your preferences, I found it kinda similar to the utopia

Was planning to reply with similar, all depends on what you are comparing it to. My original expectations of 18s were a slight variation of 18t. But instead, these are night'n'day in comparison, and if you prefer U18t/Fourte you will find 18s too warm for your taste. Thus, the title of my U18s review "The Warm Side of the Moon".

U18s is for those who prefer Traillii, Erlkonig, Thummim type of tuning.

 

[twister6]

feels as if you are saying wait for the next big thing to be revealed

Absolutely not For me, it was a new release. For those who already have A18s or familiar with A18s, it is just a universal version of it with a new shell design and new packaging with some goodies (leather round case from Nio, new SpinFit eartips, branded apex modules).

For those who were waiting for something totally brand new, there are 2 more releases in line.

 

[iDesign]

I mean coming from a Utopia, one of the most revealing headphones there is, yeah the A18S is pretty veiled in comparison. I think the Odin might be more in line with your preferences, I found it kinda similar to the utopia

I appreciate your input. And to be clear, I don’t place the same expectations on headphones and In Ear Monitors for a myriad of reasons. The A18S seems almost technically flawed compared to 64 Audio’s own A/U12t and even other low cost industry benchmarks like the Etymōtic ER4 series. The A18S unfortunately isn‘t anywhere near the top-tier.

 

[twister6]

I appreciate your input. And to be clear, I don’t place the same expectations on headphones and In Ear Monitors for a myriad of reasons. The A18S seems almost technically flawed compared to 64 Audio’s own A/U12t and even other low cost industry benchmarks like the Etymōtic ER4 series. The A18S unfortunately isn‘t anywhere near the top-tier.

I see from your sig you own A18s. If you read my review, I can't judge the custom version because due to my earcanal 64 Audio had to trim the nozzle to the point where A18s looked like universal. It skewed the sound, making it thick, dark, and veiled. When I received A18s I contacted 64 Audio and told them that I think tia drivers are dead in both earpieces lol!!! Then, they sent me uni demo of A18s, telling me "that is how it suppose to sound", and indeed, it was different. U18s is very close, nearly identical to uni demo of A18s and I hear a lot more clarity, less bloat, and more sparkle in treble when listening to U18s.

PLUS, another big discovery I also covered in my review, M15 just doesn't work well with U18s. If you want neutral bass and more focus on mids/treble, go with MX. But if you want better articulation and control of bass AND more clarity in mids, switch to M20 module. M20 will lift the bass, giving it more slam, but to my ears it also shortens the decay of bass notes, tightens it up, and gives more room for lower mids to breathe.

 

[ngd3]

Really hope 64 has a TWS in the pipeline. Pretty confident anything they would put out commercially will blow the competition away, probably with a hefty price tag tho. 3 driver hybrid with internal apex? Give me that and like a 4 hour battery life and I'm buying on the spot

 

[iDesign]

I see from your sig you own A18s. If you read my review, I can't judge the custom version because due to my earcanal 64 Audio had to trim the nozzle to the point where A18s looked like universal. It skewed the sound, making it thick, dark, and veiled. When I received A18s I contacted 64 Audio and told them that I think tia drivers are dead in both earpieces lol!!! Then, they sent me uni demo of A18s, telling me "that is how it suppose to sound", and indeed, it was different. U18s is very close, nearly identical to uni demo of A18s and I hear a lot more clarity, less bloat, and more sparkle in treble when listening to U18s.

PLUS, another big discovery I also covered in my review, M15 just doesn't work well with U18s. If you want neutral bass and more focus on mids/treble, go with MX. But if you want better articulation and control of bass AND more clarity in mids, switch to M20 module. M20 will lift the bass, giving it more slam, but to my ears it also shortens the decay of bass notes, tightens it up, and gives more room for lower mids to breathe.

I posted earlier in the thread that I purchased and retested my A18S with the mX, M15, and M20 modules. The M15 was my preference of the three but none of the modules addressed the shortcomings of the A18S. I don’t believe it has anything to do with them being a custom or universal version, it has more to do with what's inside the shells. 64 Audio writes, "Listening to U18s gives the sense that a filter has been lifted off of your music; it is suddenly more direct and vibrant. Resolution and presentation that reveals details which have previously gone unnoticed." I'm not so sure about this optimistic marketing copy and it seems my experience is consistent with comments by several members in this thread, other forums, and the B+ ranking. Even the U18T was recently the subject of similar debate (measurements here) and Crinacle all but slammed the A18S Demo/U18S and rated it well below the U/A18T.

 

[AntoineDe]

https://www.64audio.com/pages/u18s-launch