[ceeloChamp]

You seem to really regret your purchase, send the U18t back if they aren’t what you want. Really expensive TOTL IEMs suffer from diminishing returns really bad, the Fourté aren’t $2500 better than my Andromedas were, but getting that last little bit of better sound or refinement is what you are paying for. If you expect the world from a $3000 IEM you will be guranteed to be disappointed, they aren’t mana from the heavens, they are still just IEMs and they are not perfect and they each have their own quirks.

I understand your reservations, but if you think that they are just as satisfying as your W60s, then sell them. We cannot make that decision for you, you have to decide if it is worth the extra $2000 to own the U18t.

 

[swesko]

You seem to really regret your purchase, send the U18t back if they aren’t what you want. Really expensive TOTL IEMs suffer from diminishing returns really bad, the Fourté aren’t $2500 better than my Andromedas were, but getting that last little bit of better sound or refinement is what you are paying for. If you expect the world from a $3000 IEM you will be guranteed to be disappointed, they aren’t mana from the heavens, they are still just IEMs and they are not perfect and they each have their own quirks.

I understand your reservations, but if you think that they are just as satisfying as your W60s, then sell them. We cannot make that decision for you, you have to decide if it is worth the extra $2000 to own the U18t.

Nope dont worry this has nothing to do with my purchase but yes the diminishing return was expected, I wasnt expecting x3 improvement my fit is getting better and I like the sound signature etc. It was a genuine question on an unrelated topic. I dont regret buying I knew what to expect

 

[ceeloChamp]

Nope dont worry this has nothing to do with my purchase but yes the diminishing return was expected, I wasnt expecting x3 improvement my fit is getting better and I like the sound signature etc. It was a genuine question on an unrelated topic. I dont regret buying I knew what to expect[/QU

Awesome, i’m glad You don’t have any more reservations about the U18t.

You have only had them for like 3 days, you will learn how they sound and how they compare to the W60 once you have heard them a bit more.

 

[Deezel177]

Guys, didnt want to start another thread, but can you tell me how you compare two iems? I think the mojo is great for this purpose as it has 2 3.5 SE outputs so I can plug 2 iems at the same time. Question what's the best way to compare 2? I feel like my ears cannot distinguish between my W60 and my u18t. I mean the soundstage is wider and higher on the u18t and the transparency and the separation is better but cant say anything about everything else.

Train yourself in remembering what the track sounds like. Try to digest the whole "image" of the track and save it to your brain like an EQ profile of sorts. I usually use colours and textures to help me distinguish between how different instruments sound on different IEMs. Everyone has their own methods, it just takes a bit of experience.

 

[twister6]

Guys, didnt want to start another thread, but can you tell me how you compare two iems? I think the mojo is great for this purpose as it has 2 3.5 SE outputs so I can plug 2 iems at the same time. Question what's the best way to compare 2? I feel like my ears cannot distinguish between my W60 and my u18t. I mean the soundstage is wider and higher on the u18t and the transparency and the separation is better but cant say anything about everything else.

Well, I do remember you compared iems before and how bright they sound, and I'm sure you can distinguish which one has more or less bass. You already talking about transparency (less coloring), separation and resolution (how clear you hear all the sounds, how you can distinguish instruments and vocals, and how some could sound veiled and/or muddy). You don't have to go into details of sub-bass, mid-bass, lower/upper-mids, treble - for some of that you need more experience and better trained ears, and in general not everybody can hear difference in sound due to their hearing level. You don't need to write a review or proof to others that you have golden ears. You already have all the tools you need and can compare based on how you hear the sound and what makes sense to you, and no need to make it harder than it is. The most important, don't force yourself into believing that you hear a difference or improvement to justify the purchase. As many already pointed out, spend some time, let's say a week, listening exclusively to one pair of iems, let your brain burn in. Then switch to another pair, maybe that will help you hear the difference better, for your brain to register the change. Everybody has their own method, I like a/b comparison, for others they need a brain burn in for a week and then a quick change to another pair to hear the difference. Sounds like a/b on a spot doesn't work for you, so try the latter one.

 

[NaiveSound]

. .. Wrong thread

 

[swesko]

Well, I do remember you compared iems before and how bright they sound, and I'm sure you can distinguish which one has more or less bass. You already talking about transparency (less coloring), separation and resolution (how clear you hear all the sounds, how you can distinguish instruments and vocals, and how some could sound veiled and/or muddy). You don't have to go into details of sub-bass, mid-bass, lower/upper-mids, treble - for some of that you need more experience and better trained ears, and in general not everybody can hear difference in sound due to their hearing level. You don't need to write a review or proof to others that you have golden ears. You already have all the tools you need and can compare based on how you hear the sound and what makes sense to you, and no need to make it harder than it is. The most important, don't force yourself into believing that you hear a difference or improvement to justify the purchase. As many already pointed out, spend some time, let's say a week, listening exclusively to one pair of iems, let your brain burn in. Then switch to another pair, maybe that will help you hear the difference better, for your brain to register the change. Everybody has their own method, I like a/b comparison, for others they need a brain burn in for a week and then a quick change to another pair to hear the difference. Sounds like a/b on a spot doesn't work for you, so try the latter one.

Thanks for thé suggestion, I'm not in the buyer remorse camp, never an, but I'm just trying to appreciate the music and understand the dynamic of sounds. Thanks for the tips

 

[Layman1]

Guys, didnt want to start another thread, but can you tell me how you compare two iems?

Driver count.

Just kidding. Something that I've found works well for me is not only to listen to a specific song that I know very well, but to break it up into segments (10 seconds or so).
First I listen to such a song and try to note down a few segments, which I think I can use (keep a note of the time, e.g. 1min 35 seconds to 1min 45 seconds).
These segments should be where something noteworthy is going on in the song, especially in terms of critical listening.

So it could be a series of cymbal taps which have a musical ring to them. You could be listening out to how distinctly each tap is heard or whether they blend together in a mush.
Or how well the IEM captures the musical ringing of the taps. Or the timbre of guitar strings being plucked.
Details like intakes of breath, sound channels being opened in the early parts of the song, subtle finger taps and scrapes on the body of the instrument.

Once you've identified the specific segments you're going to use, it becomes much easier and reduces the need for memory usage, because you're not trying to perceive all the sounds in the first 30 seconds for example, but just the timbre of the guitar plucking, or how pronounced the detail of breathing is.

Then I jot down notes on my laptop while I'm listening to each one.
Write out the 'framework' on the laptop first, so you can just put your impressions directly into the pre-written segments and save time and maintain focus.

Hope this all makes sense. I only recently kind of fell into this more disciplined way of doing my critical listening for reviews etc, and found it very helpful.

 

[AEIOU9]

Just a note, you can’t stream very well on A & K devices, and you cannot use streaming “offline mode” with any of them

Thanks for the heads up ceelo, do you have issues with streaming TIDAL on your DX200 and are you able to use TIDAL's offline storage to store tracks when not connected to WI-FI?

 

[fuhransahis]

Thanks for the heads up ceelo, do you have issues with streaming TIDAL on your DX200 and are you able to use TIDAL's offline storage to store tracks when not connected to WI-FI?

Zero issues streaming and yes, you can store offline. It's literally the same Android version. But this isn't the thread for that - check thr DX200 thread and do a search for any questions as there are nearly 1000 pages.

 

[ceeloChamp]

You could get custom fits for all th

Thanks for the heads up ceelo, do you have issues with streaming TIDAL on your DX200 and are you able to use TIDAL's offline storage to store tracks when not connected to WI-FI?

The only issue I had was initially... you have to side load apps, but once you get them on there, they work normally. You can even use offline mode.

 

[NaiveSound]

. Delete

 

[lotech]

I don't know why I keep tip rolling, Nothing compares with the Spiral Dots (for me).
they just seal and get out of the way of the music. they have a really wide bore which work
well with my U4SEs.

 

[Hotzigetty]

Does anyone make custom tips for universal fit iems other Than customart?

Snuggs ?

 

[Ike1985]

For those of you using just your samsung s8 with your A18t, try enabling Tube Amp Pro in your sound settings. Sounds simply amazing coming from my phone. Obviously disable when using a serious dac/amp.

Brings the vocals forward a bit more in line with the rest of the signature, makes bass more impactful and images more solid and less airy. Very nice.