[Overkill Red]

Interesting impressions! Agree with a lot, just that we differ mainly on the Zeus resolution being above the Fourte I guess.

Even compared to my custom XRA I found the Fourte to have a slight edge. To each their own, though. It's a lot of source synergy as well.

 

[hung031086]

How about the treble of a18 and fourte ? is it too much and sibilant ? I sold my Encore because of that.

 

[Barra]

How about the treble of a18 and fourte ? is it too much and sibilant ? I sold my Encore because of that.

Its a new kind of treble that you have to hear to understand. They nailed treble with the tia driver. No sibilance at all.

 

[ericr]

My preliminary ranking (as I'm spending a bit more time with the A18):

Tia Fourte > A18 > W900

Have yet to experience EE's products.

To me the Fourte is a skillful combination the best of the W900, Andromida, A12 and what I read of the Zeus (detailed and highly resolving mids & highs).

 

[Dean Lim]

18ba is so expensive!!!

 

[Overkill Red]

P.s. I forgot to mention: I'm using the U18 demo with the carrot modules!

 

[twister6]

P.s. I forgot to mention: I'm using the U18 demo with the carrot modules!

it fits? hmm...

 

[twister6]

How about the treble of a18 and fourte ? is it too much and sibilant ? I sold my Encore because of that.

Can't speak about Fourte, but can tell you about U18 where the key is choosing the right module. If you want a more neutral bass and more air in treble, go with M15. If you prefer a lifted low end (very well controlled articulate boost) and tamed treble peaks - M20 is your friend. The change between modules is real, not subtle, and if you are sensitive to sibilance then M20 is the way to go. Included cable is also great to keep upper frequencies under control, you wouldn't want 1960 cable with these But, switching to pure copper (No5 is my favorite with U18) adds more texture to low end, and smooths out treble a little more, while expanding the soundstage (U18+M20+No5 soundstage expansion is very impressive for IEM).

 

[hung031086]

Can't speak about Fourte, but can tell you about U18 where the key is choosing the right module. If you want a more neutral bass and more air in treble, go with M15. If you prefer a lifted low end (very well controlled articulate boost) and tamed treble peaks - M20 is your friend. The change between modules is real, not subtle, and if you are sensitive to sibilance then M20 is the way to go. Included cable is also great to keep upper frequencies under control, you wouldn't want 1960 cable with these But, switching to pure copper (No5 is my favorite with U18) adds more texture to low end, and smooths out treble a little more, while expanding the soundstage (U18+M20+No5 soundstage expansion is very impressive for IEM).

I'm gonna upgrade my u12. I'm still debating between a18 and fourte. I don't like too much treble peak and sibilance. Btw will gold plated hybrid cable go well with a18 ?

 

[FastAndClean]

I'm gonna upgrade my u12

AWW gift

 

[ericr]

P.s. I forgot to mention: I'm using the U18 demo with the carrot modules!

Why the carrot module (solid with no pressure relief)?!?

 

[hung031086]

AWW gift

i don't use only one iem lolz.

 

[eschaaf]

I've been listening to my Fourte's about 4 hours per day since I received them on May 9. I am very, very impressed. They best my Andromedas by every stretch of the imagination, and have the best tone of any transducer I've ever heard (including my very very modded HE-6, my A-grade 2010 LCD-2's, and my Magnepan 3.6R's). Honestly they make me wonder how much better IEM sound can ever be. The bass is unreal, so beautifully powerful and textured. The treble supremely well-extended, airy, and a very intimate, but laid back presentation, despite being highly resolving and offering spectacular soundstage width and depth. The mids are very lush and rich, and despite the high amount of detail, the fourte's never present it in a glaringly obvious or unflattering way. The result is a highly cohesive, honest, and yet also somewhat forgiving signature which leaves me without doubt that any musical information is left out or obfuscated. Finally I can simply sit back and listen without feeling the need to critique technicalities and tone. The fourte just works, and gets out of the way of the music. I can't wait to see how it scales.

Interestingly enough, I also have found that mixing and mastering with the Fourte's gives me more consistent results when transitioning to various speaker systems. The DD bass driver really gives subwoofer-like performance. They'll serve my freelancing very well, and the ability to reliably mix out and about is completely unprecedented for me.

On a side note I preferred it to every other IEM I auditioned at CanJam SoCal 2017 (which included the entire Campfire, Noble, JH, UE and 64 lineup). I can see, however, how some people would prefer the Tzar's with their slightly more luminous and vibrant signature. I am simply addicted to the warm, analogue type sound that comes out of the fourtes, and I felt the macrodynamics were superior to the 18's, especially in the bass. The Tzars give the impression of greater resolution at first listen, but I've found this difference to be mostly related to the tonal balance, with resolution being very similar. The 18's maybe have slightly faster decay in the bass, but I find the Fourte bass to feel more like actual bass in an open acoustic environment. I can't really say that about any other IEM I've heard to date.

 

[twister6]

I'm gonna upgrade my u12. I'm still debating between a18 and fourte. I don't like too much treble peak and sibilance. Btw will gold plated hybrid cable go well with a18 ?

I'm not sure if I get a chance to test Fourte, and going by memory from CanJam NYC where I heard their pre-production TIA Fourte model (not a final tuning) is not reliable. I'm not sure which gold plated hybrid cable you have in mind, and based on everything I have tested no two cables with a same listed material from different companies sound the same. Based on your sound preference, I think we are aligned. Because with Fourte you don't have a flexibility of exchanging the modules, maybe A/U18 will be a better solution for you? So, as I mentioned before, M20 module will be your preference. Start with 64audio new stock redesigned cable. It actually pairs up really good with U18. If you want to upgrade, PWA No5 pure copper is under $150 and definitely a step up because you will loose a little bit of soundstage width going from M15 to M20 (M20 has more isolation and a single vent vs M15 with less isolation and dual vent port). No5 gives you back some of the soundstage width. So, start with a stock cable before you even consider any upgrade. If you planning to buy gold plated hybrid just for U/A18, I would probably look into pure copper first. I briefly tested U18 with the latest HanSoundAudio Aurora gold plated/silver hybrid, and it was a bit too bright for my taste.

 

[Tulku1967]

Hi 64 Audio specialists!

I'm listening to many classical and jazz music.
Is U12 apex suitable for these music?

I own a Layla (a wonderful IEM sound) but I would try the Apex module (for ear protection) but I would not want to spend £ 1600 if it's not the right earphone for that purpose.

Thank you for your answers!

Zsolt