[Modwright01]

Not better ...different. very different.

 

[mvvRAZ]

he has tiger ears guys!


heard the u12t today, was very sweet. i wonder if the u18t is much better!

THe U12t and U18t have fundamentally different signatures - can't say one is directly better than the other. The A18s is more of a direct improvement on the U12t

 

[doctorjuggles]

Traditionally Custom Art don't make tips for iems that don't have a lip on the end to keep them on there when you pull them out of the ear. So that's Westone, 64Audio and Noble ot as well. One mod that I found that does work is to use the adapters that come with symbios or spinfit and ask to have the hole the same size as the comply t400 (I think). Worked for me with a westone um1 as an experiement but you obviously undertake this at your own risk etc etc.

I have a pair of custom tips for my U18t which I received at the end of March from Piotr, they fit the nozzle fine and I’ve had no issues with them coming off. I can’t say for sure if he is happy to make them for the two other brands you mentioned, but he’s definitely able to do it for 64Audio if you ask him

 

[RipVanWinkle1989]

I have a pair of custom tips for my U18t which I received at the end of March from Piotr, they fit the nozzle fine and I’ve had no issues with them coming off. I can’t say for sure if he is happy to make them for the two other brands you mentioned, but he’s definitely able to do it for 64Audio if you ask him

I wish audiologist costs were lower in my city.

 

[doctorjuggles]

I wish audiologist costs were lower in my city.

Yeah I wish I’d used Piotr’s audiologists (I visited their property when I went to Warsaw in January)
My audiologist is excellent, but the impressions cost more than the custom tips!!

However paying a little more for a well respected and knowledgeable audiologist is definitely preferable to having a pair of poor-fitting IEMs (I believe our own @davidcotton is a living testament to this!)

 

[Wyville]

Yeah I wish I’d used Piotr’s audiologists (I visited their property when I went to Warsaw in January)
My audiologist is excellent, but the impressions cost more than the custom tips!!

However paying a little more for a well respected and knowledgeable audiologist is definitely preferable to having a pair of poor-fitting IEMs (I believe our own @davidcotton is a living testament to this!)

Did you go to Gisele (Aid2Hearing)? I did and she is more expensive, but the service she provides is outstanding and absolutely worth it. Plus, she knew exactly what the impressions should look like (made sure she was happy) and made two sets for me, one of which she stored for later use (should I need them).

 

[davidcotton]

Yeah I wish I’d used Piotr’s audiologists (I visited their property when I went to Warsaw in January)
My audiologist is excellent, but the impressions cost more than the custom tips!!

However paying a little more for a well respected and knowledgeable audiologist is definitely preferable to having a pair of poor-fitting IEMs (I believe our own @davidcotton is a living testament to this!)

Funny (not) thing about that is that the cost of the impressions were the same. Just wish I'd found the second audiologist first (er..) might have saved us all a load of unnecessary hassle. The other even more unfunny thing is that due to various colds, hayfever and certain pandemics it's been over a year since I was last able to get back to the same audiologist which figures. Sometimes wonder what my collection might look like now if I had found this audiologist first.

It's funny (I'm going to stop using that word now, honest). We are all quite willing to splash the $$$/££££/€€€€'s on c/iems, cables, daps etc but when it comes to things like impressions we hesitate a bit. Best word of advice I can give is to make sure that the audiologist knows that the impressions are for ciems, and if possible send a link to the video that 64audio posted on how to have impressions taken. If they don't want to know, walk away.

 

[twister6]

Even so some think I'm U18t-addict, I just rediscovered Fourte All it took is switching to 64audio foamies and finding the right cable to pair up with this hybrid. When I reviewed @PLUSSOUND palladium plated hybrid 4wire (PPH4), I was focusing on Noir. Then, just got a chance to compare it to PPH8, their 8wire version, and tested with Fourte. Talked about it in more details here, and now can't get these out of my ears. Feels kind of guilty cheating on U18t

 

[Vitaly2017]

Even so some think I'm U18t-addict, I just rediscovered Fourte All it took is switching to 64audio foamies and finding the right cable to pair up with this hybrid. When I reviewed @PLUSSOUND palladium plated hybrid 4wire (PPH4), I was focusing on Noir. Then, just got a chance to compare it to PPH8, their 8wire version, and tested with Fourte. Talked about it in more details here, and now can't get these out of my ears. Feels kind of guilty cheating on U18t

The old Fourte is having the old love back hehe What about the new symbio foamies? It would make a hell of a combo match! Same colors hehe

 

[Frankie D]

Even so some think I'm U18t-addict, I just rediscovered Fourte All it took is switching to 64audio foamies and finding the right cable to pair up with this hybrid. When I reviewed @PLUSSOUND palladium plated hybrid 4wire (PPH4), I was focusing on Noir. Then, just got a chance to compare it to PPH8, their 8wire version, and tested with Fourte. Talked about it in more details here, and now can't get these out of my ears. Feels kind of guilty cheating on U18t

I am feeling a bit of the same, but using the Azla Sedna Light ear tips. The intersting thing though, is that while they fit and are comfortable, the Luna is still more comfortable with the same ear tips. I would have thought they would feel the same.

 

[macdonjh]

I really like my Rai Pentas. I need to post a review of them. I completely agree with both of you they fit my ears better than any other universal I've tried. I can't point to any particular part of the Rai Penta sound that makes me reach for them, which is why I reach for them. Rather than think of them as a "Jack of all trades, master of none" (or, similarly, an IEM that doesn't do anything at a high level) I prefer to think of them as well integrated, organic, seamless. They are the perfect antidote for a stressful day. They are easy to relax with, easy to forget critical listening and enjoy music.

Here's an update:

I recently bought a Questyle QP2R. Interestingly, I am not wowed by the sound of my Trio when paired with the QP2R. I'll have to listen to the pairing again, but overall the sound is too aggressive. V-shaped is an over-simplification, but sort of accurate. The treble (my favorite part of the Trio sound, at least with my AK70 Mk II) gets hard and brittle and the bass gets fatiguing. To make things hard, though, while the bass is is-my-face and fatiguing it is also more textured and detailed. If only I could listen to it longer. Ugh. And vocals (not the rest of the mids, strangely) are pushed way forward. Shouty and obnoxious. Balanced output is better than single-ended output for my tastes.

Enter the Rai Pentas. These IEMs, to me, are transformed by the Questyle. The increase in bass depth, quantity, slam and detail are all welcome for these. Mids and vocals remained detailed and in balance. Highs are extended and not harsh. Sometimes they are even Trio-sweet. This combination pushes all my buttons. I did have to try a couple of different combinations, though. The stock SE cable was great, but I wanted to try the balanced output, since the Trios sounded better balanced. I have a balanced cable from an unknown source (I need to post a photo and ask for ID help), but when using that cable the magic was gone. Then I tried a basic ALO Litz (the Campfire audio stock cable) with a 2.5mm balanced connector. The magic is back. Really, this is the first time I've heard such a noticeable difference by switching a cable. It still falls into the unquantifiable, je ne sais quoi, category, but the difference is real. Color me shocked and perhaps not a cable Luddite anymore.

This has been a good lesson in synergy for me.

 

[Tristy]

Has there been any murmurs around the release of the K9 recently or no? Seems to have gone quiet.

 

[twister6]

Has there been any murmurs around the release of the K9 recently or no? Seems to have gone quiet.

From what I heard directly, it is happening and there is official name for that IEM (K9 was just a placeholder name). But when exactly, nobody knows, unfortunately. With lockdown, supply chain delays, manufacturing delays, etc., the schedule is out of whack

 

[Wild Boar]

U12t with 4.4mm balance or stick with 3.5mm better? Using cayin n6ii A01

 

[Frankie D]

U12t with 4.4mm balance or stick with 3.5mm better? Using cayin n6ii A01

When I buy a cable from now on, I have decided to always go balanced. 2.5mm or 4.4 if you wish. That will allow you to use any of the balanced connections or the 3.5mm connections on any device with an adapter. With the 2.5mm connector it might be a bit easier to get the different adapters. A dedicated 3.5 will prevent you from being able to use a balanced connection should you need to use it in the future. Tks.