[Vitaly2017]

By god the Noir is good. Someone here just said it was a "masterpiece" -- and I agree. In that it's an artistic statement more than a general purpose manufactured IEM. It takes the Fourte -- already a pretty charismatic and intense sounding IEM, but still quite safe -- and makes some personal (artistic) modifications to it. A fine-tuning that turns out to be absolutely spectacular. The dark green plate, the 8-wire cable, the special soldering and the retuned dynamic driver all feels like Vitaliy made a version of the Fourte he himself would like -- for himself. And some 400 lucky people got to hear it too.

I'm so glad to be one of those people.

It might just be the best IEM ever made -- precisely for that reason. There is something commercially unsafe about how the treble is still splashy as hell on a lot of tracks, or how there's warm fuzz in a 3700 pound IEM. (In this price range you tend to get crystal clarity and black space). This IEM has faults, but they're beautiful, moody faults with immense payoffs.

The most striking aspect here is that dynamic driver, how wet and liquid it sounds. This kind of colosal bass wetness juxtaposed against the sharp dazzle of that (capricious) tia treble driver is just the very picture of impressive. It's a bass monster. A real basshead IEM when it comes to sub bass and all that jazz. Yet that bass has a very enjoyable laid back quality to it. It's both immensely impressive and smooth. Not fatiguing, that is. Pretty much everything I throw at it sounds alive with magic and very addicting.

But the real star here is the vocals. These are the most emotional mids I've heard on an IEM to date, when it comes to vocals.

It's gonna be really, really, really hard for any IEM to outdo these for me. They're physically beautiful, universal fit (important to me), limited edition (yes, that always has a special effect on me too, I'm vulnerable to that kind of flattery), incredibly fun, incredibly detailed. And the treble will probably calm down as they burn in. I've found IEM treble tends to do that over the first month of use.

An all time great then. Feels like I have two little musicians in my ears, playing along to the tracks. In the years to come I will look back at this period in my life as the weeks and months that I'd just gotten "my Noirs". This is an intimate and meaty sound done absolutely right -- without compromizing an infinite-sounding soundstage. (Though the u18t clearly has a bigger soundstage than the Noir, these are still gigantic in their own way, more in depth than width).

A cute fact is that I've gotten a version of the face plates with none of the bronze splashes at all. They're completely blue-green with little black spots This sort of sums up my feelings about them. Personal, green, blue and black.

As a closing statement, I'd like to say that 64 Audio are without a doubt the best IEM manufacturer on the planet. TIA is a peerless technological advancement and the orthodynamic hybrid treble doesn't have much on it. 64 Audio is the Hifiman of IEMs.

Disclosure: listening was done with DX200Ti amp 4 and my other IEMs and thus my reference points are: U18t, Layla and Dita The Answer.

Hell yeah!

What a post bro !

I'm the guy who said it is a masterpiece.

I save instantly your excellent post about the noir, this is exactly what I feel too

Fire.

(By the way if anyone is looking for a brand new pair of Fourté noir (UE price) I can help. Shoot me a pm).

Haha I wonder who was that person who said those where a masterpiece This Noir is one of the best iem on planet! And send them to space they will be the best in the universe .

Not sure what you mean not perfect in treble and has some defects... But I can tell you the way its tuned right now its really good and accurate, dont see any disadvantages there... I see this treble as a hybrid sound between ba tia and electrostatic, nothing on the market does this!

ok and the finally ! THis is the best all time ultimate portable rig you can have this days



Moddified wm1z/ Romi ( 60% black gate capacitors and full pure occ silver wires)

Tia Noir

Pw1960 4wires

 

[Marat Sar]

Fantastic pairing for me! I like a non rolled-off full frequency natural sound and the Ti with modified Amp8 and Fourte do everything I want.

Indeed. I use amp 4, the original and now out-of-production 4.4 mm amp module, which is less dynamic than the widely admired amp8, but has a muuuuuch larger soundstage. And I'm actually a little worried that the AK sp2000ss that I ordered yesterday might not do that much for me on arrival The 200Ti is that good. It's that good with u18t and it's absolutely exceptional with the Noir. The Ti excels in producing a wide orb-shaped soundstage where the listener is in the centre of the image. I'm talking real extreme stereo separation here, 360 degree soundscape. (Which you probably know, having one). Also, the detail retrieval is unholy. I have trouble imagining the sp2000 sounding much better than this. But I've had the Ti for 2 years now and it's just part of the hobby to move on.

Haha I wonder who was that person who said those where a masterpiece This Noir is one of the best iem on planet! And send them to space they will be the best in the universe .

Not sure what you mean not perfect in treble and has some defects... But I can tell you the way its tuned right now its really good and accurate, dont see any disadvantages there... I see this treble as a hybrid sound between ba tia and electrostatic, nothing on the market does this!

ok and the finally ! THis is the best all time ultimate portable rig you can have this days



Moddified wm1z/ Romi ( 60% black gate capacitors and full pure occ silver wires)

Tia Noir

Pw1960 4wires

Yeah, that's probably the best in the world That modded wm1z, I've heard, is a beast of musicality and separation, and the 4 wire 1960 wire is probably insane for the Noir. I've decided to go a different route, though.
Simply because of the aesthetics. I'm silly like that. Don't much like that Sony look with the Noirs. And the sp2000 visuals is just something I've always wanted to have on my table. Let's see how it works out.

I've also considered the 1960, but the 4 wire of that has bad ergonomics. I'd take the 2 wire version, but then that's not as good for the soundstage. I read some twister6 reviews and cable stuff regarding the Noir, and have come to a strange conclusion. From my reading (this is twister6's advice) the Eletech Iliad is the best cable for the Noir, that's also got good ergonomics. Thinkin' of asking Eletech to use black splitters and parts form their Plato cable, so they'd fit with the Noir for a special custom Iliad

 

[kdl0123]

Just having ab test with u12t and a18s demo.
a18s:
- less punchy bass, more texture bass
- warmer tone on vocal
- softer treble, bigger sound stage
- overall slower and more detail across spectrum
u12t:
- more energetic
- thinner vocal (some may consider as crisp)

Not sure if everyone have the same impression as me.
But I'm going a18s personally.

 

[GiullianSN]

Not sure about the A18t. But I don't feel the same for A12t (maybe fit differences between U and Custom).

Need to put them side by side.

 

[Modwright01]

Definitely, the A18S have more refined/textured and less slamy bass than U12T and it is a good point as far as I'm concerned.

Definitely not softer treble. I mean, U12T is a kind a dark on this point, treble are super soft and lack of extension. No sparkle here.

Bigger soundstage, yes, and more realistic separation, as far as the U12T are for me too clinical/technical on this point, make the intruments sound too much separated, unreal (HD800 effect).

Anyway, basshead could definitely prefer the U12T...

I did another Fourté Noir/A18S comparaison this morning and definitely Fourté Noir are really better :

- Bass have more presence and slam in sub without losing the incredible resolution and control.
- Mids are lush and vibrant
- Soundstage is super realistic as the sens of space and separation.
- Textures are out of this world
- Treble have better extension/articulation/ Sparkle with a je ne sais quoi...
- Coherency is beyond anything I've heard.
- Overall very very Hifi sound.

However, A18S lack also fo fluidity in the transition between high mids and treble....but no big deal.
It could be perfect for people who don't really like DD bass or can find them fatiguing because it is just the right quantity of bass, without the hummmpfff of the DD driver. Suprised to read that it was a bassy IEM...Definitely not. And less than U12T which has a signature enterely based on its bass.

 

[reeltime]

I've been non stop with the Tia Fourte (sorry, not Noir) since they arrived.

Best bass I've heard in an in-ear. Not sure how they're doing it, but yup, that's deep bass and it's gorgeous.

The upper frequencies sparkle without sibilance. It's a very clear sound and detailed.

Where things struggle is in the upper mids. When I find great tracks, everything is cohesive. When the right track hooks up with the Fourte, it's special. But I'm finding the upper mids are either dead on- or dead annoying depending on the recording.

The signal path I am most enjoying is Computer>>Hugo TT>> McIntosh C2600 headphone out. The tube pre expands the soundstage and that preamp is dead silent. It does not pair well with my WA5. Something sounds over driven. I may need to reconsider the way I'm staging gain, but the WA5 isn't really made to drive IEMs.

I think these IEMs are probably best suited to the regular Hugo. But my Hugo died Saturday and getting it fixed will cost more than it's worth (a chip died). So I have to make a Hugo2 decision or if I am better off upgrading away from my AK240 and go DAC free.

I'm not 100% sold on the Fourte yet. Still collecting data. When they're good they're great. But I've also heard nice out of these-- and no headphone at this level should ever sound "nice".

Ordered some Dekoni tips. The stock tips are a bit irritating over time.

 

[toaster]

I've been non stop with the Tia Fourte (sorry, not Noir) since they arrived.

The upper frequencies sparkle without sibilance. It's a very clear sound and detailed.

Where things struggle is in the upper mids. When I find great tracks, everything is cohesive. When the right track hooks up with the Fourte, it's special. But I'm finding the upper mids are either dead on- or dead annoying depending on the recording.

No need to apologize to anyone, here! Many prefer the original fourte to the noir, and nobody should resent their personal preferences.

That's great you don't find the highs too hot on the fourte. That's one of the most common issues people have with it...

...the other is the "wonky" mids, which it seems you've already discovered yourself. That is just part of the tuning.

The fourte is an incredibly unique iem. There is nothing else that sounds remotely like it, but it is quite quirky. If you can look past the tuning oddities, or better yet, come to find them endearing, the fourte can prove to be immensely satisfying in a way that very few others can be.

enjoy the new fourte!

 

[Vitaly2017]

Definitely, the A18S have more refined/textured and less slamy bass than U12T and it is a good point as far as I'm concerned.

Definitely not softer treble. I mean, U12T is a kind a dark on this point, treble are super soft and lack of extension. No sparkle here.

Bigger soundstage, yes, and more realistic separation, as far as the U12T are for me too clinical/technical on this point, make the intruments sound too much separated, unreal (HD800 effect).

Anyway, basshead could definitely prefer the U12T...

I did another Fourté Noir/A18S comparaison this morning and definitely Fourté Noir are really better :

- Bass have more presence and slam in sub without losing the incredible resolution and control.
- Mids are lush and vibrant
- Soundstage is super realistic as the sens of space and separation.
- Textures are out of this world
- Treble have better extension/articulation/ Sparkle with a je ne sais quoi...
- Coherency is beyond anything I've heard.
- Overall very very Hifi sound.

However, A18S lack also fo fluidity in the transition between high mids and treble....but no big deal.
It could be perfect for people who don't really like DD bass or can find them fatiguing because it is just the right quantity of bass, without the hummmpfff of the DD driver. Suprised to read that it was a bassy IEM...Definitely not. And less than U12T which has a signature enterely based on its bass.

Nice impressions I am glad to read that the Noir is the ultimate leader with a roaring massive chesty bass

The treble je ne sais quoi was a funny one haha in the beginning I was to finding it but where does the treble belong to ???
So I simply made it easy I created a new category and called it between electrostatic and Ba with a sparkle! Ingenious hehe

Right now melting and soaking in the marvelous sound from romi/1z + Noir/Pw1960

 

[Deezel177]

Hey, everyone! 'Just published my First Look at 64's brand-new A18s, along with brief comparisons against the A18t and some of the industry's most recent flagships. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you all continue to stay healthy and safe wherever you are in the world. Cheers.

A First Look: 64 Audio A18s

 

[hifihov]

@hifihov welcome to the drug called the u12t + M15 modules. Now invest in the Leonidas II cable, I personally held back as well for the longest time, but no other combination comes close for me.

Wow, that cable is £700 more than I have to play with at the moment, after the u12Ts and the Fir Atom modules in the same month. Might have to wait a while...

Is it really worth it..?

 

[normie610]

Wow, that cable is £700 more than I have to play with at the moment, after the u12Ts and the Fir Atom modules in the same month. Might have to wait a while...

Is it really worth it..?

Perhaps you can check out Norne Audio Silvergarde SX. It’s very reasonably priced with top notch quality. I used it with Trio and it gives good synergy, more clarity and resolution yet still has retains the warmth. Maybe it can have a similar impact to U12t as the cable‘s sound is pretty much uncolored.

 

[Tristy]

I'm very close to selling my U12t to fund a IER-Z1R purchase as I feel that it may be more of a signature that I prefer. I love the U12t so I don't want to let it go without gathering as much info on both before I do so. Is there anyone in this thread that has had experience with both (over longer than just a short listening session) that can comment on the pros and cons of each (in their eyes)? Cheers.

 

[hkpants]

Wow, that cable is £700 more than I have to play with at the moment, after the u12Ts and the Fir Atom modules in the same month. Might have to wait a while...

Is it really worth it..?

Many others and I don't hear an audible differences with cables. If you are seriously considering cables in order to change/upgrade sound, I suggest doing some research before you make that huge investment.

 

[berthoud]

Tristy-Ive had both. I bought a new Z1R and returned it after 5 minutes of listening. I have owned the u18t and bought the u12t used. The u12t is the versatility and fun king. Everything just sounds good. Any music, any source. Really an amazing IEM. Easily recommend as a blind buy and I cannot say that about most of the IEM's I've owned.

 

[gnahra]

Tristy-Ive had both. I bought a new Z1R and returned it after 5 minutes of listening. I have owned the u18t and bought the u12t used. The u12t is the versatility and fun king. Everything just sounds good. Any music, any source. Really an amazing IEM. Easily recommend as a blind buy and I cannot say that about most of the IEM's I've owned.

Sorry to jump in here, but just curious why you returned the Z1R, particularly so quickly? Was it fit, sound signature, both?
Thank you