[mashuto]

Thank you for your thoughts-- in a sea of people losing it with excitement you consistently present a balanced voice of reason. I'm selling my LX not my Z1R (but I think you knew that)...from the moment I heard the Nio announced my sense was that they would be more a competitor with the LX than the Solaris. I hear a lot of people praising the Nio for its more robust low end, but one of the characteristic features of Solaris is that it's not a bass heavy signature, so those of us who enjoy it are happy with the bass, even if it is tame by many people's standards. I'm enjoying all these impressions and the Nio is indeed on my shortlist if I decide to move on another IEM as a "side piece" to my Solaris. I will be eager to see how things round out after people have had them around for a few weeks/months. That said, I've never really connected with a 64 Audio IEM yet and this one seems like it might be the best contender.

Yea I meant LX, just so much talk about the z1r it was a typo.

And yes, the comparison is mostly good just because they are relatively similarly priced and are playing at about the same high end level. Otherwise they have different enough signatures, that better mainly only applies to personal preference and which would be better for you (or whoever).

I have a hunch that these would likely work for you, but not as a replacement or as something you prefer more than the Solaris. It's just too different. And if you are getting rid of the LX, the nio may prove to just be a slightly different replacement there.

Anyways, I'll likely keep riding the excitement train because for me (emphasis on me), they are really just doing it for me. And I have a feeling they are going to get a whole lot of head time so I'll certainly be able to give continued impressions.

 

[CL14715]

Thank you for your thoughts-- in a sea of people losing it with excitement you consistently present a balanced voice of reason. I'm selling my LX not my Z1R (but I think you knew that)...from the moment I heard the Nio announced my sense was that they would be more a competitor with the LX than the Solaris. I hear a lot of people praising the Nio for its more robust low end, but one of the characteristic features of Solaris is that it's not a bass heavy signature, so those of us who enjoy it are happy with the bass, even if it is tame by many people's standards. I'm enjoying all these impressions and the Nio is indeed on my shortlist if I decide to move on another IEM as a "side piece" to my Solaris. I will be eager to see how things round out after people have had them around for a few weeks/months. That said, I've never really connected with a 64 Audio IEM yet and this one seems like it might be the best contender.

I say better because I’ve heard all the Solaris versions. With the MX module on Nio everything is just much clearer and more detailed but full sounding. Even if they sounded the exact same as the Solaris SE with the Mx module, it would make them “better” because they are $200 less. Also the abalone appears to have better QC. Just my opinion and I still think the SE sound amazing. The word better is subjective and when I use it I’m speaking from my perspective.

 

[GiullianSN]

I have a custom A12t and Legend X. I am interested in Nio, because there are times when I want to use a universal. Tia Trio is the only universal I use and one with a different flavor would be good for variety. Angie II is never used anymore, so I will likely sell it.

Hey Whals, I'm with you but I also have the Tux5 and SD5 in universals. (Trying to let them go though).

I want to try something different. It it will be an "LX" universal, I don't think that's what I'm looking for. Let's see, another couple days to decide.

 

[Malevolint]

So I was looking at Twisters graph and since I have an LX coming in soon, I'm familiar with it in a theoretical sense, meaning a general sense of its sound as well as is graph. Twisters graph shows a rolloff of sub-bass in the LX, as well as the Nio. The LX is never an iem that I've heard to have any kind of roll-off, so it might not be as intense as it seems to indicate. Here's a side by side with Crins:





Just something to think about. I still find Twisters graph very helpful to get an idea of a comparison, and maybe throwing in Crins will give a more full picture for those who might have heard the LX.

 

[twister6]

So I was looking at Twisters graph and since I have an LX coming in soon, I'm familiar with it in a theoretical sense, meaning a general sense of its sound as well as is graph. Twisters graph shows a rolloff of sub-bass in the LX, as well as the Nio. The LX is never an iem that I've heard to have any kind of roll-off, so it might not be as intense as it seems to indicate. Here's a side by side with Crins:





Just something to think about. I still find Twisters graph very helpful to get an idea of a comparison, and maybe throwing in Crins will give a more full picture for those who might have heard the LX.

That is exactly the reason why I prefer not to include or post my measurements I find them useful for a relative comparison between IEMs within the same measurement setup. But in general, you can't expect budget couplers/mics we use in these hobby measurements (regardless if it is mine, or Crin's, or many others) to have the same wide bandwidth, the same responsivity, and the same calibration accuracy as the multi-thou$and equipment used by Jude or Tyll or manufacturers. Plus, these are compensated measurements where a calibration curve is applied, so of course, take it with a grain of salt because in the measurements above we use a different mic and a different custom compensation curve and most likely different eartips. Lots of variables, though I can confirm LX has more rumble than Nio even with M20.

And with all that said, here is updated apex/atom measurements where I added Fir Audio N13 (N-) module to show where it fits relative to MX and M15. Regardless of colors and how they show up, it goes from MX at the bottom (yes, sub-bass is rolled off) up to N13 (13dB), M15 (15dB), and M20 (20dB). I should get soon Fir Audio 10dB atom module as well, and have a feeling it could fit somewhere between MX and N13, probably closer to MX, but will see, don't want to speculate.

 

[Malevolint]

That is exactly the reason why I prefer not to include or post my measurements I find them useful for a relative comparison between IEMs within the same measurement setup. But in general, you can't expect budget couplers/mics we use in these hobby measurements (regardless if it is mine, or Crin's, or many others) to have the same wide bandwidth, the same responsivity, and the same calibration accuracy as the multi-thou$and equipment used by Jude or Tyll or manufacturers. Plus, these are compensated measurements where a calibration curve is applied, so of course, take it with a grain of salt because in the measurements above we use a different mic and a different custom compensation curve and most likely different eartips. Lots of variables, though I can confirm LX has more rumble than Nio even with M20.

And with all that said, here is updated apex/atom measurements where I added Fir Audio N13 (N-) module to show where it fits relative to MX and M15. Regardless of colors and how they show up, it goes from MX at the bottom (yes, sub-bass is rolled off) up to N13 (13dB), M15 (15dB), and M20 (20dB). I should get soon Fir Audio 10dB atom module as well, and have a feeling it could fit somewhere between MX and N13, probably closer to MX, but will see, don't want to speculate.

I wasn't trying to criticize or anything, just to give some perspective. When I heard about sub-bass rolloff and saw the graph was a little bummed. Then when I remembered the other graph gave me some hope.

Also, I understand that there are different methods to display graphs. I'm just so used to crins and anything else just throws me off.

Either way, seeing your graph was a huge relief because it confirmed 2 things that I had my fingers crossed for this iem: big bass and smooth treble.

Something between the mx and N13 would probably be perfect for so many semi-bassheads! It's crazy how close together the rest are.

Thank you for your work and looking forward to the full review

 

[mwhals]

@twister6 - Any chance of an N8 and Nio graph?

 

[mashuto]

I wasn't trying to criticize or anything, just to give some perspective. When I heard about sub-bass rolloff and saw the graph was a little bummed. Then when I remembered the other graph gave me some hope.

Also, I understand that there are different methods to display graphs. I'm just so used to crins and anything else just throws me off.

Either way, seeing your graph was a huge relief because it confirmed 2 things that I had my fingers crossed for this iem: big bass and smooth treble.

Something between the mx and N13 would probably be perfect for so many semi-bassheads! It's crazy how close together the rest are.

Thank you for your work and looking forward to the full review

Yea the bass is a little bit rolled off with the mx module. Just as a test, I ran a sine sweep, between 20-30hz were hard to hear (though not sure if those are really represented much in music anyways), then 30-40hz were maybe slightly quieter, but beyond that, it was fine. So yea, a bit rolled off with mx, but I dont think thats the case with the other modules. Of course the other modules are quite bassy. Not sure if theres something else I could listen to to really test it.

But regardless, the things you had your fingers crossed for, big bass, and smooth treble are definitely true here.

Still yet to be seen if the honeymoon period for me wears off after some time, but regardless of how "good" they are, I think they are a good fit for me.

 

[twister6]

Yea the bass is a little bit rolled off with the mx module. Just as a test, I ran a sine sweep, between 20-30hz were hard to hear (though not sure if those are really represented much in music anyways), then 30-40hz were maybe slightly quieter, but beyond that, it was fine. So yea, a bit rolled off with mx, but I dont think thats the case with the other modules. Of course the other modules are quite bassy. Not sure if theres something else I could listen to to really test it.

But regardless, the things you had your fingers crossed for, big bass, and smooth treble are definitely true here.

Still yet to be seen if the honeymoon period for me wears off after some time, but regardless of how "good" they are, I think they are a good fit for me.

Another thing to keep in mind, so far we have been talking about the effect of apex/atom modules. But considering these are universals, the change in seal due to eartips rolling will also be an interesting experiment.

This is becoming a little too addictive. I probably need to take a few days off from Nio so I can get to and finish other reviews in queue

 

[twister6]

I wasn't trying to criticize or anything, just to give some perspective. When I heard about sub-bass rolloff and saw the graph was a little bummed. Then when I remembered the other graph gave me some hope.

Also, I understand that there are different methods to display graphs. I'm just so used to crins and anything else just throws me off.

Either way, seeing your graph was a huge relief because it confirmed 2 things that I had my fingers crossed for this iem: big bass and smooth treble.

Something between the mx and N13 would probably be perfect for so many semi-bassheads! It's crazy how close together the rest are.

Thank you for your work and looking forward to the full review

No offence taken, m8. If anything, I'm my own biggest critic when it comes to FR measurements, and often preach about analyzing the sound with your ears instead of your eyes. But in reality, I do enjoy taking these measurements and doing comparisons, and running sine sweeps to see how they align.

 

[mashuto]

Another thing to keep in mind, so far we have been talking about the effect of apex/atom modules. But considering these are universals, the change in seal due to eartips rolling will also be an interesting experiment.

This is becoming a little too addictive. I probably need to take a few days off from Nio so I can get to and finish other reviews in queue

Heh all very true. I got such a comfortable fit with the first tips I tried (spinfit cp100 large) that I haven't actually done any tip rolling on these yet.

Anyways, thanks for all your contributions to the discussion here!

 

[EternalShadow]

Another thing to keep in mind, so far we have been talking about the effect of apex/atom modules. But considering these are universals, the change in seal due to eartips rolling will also be an interesting experiment.

This is becoming a little too addictive. I probably need to take a few days off from Nio so I can get to and finish other reviews in queue

What tip have you been using so far?

 

[twister6]

What tip have you been using so far?

Been using no-brand set of large tips from oriveti iems (i got a dozen of those, just to use with 64audio IEMs). They perform very similar to Azla Sedna earfit tips, which lately been my favorite. Plus, Sedna has "light" version with a softer cap which can relax the seal, planning to test it as well. But you know how it is with eartips, very subjective due to a difference in our ear anatomy.

 

[hkpants]

Interested in the MX Module for my A12t, been using the FiR Atom 13.5 module and that seems to hit the sweet spot, but still curious.

 

[HuoYuanJia]

I have measured the 64 Audio A18s universal demo and compared it to U18t.

Text and comments here: https://www.klauseulenbach.de/2020/06/28/frequency-response-64-audio-a18s/