[DunkFealer]

Turns out the silver cable also looks handsome on the Trio! For some reason I tend to really want the cable brand to match the IEM, but the ergonomics of this cable are miles ahead of the 64 premium cables anyways.

 

[AlexFL]

I think that's inevitably the 'compromise' you make going from BA to DD bass. Unless you have an all-Beryllium driver it's unlikely you'll get DD bass to be as 'fast' as BA bass, but therein lies the benefit of DD bass (for me): more natural, organic attack and decay. Yes it's slower, but rather slower and more powerful/natural than faster yet more artificial. At least that's my preference.

Since everything else about the Nio is reportedly very similar to the U12t (albeit with very little anecdotal feedback so far) I'm cautiously optimistic the Nio may just be a unicorn IEM when it comes to my ideal sound signature.

I guess it also depends on what music you listen to. I don't listen to any metal of any description, not particularly fast rock. My library consists primarily of female vocal folk/pop/indie, acoustic music, singer-singwriter, vocal jazz, cinematic music and classic 80s tunes, and my preference is smooth, laid back, easy listening with lots of detail and melody rather than speed and energy.

I'm waiting for Crin to post the NIO graph and compare it to U12T. I have spent tons of time and money playing with sub 1K IEMs until I visited 46 audio store in NY and the seller, tired of me testing a huge list of Campfires, Sonys and other IEMs just gave me to try the U12T. I couldn't sleep until I bought them. The great thing about them is you can tune the sound with cables and DAPs and have that incredible level of detail. I love entry level EA cables, Maestro will make them warmer and basshead IEM while not losing details and treble sparkle, EA virtuoso (my favorite) will bring more lower highs and improve overall details comparing to stock, LQI silver cable will make them more upper mid forward while keeping all details. DAPs rolling is fun too, they will show you the DAPs signature really well M11Pro for classical and acoustic, Hiby R5 when I need more mids and just relax, R6Pro for thicker bass and mids... Now we have NIO and I'm very excited to try it, but I'm waiting for proper comparison.

 

[CL14715]

I'm waiting for Crin to post the NIO graph and compare it to U12T. I have spent tons of time and money playing with sub 1K IEMs until I visited 46 audio store in NY and the seller, tired of me testing a huge list of Campfires, Sonys and other IEMs just gave me to try the U12T. I couldn't sleep until I bought them. The great thing about them is you can tune the sound with cables and DAPs and have that incredible level of detail. I love entry level EA cables, Maestro will make them warmer and basshead IEM while not losing details and treble sparkle, EA virtuoso (my favorite) will bring more lower highs and improve overall details comparing to stock, LQI silver cable will make them more upper mid forward while keeping all details. DAPs rolling is fun too, they will show you the DAPs signature really well M11Pro for classical and acoustic, Hiby R5 when I need more mids and just relax, R6Pro for thicker bass and mids... Now we have NIO and I'm very excited to try it, but I'm waiting for proper comparison.

Things a unicorn. It can do all of what you just mentioned with a module swap. I’m not crin or some highly regarded reviewer but I have many high end IEM’s that I will spend hours doing A/B comparisons with and the Nio will dethrone the LX for some people. It’s damn near a U12t with the bass rumble and punch people complain BA’s don’t provide, with less BA timbre. I’m just glad I got mine before all the big wallets realize it

 

[gnahra]

Things a unicorn. It can do all of what you just mentioned with a module swap. I’m not crin or some highly regarded reviewer but I have many high end IEM’s that I will spend hours doing A/B comparisons with and the Nio will dethrone the LX for some people. It’s damn near a U12t with the bass rumble and punch people complain BA’s don’t provide, with less BA timbre. I’m just glad I got mine before all the big wallets realize it

just noticed your sig...both Solaris SE and 2020 gonzo?

 

[CL14715]

just noticed your sig...both Solaris SE and 2020 gonzo?

Correcto

 

[gnahra]

Correcto

Wow! That’s a big deal

 

[CL14715]

Wow! That’s a big deal

Just wait until your Nio’s arrive buddy.

 

[mashuto]

Things a unicorn. It can do all of what you just mentioned with a module swap. I’m not crin or some highly regarded reviewer but I have many high end IEM’s that I will spend hours doing A/B comparisons with and the Nio will dethrone the LX for some people. It’s damn near a U12t with the bass rumble and punch people complain BA’s don’t provide, with less BA timbre. I’m just glad I got mine before all the big wallets realize it

Yea... I am still super super impressed and wowed by the nio. I likely havent heard quite as many other high end IEMs as you, but I just find myself not really wanting for anything when I listen to it and find myself actually going to listen to music more and just want to have them in my ears. Im just pretty much completely satisfied with them. Also really happy with the slight tuning ability from the apex modules, and surprisingly enough I think the N0 atom module from fir will likely be my second choice behind the standard m15 module. The others really dont make much difference (except in isolation) but theres enough difference between the m15 and n0 if I am looking for a bit more balanced signature without really attenuating the bass (and subbass) much like the mx module.

I think its time now to start selling off others. Likely next week or the week after, once my custom tips for the z1r arrive and I can decide if I want to still keep them or try and repurpose the tips to another secondary IEM... decisions decisions.

Also for anyone who cares, I decided not to send my nio back to 64, for the tiny blemishes. I had my wife look at them and see if she could even notice and after like 20 seconds she didnt see anything and when I pointed them out she thought they really werent a big deal and were likely to end up with wear and tear like that over time anyways. I do realize that even these minor blemishes could technically bump them down to so called b-stock status... but I would rather not deal with the hassle and cost (though relatively small) of sending them back, and then potentially not having them for a week or two. If 64 was covering it, maybe a different story. Maybe. But, overall, I am really not worried about a couple tiny blemishes, especially for an IEM I have no plans of selling.

Anyways, really looking forward to hearing others impressions of the nio once they start arriving for everyone else!

 

[twister6]

In many cases graph alone won't tell you the full story. Here is a comparison measurement I just did of Nio vs U12t, both with M15 modules. While A/Bing both from LPGT, Nio has a noticeably higher level of sub-bass rumble while in measurements it doesn't look that way. But the rest gives you a good idea of the difference. Nio has a fuller body mids/vocals and smoother lower treble with less airiness, while U12t has leaner and more transparent mids with more sparkle in treble. But the sub-bass difference is the first thing that stands out when I switch between these two.

 

[Facta]

Best U12t for me is when pair it with E1DA 9038S.
I already sold almost all of my daps when got that little stick 7 months ago.

Thank you. This sure seems to enjoy Amir's blessings. At quarter a Watt output, must be more than enough for most CIEMs for a run around the park. This one segment of thumbdrive-sized DAC/Amps of $200 seems to be getting hotter than that of palm-sized ultra high-end DAPs/DACs.

 

[Levanter]

Still not a U12t with DD bass for those looking for the unicorn lol.
U12t mids is more than warm/full for me and I do not want a smoother lower treble.

 

[zephyrstar]

I got my Nio Friday and have about 10 hours on them so far. I really like them. I didn't have any of the cosmetic blemishes mentioned previously, mine looked perfect out of the box.

I got the 4.4 silver cable and it is really nice. I wouldn't pay $500 for an IEM cable but for free it was a great deal. It is soft and pliable and comfortable to wear. The ear hooks don't bother me at all. I know some complained about the plastic plugs and separator but it keeps the cable very lightweight. I think they will prove to be durable too, if polymer is good enough for Glock it should be fine for IEM cable plugs .

I've listened to them so far with my DX228 (EX module from iBasso) and my Sony TA. They sound great with both, but with the TA being the clear winner. With the TA they are super smooth and clear.

Bass is very good, punchy and deep.

Compared to my Atlas, they have a little less bass but it is much more controlled. Mids and highs are more forward and clearer on the Nio. Atlas is still a lot of fun though .

Compared to my IER-Z1R, well that is interesting. Mids are a little more forward on the Nio. Bass sounds pretty similar. They are much lighter and fit me better, although I don't have an issue with the Z1R either. I need more time for comparison but so far to my ears they hold up really well sound wise. At the moment I would have a hard time saying one is better than the other sound wise. I will post again about that after some time.

 

[Facta]

I think that's inevitably the 'compromise' you make going from BA to DD bass. Unless you have an all-Beryllium driver it's unlikely you'll get DD bass to be as 'fast' as BA bass, but therein lies the benefit of DD bass (for me): more natural, organic attack and decay. Yes it's slower, but rather slower and more powerful/natural than faster yet more artificial. At least that's my preference.

Since everything else about the Nio is reportedly very similar to the U12t (albeit with very little anecdotal feedback so far) I'm cautiously optimistic the Nio may just be a unicorn IEM when it comes to my ideal sound signature.
I guess it also depends on what music you lis
ten to. I don't listen to any metal of any description, not particularly fast rock. My library consists primarily of female vocal folk/pop/indie, acoustic music, singer-singwriter, vocal jazz, cinematic music and classic 80s tunes, and my preference is smooth, laid back, easy listening with lots of detail and melody rather than speed and energy.

A new single all-Beryllium (or better material) driver IEM ought to be taken up as the de facto challenge to prove one's worth as tech thinkers and designers by every renowned IEM manufacturer including all-BA people like 64Audio (who already added a DD to the configuration with N8 and Nio). When Dunu with Luna (Be) and Campfire with Vega (diamond) could attempt the same with more than decent enough results, why not 64Audio with all its well-proven design prowess or Focal with its Beryllium experience in Utopia/Stellia/Trio6/Trio11? Speaking of which, the strong faith and conviction Sennheiser seems to be placing in dynamic drivers without ever caring to experiment with multi-BAs or hybrids (as even relatively boutique shops went on to dominate the high-end IEM/CIEM markets) is so very endearing. New age DD ought to be made the bar mitzvah for any new age IEM maker wanting to announce its worth to the world beyond the fat profit line multi-BAs seem to guarantee. DD is test in fidelity. BA is fun in infidelity.

 

[CL14715]

In many cases graph alone won't tell you the full story. Here is a comparison measurement I just did of Nio vs U12t, both with M15 modules. While A/Bing both from LPGT, Nio has a noticeably higher level of sub-bass rumble while in measurements it doesn't look that way. But the rest gives you a good idea of the difference. Nio has a fuller body mids/vocals and smoother lower treble with less airiness, while U12t has leaner and more transparent mids with more sparkle in treble. But the sub-bass difference is the first thing that stands out when I switch between these two.

Thank thank thank you for putting this out. It helps me visualize what I am trying to describe between the two. Like you said though, the low frequencies tale is not told by that graph. The mids definitely are though. They just sounded heavier and more forward than U12T.

 

[gLer]

In many cases graph alone won't tell you the full story. Here is a comparison measurement I just did of Nio vs U12t, both with M15 modules. While A/Bing both from LPGT, Nio has a noticeably higher level of sub-bass rumble while in measurements it doesn't look that way. But the rest gives you a good idea of the difference. Nio has a fuller body mids/vocals and smoother lower treble with less airiness, while U12t has leaner and more transparent mids with more sparkle in treble. But the sub-bass difference is the first thing that stands out when I switch between these two.

This is the best thing I've read all day, and I can confidently say that at 9am! Thanks Alex.