[Edyeded86]

Been listening to my u12t's since i got them. I find that i get a normalization of sound after about an hour of listening to them.

By that I mean that I cant/struggle to hear the difference in sound quality from these TOTL iem's. Do you all get the same thing - what do you do when this happens?

I still really enjoy the music, but the sound just becomes familiar. I'm listening to my BLON-03 right now so that i can "normalize" to those, and then go back to the u12t's.

 

[Flappy]

Do folks consider the nio more like the Solaris than the U12t? I’m trying to decide if it’s redundant to have the nio and the u12t in my collection

I would say the mids and treble are similar to the Solaris 2020 which I tried earlier this year. There is a much more present bass response on the Nio's though. I didn't keep the Solaris 2020 simply because of the lack of bass presence and the Nio fills that bill completely. I've never tried the U12T so can't help there.

 

[mashuto]

Do folks consider the nio more like the Solaris than the U12t? I’m trying to decide if it’s redundant to have the nio and the u12t in my collection

I have never heard the u12t so I cant comment there, but the solaris is noticeably different from the nio. The nio is bassy and warm, while the solaris is much more neutral and flat.

Been listening to my u12t's since i got them. I find that i get a normalization of sound after about an hour of listening to them.

By that I mean that I cant/struggle to hear the difference in sound quality from these TOTL iem's. Do you all get the same thing - what do you do when this happens?

I still really enjoy the music, but the sound just becomes familiar. I'm listening to my BLON-03 right now so that i can "normalize" to those, and then go back to the u12t's.

Sounds like brain burn in. You just kind of adjust to whatever you are listening to. Totally normal thing. Whatever you are used to often ends up sounding "right". That and the difference between high end IEMs and low end these days is likely not nearly as large as some would have you think. I still think that compared to something like the blon bl03 there are plenty of improvements to be noted, but I think with most things in this hobby, people tend to use hyperbole to exaggerate a lot of the differences as otherwise describing things in smaller terms would be difficult.

 

[Edyeded86]

I have never heard the u12t so I cant comment there, but the solaris is noticeably different from the nio. The nio is bassy and warm, while the solaris is much more neutral and flat.

Sounds like brain burn in. You just kind of adjust to whatever you are listening to. Totally normal thing. Whatever you are used to often ends up sounding "right". That and the difference between high end IEMs and low end these days is likely not nearly as large as some would have you think. I still think that compared to something like the blon bl03 there are plenty of improvements to be noted, but I think with most things in this hobby, people tend to use hyperbole to exaggerate a lot of the differences as otherwise describing things in smaller terms would be difficult.

Yes! totally the term I was looking for - Brain burn in!! And you're so right - of course there's a difference between the u12t's and the BLON-03's - of course the u12t's offer something extra (and they sound lovely), but there's literally $1950 between the two iem's and to be frank, its kind of a stomach wrenching feeling when you think about the price gap vs iem capabilities.

Would love to hear the thoughts of other high end users...

 

[mashuto]

Yes! totally the term I was looking for - Brain burn in!! And you're so right - of course there's a difference between the u12t's and the BLON-03's - of course the u12t's offer something extra (and they sound lovely), but there's literally $1950 between the two iem's and to be frank, its kind of a stomach wrenching feeling when you think about the price gap vs iem capabilities.

Would love to hear the thoughts of other high end users...

Yea, thats the big argument. A lot of these IEMs are really excellent, but super expensive. Are the u12t's $1950 better than the blon bl-03? Quite arguably, no, not at all. I also think its actually pretty difficult for an IEM to be truly bad (have only heard a couple that are really terrible). So theres a whole lot of value to be had at lower price points.

But I think at this level most of us here should likely realize that we are paying a huge premium to eek that last little bit of quality, and to buy something from brands that know what they are doing and have that extra bit of know how when it comes to tuning. We are way way past any notion of value at this end of the IEM spectrum. And it really just comes down to the individual if the insane prices we pay are actually worth it.

And I think most that dont hang around these parts are likely more than satisfied with whatever cheap thing they listen to. For example, I recently bought a pair of aftershokz for outdoor exercise (they are wireless bone conduction headphones that dont block any outside sound). Sound quality is terrible. They serve their purpose for me, and are not intended to be my main IEMs/headphones. But I let my wife listen to them and she loved them. Thought they sounded more than good enough. Because to her, the important bits were ergonomics and usability, not that she get the best (or even decent) sound quality.

 

[Tristy]

Yea, thats the big argument. A lot of these IEMs are really excellent, but super expensive. Are the u12t's $1950 better than the blon bl-03? Quite arguably, no, not at all. I also think its actually pretty difficult for an IEM to be truly bad (have only heard a couple that are really terrible). So theres a whole lot of value to be had at lower price points.

But I think at this level most of us here should likely realize that we are paying a huge premium to eek that last little bit of quality, and to buy something from brands that know what they are doing and have that extra bit of know how when it comes to tuning. We are way way past any notion of value at this end of the IEM spectrum. And it really just comes down to the individual if the insane prices we pay are actually worth it.

And I think most that dont hang around these parts are likely more than satisfied with whatever cheap thing they listen to. For example, I recently bought a pair of aftershokz for outdoor exercise (they are wireless bone conduction headphones that dont block any outside sound). Sound quality is terrible. They serve their purpose for me, and are not intended to be my main IEMs/headphones. But I let my wife listen to them and she loved them. Thought they sounded more than good enough. Because to her, the important bits were ergonomics and usability, not that she get the best (or even decent) sound quality.

I second this, I recently got a pair of AirPod Pro's for exercise and they are surprising good (frequency response wise) and convenience plays a huge part in their value proposition. It makes you forget about what you're missing when going to the legend X or Solaris SE until you quickly switch between the two, making you question your purchase decision even more haha. But once you've heard the high end stuff I don't think there's any going back for pure listening pleasure.... I'll be interested to see what these large brands with huge economies of scale are able to pull out of the bag if the masses decide to push for hi def audio!

 

[mashuto]

I second this, I recently got a pair of AirPod Pro's for exercise and they are surprising good (frequency response wise) and convenience plays a huge part in their value proposition. It makes you forget about what you're missing when going to the legend X or Solaris SE until you quickly switch between the two, making you question your purchase decision even more haha. But once you've heard the high end stuff I don't think there's any going back for pure listening pleasure.... I'll be interested to see what these large brands with huge economies of scale are able to pull out of the bag if the masses do decide to go the way of hi def audio!

Absolutely. The aftershokz I got are just bad (from an audio quality standpoint, very rolled off bass and treble), but I had a very specific purpose in mind, and for what I use them for, they are awesome. Before that I would use my er2xr or others of my cheaper pairs that are surprisingly good especially for the prices. But when I am at my desk or in an environment where there are not other factors, I always always go for my higher end stuff, and not just because I want to ensure I actually use the ultra expensive stuff I have bought, but because they sound great.

So, to the other poster. Nobody else is going to be able to say if that extra maybe 20% of performance (totally made up number) is worth paying 20-40x the cost of something cheaper. I think for most of us here there is still some value to be had at these price points or else we wouldnt be here. Of course... it could just be us desperately trying to rationalize our crazy expensive and unnecessary purchases. There are definitely those out there that argue that you gain nothing by stepping up to the ultra expensive stuff

 

[Edyeded86]

Yea, thats the big argument. A lot of these IEMs are really excellent, but super expensive. Are the u12t's $1950 better than the blon bl-03? Quite arguably, no, not at all. I also think its actually pretty difficult for an IEM to be truly bad (have only heard a couple that are really terrible). So theres a whole lot of value to be had at lower price points.

But I think at this level most of us here should likely realize that we are paying a huge premium to eek that last little bit of quality, and to buy something from brands that know what they are doing and have that extra bit of know how when it comes to tuning. We are way way past any notion of value at this end of the IEM spectrum. And it really just comes down to the individual if the insane prices we pay are actually worth it.

And I think most that dont hang around these parts are likely more than satisfied with whatever cheap thing they listen to. For example, I recently bought a pair of aftershokz for outdoor exercise (they are wireless bone conduction headphones that dont block any outside sound). Sound quality is terrible. They serve their purpose for me, and are not intended to be my main IEMs/headphones. But I let my wife listen to them and she loved them. Thought they sounded more than good enough. Because to her, the important bits were ergonomics and usability, not that she get the best (or even decent) sound quality.

Yea, you're right. Best not think about it and try and enjoy it for what it is.

The sad thing is, you just keep going down the rabbit hole.

From cables, to tips to DAPs...

Recently got an AK sr25 and already thinking about a move to the Sp1000m!!!! Not even sure if it'll be worth...

I second this, I recently got a pair of AirPod Pro's for exercise and they are surprising good (frequency response wise) and convenience plays a huge part in their value proposition. It makes you forget about what you're missing when going to the legend X or Solaris SE until you quickly switch between the two, making you question your purchase decision even more haha. But once you've heard the high end stuff I don't think there's any going back for pure listening pleasure.... I'll be interested to see what these large brands with huge economies of scale are able to pull out of the bag if the masses decide to push for hi def audio!

There's a nice feeling in knowing that known the u12t's that's for sure, and I'd struggle to give them up (until there's something better)...

I guess my hopes are that technology keeps pushing forward and keeps pushing the limits!

 

[cr3ativ3]

The Nio and Trio are both fantastic... So fantastic that I don't really feel the need to buy any others for a while. As a matter of fact I'm gonna downsize my collection.

right ..Nio sounds fantastic it actually protected me from very expensive blind buy together with solairs20 and lx .. i might already have everything what i need ( for a while at least )

 

[Deferenz]

Been listening to my u12t's since i got them. I find that i get a normalization of sound after about an hour of listening to them.

By that I mean that I cant/struggle to hear the difference in sound quality from these TOTL iem's. Do you all get the same thing - what do you do when this happens?

I still really enjoy the music, but the sound just becomes familiar. I'm listening to my BLON-03 right now so that i can "normalize" to those, and then go back to the u12t's.

I am aware that the sound is of a high quality, but I think I sometimes get complacent, and like you said, it starts to feel the norm. I sometimes also go to a lesser sound source to get my bearings back.

 

[dleblanc343]

My Nio’s are still for sale if anyone wants to jump on the wagon.

After re-listening, I’m tempted to unlist them, even though financially I shouldn’t keep em!

Also curious to trade for U12T’s potentially, since I’m letting go KSE as well. I want a reference iem ideally.

 

[Seaea]

I second this, I recently got a pair of AirPod Pro's for exercise and they are surprising good (frequency response wise) and convenience plays a huge part in their value proposition. It makes you forget about what you're missing when going to the legend X or Solaris SE until you quickly switch between the two, making you question your purchase decision even more haha. But once you've heard the high end stuff I don't think there's any going back for pure listening pleasure.... I'll be interested to see what these large brands with huge economies of scale are able to pull out of the bag if the masses decide to push for hi def audio!

I still going back and forth between u12t and Blon BL-03, for pure listening pleasure of course.
Price do not play a single part in this hobby for me, just like E1DA 9038S and A&K SE100 that I keep both as my source.

 

[iDesign]

My Nio’s are still for sale if anyone wants to jump on the wagon.

After re-listening, I’m tempted to unlist them, even though financially I shouldn’t keep em!

Also curious to trade for U12T’s potentially, since I’m letting go KSE as well. I want a reference iem ideally.

Edit: Upon further listening, I no longer recommend the A18S. See my later posts on page 1096 of this thread.

 

[dleblanc343]

For what it is worth, I recently sold my KSE1200 and replaced them with the 64Audio A18s and I feel it is the finest CIEM available in the world. In comparing it to the U12t, the A18s is vastly superior in every technical category. The A18s is 64Audio's best work and nothing short of outstanding. While the KSE1200/1500 is a fine IEM, it is several tiers below the A18s and I much preferred the U12t as a universal.

Thanks for the input. I have a friend with the U18T so i need to hear it!

Having heard U12T, I personally prefer both KSE1500 Eq’d and Nio, but having just the u12t would be the best compromise for me personally

 

[Vitaly2017]

For what it is worth, I recently sold my KSE1200 and replaced them with the 64Audio A18s and I feel it is the finest CIEM available in the world. In comparing it to the U12t, the A18s is vastly superior in every technical category. The A18s is 64Audio's best work and nothing short of outstanding. While the KSE1200/1500 is a fine IEM, it is several tiers below the A18s and I much preferred the U12t as a universal.

And you are saying better then my Tia Noir's? Hmmm

I would say, a18s and Noir are probably 2 iems to compliment each other as they both offer what eache other cant do.

Tough I will say this. U18t vs u12 and I found u12 to be more musical and delicate. U18t was very technical...