[dhc0329]

Custom will beat universal any day of the week...

I would have to disagree with this statement. I had A18 before and now U18..I cannot be happier. Much better comfort and convenience plus
I am finding the universal to be equal if not better sounding.

 

[PunchLine]

I would have to disagree with this statement. I had A18 before and now U18..I cannot be happier. Much better comfort and convenience plus
I am finding the universal to be equal if not better sounding.

Then I’m in the humble opinion you suffered from a very poor fit. It takes some effort to get it right. I had to take my impressions twice, and 64 Audio had to retouch the IEM before they fit unobtrusively and comfortably for hours on end.

The seal alone makes a huge difference in SQ, and the deep insertion only adds to it.

 

[swesko]

I agree that the seal and the deep insertion has a big impact on the sq. I have the universals and at first I thought they were lacking bass then tried the L tips and pushed them in and what a difference

 

[Ike1985]

I much prefer customs as well, unbelievable comfort, that resale hit tho. = /

 

[flinkenick]

Howdy, I picked up a Fourté on loan last week and wrote a review.

http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-review-64-audio-fourte/

 

[bogdan belonozhko]

With the Fir, the 64 Audio family, is obviously trying to set up a competition to Judy Vac. I salute the notion, but the product is overbuilt and the price is outright ridiculous.

But of course, they know that some of you just love to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars for cables whose contribution to the sound quality is minuscule if not questionable.
So why not to jump on the wagon? An audiophile and his money are soon parted…Ha Ha.

If you can source out a wider diameter tip for the Judy Vac, you’ll be golden. At the end of the day, you just need to hover over the mesh.

This is a great question, since I’m not a sponsor yet I’ll leave my product out of the response and focus on 64’s tia system in particular. The mesh screen on the IEM is a very crucial defense for the tia high driver. The driver sits right behind that screen and the driver is completely open. Any debris that gets on the other side of the screen might fall right into the driver/under the diaphragm. That could lead to distortion, low output, or even complete failure. Wax and lack of maintenance are not usually covered under warranty by most IEM manufacturers. Maintaining that screen is very important. Audiophiles tend to do this better than road musicians. Musicians are not focused on these things and that’s why usually the monitor guy who deals with issues and failures takes it upon himself to maintain the whole band/ dancers ears to prevent failures that happen inevitably.
With tia especially there is definitely more education needed on how crucial simple maintenance is to longevity of IEM’s. When you own a $3k pair, it makes even more sense since it’s just as susceptible to wax as a cheap set of iems.
To the last part of your post. If the suction is not strong enough you could potentially be pushing wax behind the screen.
I hope this helps.

 

[KuroKitsu]

New models out: A3e, A4t, A6t and just after I got my A3s too.

 

[lotech]

New models out: A3e, A4t, A6t and just after I got my A3s too.

Where'd you see that? I don't see it on the 64 Audio site.

 

[squirrelman]

I just went and look and if you click under products and choose the A series you should see them.

 

[eldss]

They have new wood finishes and additional shell colors as well.

 

[lotech]

just got the email and found them, since I've been thinking about A12t this might make things more difficult.

 

[alexnishi]

patiently awaiting reviews on these new IEMs

 

[KuroKitsu]

I'm curious how much the Tia Driver makes a difference in sound. I had my eye on the A18t as a sucessor to the A3 in the future, but with the A6t for a much lower price point, that might end up being my next pair.

 

[Deezel177]

I'm curious how much the Tia Driver makes a difference in sound. I had my eye on the A18t as a sucessor to the A3 in the future, but with the A6t for a much lower price point, that might end up being my next pair.

Tia drivers tend to add treble quantity and extension to the sound signature. As a result, you'll get massive boosts in detail retrieval, clarity, air, transient speed and stage openness. High treble extension translates to a more stable stage for more reliable imaging and prevents mid-bass energy from congesting the image. I can only think of a few downsides as far as Tia technology is concerned. The pros associated with upper-treble energy may come at the cost of warmth and naturalness sometimes, but thankfully 64Audio haven't crossed that line and made an offensively bright IEM yet - nor do I ever wish it upon them to. I have talked to some treble-sensitive people who take issue with the quantity of sparkle that the new Tia-equipped IEMs have - particularly the Tia Fourte (as it's currently one of the most highly-documented of them all) - but it's definitely more subjective than objective, and their complaints are relatively minor.

My dad owns an A3 which I've heard via force-fit multiple times and I think the A6t is a great choice to upgrade to. The U6t is neutral-bright in tone based on my impressions at CJ SG 2018, so it's definitely more akin tonally to the A3 than the old U6, which was more organic and full-sounding. The main aspect you'd be missing out on from the A18 (apart from technical performance, obviously) would be mid-bass energy. The A18 is more energetic down-low, but its swift decay still maintains an excellently clean stage. Though, if you don't mind sticking with the low-end quantity of the A3, then the A6t is definitely worth considering.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Tia drivers tend to add treble quantity and extension to the sound signature. As a result, you'll get massive boosts in detail retrieval, clarity, air, transient speed and stage openness. High treble extension translates to a more stable stage for more reliable imaging and prevents mid-bass energy from congesting the image. I can only think of a few downsides as far as Tia technology is concerned. The pros associated with upper-treble energy may come at the cost of warmth and naturalness sometimes, but thankfully 64Audio haven't crossed that line and made an offensively bright IEM yet - nor do I ever wish it upon them to. I have talked to some treble-sensitive people who take issue with the quantity of sparkle that the new Tia-equipped IEMs have - particularly the Tia Fourte (as it's currently one of the most highly-documented of them all) - but it's definitely more subjective than objective, and their complaints are relatively minor.

My dad owns an A3 which I've heard via force-fit multiple times and I think the A6t is a great choice to upgrade to. The U6t is neutral-bright in tone based on my impressions at CJ SG 2018, so it's definitely more akin tonally to the A3 than the old U6, which was more organic and full-sounding. The main aspect you'd be missing out on from the A18 (apart from technical performance, obviously) would be mid-bass energy. The A18 is more energetic down-low, but its swift decay still maintains an excellently clean stage. Though, if you don't mind sticking with the low-end quantity of the A3, then the A6t is definitely worth considering.

Thats some food for thought, thanks! I previously came from the Earsonic Velvets V2 and since I liked the sound of those triple drivers I figured that the A3 would be something good to start. Just having it fit in my ears and ADEL makes for an ever better sound for about the same price point. It seems that the A6t has a similar signature, and with the Tia driver at the same price as before it seemed reasonable. A18t will probably be my endgame, but with the way exchange rates to CAD have been, that feels really far off.