[Tristy]

This is a turning point,imo, because until now I don't believe there has been one hybrid with it's strength being mids. That's generally a weakness.

*Cough* Elysium *Cough*

 

[Malevolint]

*Cough* Elysium *Cough*

Haha alright you got me there. I should have said "with DD bass"

 

[xenithon]

The Fir module O is a must have in my opinion, as it reduces the bass just enough to balance things out.

My FIR O module arrived today and I've been doing quite a lot of listening. I must admit that personally I am not a huge fan. That may be contrary to what many are saying so let me explain my thought process.

Firstly, the positives - it undoubtedly reveals more detail than the M15. With the latter, I was often listening to material I am familiar with (and used to hearing on the U12t) and wondering where certain details where. The Nio/M15 did not have that finesse and clarity. If I concentrated and listened attentively, I could pick a lot (but not all) of that detail, whereas it is a lot more present and readily discernible with the O.

A good example of this is the track Within from Daft Punk, as well as Charango by Morcheeba. All the finer details are far easier to hear and not lost in the mix as it sometimes is with the M15.

Similarly, the width of the soundstage has improved. I get more of an "around my head" sense than a strictly "in my head” sound.

Raphael by Carla Bruni shows this off well, with the panning footsteps in the beginning, followed by the shaker in the left and guitar in the right. Slow Cheetah by Red Hot Chili Peppers is another prime example of that width at play

Now onto the negatives, to my ears. Firstly, the bass kick which separates the Nio from the all-BA siblings is reduced. Sure, not to MX levels, but enough that to me the Nio / O does not differentiate itself as well as it used to. If you love the Nio / M15 specifically because of that DD "kick" you may miss that with the O.

The song Turpentine by Brandi Carlisle has a mix of electric bass and slow, deep thumping drum. The latter has lost some the weight which made it stand out. And on Valencia by The Decemberists, the indie folk / rock drums don't have the physical prowess and power I enjoyed with the M15.

I initially found the Nio a bit bloated, with low and sub-bass droning and drowning out the rest of the sound. This is largely under control post burn-in. With the O, even some of that mid-bass is toned down and not quite as meaty

Closer by Jem has many layers of such synth bass and the rumble feels a little more distance that I'd anticipate with the Nio's DD that I know it is capable of.

The midrange and treble forwardness is probably the key change that I do not like. It really pushes them upfront and center. This can become "in your face". I am not talking sibilance here, but just being much "louder" and leaping in front of other elements in tracks.

Even of seemingly gentle songs like Tennessee by the Secret Sisters can become a little fatiguing after a while. A song like Stadium Arcadium that has super clear guitar, the thwack of a drum, and the vocals, can quickly become fatiguing.

And finally, if you combine all of the above, to my ears, the Nio loses some of the magic that makes it so special with the M15. From the very first listen when I unboxed it, I was uttering the words "musical". It was engaging and bordering beguiling. I would get lost in the music and forget about missing the detail or width and separation of my U12t and simply enjoy the experience. But with the changes that the O brings about, it becomes cooler, less charismatic, and loses some of its special character.

Does it tone down the bass and make it more neutral? Yes.
Does it bring you closer to "reference"? Probably.
Would I call a Nio / O combo a "monitor"? Do not think so.
Do I prefer it / would I use the Nio with the O? No.

A caveat I should add is that I still have my U12t and that is my go-to. If you are looking for a one-IEM solution, the O certainly provides a level of flexibility that can make it a chameleon of sorts. But while these module changes can make a marked difference, bear in mind there will always be unintended consequences and, as a result, compromises that you'll be making

I know everyone is on the Nio hype, but any recommendations for tips for the u12t?

I still enjoy the JVC Spiral Dot. Super comfy and great sound. My current go-to is the SednaEarFit. A little stiffer but I still find it comfortable, and it provides a little more sharpness and clarity to the sound across the board (tighter / quicker bass, more defined edges in the mids, a touch more treble sparkle but still completely non-fatiguing). I should get a chance to try out the Sedna Xelastec in the next few days and that should provide a similar sound but better comfort (holding thumbs this is the case).

 

[gLer]

I should get a chance to try out the Sedna Xelastec in the next few days and that should provide a similar sound but better comfort (holding thumbs this is the case).

Great impressions! I think you'll find the Xelastec sound quite different from the Earfit. I suspect that's primarily because they seal like good cork in a wine bottle. Airtight. I can actually feel the suction pressure as they go in and 'stick'. I got mine today - early impressions to follow shortly.

 

[BobJS]

My Nio also arrived today. They are still sitting in their box unopened.

WHAT?

I'm still getting high (this is figurative) on the Trio that came today as well. Standard tips were useless for me, but the L XElastec is working very nicely. I've been listening for a couple of hours and they are amazing. I'll try some tip rolling later today.

 

[BobJS]

Does anyone know if the standard cable included with Trio is SPC ?

 

[mashuto]

Does anyone know if the standard cable included with Trio is SPC ?

I believe so, yes. It's their "premium" cable as listed on 64's site.

 

[gLer]

Xelastec tips arrived today. Nicely packaged - definitely a step up from the regular Senda tips.

As comfy and good sounding as I found the Sedna EarFit (regular and light), they're a bit stiff and I can sometimes feel the sharp pressure from the hard stem when adjusting them in-ear. They're also not very 'grippy', so on hot days or after a long listening session they tend to slick up and slip around in my ear unless I wedge them into my ear canal - and if there's one thing I despise above all else when it comes to IEMs, it's a deep insert.

I was a bit concerned about the Xelastecs initially because of their 'short' stems. Combined with the longer nozzle of the Nio, I thought this would place the tip of Nio's nozzle flush with the opening of the tip - another no-no if you want to avoid clogging of that very precious Tia bore. Thankfully my fears were unfounded, as the image above illustrates. While the Xelastec's do have a shorter stem, they also have an extruded lip, probably because their stem is a moulded extension of the umbrella section. that means when pushed all the way down, there's still a nice gap between the end of the tip and the nozzle. Most unwanted ear material will likely catch onto the sticky edges of the tip and make for easy removal before it can get onto the mesh (which isn't the case if you look at how flush the Sedna short and Spiral Dot tips sit on the Nio).

The big questions though: how do they fit/feel, and how do they sound?

Compared to the regular Sednas, the Xelastecs are immediately softer and more comfortable. It took me a few seconds to get used to the 'sticky' nature of the material - grippy would be a better word, there's no sticky residue or anything like that. Because they sit lower on the stem, insertion depth is also reduced, a big bonus in terms of comfort. Unlike the Sedna short, though, the Xelastecs almost instantly grip your ear as they go in, then softly relax into place. I could almost hear the 'suction' as the seal was formed - and what a seal. I can shake my head around, yawn widely, even tug lightly at the earpieces - these things hold fast! (Tip: when removing from your ears, shift the earpieces around a little to 'break' the seal first.

As for sound, these definitely sound different to any of my other favourite tips: Sedna, Spiral Dot, even the stock 64 Audio tips. This could well be because of the airtight seal, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, the Xelastecs seem to a add a touch of extra zing in the treble, and the bass, while kicking as ever, seems better controlled. Vocals also gain a slightly sharper edge. Again, how much of this is because of the material, shallower insert, different bore type (these are not horn shaped, unlike the EarFits), or perfect seal, I can't say. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in here.

I will say this, these are the most comfortable tips I've worn with any IEM to date. I only hope they're easy enough to clean (which I'll have to do after every use) and last me a long time. I'd not want to be replacing $30 tips every other month!

Next up: Fir O impressions. That's for later in the week.

 

[tawmizzzz]

So I surprisingly am enjoying the M20 much more than the M15. I imagine after proper DD burn-in and the actual silver cable, that can quickly change, but so far the M15 bass is pretty boomy and excessive...and this is an LX owner saying this lol.

I think @CL14715 mentioned this before but the M20 does remind me of the Solaris SE a little bit. It has smoother treble and bit less holographic, with a clear advantage with a foward, lush mid range. Bass seems more natural, even with M20, with a great musicality and still great technicalities.

Figured out the issue with my M15 listening, much better. Thanks @gLer

On the other hand, I am noticing some ear discomfort and wonder if perhaps the stock cable could be contributing to this? Not nearly as comfortable for extended listening so far as with my LX. Any one else having issues with this?

 

[gLer]

So I surprisingly am enjoying the M20 much more than the M15. I imagine after proper DD burn-in and the actual silver cable, that can quickly change, but so far the M15 bass is pretty boomy and excessive...and this is an LX owner saying this lol.

I think @CL14715 mentioned this before but the M20 does remind me of the Solaris SE a little bit. It has smoother treble and bit less holographic, with a clear advantage with a foward, lush mid range. Bass seems more natural, even with M20, with a great musicality and still great technicalities.

On the other hand, I am noticing some ear discomfort and wonder if perhaps the stock cable could be contributing to this? Not nearly as comfortable for extended listening so far as with my LX. Any one else having issues with this?

Are you saying the M20 is *less boomy" than the M20? This doesn't make sense - it should be the other way around. What sort of discomfort are you feeling, and where? Around your ears, in your ears?

I've now figured out how to best use the memory wire on the premium silver cable and together with Xelastecs I can probably wear Nio all day long. I've never used a 64 Audio stock cable. It's too thin, jangly and wiry for my liking. 64 Audio can really learn a thing or two from Empire Ears when it comes to selling their IEMs with premium matched cables (silver premium cable promotion notwithstanding of course). For the price we should expect premium everything, not just earpieces.

 

[fire2368]

I've got 2 pairs of A18T, one was delivered last month and the other about 2 years old. The older one hisses on most sources and I can even hear it hiss on the WM1Z, the newer one is dead silent. How can this be? Is there LID in the newer A18Ts?

 

[CL14715]

My Nio also arrived today. They are still sitting in their box unopened.

WHAT?

I'm still getting high (this is figurative) on the Trio that came today as well. Standard tips were useless for me, but the L XElastec is working very nicely. I've been listening for a couple of hours and they are amazing. I'll try some tip rolling later today.

Aren’t they oddly amazing sounding?

 

[CL14715]

Having owned the U12t for about 6 months prior to the announcement of the Nio, I can say that it's great and is very relevant still. The treble on the U12t is definitely more present and effortless compared to the Nio. At my usual listening level, the U12t is definitely the more balanced of the two (even without taking the bass into consideration) and detail retrieval is a bit better too. From memory, I think I still prefer the U12t for metal, just because of the speed and accuracy of the lower frequencies. You get a bit of bass bleed with the M15 module and the level of bass isn't enough for my tastes with the MX, so you need something in between. The Fir module O is a must have in my opinion, as it reduces the bass just enough to balance things out.

As @Mrcojocaru said previously, the Nio is very similar to the VE8, especially in the mids. They're right in the center, and you can hear them well. From memory, I'd say the vocals sound very similar and there's very good weight / emotion to them. For some reason, I don't find the Nio to be as thick sounding in the lower mids, especially with the MX module. The bass is probably a bit more controlled on the VE8, but it's obviously more impactful and realistic on the Nio. The VE8 hisses with almost everything and the sound changes a lot depending on the OI of your source, so that can be a negative for some.

Finally, there's the Andro 2020. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I would recommend it over the Nio if you're a low volume listener and you want the absolute best bang for your buck in the TOTL realm. If you NEED a DD for the lower frequencies and listen fairly loudly (around the 80 dB or more), then the Nio is a no brainer. Even after A/Bing against the Z1R, I felt like the bass wasn't very far behind (the Z1R has a more effortless bass). The only thing you're missing out on is the treble sparkle and maybe layering of the Andros. If you guys ever get the chance to try those two side by side, please let us know your thoughts !

I’ve been listening to the Nio and Andro 2020 amongst others this past week and I agree. I don’t think there’s a better low volume option than the Andro 2020 for the price. It retains almost all the detail, sound sig and treble air while being very subtle and quiet.

 

[mwhals]

I've got 2 pairs of A18T, one was delivered last month and the other about 2 years old. The older one hisses on most sources and I can even hear it hiss on the WM1Z, the newer one is dead silent. How can this be? Is there LID in the newer A18Ts?

You have two pairs of A18T or one A18T and one A18s? The A18s does have LID technology. The A18t does not.

 

[fire2368]

You have two pairs of A18T or one A18T and one A18s? The A18s does have LID technology. The A18t does not.

I have 2x A18T. They're exactly the same model. I can tell you one is super sensitive and hisses then other one doesn't.