[mashuto]

Haven't had enough time to really form any real opinions yet, but first impressions are positive.

Can do some nio and Jolene comparisons later if anyone is interested.

 

[Tristy]

Haven't had enough time to really form any real opinions yet, but first impressions are positive.

Can do some nio and Jolene comparisons later if anyone is interested.

Nio would be interesting! Enjoy.

 

[xenithon]

Can do some nio and Jolene comparisons later if anyone is interested.

I don’t know Jolene but had the Nio for a while and ultimately it was just a little too thick and wooly. Keen to find out how the Duo compares, in particular in terms of such aspects as sub bass rumble, tightness / punch through the midbass, and clarity in the mids. Those three were where I personally found Nio lacking for my preferences.

 

[mashuto]

I don’t know Jolene but had the Nio for a while and ultimately it was just a little too thick and wooly. Keen to find out how the Duo compares, in particular in terms of such aspects as sub bass rumble, tightness / punch through the midbass, and clarity in the mids. Those three were where I personally found Nio lacking for my preferences.

If you are looking for something that feels "tighter" than the nio, I'm not really 100% sure the duo is going to be it. My first comparisons I'm finding them rather similar. Also a little hard to volume match the two.

But I think if I had to say anything, bass on the nio is a bit thicker (even with fir O module, guessing it would be significantly more so with the m15 and m20), while the duo maybe gives up a small amount of subbass rumble, though it's perhaps just due to the more open nature of them dispersing it a bit. Maybe.

Mids on the nio feel a little bit thinner and more lean, while the duo is a bit thicker there, so I'm not really sure if that equate to more clarity or the opposite for you.

Do you have any particular tracks (and elements in the tracks) I could listen to that might sort of hit on what you would look for (or not look for)?

 

[Tanjiro]

Haven't had enough time to really form any real opinions yet, but first impressions are positive.

Can do some nio and Jolene comparisons later if anyone is interested.

Designed in the USA. Not Made in the USA anymore?

 

[xenithon]

Do you have any particular tracks (and elements in the tracks) I could listen to that might sort of hit on what you would look for (or not look for)?

Hmmm....let me think of a few.

First one may be worth trying is Bisogno di te from Missincat. Things to listen for being the weight of the drums in the opening sequence, and then the bass line that comes in around 1:45, especially as it goes deeper toward 1:51. There is also quite a bit of reverb in the track. The bass throughout this track track and all the songs in this album of hers have incredibly bass which is nuanced and should be well controlled. Some IEMs miss the mark because they don't have sufficient weight, don't have sufficient punch, or aren't as controlled as required.

Second maybe Karen Elson's Pretty Babies. Again here it is the weight and texture of the opening drums and the synth bass line. And then throughout the song it has a lot of nifty effects scattered across the stage and toward the extremities, which can often get hidden by overly thick mibass and mids.

Then onto idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish the bassline kicks in around 0:34. Carries on throughout the song. It can muddy up the chorus in particular, where the piano, snares, and click track setting the tempo should be quite distinct.

Pretty Please by Dua Lipa has a great mix of bass and pop synth effects together with her sultry vocals. There are different "textures" of bass, starting at the beginning, changing at around 0:19, and then again with a more drum like sound at 0:37. The triangle-like sound in the left channel around 0:40 should also be crisp and clear.

Finally perhaps Danheim's Ivar's Revenge. In general Danheim's material is a torture test for woofers. Small drums enter around 0:21 and a thick thunderous beat at around 0:45, followed by a big drum beat a second or so later. These go deep and can easily sway toward being soft, without the potent thwack or the deep, controlled rumble they need for full effect. As the crescendo approaches around 2:15, there are drums and shakers and metal clanking and norse chants all interspersed and interwoven, which can be drowned out if not sufficiently detailed and layered in the mids and lower treble.

Sorry for the longish list and hope the descriptions make sense...trying to think of tracks and what to listen for off the cuff, I had a deer in headlights moment

 

[JoelWilcox]

Hmmm....let me think of a few.

First one may be worth trying is Bisogno di te from Missincat. Things to listen for being the weight of the drums in the opening sequence, and then the bass line that comes in around 1:45, especially as it goes deeper toward 1:51. There is also quite a bit of reverb in the track. The bass throughout this track track and all the songs in this album of hers have incredibly bass which is nuanced and should be well controlled. Some IEMs miss the mark because they don't have sufficient weight, don't have sufficient punch, or aren't as controlled as required.

Second maybe Karen Elson's Pretty Babies. Again here it is the weight and texture of the opening drums and the synth bass line. And then throughout the song it has a lot of nifty effects scattered across the stage and toward the extremities, which can often get hidden by overly thick mibass and mids.

Then onto idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish the bassline kicks in around 0:34. Carries on throughout the song. It can muddy up the chorus in particular, where the piano, snares, and click track setting the tempo should be quite distinct.

Pretty Please by Dua Lipa has a great mix of bass and pop synth effects together with her sultry vocals. There are different "textures" of bass, starting at the beginning, changing at around 0:19, and then again with a more drum like sound at 0:37. The triangle-like sound in the left channel around 0:40 should also be crisp and clear.

Finally perhaps Danheim's Ivar's Revenge. In general Danheim's material is a torture test for woofers. Small drums enter around 0:21 and a thick thunderous beat at around 0:45, followed by a big drum beat a second or so later. These go deep and can easily sway toward being soft, without the potent thwack or the deep, controlled rumble they need for full effect. As the crescendo approaches around 2:15, there are drums and shakers and metal clanking and norse chants all interspersed and interwoven, which can be drowned out if not sufficiently detailed and layered in the mids and lower treble.

Sorry for the longish list and hope the descriptions make sense...trying to think of tracks and what to listen for off the cuff, I had a deer in headlights moment

Wonderfully comprehensive and detailed. Worth saving by and for others, methinks.

 

[musicasmedicine]

Really love the AD9200 .. one of my favorite close back .. good at everything and very good depth soundstage and reference bass.. I absolutely not know 64 audio but I really doubt even the best iem can compete with this headphones of this level .. but apple and Orange as far as nomadism is at stake of course..
i admit that to be fair you should compare using a good amp on iem.. makes a lot with headroom

Thanks, yeah. I’m a bit scared of making the plunge when I don’t absolutely NEED an iem. Maybe I should stick to the denon - I absolutely love them.

 

[SoundJedi]

For those who want three drivers instead of two, DD bass and 64 Audio flagship sound, my barely used Trio is up for sale at pretty much the same price

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/64-audio-tia-trio.10672/

 

[NCUS]

Designed in the USA. Not Made in the USA anymore?

That's interesting. My u12t box (purchased in early 2021) says made in the USA.

 

[rantng]

That's interesting. My u12t box (purchased in early 2021) says made in the USA.

Maybe the box was made in the USA.

It’s most likely the standards/compliance regarding “Made in the USA” has changed. I remember reading a very interesting Schiit post about the strict guidelines manufacturers had to follow in order to say Made in the USA.

 

[linux4ever]

The allotted couple days have finally passed, so here are my initial impressions of 64 Audio’s brand-new Duo:

Like most of their other universals, 64 Audio’s Duo is a clean, well-balanced, versatile-sounding piece with their signature blend of dense, weighty notes and articulate tia highs. It’s got hints of the Trio’s bite, but refined. It’s got the A6t or A18s’s beefy and natural - but not rich or saccharine - midrange. And, it’s got the Noir’s bold, dynamic lows too. I’ll go into those nuances a bit more later on, but, simply put, the Duo is the epitome of a jack-of-all-trades; neutral (positioning-wise) from top-to-bottom, clean, natural and - in a good way - safe in tone, but all lifted by the myriad of tech 64’s managed to put inside it.

​

The lows, first off, have a good amount of drive and power to them. It’s a DD’s bass for sure. In terms of character, I’d say it’s got more of that warm, mid-bass thump, rather than that dry, skull-rattling, sub-bass rumble. That’s not to say they're veiled or hazy in any way. It just has a wetter, richer character to it. I’d say it marginally favours the oomph of an acoustic kick drum over the visceral verve of an electronic bass line. But, again, it’s certainly got the chops to serve either capably.

The midrange is classic 64 with a 1-2kHz rise for a solid, natural foundation, followed by a more relaxed upper-midrange, so you won’t get that shouty-ness to brass instruments, or that saturated character to vocals. It’s a treat for percussion, as it gives the snare a tight, ring-free attack and minimises harmonics on the toms. It deals male and female vocalists an even hand in projection or forwardness. Of course, the trade-off there is that it won’t deliver the full, roaring strength of vocal belts, guitar solos, horn altissimos, etc. Those passages won’t leap out and slam as hard as they would on an in-ear with a more expressive or coloured midrange. But, again, those are compromises made for versatility, and I think they ultimately fit the in-ear’s MO aptly.

Up high, I think the Duo strikes a balance that’ll please fans of that tia treble. It straddles the line between the Trio’s exuberance and the A18s’s almost-analog measuredness; just enough for my tastes. One could say that it’s A6t-like in that regard, but the Duo slightly tops it for me in extension and headroom, which hands it a blacker background and stronger dynamic range. There’s that low-treble bite for snare crackles and vocal sibilants, but it’s, again, incredibly refined. And, it extends capably to give the in-ear's imaging authority and specificity, so notes always come off focused, crisp and well-outlined.

In terms of imaging and dynamics, I’d say the Duo punches above its price, but not to the degree of being a giant killer either. It’s a step above most anything I’ve heard in its price range, especially when it comes to stereo separation and precision. It’s got a clear left, centre and right, and its diagonals are fairly clean as well. Where it falls short to the “big boys” would be in sheer expansion and dynamic range. Its stage is out-of-head, but not exaggeratedly so, and its instruments aren’t capable of going from dead-quiet to explosive as much as a lot of flagship in-ears can. But, again, for its price range, it’s a superb effort, with tia delivering the air, layering and finesse that it’s become synonymous with.

​

Finally, as I said on my post a few days ago, the semi-open design doesn’t affect isolation significantly for me. It definitely isolates more than some of the open headphones I’ve used. What the design ultimately does is take away that vacuum-like pressure or occlusion that you get when you stuff your ears with closed IEMs. It doesn’t necessarily make instruments sound further away, but it does help remove the perceived barriers of the soundstage, which helps instruments sound a bit more free (or less compressed), and almost make you forget you're wearing IEMs in the first place. Notes will come off more open, they won’t lose their impact nearly as quickly, and you won’t have to bump the volume up on your source a couple steps every now-and-again to revive that kick.

All in all, the Duo is looking like a very clean, versatile and safe-sounding IEM in the best way possible. It’s got casual listen written all over it; from the smooth, linear FR to the semi-open, non-fatiguing design. But, for the price point and audience it’s going for, that really is the ideal scenario if you ask me. It’s a great bang-for-buck buy for the audiophile who perhaps isn’t ready to spend upwards of $2000 for a high-end IEM (or multiple specialist ones). And, it’s also got enough technical performance, so veterans picking it up as an everyday carry won’t feel a drop-off at all from the “more capable” pieces in their collection.

I hope this helps you guys get a clearer picture of the Duo for now. I, again, really applaud 64 for continuing to put their best foot forward and innovating in this price range. I’ll be getting back to work on the full review, which should be up in a few weeks with comparisons against similarly-priced IEMs too. Thanks as always for reading. Cheers.

How does it fare against U18t/U18s or its custom ones A18t/A18s?

 

[GiullianSN]

Haven't had enough time to really form any real opinions yet, but first impressions are positive.

Can do some nio and Jolene comparisons later if anyone is interested.

I’m interested in the Jolene comparison!

 

[mwhals]

I’m interested in the Jolene comparison!

Me too.

 

[Deezel177]

I’m interested in the Jolene comparison!

Me too.

‘On it after church.