[RIGATIO]

I agree however I think it’s the air frequencies that give the treble its particular character and adds a level of zinginess - I have no better adjective. It’s the air frequencies which are essentially upper harmonics for the treble that draw your attention. I consider my LCD4 to be a bright headphone because of those crazy upper treble peaks but most would describe it as not bright. My LCD4 just sounds like it has a massive high shelf at 16khz and beyond.

You are 100% correct

 

[RIGATIO]

Will @Precogvision review the Volür? Since he loves 64 Audio, waiting for this one

As far as im concerned, his favs were the u12t some time ago and he listenes a lot of K, J-pop and honestly, i just cant understand how could he listen to this type of music with the u12t lol. To me its not a pleasurable experience, so i personaly am not longer excited about his reviews.
Its not bad with the u12t and better than most iems on the market but definitely not as natural and smooth as it should be.

 

[Deezel177]

Boosted trebles around 14-15k will appear earlier as a characteristic zing at the end of some higher pitched notes. This is the case with the u12t.
People who dont have a problem with it are either non sensitive to it or just cant hear it.
This is very often described as extra "detail" or "air" but its not a detail, its an artificial sharpness, like applying some sharpen effect to a photo. Its not natural, its just an added effect for making an iem "more exciting"- whatever that means.
Seems like the Volur has it too and some reviewers mentioned this. Some say its even more pronounced than on the u12t, dunno.
Im very sensitive to an unnatural treble response and i can clearly hear it with most 64 Audio iems ive tried. Its not a big deal with the u12t tho and its almost non existant with a more traditional music, like jazz, rock etc. Its more apparent with k-pop, some pop, and some worse quality recordings of electronic music.
But its there and there is no way around it unless you remove the Tia driver

That classic tia tizz is less apparent on the Volur than 64’s previous tia models. I feel like it’s the waveguide doing that. I talked about it with another Volur owner, and we both found that it isn’t as uber-refined or smooth as something like the Elysian Annihilator, but it’s certainly less “sand-y” than, say, the U18t or Trio. I’d attribute that more to the 7kHz region than 14-15kHz, personally. I do agree that the upper-treble has a sharpening effect that’s comparable to photography. Funnily enough, that’s how I’ve often described it in the past on these very forums. Though, in terms of brightness or zing, it wouldn’t be the first place I’d look. Maybe our definitions of the term just differ.

Something I dislike about high-treble boosts, though, is they reduce the contrast between the notes and the background. The upper-treble is where a track’s white noise lies, so you don’t get those deep blacks if you boost it. The Volur performs well there, in my opinion. Some of my more hi-fi-loving friends have even called it too dark up there. So, make of that what you will.

 

[dleblanc343]

How well does Volur take EQ? Can I EQ out the air if I don’t like it? Or is it always an intrinsic part. Some iems take EQ well and some don’t.

It EQ's fabulously. My favorite IEM out of box may be Anni23, but the Volur takes EQ much more cohesively and it's more dynamic than Anni. Volur is definitely endgame for me and especially if you favor something that sounds natural. I use the M12 personally to reduce the bass (it stays insanely dynamic and punch).

One absolute must for me is swapping out any tips in favor of the Pentaconn Coreir. Listening to it I realized it sounded way better, so I decided to graph it. They really linearize the treble quite a bit as shown here on graph of my personal set:

Here is how Volur compares to U4S (both being my own measured sets with M15). I used the Coreir measurements here for Volur; Velvet for U4S. Compared to both Crin & Precog Target, the Volur does very well. The extra energy beyond 11kHz I wouldn't be concerned with too much (it's definitely audible) but it's not nearly as dramatic as being treble boosted in the 5-10kHz range for example.

My only preference is to bring down the midbass/ low mids thickness between 200-400Hz with EQ if rocking the M15 and wanting a more punchy experience. Otherwise I leave as is with M12 for a reference-y sound with a euphonic timbre.

This IEM is most excellent, very high resolution, extremely low distortion, and tastefully warm, but more so of a slight V-shape in my opinion. Best 64 Audio, no doubt.

Note - I've owned these 64A and rank as follows: Volur > U4S = Fourte Blanc > U18T > U12T. They are all great iem, but I would not follow price tag for preferences and some serve more so as monitors where others are for musical enjoyment.

 

[Kozwoz]

It EQ's fabulously. My favorite IEM out of box may be Anni23, but the Volur takes EQ much more cohesively and it's more dynamic than Anni. Volur is definitely endgame for me and especially if you favor something that sounds natural. I use the M12 personally to reduce the bass (it stays insanely dynamic and punch).

One absolute must for me is swapping out any tips in favor of the Pentaconn Coreir. Listening to it I realized it sounded way better, so I decided to graph it. They really linearize the treble quite a bit as shown here on graph of my personal set:



Here is how Volur compares to U4S (both being my own measured sets with M15). I used the Coreir measurements here for Volur; Velvet for U4S. Compared to both Crin & Precog Target, the Volur does very well. The extra energy beyond 11kHz I wouldn't be concerned with too much (it's definitely audible) but it's not nearly as dramatic as being treble boosted in the 5-10kHz range for example.


My only preference is to bring down the midbass/ low mids thickness between 200-400Hz with EQ if rocking the M15 and wanting a more punchy experience. Otherwise I leave as is with M12 for a reference-y sound with a euphonic timbre.

This IEM is most excellent, very high resolution, extremely low distortion, and tastefully warm, but more so of a slight V-shape in my opinion. Best 64 Audio, no doubt.

Note - I've owned these 64A and rank as follows: Volur > U4S = Fourte Blanc > U18T > U12T. They are all great iem, but I would not follow price tag for preferences and some serve more so as monitors where others are for musical enjoyment.

I have to admit v-shaped doesn’t inspire me with confidence. Hope I can fix this with EQ cos v shaped is the last thing I want. I ordered the Volur today. Hope I don’t regret it cos I could have gone for the u18s.

 

[PixelSquish]

I have to admit v-shaped doesn’t inspire me with confidence. Hope I can fix this with EQ cos v shaped is the last thing I want. I ordered the Volur today. Hope I don’t regret it cos I could have gone for the u18s.

Why wouldn't you get a high end IEM closer to the signature you want?

 

[Kozwoz]

Why wouldn't you get a high end IEM closer to the signature you want?

First time I’ve heard anyone calling it v shaped to be fair and no one mentions recessed mids.

I keep asking if it has prominent and or bright highs and everyone keeps reassuring me it doesn’t. I’m going to find out one way or another now.

 

[PixelSquish]

First time I’ve heard anyone calling it v shaped to be fair and no one mentions recessed mids.

I keep asking if it has prominent and or bright highs and everyone keeps reassuring me it doesn’t. I’m going to find out one way or another now.

True that. I was confused.

I think the mids are quite nice on the Volur, love the vocals, so I would not say they are V shaped. No they aren't in your face but they are not recessed and have good detail leaning to the more rich side of mids than thin for sure.

 

[dleblanc343]

First time I’ve heard anyone calling it v shaped to be fair and no one mentions recessed mids.

I keep asking if it has prominent and or bright highs and everyone keeps reassuring me it doesn’t. I’m going to find out one way or another now.

Audiophile V-shape is what I'd tend to say, and of course it's a bit of audiophile hyperbole. Which is to say the most well-done V-shape I've heard to date which is no slouch. I would still say these are quite neutral with some darkness to the upper register, but it's much less so that I came in expecting.

Module rolling can definitely make it less so, and of course, trust your ears once you receive it.

I find it more exciting than U18S personally.

 

[lmf22]

Thank you everyone for the information about the treble region! Vvery informative!
Based on what you all mentioned, I think I would like the sound of the Volür.
My bank account hates you all but I think my ears will be thankful.

Peaks above 12kHz don’t contribute towards brightness at all. All they add is air. Brightness lies between 5-10kHz. The Volur doesn’t sound brighter than the U4S IIRC. It just sounds higher-res and more defined, with less bass bloom entering the image.

Great to know! And thanks for the comparison with the U4s. Sounding more higher-res seems great.

I am in complete agreement with this. I have the U4s and the Volur; A/B'ing between them is basically just a cleaner, more refined sound in the bass and highs. I'm delighted with it. I will still use the U4s when I'm out-and-about, though.

Thanks for the direct comparison with the U4s. If I get the Volür, I will definitely be keeping the U4s. It would be great for going out or in the office.

I agree however I think it’s the air frequencies that give the treble its particular character and adds a level of zinginess - I have no better adjective. It’s the air frequencies which are essentially upper harmonics for the treble that draw your attention.

Oh... interesting. Zinginess could be fun more exciting. I don't think I'm too worried about that.

Even if one’s more sensitive to upper-treble air, I don’t think the Volur has enough to cause any issues, to be honest. It isn’t as zingy or hi-fi sharp as the U18t or Trio, for example. If EQ is a necessity, reductive EQ is always much easier on the IEM than additive, so you should have no problems there.

I am sensitive to upper treble, but not too sensitive. Great to know the Volür doesn't have this issue though. I plan to use the Volür with the Mojo 2 so limited EQ is possible (but the two treble EQ are 3kHz shelf and 20kHz).

Not sure how accurate this is but I did test on a 16khz frequency yesterday and my 48 year old ears could hear it fine.

I don't find the Volur treble to have any unpleasant zing to it though.

What about the mids? The more detail and separation in the mids is a big upgrade for the Volur from 64s to me, especially vocals.

I think my 39 year old ears will also be fine
No unpleasant zing sounds good!
I like what you said about the mid; I also enjoy the mids the most in my IEMs and headphones.

Boosted trebles around 14-15k will appear earlier as a characteristic zing at the end of some higher pitched notes. This is the case with the u12t.
People who dont have a problem with it are either non sensitive to it or just cant hear it.
This is very often described as extra "detail" or "air" but its not a detail, its an artificial sharpness, like applying some sharpen effect to a photo. Its not natural, its just an added effect for making an iem "more exciting"- whatever that means.
Seems like the Volur has it too and some reviewers mentioned this. Some say its even more pronounced than on the u12t, dunno.
Im very sensitive to an unnatural treble response and i can clearly hear it with most 64 Audio iems ive tried. Its not a big deal with the u12t tho and its almost non existant with a more traditional music, like jazz, rock etc. Its more apparent with k-pop, some pop, and some worse quality recordings of electronic music.
But its there and there is no way around it unless you remove the Tia driver

Interesting info! Thank you for sharing. I'm liking the U4s's treble. I'm willing to give the Volür a try and see how sensitive I am to it.

That classic tia tizz is less apparent on the Volur than 64’s previous tia models. I feel like it’s the waveguide doing that. I talked about it with another Volur owner, and we both found that it isn’t as uber-refined or smooth as something like the Elysian Annihilator, but it’s certainly less “sand-y” than, say, the U18t or Trio.

Something I dislike about high-treble boosts, though, is they reduce the contrast between the notes and the background. The upper-treble is where a track’s white noise lies, so you don’t get those deep blacks if you boost it. The Volur performs well there, in my opinion. Some of my more hi-fi-loving friends have even called it too dark up there. So, make of that what you will.

These are great info to know. Thanks for sharing!

Here is how Volur compares to U4S (both being my own measured sets with M15). I used the Coreir measurements here for Volur; Velvet for U4S. Compared to both Crin & Precog Target, the Volur does very well. The extra energy beyond 11kHz I wouldn't be concerned with too much (it's definitely audible) but it's not nearly as dramatic as being treble boosted in the 5-10kHz range for example.


Note - I've owned these 64A and rank as follows: Volur > U4S = Fourte Blanc > U18T > U12T. They are all great iem, but I would not follow price tag for preferences and some serve more so as monitors where others are for musical enjoyment.

Thanks for sharing Volür vs. U4s measurements! Nice to see that ranking too.

 

[bukumurah]

Wow I am liking it very much how the discussion on the Volur here has quickly shifted to realistic (with both the pluses and minuses) and fair comparisons to other 64 audio models..

For many other stuff outside the 64 Audio thread, it is usually hype train for months, where the discussion is full of extravagant praises only but very little useful, real information

U12t owner here who have not had the chance to try the Volur yet

 

[64Audio]

Hi All, we're doing a live Volür unboxing followed by Vitaliy Belonozhko (founder, owner, & CEO) + Vitaliy Gordeyev (R&D manager) answering questions live Friday 10am Pacific time, on YouTube. We're gathering questions now, so please post them on the Volür announcement thread here so we can sort through them easier:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/introducing-volür-10-driver-hybrid-uiem.969912/

 

[Precogvision]

Will @Precogvision review the Volür? Since he loves 64 Audio, waiting for this one

I actually accidentally left the Volur unit with the Headphones.com team at CanJam, so I probably won't be going in-depth on my thoughts. Just some impressions

As far as im concerned, his favs were the u12t some time ago and he listenes a lot of K, J-pop and honestly, i just cant understand how could he listen to this type of music with the u12t lol. To me its not a pleasurable experience, so i personaly am not longer excited about his reviews.
Its not bad with the u12t and better than most iems on the market but definitely not as natural and smooth as it should be.

Boosted trebles around 14-15k will appear earlier as a characteristic zing at the end of some higher pitched notes. This is the case with the u12t.
People who dont have a problem with it are either non sensitive to it or just cant hear it.
This is very often described as extra "detail" or "air" but its not a detail, its an artificial sharpness, like applying some sharpen effect to a photo. Its not natural, its just an added effect for making an iem "more exciting"- whatever that means.
Seems like the Volur has it too and some reviewers mentioned this. Some say its even more pronounced than on the u12t, dunno.
Im very sensitive to an unnatural treble response and i can clearly hear it with most 64 Audio iems ive tried. Its not a big deal with the u12t tho and its almost non existant with a more traditional music, like jazz, rock etc. Its more apparent with k-pop, some pop, and some worse quality recordings of electronic music.
But its there and there is no way around it unless you remove the Tia driver

Hey, it's totally valid to want a natural, smooth treble response. Luckily, you don't really have to pay much for it nowadays. There's many IEMs with them like the Moondrop Variations and Saber, ThieAudio Monarch MKIII, and 7th Acoustics Supernova. But a smooth treble response can only take you so far when it comes to desirable technical qualities, which is why the top of the market predominantly consists of IEMs that go outside the box with their tuning.

I believe a lot of listeners enjoy the tia treble exactly because it doesn't sound entirely natural and smooth. I fall into this bucket, as I've heard countless IEMs with smooth treble responses that hit a ceiling when it comes to technical qualities.

And let's say 'top' IEMs with outside-the-box treble responses don't necessarily sound better than their cheaper counterparts with smooth treble responses. Ultimately, scarcity creates value, and there's a wide range of listener preferences. Unless other manufacturers can pull off what 64 Audio is doing for cheaper, IEMs like the U12t will continue to cost what they do.

Finally, this is just something else to consider, but ear tips predominantly affect the extremes of the frequency response, especially in the upper-treble. Because some of the 64A IEMs like the U12t peak @ ~15kHz, they're more sensitive than normal to tip swapping and you can fine tune the experience quite a bit. Similarly, you can use the higher isolation Apex modules (e.g. the M20) to balance out the upper-treble peak.

 

[Kozwoz]

I actually accidentally left the Volur unit with the Headphones.com team at CanJam, so I probably won't be going in-depth on my thoughts. Just some impressions




Hey, it's totally valid to want a natural, smooth treble response. Luckily, you don't really have to pay much for it nowadays. There's many IEMs with them like the Moondrop Variations and Saber, ThieAudio Monarch MKIII, and 7th Acoustics Supernova. But a smooth treble response can only take you so far when it comes to desirable technical qualities, which is why the top of the market predominantly consists of IEMs that go outside the box with their tuning.

I believe a lot of listeners enjoy the tia treble exactly because it doesn't sound entirely natural and smooth. I fall into this bucket, as I've heard countless IEMs with smooth treble responses that hit a ceiling when it comes to technical qualities.

And let's say 'top' IEMs with outside-the-box treble responses don't necessarily sound better than their cheaper counterparts with smooth treble responses. Ultimately, scarcity creates value, and there's a wide range of listener preferences. Unless other manufacturers can pull off what 64 Audio is doing for cheaper, IEMs like the U12t will continue to cost what they do.

Finally, this is just something else to consider, but ear tips predominantly affect the extremes of the frequency response, especially in the upper-treble. Because some of the 64A IEMs like the U12t peak @ ~15kHz, they're more sensitive than normal to tip swapping and you can fine tune the experience quite a bit. Similarly, you can use the higher isolation Apex modules (e.g. the M20) to balance out the upper-treble peak.

I’ve been following your reviews for a long time and I would say you’ve unfairly rated iems with a smooth treble response. That is to say you’ve perceived them as less technical. If that’s how you hear it who am I to argue but I’ve often thought you were being hard and harsh. You’ve until recently often compared every other iem against the u12t - which does not have a smooth treble response. This you must understand is simply preference and I think there are plenty of very technical iems that have a smooth treble response. I could name a couple of your 64 Audio iem reviews… You may have moved on now but previously I think you’ve come across fairly biased. There’s nothing wrong with having a preference but when it comes to being objective can’t say that holds true.

 

[RIGATIO]

I’ve been following your reviews for a long time and I would say you’ve unfairly rated iems with a smooth treble response. That is to say you’ve perceived them as less technical. If that’s how you hear it who am I to argue but I’ve often thought you were being hard and harsh. You’ve until recently often compared every other iem against the u12t - which does not have a smooth treble response. This you must understand is simply preference and I think there are plenty of very technical iems that have a smooth treble response. I could name a couple of your 64 Audio iem reviews… You may have moved on now but previously I think you’ve come across fairly biased. There’s nothing wrong with having a preference but when it comes to being objective can’t say that holds true.

Agree but its also a very subjective hobby. I remember his review of the u4s and the comparison with the Monarch Mk2. He claimed something like the u4s have better imaging and layering. When i got the u4s and compared them to the Monarch 2, i just couldnt understand why he said so. For me the u4s were absolutely in lower tier when it comes to the imaging, layering, detail (and yes better detail with smoother and more natural treble response). The u4s had better bass and were more fun sounding but to me they arent worth what 64 Audio asks for them. Precog was spot on about how he described dynamics and this specific 64 Audio house sound tho.
On the other hand we shouldnt expect from reviewers to be infallible. Everyone has his own type of preferred sound sig, slightly different ear canals and is sensitive to a different peaks and dips. They are just humans who happen to do a public reviews and more people should chill with this "im waiting for your review" thing.
Its good to be excited but nothing will ever replace your own experience.
I was a fan of Crinacle but after i gained some more experience, i feel like no longer chase for his opinions.
Still will be watching @Precogvision , Gizaudio, HBB, Crinacle and some more because i like this hobby but i have way more distance that i used to have.

BTW still loving my u12t and using them as my daily driver but ordered the Softears Twilight to compare.