ThieAudio Voyager 14
May 3, 2020 at 7:25 PM Post #376 of 558
just search this thread, there should be few already mentioned
I’ve been following this thread pretty much from the beginning. Pretardo made a comparison, which I appreciate, but I’m always interested in more opinions. Bass tuning (sub bass vs mid bass bias), micro details, prominence of mids, etc. Is the U12t more laid back compared to the V14? kdphan chose the U12t over the V14, but only briefly made a comment regarding the bass.
 
May 4, 2020 at 2:37 AM Post #377 of 558
I’ve been following this thread pretty much from the beginning. Pretardo made a comparison, which I appreciate, but I’m always interested in more opinions. Bass tuning (sub bass vs mid bass bias), micro details, prominence of mids, etc. Is the U12t more laid back compared to the V14? kdphan chose the U12t over the V14, but only briefly made a comment regarding the bass.
If the v14 was tuned with a bit more sub bass then it would’ve been really similar to the U12t. V14 is a really good iem. Details are there, great treble, and just overall enjoyable for any kind of music.
 
May 10, 2020 at 4:59 AM Post #378 of 558
I’ve been following this thread pretty much from the beginning. Pretardo made a comparison, which I appreciate, but I’m always interested in more opinions. Bass tuning (sub bass vs mid bass bias), micro details, prominence of mids, etc. Is the U12t more laid back compared to the V14? kdphan chose the U12t over the V14, but only briefly made a comment regarding the bass.
Sorry, I was away for a bit, but I'll try and give you a bit more info about the difference between the two. The following comments on the V14 are with the dip switches set to Switch1 = OFF and Switch 2 = ON
Sub-bass on the V14 has more bass and greater kinetic impact than the U12t. The V14 bass is clean and fast with great detail and separation between different types of bass (Anomie by Ochre). With the same track, the U12t bass also has good detail but lacks the quantity of sub-bass that you can feel. It's there, but it's not emphasised as it is on the V14. Doing this comparison reminded me of the first time my dad brought home a sub-woofer and added it to his system. We gave it a listen and there was a special kind of grin that was stuck to our faces. This comparison evokes that grin.

Mids: Here the U12t shines. It's thicker and is emphasised in the tuning as the sub-bass is in on the V14's. Vocals are beautiful, slightly warm and thick e.g.(Lost Without You by Freya Ridings). I listened to the whole song, got goosebumps on my arms and forgot to change IEMs. The V14's, by comparison, are thin and airy and a bit more sterile than I would like coming from the U12ts. I listened for about 1 second, stopped and knew I had heard enough. This only happens when you're directly comparing headphones and is not as noticeable when you are just listening to one IEM. But for vocals, I think the U12t spanks the V14. Limitations, I only used one dip switch setting. Other settings may yield different opinions. The piano on the U12ts also comes in much richer, warmer and stronger with more emphasis on attack than decay.

Micro details: To me, the V14's here really shine. They have so much separation and detail that it can be a bit fatiguing. You keep noticing the intricacies of how the highs decay that you lose the bigger picture of the whole song. The V14's are oddly open, airy and bright though there is this underlying sub-bass that anchors everything. As a result, the mids sound thin and are de-emphasised. This makes me think of the IER - Z1R. The U12ts, by comparison, reproduce good micro details in their own right, they don't go to the extremes that the V14 does.

Overall, V14's and U12ts are great IEMs. The V14's are outstanding for more modern music, e.g. EDM, hip hop, musically driven pop, symphonic music. By contrast, I think the U12t's are outstanding for more vocally driven music, blues or jazz.

One last thing, fit. Fit, isolation and comfort are just as important as sound quality. If you don't wear them or can't hear them, then what are you listening to?
Comfort: The U12ts are the most comfortable for the longest amount of time. I can wear them all day long. The V14's are comfortable but need to be inserted deeper and over time, they are a bit fatiguing for me.
With that said, I like the fit and isolation more on the V14's. They are great isolators and I don't have to raise the volume of my music when I am in environments I cannot control. The U12t is great when you're in a relatively quiet area and you want to wear it for long periods but it doesn't need to compete with other sources of noise. (I have the m20 APEX filters inserted).
 
May 10, 2020 at 6:56 AM Post #379 of 558
Sorry, I was away for a bit, but I'll try and give you a bit more info about the difference between the two. The following comments on the V14 are with the dip switches set to Switch1 = OFF and Switch 2 = ON

Thanks a lot! That answered my questions perfectly.
 
May 10, 2020 at 11:43 PM Post #380 of 558
Has anyone here by chance heard a Sennheiser IE800, UE TF10 or Westone UM 50 Pro, and are willing to give a few impressions of the v14 by comparison? I’m considering the upgrade :)
Even if you don’t have them on hand right now, your impressions would still be better than nothing :p
 
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May 11, 2020 at 1:49 PM Post #383 of 558
May 26, 2020 at 3:11 AM Post #385 of 558
Sorry, I was away for a bit, but I'll try and give you a bit more info about the difference between the two. The following comments on the V14 are with the dip switches set to Switch1 = OFF and Switch 2 = ON
Sub-bass on the V14 has more bass and greater kinetic impact than the U12t. The V14 bass is clean and fast with great detail and separation between different types of bass (Anomie by Ochre). With the same track, the U12t bass also has good detail but lacks the quantity of sub-bass that you can feel. It's there, but it's not emphasised as it is on the V14. Doing this comparison reminded me of the first time my dad brought home a sub-woofer and added it to his system. We gave it a listen and there was a special kind of grin that was stuck to our faces. This comparison evokes that grin.

Mids: Here the U12t shines. It's thicker and is emphasised in the tuning as the sub-bass is in on the V14's. Vocals are beautiful, slightly warm and thick e.g.(Lost Without You by Freya Ridings). I listened to the whole song, got goosebumps on my arms and forgot to change IEMs. The V14's, by comparison, are thin and airy and a bit more sterile than I would like coming from the U12ts. I listened for about 1 second, stopped and knew I had heard enough. This only happens when you're directly comparing headphones and is not as noticeable when you are just listening to one IEM. But for vocals, I think the U12t spanks the V14. Limitations, I only used one dip switch setting. Other settings may yield different opinions. The piano on the U12ts also comes in much richer, warmer and stronger with more emphasis on attack than decay.

Micro details: To me, the V14's here really shine. They have so much separation and detail that it can be a bit fatiguing. You keep noticing the intricacies of how the highs decay that you lose the bigger picture of the whole song. The V14's are oddly open, airy and bright though there is this underlying sub-bass that anchors everything. As a result, the mids sound thin and are de-emphasised. This makes me think of the IER - Z1R. The U12ts, by comparison, reproduce good micro details in their own right, they don't go to the extremes that the V14 does.

Overall, V14's and U12ts are great IEMs. The V14's are outstanding for more modern music, e.g. EDM, hip hop, musically driven pop, symphonic music. By contrast, I think the U12t's are outstanding for more vocally driven music, blues or jazz.

One last thing, fit. Fit, isolation and comfort are just as important as sound quality. If you don't wear them or can't hear them, then what are you listening to?
Comfort: The U12ts are the most comfortable for the longest amount of time. I can wear them all day long. The V14's are comfortable but need to be inserted deeper and over time, they are a bit fatiguing for me.
With that said, I like the fit and isolation more on the V14's. They are great isolators and I don't have to raise the volume of my music when I am in environments I cannot control. The U12t is great when you're in a relatively quiet area and you want to wear it for long periods but it doesn't need to compete with other sources of noise. (I have the m20 APEX filters inserted).
Just wanted to add a bit more about the sound stage difference between the V14 and the U12t.
I was listening to these two IEMs side by side on a Hugo2 and thought I'd add some insights that have arisen from the experience.
The V14 lacks depth and has a relatively lower ceiling that makes the sound stage seem more intimate. The soundstage is wide and the airiness made me think that there is more space than there actually is.
By comparison, the U12t has greater depth and height which puts you back a few rows, but it feels enclosed somehow.

The main analogies for soundstage are these:
V14's = front row in an empty virtual space
U12t's = Sitting a few tables back in a smokey jazz club
 
May 26, 2020 at 10:41 PM Post #386 of 558
I will have a set of V14s up for sale pretty soon if anyone is interested in trying them out.
 
May 28, 2020 at 10:46 AM Post #387 of 558
I'm interested in this earphone but also want to know how it fares against the Moondrop S8. I am deciding between these 2 and would like something slightly more technical compared to the Fir Audio M5
 
May 28, 2020 at 12:38 PM Post #388 of 558
I'm interested in this earphone but also want to know how it fares against the Moondrop S8. I am deciding between these 2 and would like something slightly more technical compared to the Fir Audio M5
I am sorry I haven't heard either of those to compare. I should be taking pictures tonight and posting them tomorrow for sale.
 
May 29, 2020 at 2:23 AM Post #389 of 558
I am sorry I haven't heard either of those to compare. I should be taking pictures tonight and posting them tomorrow for sale.
No worries! Just curious, what's your reason for selling them?

On a sidenote, are they natural sounding? I like it when my iems sound natural and not with a dark tonality like the Fearless Roland. Am thinking of blind buying because there's nowhere to try them out in Singapore :/ If the tonality of it is close to the U12t, then I wouldn't mind it at all.
 
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May 29, 2020 at 9:31 AM Post #390 of 558
From what I have heard they are close to the U12t in tonality. They are a very neutral sound with amazing detail. I am selling them because I was looking for exactly that a balanced iem with amazing detail. After listening to them I think they are too neutral for me. I guess in the end I do like some coloration in my iems.
 

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