[Quadfather]

My name is Quadfather (yes, I have teenage quadruplets) and I live in the northwest suburbs of the Chicago area. I wish to participate in the tour and agree to follow the terms and conditions of the tour.

 

[Barra]

My name is Quadfather (yes, I have teenage quadruplets) and I live in the northwest suburbs of the Chicago area. I wish to participate in the tour and agree to follow the terms and conditions of the tour.

Added, welcome to the tour.

 

[Barra]

Hey Head-Fiers, Got my tour kit too. We are now in full swing............... yes, I know the picture is upside down. Like you I am having nothing but troubles with the new headfi site. It remains upside down even when I rotate and insert. Doooouuh!

 

[Barra]

Tia Fourte - Unboxing Video

 

[Barra]

Barra's Initial Thoughts
Listening to the Fourte' through my Calyx M to an assortment of genres, randomly. The U18 is still in the box as I have the A18 to compare. After I acclimate to the Fourte', will be listening to the U18 to compare to the custom version.

Fourte': Wow!!! There is a big wow right off the bat - those textures.. the timbre..the huuuuuggggggeee full sized sound stage.....WOW. We all know that a quick wow is not always a good thing in the long run.......... but I have a feeling that this wow is here to stay. First of all, like the A18, the Fourte' is not comparable to the CIEM competition, it sounds and feels like a full sized TOTL HP in performance. There is a size to the sound that is unreal and out of the head. It feels like the music if filling the room. My kids are sleeping one room over and I feel like I have to turn down the volume. Taking them out of my ears for a quick check.... there is silence, but putting them back on it feels like I am transported to musicland. This is not a basshead CIEM, but the music has an incredible heft to it while being unbelievably resolute and offering a way down low powerful rumble. The bass is big, but tight/extended and realistic. The tia treble is really something else - smooth and detailed without brightness or any harshness. 64 Audio is really on to something with these tia drivers - the performance is off the hook.

I don't play well with universal fit options, but this feels like i am getting full quality without the custom deep fit that I am used to with the A18. Cupping my ears I can find minimal amounts of additional performance, but seem to be able to adjust and find it without cupping my hands. This by itself is miraculous to me as it is better than my Hidition NT6pros that are customs which have not been beaten by any others with the exceptions of the A18 custom, the AAW W900, and now the Tia Fourte'. I have always considered the NT6pros to be a cheat being custom vs. the other demos being universal. For the price, the 18/Fourte' should unseat the pros, but so should all the others that were two to three times the NT6pro price and did not. The Tia Fourte' is a universal done right. They are the first inear that I have worn that I actually feel like I can forget that they are in my ears.

Fourte' vs. A18: Sorry guys/gals, but buy both - I cannot decide. They both have their strengths, are very different, and are both at the very top of the heap. The A18 is about getting lost in the music with a very coherent musical makeup. The 18 is about emotion and being there in the music. The Fourte' is a whole different experience. The Fourte' playfully calls attention to the detail in the music drawing your attention to the various parts rather than the whole like taking a tour of the stage in the middle of a concert. It is a magical experience and a new way to discover your library finding new corners to explore in every song. The 18 is laying on your back in a beautiful field looking up at the clouds and enjoying the moment watching them changing shapes as time flys by. The Fourte' is flying through the clouds looking close up exploring the minute detail and seeing it from all angles. The 18 brings tears to my eyes during a sad song while the Fourte' has me pumping my fist and screaming with delight inappropriately during the same song. I want to be able to do both which requires owning both. My only question is do I wait for a custom, or go universal now.

Fourte' vs. AAW W900: This is a tough one too. While they both have the same strengths - bass/treble, they are very different. I feel like I need all three - the Fourte', the A18, and the W900 to have the perfect collection. Like the A18, the W900 is more about the music, but brings more of the boom that some of the music like EDM screams for. The Fourte' is more audiophile in quality and balanced in sound. The Fourte' is incredible with live music in a way that would be my go to CIEM/HP for anything live. I am not a huge classical fan, but with the Fourte' I am not skipping forward finding it very alluring and giving me that being there feeling that I am not getting elsewhere. The Fourte' makes everything sound great where this is not always the case with the W900. But for EDM, I may be grabbing the W900 for that extra boom. The W900 has more of that double subwoofer feeling that I get from my media room without being loose or flabby or overwhelming. It feels like it has a pair of $8K subwoofers in the listening space that blend perfectly with the music without standing in the way - you can feel air moving. The Fourte' is more like listening to a pair of $180K full size speakers (think Focal Grande Utopia EM Speakers) in a listening room at RMAF with $150k more in equipment upstream and with room treatments. So buy all three, it is worth the divorce.

A18 vs. U18: TBD

 

[Barra]

According to the list you are number 4, how did you get it first, I'm guessing it my turn next

Sorry guys/gals, but we shifted two out of order - one for each kit - to accommodate reviews for 64 Audio given that we don't have the third review kit yet. Then we will proceed in order. When we get the third set, we will try to jump into the middle of the country to be fair to all, but may accommodate another review or two first before getting to strict order. I hope everyone understands that we are doing everything we can to get out to everyone as fast as we can and to get everyone some good reviews while we wait.

Listening to the Fourte' now and having the A18, I can tell you that they are unreal and definitely worth the wait. The bad news is that I want both now.

 

[Quadfather]

Added, welcome to the tour.

I am beyond stoked. I will PM my information after work today.

 

[Ike1985]

Barra's Initial Thoughts
Listening to the Fourte' through my Calyx M to an assortment of genres, randomly. The U18 is still in the box as I have the A18 to compare. After I acclimate to the Fourte', will be listening to the U18 to compare to the custom version.

Fourte': Wow!!! There is a big wow right off the bat - those textures.. the timbre..the huuuuuggggggeee full sized sound stage.....WOW. We all know that a quick wow is not always a good thing in the long run.......... but I have a feeling that this wow is here to stay. First of all, like the A18, the Fourte' is not comparable to the CIEM competition, it sounds and feels like a full sized TOTL HP in performance. There is a size to the sound that is unreal and out of the head. It feels like the music if filling the room. My kids are sleeping one room over and I feel like I have to turn down the volume. Taking them out of my ears for a quick check.... there is silence, but putting them back on it feels like I am transported to musicland. This is not a basshead CIEM, but the music has an incredible heft to it while being unbelievably resolute and offering a way down low powerful rumble. The bass is big, but tight/extended and realistic. The tia treble is really something else - smooth and detailed without brightness or any harshness. 64 Audio is really on to something with these tia drivers - the performance is off the hook.

I don't play well with universal fit options, but this feels like i am getting full quality without the custom deep fit that I am used to with the A18. Cupping my ears I can find minimal amounts of additional performance, but seem to be able to adjust and find it without cupping my hands. This by itself is miraculous to me as it is better than my Hidition NT6pros that are customs which have not been beaten by any others with the exceptions of the A18 custom, the AAW W900, and now the Tia Fourte'. I have always considered the NT6pros to be a cheat being custom vs. the other demos being universal. For the price, the 18/Fourte' should unseat the pros, but so should all the others that were two to three times the NT6pro price and did not. The Tia Fourte' is a universal done right. They are the first inear that I have worn that I actually feel like I can forget that they are in my ears.

Fourte' vs. A18: Sorry guys/gals, but buy both - I cannot decide. They both have their strengths, are very different, and are both at the very top of the heap. The A18 is about getting lost in the music with a very coherent musical makeup. The 18 is about emotion and being there in the music. The Fourte' is a whole different experience. The Fourte' playfully calls attention to the detail in the music drawing your attention to the various parts rather than the whole like taking a tour of the stage in the middle of a concert. It is a magical experience and a new way to discover your library finding new corners to explore in every song. The 18 is laying on your back in a beautiful field looking up at the clouds and enjoying the moment watching them changing shapes as time flys by. The Fourte' is flying through the clouds looking close up exploring the minute detail and seeing it from all angles. The 18 brings tears to my eyes during a sad song while the Fourte' has me pumping my fist and screaming with delight inappropriately during the same song. I want to be able to do both which requires owning both. My only question is do I wait for a custom, or go universal now.

Fourte' vs. AAW W900: This is a tough one too. While they both have the same strengths - bass/treble, they are very different. I feel like I need all three - the Fourte', the A18, and the W900 to have the perfect collection. Like the A18, the W900 is more about the music, but brings more of the boom that some of the music like EDM screams for. The Fourte' is more audiophile in quality and balanced in sound. The Fourte' is incredible with live music in a way that would be my go to CIEM/HP for anything live. I am not a huge classical fan, but with the Fourte' I am not skipping forward finding it very alluring and giving me that being there feeling that I am not getting elsewhere. The Fourte' makes everything sound great where this is not always the case with the W900. But for EDM, I may be grabbing the W900 for that extra boom. The W900 has more of that double subwoofer feeling that I get from my media room without being loose or flabby or overwhelming. It feels like it has a pair of $8K subwoofers in the listening space that blend perfectly with the music without standing in the way - you can feel air moving. The Fourte' is more like listening to a pair of $180K full size speakers (think Focal Grande Utopia EM Speakers) in a listening room at RMAF with $150k more in equipment upstream and with room treatments. So buy all three, it is worth the divorce.

A18 vs. U18: TBD

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your impressions. I am hyped beyond belief to hear Forte. Also will be interesting to compare A18 vs U18 in a formal review as I don't think anyone has done that yet. Well done sir. *hat tip* Was listening to A18 just now, the space between the various instruments/sounds is amazing and not just in the horizontal plane, this is the first IEM I've heard that really puts that space in ALL directions. The same spaciousness that allows each sound to bloom in full unobstructed by the other sounds is all around me, first time I've heard this. I suspect Forte is similar.

 

[fiascogarcia]

Sorry guys/gals, but we shifted two out of order - one for each kit - to accommodate reviews for 64 Audio given that we don't have the third review kit yet. Then we will proceed in order. When we get the third set, we will try to jump into the middle of the country to be fair to all, but may accommodate another review or two first before getting to strict order. I hope everyone understands that we are doing everything we can to get out to everyone as fast as we can and to get everyone some good reviews while we wait.

Listening to the Fourte' now and having the A18, I can tell you that they are unreal and definitely worth the wait. The bad news is that I want both now.

So do we get 3 days listening time, with 4 days allowed for shipping to the next Head-fier? I wasn't completely clear on that. Do you have specifications on how you want them shipped? Insurance? Also, I presume we use our own ear tips? Thanks.

 

[Ike1985]

I would make a recommendation to extend the listening time to at least 5 days. 3 days is barely enough with 1 item let alone two and with many of us having jobs and families and all.

 

[Barra]

So do we get 3 days listening time, with 4 days allowed for shipping to the next Head-fier? I wasn't completely clear on that. Do you have specifications on how you want them shipped? Insurance? Also, I presume we use our own ear tips? Thanks.

I would make a recommendation to extend the listening time to at least 5 days. 3 days is barely enough with 1 item let alone two and with many of us having jobs and families and all.

Tour Rules Recap
This, as my other tours, is a 7 day audition, mailing after that to the next participant. So 7 days audition plus perhaps an average 3 day mail time means 10 days between reviewers with the exception of local hand offs like in Seattle. This being said, it is important to follow the rules to keep this tour moving. On receipt:

1. Confirm in Thread: Please confirm receipt in the thread so we know where each kit is at.
2. Immediately PM Next 3 in Line: Please immediately PM the next three participants in the list that their turn is coming up giving preference to those first in the order. That way, you will have a response from someone if not all three to request an address to ship to at the end of your turn. This also wakes up the next few in line if they have been waiting a while so they are not caught off guard. Waiting until the end of your turn to contact the next participants is greatly frowned upon as it will slow down the tour for everyone else.
3. Enjoy: Please feel free to share your thoughts on the thread to entertain the rest of us while we wait our turn.

Order Changes: Participants are free to swap their order between them to accommodate their personal schedules through PM if everyone agrees which is easy locally as know to be done in the Seattle area with the number of participants there. Non-local swaps are ok too under the same conditions if everyone affected agrees and is willing to pay the increase in postage, or you are willing to compensate the postage difference. I will try to stay out of order changes unless a conflict arises or unless I get a request from 64 audio to support a review mid tour.

 

[Ricky64]

Hi;
I live in Boulder, CO, and would like to participate. I agree to the terms of the tour.

thx!

 

[Ike1985]

Tour Rules Recap
This, as my other tours, is a 7 day audition, mailing after that to the next participant. So 7 days audition plus perhaps an average 3 day mail time means 10 days between reviewers with the exception of local hand offs like in Seattle. This being said, it is important to follow the rules to keep this tour moving. On receipt:

1. Confirm in Thread: Please confirm receipt in the thread so we know where each kit is at.
2. PM Next 3 in Line: Please PM the next three participants in the list that their turn is coming up giving preference to those first in the order. That way, you will have a response from someone if not all three to request an address to ship to at the end of your turn. This also wakes up the next few in line if they have been waiting a while so they are not caught off guard. Waiting until the end of your turn to contact the next participants is greatly frowned upon as it will slow down the tour for everyone else.
3. Enjoy: Please feel free to share your thoughts on the thread to entertain the rest of us while we wait our turn.

Order Changes: Participants are free to swap their order between them to accommodate their personal schedules through PM if everyone agrees which is easy locally as know to be done in the Seattle area with the number of participants there. Non-local swaps are ok too under the same conditions if everyone affected agrees and is willing to pay the increase in postage, or you are willing to compensate the postage difference. I will try to stay out of order changes unless a conflict arises or unless I get a request from 64 audio to support a review mid tour.

Ah my bad! I must have misread 3 days!

 

[fiascogarcia]

Ah my bad! I must have misread 3 days!

Actually, it mentions 3 days in the body of the tour instructions on the first page of the thread, that's what confused me as well.

 

[Quadfather]

Hi;
I live in Boulder, CO, and would like to participate. I agree to the terms of the tour.

thx!

Don't lose that number! LOL 64 is a great number! I was born in 1964.