hey guys, so i have a set of fearless audio s8f. i really like them, but one of my friends told me i dont know squat and i need to get some 64 audio iems. now, those are stupid expensive, like double the price of mine and with half the drivers!!! i know its not the size… i mean, its not the number of drivers but the quality i guess? but do you guys know how do the 64 audio below 1000usd compare to the fearless audio s8f? is it just snake oil or its def a good improvement?
As someone who demo’d the Volur and U4S…
No.
Past a certain point, price is mostly just a number. If you want to find your ideal sound signature, it may end up costing more, but that’s not because it costs more. In the high end, you find fewer products aiming for a middle ground or an average preference, and more and more it’s about the specifics, with unique and even esoteric sound signatures. Some do this tastefully, others not so much. But don’t think that just because you get into the $1k plus territory that your experience is necessarily going to be better than if would be if you just happened to find the right fit for your HRTF and preference at a lower price point.
Do you believe this for both iems and headphones or just for iems?
Yes and no. They’re not worth 2x of chi fi brands, but the reason they are is because they pay real wages. They are still top tier iems though.
They’re not worth 2x of chi fi brands, but the reason they are is because they pay real wages.
And build quality, QC, after sale warranty support, and repair programs outside of warranty.
Are 64Audio IEMs worth the premium over Chifi brands based purely on sound? Fuck no lol
But they may be worth the premium when you take the totality of the product and ownership experience into account.
If you are happy with your current IEMs then don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Go ahead and listen to other brands, designs, price points etc if you like and then you can either make an informed decision based on something you have heard and liked yourself, or you can stick with what you have.
(FWIW, I really like my U4s - they sound great, I like the fact you can actually tweak the sound slightly with the different Apex modules, they are well made and they fit me really well.)
I’m about 2 hours into owning Thieaudio Monarch MKii’s, they are better than my SE535’s and and modern $300 true wireless I have heard…
I just bought a TOTL Thieaudio Prestige LTD. I spent hours auditioning different ones to make sure that this particular IEM can handle every genre of music that I listen to.
I made the purchase for peace of mind - now I KNOW I will never want anything more. I am planning to give away all my cheaper IEMs.
Stupid expensive, yes, but if you can afford it, then it’s up to you whether you can justify the cost or not.
I had a s8f and friend …. Ie900 , mest mk2 , u12t … are sooooo much better …. Completely satisfied
You own the S8F’s?
Get a new friend.
To me only u4s and u18t are good in SQ (u18t price is overpriced tho) The rest doesnt seems to be worth it ( i havent tried blanc, trio, u6t, volur so that can be excluded)
No gear is worth the exorbitant pricing that manufacturers ask so, like the other user, I stick to the used market. I’ve owned 5 different 64 audio models and I’ve liked them all for one reason or another. I love the apex system, venting, they use in their gear; this means that they tend to isolate less than other gear.
I haven’t gotten around to trying the U4s yet but I owned the U12t’s, U6t’s, Nio’s, Duo’s, and currently the Tia Trio’s. I don’t recommend the Duo’s, I’ve recently commented on them about why I think they fall short. The U6t’s are just fantastic sounding, the Nio’s are super versatile, and the U4s are very well received. They can all be had (used) under $1k and occasionally you can find the U12t’s around $1k. You can find the U4s open box from retailers with warranty, for under $1k and while I haven’t tried them, they seem like a no brainer if you’re looking to get into 64 audio gear.
There’s a lot of good gear by other manufacturers and 64 Audio certainly isn’t the end all - their products just work well for me.
If you like BA timbre sure
I happen to own both the S8f and the U12t sets, so there’s my 2cents fwiw: the S8f, out of the box, sounds kinda wonky. It’s very v-shaped, which is something you either like or dislike. Also, the BA timbre is very present on this set. The U12ts, on the other hand, have very good timbre, are much more w-shaped and sound much more natural. For me personally, out of the box, the U12ts wins hands down, if price is not of concern. With that being said, my daily driver is actually the S8f set, since they’re much more lightweight (and therefore more comfortable, long term), cheaper (so less afraid of losing them during a commute) and respond very well to proper EQ targets. I actually EQ’ed my set to sound like the U12ts, since I like their FR so much; doing that actually brings the two sets very, very close in terms of how they sound. To conclude, I’d recommend first trying to EQ your set to the U12ts’ target before buying, so you’ll get an overall feel what you’d get yourself into. Hope this helps; never forget to enjoy the music more than the hardware!
I have the Tia Trio, is it worth the $2300? Hell No. Is it blissful listening? Hells Yeah. Warm with great Mids and satisfying sparkle, I listen to EDM (mostly Trance and Progressive). My only caveat about the 64 audio is the fit. I have chifi’s, my favorite are Moondrop Chu and Truthear Red by Crin, and Truthear Hola. These chifi sound amazing for their price.
ive listened to a lot of iems including 5000+ dollar ones and u12t is my favorite. but i recognize that everyone is different and the price is probably not worth it to most people. also if you are satisfied with what you have then i dont see the point buying something off of someone else’s opinion. if you can maybe try them and decide for yourself.