IEM general discussion thread

An few years back I heard the V6 once, owned the V6-Stage, and now own the U6 and A12.

IIRC, the V6-Stage was an update to the V6 with improved soundstage and instrument placement (thus the "Stage" moniker. Similar to the Freq-Phase update JH offered. The V6-Stage drivers were the same or very similar to the V6.

64 Audio's newer U and A Series with ADEL or Apex take this further to solve the sense of the sound coming down the ear canal (that cause some to dislike IEMs). Instead the image is projected forward to give a second row experience. The 64 Audio U & A Series also significantly reduce the pressure that used to limit my listening sessions an hour or so due to fatigue.

Bass on the V6-Stage extends impressively deep, but is not exaggerated and does not bleed into the mids. If the track has bass you get bass, if not you don't. My only criticism of the V6-Stage and U6 (nitpicking really) is the upper mids are a bit bright. While this helps with imaging and gives a good sense of clarity and detail, it also impacts the timbre of string instruments and renders cymbals a bit towards sheet metal rather than brass.

Overall my guess is you will find the V6 to be a very capable unit. If acquired inexpensively and re-shelled by a third party it should worthwhile - say as a first CIEM, for use while travelling, etc.

Otherwise my opinion would be to use the money for one of the excellent products currently offered (from 64 Audio, AAW, Campfire, etc.)

-Eric

 

I believe both were released around the same time with the V6 stage being $50 or $100 more expensive. I did own the V6 Stage and I think it was $450 or $550 at the time. The V6 Stage was marketed as having more bass than the V6 while the midrange/treble of both being the same. I didn't really consider the V6 Stage to have that much bass however so it wouldn't be a bad choice.

I probably wouldn't purchase it regardless of the deal unless you could get it for under $100. Reshelling and impression cost would probably put you at $500 or more depending on if you need to incur any import taxes or not. There are many good options in that price range and in Singapore you can visit some shops (Jaben is in Raffles City area iirc) to demo which would help a lot.

 

In the unlikely event that as a Singaporean you're unaware:

Jaben @ Aldephi near CIty Hall MRT,
E1 PA SG @ Far East Shopping Centre near Orchard MRT,
Music Sanctuary @ Far East Plaza near Orchard MRT,
Stereo Electronics @ Vivocity near Harbourfront MRT
​

I think I've heard the V6, but long ago enough that I can't quite recall how exactly it sounds like.

 

I'm looking to purchase my first CIEM, most likely the UE4 Pro based on impressions here and CS. I have a couple specific CIEM questions:

1) How deep is insertion typically compared to universals? I've owned universals from Shure, Noble and Phonak.
2) My right ear produces larger than normal amounts of wax (I know...EW), would this have any affect on ciem fit or whatever?
3) I see some companies (like Empire Ears and 64 Audio) using new methods of relieving pressure built up in the ear canal due to the tight seal. Is this something to actually be concerned about? (looks like the UE4 has nothing like this built in) Are these techniques even useful (such as ADEL on Empire Ears)?

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

1) Typical insertion depth for CIEMs I believe is somewhere between single flange and double flange silicone tips for universals.
2) Should be fine, you may need to clean the sound bores with the included cleaning tools and if paranoid use dessicants/drying machines for hearing aids now and then. I don't bother even for my hearing aid, no issues so far.
3) Sorta hokey. I don't claim to fully understand the science, but pretty much only Empire Ears do that ADEL thing (64 Audio stopped using ADEL and introduced their own), and notice how not a single hearing aid company has licenced that.

 

In addition to your questions, one more thing worth considering for a CIEM newbie is bone conduction. With hard acrylic CIEMs like the UE4 Pro, if the shell ends up touching the bony part of your ear canal, you might get a lot of footfall noise during active use (walking, running, etc...). So, just in case you're planning to use your CIEMs in an active scenario, you might want to opt for a softer shell instead.

 

Depending on how they're setup (colors/face plates), pricing (and depending on how fast AAW can turn something around for universals), I'm potentially interested - feel free to ping me directly on that.

I don't want to commit to customs until I've heard a couple more of the IEMs on my interest list, but I am liking the AAW900 enough in universal form that if I could get a set quickly, in colors I didn't hate, then that'd be an option. I contacted AAW to see what they could do about a universal set (since there's no direct option from their site), though I expect it'll be tomorrow before they get to respond to that.

Compared to the Zeus R that's definitely the case. While the treble extension is definitely there, they don't seem quite as fast and airy as the Zeus R and the sense of "sound-stage", while impressive, has more dimensionality with the EE units. Both are very enjoyable, though the W900 does bass in a way that gives a sense of physicality to the rendering that I've not gotten with any other IEM (the Vega was close in that specific regard). And while I wouldn't call it neutral, it's not specifically bassy either in the way that, say, an SE846 will tend to be.

 

Hey man, sorry, the were sold in a minute without even posting an add...these seem to be very popular, for some reason more so than the Prophile-8. I do think that they are great, but these should really benefit from the custom version IMHO.

 

AAW offer their full suite of customisation options for universals. Build time was 7 weeks for mine. They can also reshell universals into customs for ~$180.

Bass on W900 is pretty much perfect for me. They use the DD in a relatively restrained way and you get the sense of a movement of air on bass hits unlike any other IEM I have come across...

 

No worries, and thanks for letting me know!

Very useful, thanks!

Though at that sort of build-time for universals my plan to go that path while waiting sort of falls apart. If it's going to be a month+ anyway, I'll hold off until I've heard the A18 and Tia Fourte and then it won't be so tenuous to go the custom route (well, excepting the Tia which it isn't clear is even going to be available in custom form).

 

If you need I can ping them for you since they're a local company. Given the consistent praise the W900 is getting I might be free enough to go try it this weekend.

 

Custom Art is having a 10% off and 20% off pre-order sale for there new FIBAE (Flat impedance balanced armature earphone) custom models.
The FIBAE 1 and 2 are improvements on the music one and two which were considered by many to be good budget CIEMs.
Piotr is a top lad too, really pleasant to work with and I've had several customs made by him.
https://www.facebook.com/thecustomart/posts/1310097035777781

 

Anyone heard the w80 with magic alo reference 8 cable?

 

They responded to my various inquiries in the small hours of this morning, but I appreciate the offer!

I just have to decide if I am going to go universal to make it easier to resell in the event I want just the A18 or Tia Fourte, or commit to the custom version and potentially have two or three IEMs for different situations much like I do with my primary cans. Though at this point, it's really only the sense of air and space of the Zeus R that would keep those around in the face of the W900.

Waiting on a call back from 64 Audio to see if I can just drive down and hear the A18/Tia tomorrow/Friday rather than having to wait for tour/demo units so I can make a call this week and get something ordered. Lots of travel coming up and want this done sooner than later (plus I'm am impatient bugger).

Update: Looks like I can go hear the A18 and Tia Fourte at 64 Audio on Friday, so that'll speed things up considerably!

 

Thanks a lot for the input mate! I've been interested in this model for quite a while and this really clears the air about the difference between the two!

I can agree with that. Both IEMs are still selling for around ~400 USD equivalent here so it's still quite a bit hard for me to justify getting second hand CIEMs. Worse still, reshelling with 64 will sorta bring the price back up again to the U6 price not including the moulding cost. So, tbh, they're still kinda high, although I can sorta churn the money for them, but it's not really ideal if I'm honest. Perhaps I can just go cheap and reshell them with AAW, but I'm quite into that Apex module

 

Just a heads-up, Barra is doing a nt6pro tour
http://www.head-fi.org/t/845110/hid...and-viento-starting-may-2017/15#post_13444301

there's also a Tia forte tour,
http://www.head-fi.org/t/845022/64-audio-us-ciem-demo-tour-tia-fourte-and-u18-tzar-starting-may-2017

 

The old v6 has nothing to do with apex or Adel modules. They were the lineup right before they introduced that technology. If you want the apex then you should see if there's a used universal in the used market or buy a new ciem.

 

I know that already. There's a plethora of universals hanging around here but I was interested in getting the second-hand V6 Stage simply because I can send them to 64 Audio for an upgrade of sorts. It's a cheaper move than actually getting a new one directly from the seller (Because local stores kinda jacked up the price quite a bit). And the discussion was whether spending $400 on a CIEM shell is worth it or not, so I don't get why you suddenly come and say this tbh

 

Someone please tell me if this is considered hijacking -

Does anyone have any experience with entry level CIEMs? Like Inearz S150 or S250 or any others around that price point?