I bought the U12t about two weeks ago. I have a couple of fairly high end over ears: the ZMF Verite open, and Audeze LCD-5. I have been running them from a Chord Qutest DAC connected to a ZMF Pendant Tube amplifier. I THOUGHT that I knew good sound. I thought when i recieved the Verite open, that was as good as it gets. Then I recieved the LCD-5 and I thought THAT was as good as it gets. Then I got the U12t. A portable IEM that I have running out of an iFi Gryphon connected to my phone. And it has single handedly changed my percepetion about what good sound SHOULD sound like. So much so that after listening to the U12t for about 2 weeks straight, I went back to my Verite and LCD-5; and I can't even listen to them now! They sound broken compared to my U12t. Harsh treble on the Verite. Completely shit tuning and no bass on the LCD-5. I have decided that I am going to sell both of them and maybe my Chord DAC and tube amp as well, because the U12t is so frickin amazing that it has rendered my whole home setup obsolete. The U12t is an absolute legend and I am so grateful to have it in my possession!
@@kaankucuk1612 hello, wow this comment is a while back, during my iem journey i saved up to get a unique melody mest mk2, and honestly for me it oeverthrew the u12t in the fun department, u12ts are neutral slight warm and i believe have a slight touch of better clarity but my mest mk 2 which i have been on every day since i bought them for me is just way better in terms of the bass textures and how it rumbles with any of my music. i got it for 1200 which honestly is a steal and i would rather use my mest mk2 vs my u12t. for my ears if the mest's treble was down like a few db it would be my "prefect" sound i hope it helps, and i dont not own the sonys i have never demo'd them to compare with the mest mk2 or u12t, hope it helps
Hello, i notice that in the link to the current rating chart it does not appear neither the moondrop variations nor the sony ier-z1r....any reason for that? And also if i may ask, for classical music which one would you recommend? Including for instrument separation in orchestra etc....thanks for your great and detailed on sound reviews.
The U12t is my favorite IEM. I currently have the following in addition to the U12t: Empire Ears Valkyrie MKII Sony Z1R Thieaudio Monarch MKII Thieaudio Clairvoyance Moondrop S8 7Hz Timeless
I have about the same IEM collection but I prefer the tuning of the Z1R over the U12T but prefer the U12T over the Monarch Mk2 (and possibly even the new MK3) but I prefer the Monarch Mk2 over the UM MEST MK2 For the planars, I prefer the Timeless AE over the rest my second favorite planar is the Tangzu Heydey followed by the Dunu Talos
@@Bring_On_The_Bass Since I last posted I have kept the U12t, returned the Valkyrie MKII, and sold the rest. I have also bought the Sennheiser IE900 and really like them as well. What I did not like about the Sony Z1R is the treble. Cymbals had a "fizzy" sound to my ears and it was very unnatural and annoying. So given their cost and that I was less than thrilled with them I decided to unload them.
@@CrazyAboutVinylRecords what cymbal fizz? Don't hear any cymbal fizz on the IER Z1R or the U12T but I use foams and they cut the extra treble out so might have masked the fizz
@@Bring_On_The_Bass Sorry, but I'm not going to explain or justify my opinion. It is what it is. I'm glad you like your Z1Rs but I didn't like mine. The treble was a deal breaker. Happy listening.
yeah they deliver good details but for my ears the trio have more dynamics & more engaging for listen musics, even tho they applying only 3 drivers. great review as always dude!
64 audio has something that I love. Chamber like a real speaker to enhance the echo amd dynamics. I wish many iems did the same instead of placing a tube with a filter. I use the same triple flange tips. But I cut the last one for a more comfy fit. But then I found that amazon sells the blue double flange tips that fits all and they better for sound than the triple flange and they really good. And cheap. Lol
The 64 audio has insane amounts of reverb, so much so, that it feels like the space of the song slows down. The nuances in the instruments blew me away. Crazy how they pulled it off, I’m with you on them having more reverb that some studio monitors!
Hi Michael, I just dont get it :D why did you put the tanchjim oxygen so high. Like the 250usd iem cannot compete with 1000 or more ones in therms of clarity resolution and insight to the music in general. I have heard the beyer xelento, mest, xenns up ...and the oxygen is veiled, muffled and undefined in comparison like night and day difference :). It is like a clear voice vs voice with mouth overlapped with a palm. No offense no hate, just my experience :). Just trying to understand ur view of the thing better to be able to utilize ur reviews better :). I dont think the oxygen is bad iem its very good for its price point just it cannot compete with expensive iems.
The shortbus isn't about ultra ocd detail retrival or amazing resolution. It's the totality of ALL the metrics that make an IEM good. I am not trying to be other reviewers, I do my own thing. If you think the O2 is muffled I think your tonal needle has moved far into treble areas. If you listen to normal good speakers this will be very obvious.
Heya Redeyes, I wanted to mention the Sony M9 and the other Sony iems of the same gen. have a similar BA reverb setup to the U12t for space. Though the M9 sets' FR isn't made to sound as embellished. Do you intend to try well reviewed iems with different FR targets? Like the Vision Ears V8?
If possible yes. I haven't met a Sony I didn't really enjoy. Other high end stuff is fairly safe. Low end stuff with wacky graphs is probably a hard pass.
Hey I highly recommend the new UM MEST MK2 . You’ll think it’s something special I garentee it I love mine it’s better than the original, so much so I sold the original 😂. Can’t wait to see what you think about them if or when you get them
@@MichaelBruceShortbus 4 mm is too wide a hole, it's a pity that there is no protrusion on the headphone sound guide for fixing the ear cushions, so after a couple of months such ear cushions will still slide off the sound guide and remain in your ears. For u12t, you need 3 mm, well, the maximum is 3.5 mm
@@johnhayes8476Yeah I am curious how the Oxygens would stack up against the Mangrid tea . You know 6 ba and one hybrid dynamic driver , sounds pretty typical but from the sounds of what people are saying , idk lol ...
Pick up a Noble K10 from Drop if can, I got one last year for just over £500, when launched in the U.K. cost about £1,500. I also have a custom 64 Audio A18t.
I bought the U12t about two weeks ago. I have a couple of fairly high end over ears: the ZMF Verite open, and Audeze LCD-5. I have been running them from a Chord Qutest DAC connected to a ZMF Pendant Tube amplifier.
I THOUGHT that I knew good sound. I thought when i recieved the Verite open, that was as good as it gets. Then I recieved the LCD-5 and I thought THAT was as good as it gets.
Then I got the U12t. A portable IEM that I have running out of an iFi Gryphon connected to my phone. And it has single handedly changed my percepetion about what good sound SHOULD sound like. So much so that after listening to the U12t for about 2 weeks straight, I went back to my Verite and LCD-5; and I can't even listen to them now! They sound broken compared to my U12t. Harsh treble on the Verite. Completely shit tuning and no bass on the LCD-5. I have decided that I am going to sell both of them and maybe my Chord DAC and tube amp as well, because the U12t is so frickin amazing that it has rendered my whole home setup obsolete.
The U12t is an absolute legend and I am so grateful to have it in my possession!
Do you still feel this way?
I absolutely love mine!!!! I would love to have purchase info on the cables! Thanks.
those cables were direct from 64 audio.. and sppppeeendy.
I owned these and now after buying the Mest....I found out what sound tonality is magical when listening to music !......Thanks for your videos....
Look at you go Hugo!
You're going nuts with your video uploads- let em know!
🎉🎉
Get er done!
Nice video u12t club hype, I'd say they are worth the price one year later with the um mest in my collection I just cant stop listening to the u12ts.
Couldn't agree more
Adam , you have original Mest or Mest MKII?
@@nikokatiedax9467 the original havnt demod the mk2 yet
Which one is better Sony IER-Z1R or U12T?
@@kaankucuk1612 hello, wow this comment is a while back, during my iem journey i saved up to get a unique melody mest mk2, and honestly for me it oeverthrew the u12t in the fun department, u12ts are neutral slight warm and i believe have a slight touch of better clarity but my mest mk 2 which i have been on every day since i bought them for me is just way better in terms of the bass textures and how it rumbles with any of my music. i got it for 1200 which honestly is a steal and i would rather use my mest mk2 vs my u12t. for my ears if the mest's treble was down like a few db it would be my "prefect" sound i hope it helps, and i dont not own the sonys i have never demo'd them to compare with the mest mk2 or u12t, hope it helps
Hello, i notice that in the link to the current rating chart it does not appear neither the moondrop variations nor the sony ier-z1r....any reason for that? And also if i may ask, for classical music which one would you recommend? Including for instrument separation in orchestra etc....thanks for your great and detailed on sound reviews.
I can't believe you run for fun. Haha. I hate walking from my house to the car. 😳🥴 Hats off to you
High altitude man! It's more worth it than you would expect.
@@MichaelBruceShortbus I wish I had the desire but it just ain't there bro.
The U12t is my favorite IEM. I currently have the following in addition to the U12t:
Empire Ears Valkyrie MKII
Sony Z1R
Thieaudio Monarch MKII
Thieaudio Clairvoyance
Moondrop S8
7Hz Timeless
I have about the same IEM collection but I prefer the tuning of the Z1R over the U12T but prefer the U12T over the Monarch Mk2 (and possibly even the new MK3) but I prefer the Monarch Mk2 over the UM MEST MK2
For the planars, I prefer the Timeless AE over the rest my second favorite planar is the Tangzu Heydey followed by the Dunu Talos
@@Bring_On_The_Bass Since I last posted I have kept the U12t, returned the Valkyrie MKII, and sold the rest. I have also bought the Sennheiser IE900 and really like them as well. What I did not like about the Sony Z1R is the treble. Cymbals had a "fizzy" sound to my ears and it was very unnatural and annoying. So given their cost and that I was less than thrilled with them I decided to unload them.
@@CrazyAboutVinylRecords what cymbal fizz? Don't hear any cymbal fizz on the IER Z1R or the U12T but I use foams and they cut the extra treble out so might have masked the fizz
@@Bring_On_The_Bass Sorry, but I'm not going to explain or justify my opinion. It is what it is. I'm glad you like your Z1Rs but I didn't like mine. The treble was a deal breaker. Happy listening.
yeah they deliver good details but for my ears the trio have more dynamics & more engaging for listen musics, even tho they applying only 3 drivers. great review as always dude!
Fair enough! Maybe one day.
I think they have an apex module with no hole. That would get rid of the wind noise.
Id rather use a piece of fabric I think, Or a headband or hat.
64 audio has something that I love. Chamber like a real speaker to enhance the echo amd dynamics. I wish many iems did the same instead of placing a tube with a filter. I use the same triple flange tips. But I cut the last one for a more comfy fit. But then I found that amazon sells the blue double flange tips that fits all and they better for sound than the triple flange and they really good. And cheap. Lol
Couldn't agree more!
The 64 audio has insane amounts of reverb, so much so, that it feels like the space of the song slows down. The nuances in the instruments blew me away. Crazy how they pulled it off, I’m with you on them having more reverb that some studio monitors!
Nice!! Fully agreed.
Mike can you post a link to your spreadsheet of IEM rankings ? You have not done so in a while . Thanks, Love your reviews
Coming soon, more reviews need to be placed.
Hi Michael, I just dont get it :D why did you put the tanchjim oxygen so high. Like the 250usd iem cannot compete with 1000 or more ones in therms of clarity resolution and insight to the music in general. I have heard the beyer xelento, mest, xenns up ...and the oxygen is veiled, muffled and undefined in comparison like night and day difference :). It is like a clear voice vs voice with mouth overlapped with a palm. No offense no hate, just my experience :). Just trying to understand ur view of the thing better to be able to utilize ur reviews better :). I dont think the oxygen is bad iem its very good for its price point just it cannot compete with expensive iems.
The shortbus isn't about ultra ocd detail retrival or amazing resolution. It's the totality of ALL the metrics that make an IEM good. I am not trying to be other reviewers, I do my own thing. If you think the O2 is muffled I think your tonal needle has moved far into treble areas. If you listen to normal good speakers this will be very obvious.
@@MichaelBruceShortbus Ok thanks, no hate or disappointment by any means, i still do think u are doing an amazing job :)
Trust me, Im not yelling at you. Just commenting on what I think could be happening. The best IEM for you is the one YOU choose.
Heya Redeyes, I wanted to mention the Sony M9 and the other Sony iems of the same gen. have a similar BA reverb setup to the U12t for space. Though the M9 sets' FR isn't made to sound as embellished.
Do you intend to try well reviewed iems with different FR targets? Like the Vision Ears V8?
If possible yes. I haven't met a Sony I didn't really enjoy. Other high end stuff is fairly safe. Low end stuff with wacky graphs is probably a hard pass.
And timbre also for classical
Hey I highly recommend the new UM MEST MK2 . You’ll think it’s something special I garentee it I love mine it’s better than the original, so much so I sold the original 😂. Can’t wait to see what you think about them if or when you get them
Also I I like that the u12t is rated higher than the MEST original it’s special
I agree. Exotic even!
Hi Michael, great review, would it be possible to get a copy of your iem listing? Cheers Jason.
Done!
Ours go up to 11.
What tips are those exactly - can you post a link? I have and love the u12t - and I have been looking for tri flange tips like those.
Here! www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CNB5LO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
@@MichaelBruceShortbus thanks!
@@MichaelBruceShortbus 4 mm is too wide a hole, it's a pity that there is no protrusion on the headphone sound guide for fixing the ear cushions, so after a couple of months such ear cushions will still slide off the sound guide and remain in your ears.
For u12t, you need 3 mm, well, the maximum is 3.5 mm
Hi Michael, Where can I find your Ranking Database? Could you possibly share the link ?
I haven't published the last version since I have a bunch of sets I am reviewing.. really soon!
What third party cable would you recommend for this IEM? thanks
My fav cables are OE Audio 2 Dual OFC but they are musicial style and thin.
thanks.
@Michael Bruce what brand Triple Flange ear tips are you using? I bought some Shure ones after seeing your videos & they don't seem to fit.
Thanks for reducing the intro size.
Keep this intro duration. Great review. Have you heard trio? It's much better in bass than u12t.
I haven't heard the Trio sadly. One day soon hopefully.
That 64audio nio was using which module? To get only 8 for bass? You used m20 i guess.?
Medium one. It was a bit tubby for me which is why it didnt rate higher. The low bass module was way to little for me.
No wonder its Precogs favourite IEM
Damn fine IEM.
Which Triple Flange tips are those? (Brand)
I saw b stock for 1400 recently. Saw one on headfi for 12 something.
Do it!
What’s the name of the cable?
It's the 'upgrade 64 audio cable' www.64audio.com/collections/cables-and-adaptors/products/silver-premium-cable
Hey man dunu est 112 new release . Idk looks pretty tempting
I have it.
Yeah , 2 grand waaay outta my range . Searching hard for under 500 , the more i look the harder it gets lol.
Tanchjim Oxygen. Killlller set.
Mangird tea is nice too
@@johnhayes8476Yeah I am curious how the Oxygens would stack up against the Mangrid tea . You know 6 ba and one hybrid dynamic driver , sounds pretty typical but from the sounds of what people are saying , idk lol ...
@@MichaelBruceShortbus lol never mind i ran into your video of you stacking them up against each other
Pick up a Noble K10 from Drop if can, I got one last year for just over £500, when launched in the U.K. cost about £1,500. I also have a custom 64 Audio A18t.
Compared to Sony Z1R, CFA Andromeda Gold, CFA Solaris OG, Shouer EJ07, EE LegendX........ The U12T is just........ better overall.
Hello, have u tried Z1R-IER? Compare to U12T which one is better?