U12t (Gen 1)

Easily the 64Audio U12T There's something about them that are just right for a wide genre of music. I've demo'd a bunch of IEMs back to back lately and I kept going back to the U12T.

My small but curated collection of iems. I recently acquired my dream iem, U12t, which feels like a full circle moment because it’s the one to start me on the journey of trying high-end gear. This is it for me for a while. I have had the opportunities to try many different iems and tunings but these are the ones that have stayed (and taught me plenty about my preferences). Even though the U12t is my dream iem, my favorite is the Softears Twilights (🌟), they are spot on for what I what in a tuning and vocals are just…🤌🏼 \*If anyone owns the Monarch Mk3, please suggest me some iem tips that would work well with them. I like the tuning on them but man the fit…gets rough after about 30 minutes. iems from left to right, top to bottom: * Thieaudio Monarch Mk3 * Symphonium Audio Meteors * Softears Twilight * 64 Audio U12t (2025 rev) * Symphonium Audio Helios

Thank you! The new U12t revision makes the iem handsome asf

U12t is more laidback compared to the monarchs, which sounds more exciting because of the way the treble and mids are tuned. U12t vocals are neutral and don't sound as intimate compared to the monarchs, which I do find a touch more intimate. Both have really good bass but bass nuance and quality is better on the U12t, the bass on the monarchs sound more natural. Both are detailed iems but...U12t is effortlessly resolving and more "holographic" in staging (like the music is wrapping around my head). However, I think if someone is trying to choose between the two, I would recommend the Monarch Mk3. Mainly because the U12T is something you can appreciate more after trying everything else. They don't 'WOW' you immediately, and you know what you're looking for, especially in terms of personal preference on sound and tuning.

The issue I have with the claim that frequency response is the end all be all, is that it should mean that eq can make everything sound the same. >I've EQed the AirPods Pro 2 to have significantly better "technicalities" than any IEM I've heard. In that case shouldn't you only rank post-eq and comfort scores? Why do any of the pre-eq sound scores matter? Why try iems? Why own anything but a $20 dollar pair of apple earpods that you dont have to be afraid of getting stolen or broken, when eq can make it sound like the Prisma Lumen that tops your list? Why does the Prisma Lumen top your list, if you can eq the Shure KSE1500 (that you rank 1.85 in sound) to equal that? After your eq, wouldn't the top-notch comfort of the Shure make it a better iem? I really do appreciate the quantity of iems with low sound scores, which many others arent willing to do. As for the list: fulgrim, alter ego, uerr, 622b, volur, camelot. 6/10 (might be missing some): u12t, trio, ve7, se5r, mest ii, moondrop solis, eminent ears emrald, inear pmx

In a nutshell, Tia Trio's wow factor lies in its bass response while U12t's wow factor lies in its imaging. I found the upper treble peak on the U12t its biggest weakness and likely its most controversial aspect, but it's no worse than the IE600's upper treble exaggeration. Truth is, the 'reference-adjacent flagship' sound the U12t targeted has mostly been done better by newer IEMs such as Symphonium Helios or Subtonic Storm. Meanwhile, the Tia Trio's bass is only rivalled by (IMO) the IER-Z1R and the astronomically-priced Brise Audio Fugaku, but both have an even more coloured overall tuning. The common reviewer consensus is that 64audio's A line tends to have excessive bass that makes it sound unbalanced compared to the U line; this makes sense in a loud live session, less so in casual listening. Not exactly an issue if you plan to EQ though. If you've been EQing anyway, may I recommend the dark horse (and my own daily) that is the 7th Acoustics Supernova. Bang-on neutral bass and treble with a relaxed (some would say honky) midrange that could easily be EQed to whatever you want thanks to its smooth frequency response. Resin shell is on the medium-large side but it sits in my ear comfortably, good isolation because of the fit, but even aside from the midrange, its other weaknesses are possible 8k glariness (you need to experiment with tips) and the fact that neutral bass and treble isn't for everyone (Precog mentioned lacking resolution, I'd say it's because he's used to heaps of upper treble in most other flagships. My opinion is if that's the price to pay for balanced tonality, so be it; the resolution isn't that bad anyway). Also, while it's a sturdy resin build, it's also a very small company, so it may be difficult if something does go wrong with it.

Hi OP, they're all in the same range, more or less. The most popular ones mentioned in the comments are the most "Safe" options. ie. Harman/Meta tuned. I live near my local IEM store and I personally did not like anything in this list except the S12 Pro. Not because of the sound signature but because they all lacked detail retrieval and clarity. While the S12 Pro is pure planar, it is a bit "sharper", but being planar-driven means it will be very receptive to EQ. Everything else will not be as receptive. I have the S12 Pro and I daily the 64Audio U12T so I place immense emphasis on detail retrieval and clarity more so than quantity of bass. Quality > Quality in my case. If you're an analytical listener, the S12 Pro is your top pick. If you need more bass or less treble, jus EQ it away. I have a written a piece on the S12 Pro here [https://www.reddit.com/r/inearfidelity/comments/1h1w33s/100\_vs\_2000\_iem\_shoot\_out\_letshuoer\_s12\_pro\_vs/](https://www.reddit.com/r/inearfidelity/comments/1h1w33s/100_vs_2000_iem_shoot_out_letshuoer_s12_pro_vs/) and [https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1g7bxsi/letshuoer\_s12\_pro\_qdc\_anole\_v14\_64\_audio\_u12t/](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1g7bxsi/letshuoer_s12_pro_qdc_anole_v14_64_audio_u12t/)

Well, you asked about the the best IEM in our personal opinions. But, a serious answer: If I were you I'd steer away from the IEMS in the 5-6k INR range. They're mostly just meta/harman tuned and sound more or less identical. If you want something that lasts really long, has impeccable sound and build quality, easy to drive, and will play just about any genre really well, go for the Letshuoer S12 Pro. It's about 13k INR, more than twice your budget but packs more than twice the quality of IEMs in the 5-6k INR range. I daily the 64A U12T, and despite the S12 Pro being more than 10x cheaper, it's about 90% of the U12T. I have both, and in many instances I would reach for the S12 Pro. I use it for gaming and various listening.

Extreme Metal only sounds great on BA/Planar IEMs. The problem with EM is that that it doesn’t have the V-shape sound that most budget sets are tuned for. Niche genres need niche IEMs. For EM, the IEM needs to have exceptional treble. Hence BA/Planar sets. Anything with DD for bass = muddy since transient response of DD is simply not enough for the kind of speed you need. That is a limitation of DD. For budget I recommend S12 Pro, kilobuck Andromeda 2020, or multikilo U12T. I’ve tested all sorts from all budgets in accordance with the hype, these are the only three sets that sound good for Metal.

Nice! I have the previous version of the U12T. Still my favorite since the day I got it. The only thing that has ever in my entire 19 years of IEM hobby sounded better than the U12T to my ears was the Elysian Annihilators. I can’t afford those at the moment so the U12T has been keeping me happy thus far. Tip: The U12T does best with neutral/bright DACs. See L&P W4. One of the best pairings. Better than any of the iBasso, Moondrop or any other DACs out there.

I have the u12t and felt similar. I ended up ordering a Vision Ears VE Pro in custom after demo’ing. To my ears any genre / music I listened to just sounded good. Previously I probably ended up with what impressed me more but this time I went for what sounded right overall to my ears rather than what impressed me.

Mega5ests, monarch mk3/mk2, oracle mk3, u12t used. Really depends on what you want in a sound profile