64 Audio - U4s

I have a curse with IEM faceplate, first Moondrop May then the U4s :((

Mega5est bass+ sounded a lot better to me than the OG, the 64audio U4S is pretty great as well.

U4s with the MX module for classical.

I have some kilobucks iems coming from sub 500 stuff. The thing is while sub 500 stuff sounds good, or great value they usually just tuning good, but lack some technical performance and soundstage. At least thats how i felt. Kilobuck stuff tends to give you extra 10-20% of that like Monarch mk2 (superb vocals with superb resolution) 64 audio u4s/u6t (better instruments separation and soundstage) Westone mach 80 ( best detail retrieval and resolution under 2k usd) Etc etc.. This is just an example of course theres many other kilobucks that are good too but for me 1000-1500 is where the diminishing return start to kicks in

I just bought the u4s for 2 months now, and my impression is that is was great. Used to own the old u10, and got a perfect autoEQ (for my personal taste) from trial and error. Will bookmark this for future reference should i go for the new u12t (white version) or the volur.

Nice impressions, I have the U4S and nothing comes close in terms of the sense of physicality U4S has, the treble is a tad bit spicy for me on the U4S, interesting to hear that U12T is more refined.

I wanna get the diva, cause I love the studio 4, female vocals are legendary on that set, I've heard great things about the diva, but the fit looks concerning with that chonky shell And is U12T bright? I have U4S and it does get a little spicy with that 16k peak but how does U12T compare with that set.

At $1k there’s definitely a difference in my experience based on what I own, but I’d say going all the way to $2k is unnecessary and really heavily hitting diminishing returns. Try to find an open box set of some solid kilobucks (got my U4s open box for ~$800 for example) and call it a day.

I’d say the first break point is somewhere around $300ish, then the next break point is “entry” kilobucks around $1k. So for the first break point IEMs like Dusk, anything Xenns, Thieaudio, Softears, so on and so forth, and for the second break point you have a lot of solid options like Monarchs, Dunu Glacier, CFA Andromedas, 64 Audio U4S, etc. Edit: to clarify, those are the points where I think you get the biggest jumps in quality relative to price points around them. So I don’t think it’s as worth it to move beyond that $300-$400 price point unless you’re jumping up to $1k.

While I haven’t tried other kilobucks, my 64 Audio U4S were a clear step above all of my other IEMs in the overall clarity of the mix while retaining both heavy-hitting bass and treble detail. Every section of the mix is well-represented and high quality while being distinctly separated out from the rest, they’re just super clear, cohesive and immersive. The bass quality is the best I’ve heard so far as well, nothing else that I own has the same quality of mid-bass attack. I went in frankly skeptical that they’d be worth the cost, but I was super impressed when I first got them and they’ve been at the top of my collection ever since.

After trying gazillion of iem Honestly i cant get my absolute favorite like storm or elysian annihilator. But u4s is my fav and i just bought them used for 550 bucks. Best purchase so far, buy once cry once. Why do i like it, well it just the perfect "compromise" I can get in an IEM Bass not as good as z1r but a really solid 8 if z1r bass is 10 Mid is really nice, not as good as something like storm but solid 8. Treble isnt as effortless and sparkly and airy like annihilator but its solid enough in 7.5 for me. Coherency isnt as coherent as m9 but solid 8 for me Imaging isnt as holographic as m9 but solid 8.5 for me Detail isnt the detail monster like storm or annihilator or u12t but its good enough for me like 8 Timbre is also not the absolute best but solid 8 lol. Dynamic not the most dynamic like annihilator 2023 but its really nice i will put it at 8.5 It basically has everything i wanted in an iem, its mostly i find them at 8. U12t while have really good ba bass i dont find them as fun as u4s dd bass. Sony m9 while imaging and coherency with nice details but again the bass is not as good and not as dynamic IMO There just isnt any iem i find really good all around. Not a master of something but damn U4S can do everything at a high level. Thats why i love it

**Introduction** I attended an audio show and had the chance to listen to over 30 IEMs. Rather than going too deep on every single one, I wanted to highlight the 3 IEMs that truly impressed me and share some rapid-fire thoughts on the rest. Do note that these are my subjective impressions, and the rapid-fire takes might not convey everything. **64 Audio U12t** 64 Audio was the brand I had looked forward to the most at the show. And U12t was easily the best IEM I heard there. The first thing that caught my attention was its imaging and soundstaging, it was one of the few IEMs that gave me a true sense of holographic staging. I really liked the treble tuning, it was extended, crisp, and avoided being sibilant. The midrange was on the warmer, lusher side, with upper mids slightly recessed for my taste. I hadn’t expected the bass to sound this good coming from BAs. It was detailed, hit hard, but decayed a tad faster than typical DDs. **Softears Enigma** At first, I thought it was just another ridiculously overpriced IEM that would sound mediocre. But I was wrong, the bass quality was pretty good, better than U12t. I didn’t feel anything special about the mids, they were neither shouty nor recessed. I sensed a dip around 5-6 kHz, as I am quite sensitive to peaks there. This made vocals much smoother to listen to, but there was a lack of excitement, so vocals weren’t the strong suit of this IEM. But it was the treble that hooked me and made me want to keep listening. The treble had an 'ethereal' quality. It felt lighter, extended, refined, and more importantly, exciting. Because of this, I just kept listening and ended up staying longer than I had planned, it was that good. **64 Audio U4s** This is basically a 'baby U12t', with a dynamic driver for the bass, giving it a proper bass thump. It had all the qualities I mentioned in U12t, but the overall technical prowess was slightly lower. I am still confused whether I preferred U12t’s faster bass response or U4s meatier bass response, nevertheless it was good. The midrange had similar qualities to what I described in U12t impressions. But the treble performance was a slight downgrade compared to U12t, it was on the splashier side with touch less refinement. **Top Performers in:** **Bass** * 64 Audio Volur * Sennheiser IE 900 **Mid-range** * 64 Audio U12t/U4s * Mega5EST **Treble** * Softears Enigma * 64 Audio U12t **Rapid-fire impressions** **64 Audio Fourte** * Emphasized bass * Recessed vocals * Non-offensive treble * No wow factor * Overpriced **64 Audio Trio** * Recessed mids, but not as much as Fourte * Non-offensive treble * Third best 64 Audio IEM for me **64 Audio U18t** * Treble presentation didn’t work for me * Not as good as U12t **64 Audio Volur** * Best bass I’ve ever heard in an IEM * Treble is quite peaky **64 Audio Nio** * Darkest among the 64 Audio lineup I’ve tried * Not my preferred sound signature **64 Audio Solo** * Best planar IEM I heard at the show * Bass quality wasn’t the best compared to others * Technical performance not up to the price **ThieAudio Monarch MK3** * Chonky shell, but still comfortable to wear * Emphasized yet controlled bass * Treble was slightly peaky * No wow factor **Sony IER Z1R** * Uncomfortable to wear, lacks proper seal * Because of that, bass suffered, I had to hold it with my hands to get the best seal * Bass quality is great (not the best I’ve heard, can’t say much due to poor fit) **Sennheiser IE 900** * Vocals sounded stuffy, weird, and recessed * One of the best bass I heard at the show after 64 Audio Volur * Lacking in detail and imaging for the price **Sennheiser IE 600** * Better tonality than IE 900, especially in the upper mids * Again, not the best in technical performance **Mega5EST** * Most normal-sounding IEM I heard at the show * Quite bassy for this type of mid-range * Not the best in subjective qualities **Dunu Da Vinci** * Similar impression to Mega5EST * This type of sound signature doesn’t work well with such a bass boost **Letshuoer Cadenza 12** * Fairly neutral with a bass boost * Lacks the wow factor * Treble was slightly on the harsher side **Elysian Pilgrim** * Non-offensive sound signature * Treble is a bit forward and spicy * Lacks excitement **Softears RSV** * Bass quality was good * Vocals sounded strained * Nothing special about the treble **Softears Volume S** * Non-offensive, but somewhat shouty on some songs * Slightly peaky treble (in some songs) **Softears Studio 4** * Sounded okay (but in a good way) * Nothing particularly special **FATfreq Maestro Mini** * Driver flex * Too much bass (works well with engaging songs) * Treble not refined **FATfreq Scarlet Mini** * Driver flex * Even more bass (too much on top of the already excessive bass of Maestro Mini) **FATfreq Grand Maestro** * Didn’t felt as bassy as compared to others * Faced similar fit issues like the IER Z1R **Campfire Audio Andromeda Emerald Sea** * Warm sounding with non-offensive treble * Didn’t felt anything special about the rest **Campfire Audio Trifecta** * Very weird sounding (that’s what I wrote in the notes:) * Overpriced for what it is * But looks stunning though **Campfire Audio Astrolith** * Too much treble * Again, overpriced **Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon** * Best sounding Campfire Audio IEM in my opinion * Bass quality was good * Mids sounded recessed * Energetic treble response

I tend to work on my near field monitors but if I were going to use a pair of IEMs they'd be the 64 Audio 4S or 6S.

A4 customs. Again I don’t use IEMs for monitoring/mixing… I don’t really recommend it. But I wouldn’t get IEMs that aren’t custom fit. I don’t buy used monitors. But that’s me.

I think you're misinterpreting my statements. The first purpose of IEMs is not for control room work... I play drums, I do VO .... There are other applications than mixing and mastering for which IEMs are well suited. Others (almost everyone else who has replied) have also pointed this out to you in one form or another: There are numerous reasons to use near field monitors in mixing and mastering. Not only because large drivers and amplifiers will always be capable of a flatter response than IEMs, but it's also about how differently spatial imaging is represented by open air monitors vs. IEMs/headphones. You could give me a $50 million pair of IEMs designed by god himself, and I would still use near fields or mains to mix and master, and IEMs while tracking my own vocals, instruments, whatever. Physics is physics. Any IEM you can buy in any price range will always be less transparent than best-in-class open air near fields, mid fields or mains. **But your precondition is that you want to use IEMs anyway (hence, why I said "that's just me")**... so, setting aside the "why" and respecting that requirement, **\*\*\*IF\*\*\*** I were going to use IEMs for it, the 64 Audio A4s is probably the bare minimum of where I would start.

Correct. That’s what I’m saying.