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Met up with a friend to try each others gear. Thought this was a pretty sick photo so I decided to post it. If anyone wants impressions feel free to ask. I can provide some on the ie600 and the sa6 but those aren’t mine, however I could get my friend to hop into this post too. (Hoping this comment is long enough now to let me post this)

What your thoughts on the Mest?

Easily the most resolving IEM I have heard. It’s also the first one I’ve tried where at my first listen I thought wow I see why this is so expensive. For tonality and just normal enjoyment I kind of prefer the u6t but if I want to just be wowed by music I’ll use the mest. It’s also no where near as comfortable as the u6t and has a FAT nozzle. Along with that I find it’s treble peak to be a bit fatiguing after a while but damn does this thing have soundstage and depth and really natural sounding vocals… almost like a performance is happening in front of you. I believe the bass hits much harder than it shows on a graph.

I really wish I had to opportunity to listen to them in person they sound right up my alley. How does the Dunu sa6 compare?

I’ve tried his SA6 quite a few times now because they are honestly so comfortable that it surprises me every time. I don’t think there’s an aspect in which the dunu wins against the mest in terms of sound quality though. That being said, I really enjoy it’s tonality and could be happy with them being my only IEM. The sa6 is just a really good all rounder, it’s not offensive at any part of the frequency and is just a really easy listen but that also might make it boring to some, I quite liked it. I think I wish it just had more resolution but hopefully the new dunu models fix that.

So sexy

How would you rank the IEMs in this picture?

Subjectively:

1. U6t (because of comfort and non fatiguing sound with fun bass and good resolution)
2. Mest mk2 (wish I could put this at #1 but I’d prefer the U6t if I were to have one IEM for life)
3. Andromeda 2020
4. Dunu sa6
5. Ie600 (too much treble for me)

Probably objectively:

1. Mest mk2
2. U6t
3. Andromeda = ie600 (depends on the type of sound you prefer)
4. Dunu sa6 (just doesn’t beat the others in terms of resolution)

I appreciate your thoughts.

Just ordered the 64 Audio A12t, so I am pretty excited every time I see the u6t or u12t on top of a list with IEMs like the Mest, Mentor, VE v7/v8, UE Live, etc.

It would be nice to hear your opinions on it once you receive it. The whole pressure system on 64 earphones is so nice for long term listening especially coming from the andromeda which is fully closed off. And that tia driver really does sound different from everything I’ve tried.

Basically a photo of the greatest hits of iems, neat

And I’d argue are also the few to actually live up to the hype (cough cough variations)… except for the u6t which I think is super underrated

I'm both excited and nervous. It really kills me that I will have about 9-10 weeks before I receive it.

Excited because the A12t/U12t seems to be a chart-topper in terms of "jack of all trades" music enjoyment, short of spending 4-5k on a few crazy niche IEMs. Also excited because it'll fit me without question. So sick of struggling with IEM fittings and tips.

Nervous about the BA bass, as I definitely enjoy some bass quantity. Similarly, I am worried that they will goof something up or my impression won't be good and I get something that doesn't fit well. I've heard it's class-leading BA bass, but hopefully, it'll be pretty close to a dynamic style bass.

I think fit is the biggest deal breaker for an iem tbh. I’m fairly sure the 12t and 6t use the same BA driver types for the bass but the 6t hits harder. However, there is no need to worry about bass quality here. I’m a bit of a bass head and I actually really enjoy the ba bass on the u6t and could definitely trick anyone into thinking it’s a dynamic driver unless you were some sort of expert. But trust me it’s really good bass

I was also not a fan of the Variations, I would recommend trying the Xenns Top if you were disappointed with the Variations but want a similar tonality.

Which apex module do you run in your U6t?

I'm planning to try the m15 and m20 with my A12t, but assume I will end up running the m20.

These modules seem to be very earphone dependent on which is best. I find the m15 to work best with these just for an overall balance. The m20 can be fun and is better for walking around due to isolation but it also muddies the sound signature a bit.

Not OP, but Im waiting on a A12T IEM but I do have the A4s and I have tried the U6t, U12T, and the Trio before the sales clerk kinda gave me that look.

The BA bass on the U6T and the U12T dont slap has hard as the dynamic on the A4s, but man they still do slap and it 100% surprised me (seal had a lot do with this, i did a lot tip swapping in the shop to get that seal). I think in terms of the bass you will be 100% pleased with it

Thanks for your thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if I should have ordered the N8 instead, but the resolution and mids of the A12t sound magical.

Wish I could have tested some of them out, but I don't live anywhere near an audio dealer of any sort.

That's definitely fair. I'll have to give them a shot and see what happens. Thanks again for your thoughts.

I’m actually very curious to hear your thoughts on the a4s compared to the u6t

Well it all depends. I really like crinical's IEM target and he mentions that the bass on the N8 was out of control.

the bass on the A4S, is heavy at times, i do switch between the mx and the m15 often enough when the bass burns me out.

64 audio tends to be a bit bass heavy in general but generally balanced. If you are coming from something like a moondrop blessing dusk ... you will definitely notice it..

I dont think you will regret the a12t at all, but unfortunately if you want a bass response that extremely dynamic from the 64 Audio line up, the A4s or the Trio are pretty much your best bet.

But dont second guess yourself, wait for the custom to arrive, and enjoy and cry because man their CIEM are super comfy and its hard to go back to universals.

to my ears at least, I used the m15's on both of the earphones at the time and comply foam tips on the u6t.

I had issues with fitment on the silicone tips, but you can tell straight away that its a 64 audio iem, the targets are identical.

The Bass on the u6t had surprising had a good amount of quantity, i was honestly super surprised by this. the U6t decayed quicker than the a4s.

The A4s definitely has bass force, that the u6t didn't have. The mids where a little bit more present of the u6t, or they sounded closer on the stage, where as on the a4s its more relaxed.

The treble sounded similar to me, but its definitely elevated on both.

All and all they are both very good IEMs, I think the u6t is definitely more balanced, abit elevated bass, while the a4s is bit more fun.

The funnest of the bunch I tried was the Trio, its bass response is elevated and the female vocals are a bit closer on the stage(compared to the a4s), that iem really put a smile on my face.

It doesn’t. Except comforts and stock cable.

Mest is really one of a kind. Og mest is even more spectacular in presentation if the fits work for you. Pure joy to use for shorter active listening session. For longer session I will use u12t. 64 audio is no doubt the best in comfort department among high end iems companies.

You've picked well. I still adore mine like 6 years later.

Edit: I see you're concerned about bass. Don't be. Because of the custom seal, you'll get bass rumble in your gut from these puppies, while limiting fatigue due to the apex modules. And speaking of, you can also adjust the freq response slightly with different modules, both first or third party, so you can tweak things around just in case. I've noticed in more recent years I prefer a slightly leaner tuning, the bass is still there, but the overall balance for all sorts of genres is better to my ears (I use the MX)

Taste comes into it as well. I think the Variations competes well above its pricepoint. I have the SA6, IE600, Tia Trio and OG MEST as well. These are all great IEMs but I'd put the Variations over the SA6 and IE600 personally, and it's arguably better tuned than the Tia Trio or MEST. MEST has better stage, Tia Trio has better bass impact. But the tuning is better, and more natural, on the Variations. A/Bing right now with the SA6, the Variations sounds much more natural. Variations does have that mid-bass suck which doesn't work for everything.

Anole VX is the SA6 with much more resolution. VX is better, the tonality is very similar though. Higher resolution than anything else I have heard, other than the Shure KSE1500, and even that it's on a similar level to. Higher resolution than the the MEST, it's really on a different level to other TOTL IEMs. The negative is it's maybe not quite as natural sounding as some other IEMs. I'd still take the Monarch Mk2 as a more natural sounding all rounder. I don't find the Anole VX too bright, but I'm not sensitive to very high frequencies.

It's much more expensive than the SA6 too though. But just to throw it out there as something that is tonally very close to the SA6, but absolute TOTL resolution.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Anole_VX,SA6

https://precog.squig.link/?share=qdc_Anole_VX_(OFF),DUNU_SA6_(Atmospheric)

My own graph possibly even closer

The SA6 Ultra was very well received, if the new SA6 is similar to that it could well be a winner.

curious how mest mk2 compared to your dca noire? in terms of soundstage and bass impact

Which one is the cheapest??

The sa6 at the back

I also found male vocals to just be way too thin also. It’s the type of sound that really only works for female singers. I don’t see why it’s recommended so often when so few genres can actually take advantage of it. It may be somewhat accurate but it’s definitely not a fun listen for my personal taste

Noire slams really really hard especially when EQ’d. I have no idea how people say these lack bass if they are getting a proper fit with them because even without eq it slaps. In a way, it kinda just sounds like a bigger mest haha. Mest has more defined imaging and separation I think but the noires give me a more more “grand” feeling to the music, especially when using the oratory preset of harman

Have you ever considered mixing and matching ears?

Assuming you are talking about putting different ones on the same cable, no I haven’t haha. Have you?

no no, I just want to stir some chaos. Maybe your left and right ears might prefer a different balance.

dudes be flexing hard

Thanks for replying. Glad to hear your general perspective on the A12t. Is the MX module worth the extra money? I really dislike how expensive their modules are... it feels like they should all be included at the price 64 Audio is charging.

My plan was to run the M15 or M20, likely for the bass, but I also enjoy a bit of balance.

For reference, one of my favorite systems is a pair of 8351b with their matched subs. I do have the treble turned down a hair and the bass turned up a notch, though. Very neutral, but very engaging studio monitors.

Theres a new sa6 coming?

/r/headphones/comments/118hxsp/dunu_sa6_mk2_sa10_sa16_announced_sa16_demo_unit/

Your fine as is! I only got the MX a few years later. You can get third party modules from Fir audio as well that are cheaper and do something similar, but especially with your preference, the m15 and m20 will be fine