- Thread Author
- #1
Part 1
Over the past few months, since the first week of March - to be exact, I have had the pleasure of listening to the 64Audio A18T custom in ear monitor (CIEM). This CIEM is the 64Audio flagship, a brand used by many well recognized artists and sound engineers, and packs in a whopping 18 drivers per earpiece: 1high*, 1high-mid, 8mid, 8low. Driver count, much like megapixels in digital cameras and take-your-pick specification metric in amplifiers, is a poor judge of quality and often used for marketing purposes. Luckily, the engineers at 64Audio have been able to pack in a whopping number of drivers without losing focus on creating a clear, coherent sound that is both faithful to the source and enjoyable to listen to.
While our shared hobby and the primary focus of most discussions is sound reproduction through speakers, I really felt that I needed to share this marvelous piece of engineering with the broader forum. If my words betray a positive impression, then you would be correct, but hopefully there is still an inclination to read further.
Conclusion/Why Is This Special
I started out in this hobby with headphones and my earliest audio grail was a pair of CIEMs. I bought some a few years back and I couldn’t have been happier about biting the bullet. Recently, I wanted to pick up a new pair to see what the latest and greatest in CIEM technology can do. I have been firmly a 2.0 stereo listener for the past 8+ years, having sold off all my headphone gear and only using the CIEMs for travel. The A18T has become a cherished piece of audio gear that I look forward to listening to rather than something I feel I have been banished to because I can’t blast my speakers at all hours of the day.
Listening to the A18T, I find myself thinking about the fractal nature of all things. In this case, I notice how some of the acoustic design elements reflect design choices made by designers of some top notch speakers. Perhaps these design principles scale down into IEMS much the same way they scale up into the flagship speakers. Stepping away from my left brain tendencies, I notice that the delivery of music is as dynamically rich and textured through the mids and highs as any quality speaker set up I’ve heard. I notice that music flows effortlessly in the way I’ve heard from countless stats: extended, layered, holographic. It’s this layering that allows the A18T to transcend the confines of headphone audio and create a detailed image from the music. It’s not a speaker...but it doesn’t sound like a headphone either…
I’ve had these for well longer than what I would consider a honey-moon period. I love listening to them and they have been serving me well during quarantine. The best compliment I can give is that when I listen to them, I am reminded of what I love about my own speaker system and it shows me a different perspective on the music that encourages me to push my speaker system further.
I think any audiophile, even one that prefers speakers, seeking a world class music experience on the go should look into these.
Over the past few months, since the first week of March - to be exact, I have had the pleasure of listening to the 64Audio A18T custom in ear monitor (CIEM). This CIEM is the 64Audio flagship, a brand used by many well recognized artists and sound engineers, and packs in a whopping 18 drivers per earpiece: 1high*, 1high-mid, 8mid, 8low. Driver count, much like megapixels in digital cameras and take-your-pick specification metric in amplifiers, is a poor judge of quality and often used for marketing purposes. Luckily, the engineers at 64Audio have been able to pack in a whopping number of drivers without losing focus on creating a clear, coherent sound that is both faithful to the source and enjoyable to listen to.
While our shared hobby and the primary focus of most discussions is sound reproduction through speakers, I really felt that I needed to share this marvelous piece of engineering with the broader forum. If my words betray a positive impression, then you would be correct, but hopefully there is still an inclination to read further.
Conclusion/Why Is This Special
I started out in this hobby with headphones and my earliest audio grail was a pair of CIEMs. I bought some a few years back and I couldn’t have been happier about biting the bullet. Recently, I wanted to pick up a new pair to see what the latest and greatest in CIEM technology can do. I have been firmly a 2.0 stereo listener for the past 8+ years, having sold off all my headphone gear and only using the CIEMs for travel. The A18T has become a cherished piece of audio gear that I look forward to listening to rather than something I feel I have been banished to because I can’t blast my speakers at all hours of the day.
Listening to the A18T, I find myself thinking about the fractal nature of all things. In this case, I notice how some of the acoustic design elements reflect design choices made by designers of some top notch speakers. Perhaps these design principles scale down into IEMS much the same way they scale up into the flagship speakers. Stepping away from my left brain tendencies, I notice that the delivery of music is as dynamically rich and textured through the mids and highs as any quality speaker set up I’ve heard. I notice that music flows effortlessly in the way I’ve heard from countless stats: extended, layered, holographic. It’s this layering that allows the A18T to transcend the confines of headphone audio and create a detailed image from the music. It’s not a speaker...but it doesn’t sound like a headphone either…
I’ve had these for well longer than what I would consider a honey-moon period. I love listening to them and they have been serving me well during quarantine. The best compliment I can give is that when I listen to them, I am reminded of what I love about my own speaker system and it shows me a different perspective on the music that encourages me to push my speaker system further.
I think any audiophile, even one that prefers speakers, seeking a world class music experience on the go should look into these.