A New Sweet Spot for IEMs? 64 Audio U4s

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In a market polarized by shockingly-good IEMs for under $50 and flagship behemoths for $6,000, maybe there's new space in between for an IEM with fewer drivers and a semi-reasonable price point, if they can nail the tuning? Precogvision takes a look.
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Other IEM comparisons around $1K:
Sony IER-M9 - This IEM has warmer, more blobby mid-bass and more a mid-treble emphasis at around 9kHz. The U4s will sound more energetic and sharp, especially moving into the upper-treble. Generally, the IER-M9 might be considered the safer listen; however, it's also quite boring.
Symphonium Helios - Helios is a foremost a technical IEM. It will best the U4s especially when it comes to the crispness of notes thanks to its 200Hz recession and nearly linear treble response. Transients on the Helios are quite "BA" like in the sense that they are snappy and sharp. For listeners who want a warmer listen and more natural timbre, though, the U4s is the better play. The Helios is also quite large and lacks venting which should be a consideration for listeners concerned about comfort.
Moondrop S8 - Pretty much the opposite of the U4s, the S8 falls much closer along the lines of the Monarch MKII which I covered in the video. Go for this IEM if you want snappy, clean transients and in-your-face vocals. Go for the U4s if you want something more colored, warm, and unique sounding. No venting on the S8 if comfort is a consideration.
0:00 Intro & Tangibles
3:20 The 64A Nio
4:32 Tuning of the U4s
6:46 Technicalities & 64A Comparisons
9:23 Monarch MKII Comparison & Conclusion

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Опубликовано:

13 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 101

@skjlion Год назад

They have been a great pickup since release thanks to your written review ❤😂

@pa1nk1ller14 Год назад

Lovely review and lovely cable! Which one is it?

@HobbyTalk Год назад

The bass curve looks fun on this. Always down for less ear gain haha

@dungtom26 Год назад

Im using a noble audio sage. Is it worth an upgrade as I really love the midrange of that Sage… I just need a little more bass impact

@Babarrun Год назад

thanks for the great review. I have a pair of the shure846 gen2 and using it with the red filter. would these make sense to buy as my second iem? also interested in how these compare to the meteor

@fabiojungle4722 Год назад

Looking very 2023 bro. Excellent review as usual 🙏🏿

@asan1050 Год назад

Thanks Much!

@f.evangelista Год назад

What do you prefer , Tia trio or the U4S ? And why? Thanks!

@lazyreuvin Год назад

Great review as always, but I was a little distracted.... Precog,... what's going on mate? The piercings, the well groomed brows and hair... Looking slick my friend.

@Medsas Год назад

he looks way more buff too lol

@mrfrosty3 Год назад

None of your business, thats what.

@dmora2386 Год назад

I stopped like 5 sec in bc I was distracted 😂

@beeguy300 9 месяцев назад

Hey precog, how do these compare to the monarch MK3?

@dwijenrao1776 Год назад

would the comparison to Symphonium Helios be more appropriate, similar price point and strengths??

@jonathandent863 11 месяцев назад

Would you recommend the U4s or U6t for gaming?

@coreyfreeman6226 Год назад

Thanks for the review. Can you Compare Symphonium Audio Meteor with U4s. Thanks. Graphs look almost exactly the same.

@MannyScoot Год назад

Have you tested the Ikko OH7 ?

@dazewithadrian Год назад

AYOOO. MY BOY LOOKING 🔥

@maegnificant Год назад

Can you compare against U18s? With M20

@nguyenvietlamanh5464 Год назад

I got the U4s. Absolutely love them and probably my perfect iems. Price worthy resolution, good staging and imaging (not the best but still very good), smooth midrange though I think with a little odd timbre at times. I like iems with a dip in the midrange as it create some space for the vocal, and make singers sounds more effortful. The bass is absolutely great, rumbly and authoritative even with the mx module. Not the most textured, but still great. Comparing to them, the blessing 2 sounds like a limp d*ck

@mattoeh Год назад

How would you compare this to their CIEMs like the a4/6/12 or n8? What would be your choice for a daily driver CIEM from 64 audio?

@Precogvision Год назад

This doesn’t quite answer your question, but usually, I don’t recommend CIEMs unless you intend to perform on stage with your IEMs or comfort/isolation really, really matter to you. CIEMs will generally sound different than universal versions; in the case of the 64A IEMs, not for the better IMO. There are a lot of other practical disadvantages associated with CIEMs like need for more cleaning, readjustments, and loss of secondary value. Most of the time it’s not worth it if you’re chasing pure sound quality.

@Del_987 Месяц назад

Wonder how this compares to the Symphonium Titan for a detailed bass head iem

@Hari-kx2er Год назад

Hai Precog, Do you think that your preferences in sound and rankings of iems would have significantly altered if your favourite music was not kpop but something significantly different to it?

@Precogvision Год назад

Not significantly, but sure, they would likely be different. Volume is probably a more important factor, though. I like a lot of IEMs that sound detailed and airy at ~70dB, or moderate listening volumes, that those who listen louder might find too peaky.

@mib5633 Год назад

awesome!

@Rezzzn0r 7 месяцев назад

I upgraded from Mest2 to U4S and I love it. Bass textures and slam is much better, I like more the presentation of highs as well.

@santiagoromero3475 11 месяцев назад

Would this IEM be good for hip hop, electronic, or reggaeton?

@yuunashiki Год назад

Yeah this sounded really good and felt very comfortable. I was so close to buying this instead of the Elysian Diva, but there were some songs where Diva just sounded soooooooo impressive that I'm willing to take that big diminishing return. 64Audio U4s and Clariar i640 are my recommendations for somewhat best bang for buck end-game if that makes sense

@ifteykharulislam Год назад

How's the bass on clariar i640

@yuunashiki Год назад

@@ifteykharulislam pretty bassy also. Overall its sound is very well rounded and packs a punch, just like how it looks.

@ifteykharulislam Год назад

@@yuunashiki can u suggest me some basshead iem plz

@yuunashiki Год назад

@@ifteykharulislam Letshuoer EJ09 U4s with certain apex modules, can't remember which. And... maybe Diva and turn the bass switch up to max.

@idlun5288 Год назад

does anyone know what cable Precog is using? doesn't look like the stock cable

@Precogvision Год назад

Cheapie cable off the Tripowin Olina ;)

@thequest6072 Год назад

Is the U4s a lot better than the symphonium meteor? It seems like they're going for a lot of the same sound signature in the pinna region and base

@gordon2875 Год назад

Meteor is really good for the price already don’t get me wrong. But U4s is another step up in-term of soundstage depth and imaging ability.

@ganshengkai7060 Год назад

U4s is better than meteor. But I personally prefer meteor over U4s. 1) U4s treble is a little hot for me even I use M20 module. 2) I like warm and slightly laid back sound signature. U4s is a little bright for me because of the treble. 3) I love U6t alot. I set it as benchmark. If you have chance to demo. You can try U4s 1st, after that you try u6t. You will immediately know the difference on the treble.

@Precogvision Год назад

Meteor is all about fun IMO. It's more colored, especially in the mid-bass; its treble response also peaks in areas that give timbre a more artificial, smoothed edge. I'd say the U4s is more reserved and balanced by comparison. It images better (presentation is more open) and is more detailed due to the cleaner bass response and the nature of its treble peaks (e.g. 5kHz peak vs. a recession in the same region for the Meteor). Also more flexible because of the Apex modules.

@nostalgicjamadar8076 Год назад

@@Precogvision Does u4s replace tia trio? I'm willing to spend upto 3 grands, for a v-shaped yet very detailed sound signature. Trio is the only set I've could up to.Any other Recommendations appreciated🙏

@h1a8 Год назад

Can you or anyone compare against the Mest mk2?

@momojojo1782 11 месяцев назад

had a majoy problem of IEM, they can not sound the same as headphone, I have to use finger push IEM really into my ear to get the fullness of sound (for all the low end), once I release my push, the sound become flat & thine again. (I using the T2) Am I wear the T2 In the wrong way?

@Flypt1d 11 часов назад

use smaller tips

@sto-humanfriendly Год назад

Do you think the n3 compares to Nio at all?

@Precogvision Год назад

They sound very comparable under 1kHz, but differ quite a bit in terms of their treble responses which changes their overall presentations. N3 = more sparkly, energetic, Nio = darker and thicker.

@Ben-ic1ve Год назад

Vs Symposium Meteor?

@Abhi-wn7sw Год назад

Is there a point to buying this if I have a U12t already?

@dleblanc343 Год назад

Sell your U12T and pocket the cash difference. These are a more mature sounding product

@Abhi-wn7sw Год назад

@@dleblanc343 Have you heard the u4s? Mature sounding due to the DD bass?

@dleblanc343 Год назад

@@Abhi-wn7sw i got mine on Tuesday and used to own U12T. I find the U4S to sound more tonally coherent, dynamic and have better instrument timbre. It doesn’t match the “crisp” of the U12T, but to me that’s actually a plus because I found my U12T to sound a bit digital. U12T does pull out more detail from the midrange into the low treble.

@gordon2875 Год назад

Still waiting the U12t with a DD. This will be my end game. Please 64 audio😢

@user-wr5we2xg6h Год назад

$4000 thank you

@gordon2875 Год назад

@@user-wr5we2xg6h I don’t even need to think about it. Rather than spending money on all this little shitty IEMs that released every month, is way better investment TBH

@alejandror2571 Год назад

What the nio should of been lol

@michaelp.3485 Год назад

@垃圾谷歌又出bug Worth it. Granted the U12t is pretty much already perfect to me.

@songboek 5 месяцев назад

Check out the Volur!

@JeffJacquesmd Год назад

I just got back from a business trip and carried the U4S, stock cable and the Fiio BTR7. Given the design they weren’t as good as having an active noise cancelling IEM and I’ve worn other IEMs which had better passive noise blocking. But Excellent, balanced sound quality, beautiful timbre, very good instrument separation. Good bass and detail without being a bass head IEM. I played 80s new wave (Depeche Mode, Cure, Talk Talk), 70s Rock (Boston, FleetWood Mac, Toto), 90s grunge (POD, Nirvana), Industrial (NIN, Rammstein) and classical (Vivaldi, Bach). All Flac or Alac files or CD quality Qobuz downloads. Great detail retrieval, engaging mid bass, beautiful treble. These are seriously good, and worth a listen. Not sure you can find this tuning at a lower price point. 👍🏼

@aceofspades6667 Год назад

Tia Trio used vs. U4S as they are the same price.

@runninturtl Год назад

Looking suave

@paulosilva8200 Год назад

Great for loud volumes

@ifteykharulislam Год назад

It's a basshead iem ?

@yuunashiki Год назад

yes.

@jrusso3 Год назад

If these came in at around $700 USD, then I might consider them for a "Mid-fi" end game purchase. They seem to niche to me. Oh well the search continues for a truly reasonably priced end game (if that exists). Thanks for the review!

@MrPINKFL0YD Год назад

Way too expensive for what they are

@michaelp.3485 Год назад

@HOWARD. BAMBER. Says the guy who never listened to them.

@Synflood-dot-txt Год назад

@@MrPINKFL0YD bought them today. Disagree they compete with my 3000-4000$ iems

@ourada46 Год назад

@@Synflood-dot-txthow are they at high volume levels?

@conrad9race1 Год назад

this or Sennheiser IE600?

@jafizzle95 Год назад

I don't have the U4s but I have both U12t and IE600. The answer to your question depends on what sort of sound you want, because the 2 are extremely different. IE600 is lean, clean, bright, but with strong subbass. This means rumble, but it doesn't slam all that hard and bass instruments above the subbass region will feel very lean. Kick drums don't punch you in the chest and I find them to be too quiet in most songs with the IE600. The U12t (and I'm sure most of this applies to the U4s) is luxuriously warm, thick, rich, but never muddy. It's detailed without ever being fatiguing since most of the treble energy is focused on the upper treble. It's punchy and weighty in the bass. Subbass is extremely detailed and articulate. You will hear every single oscillation of the driver down to as low as about 12Hz (yes I tested this). My pick is the U12t. It just has the magic sauce and you can melt away while listening to music. The IE600 is a more critical and analytical experience. My experience with IEMs is still fairly limited so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

@conrad9race1 Год назад

@@jafizzle95 thanks for you comment! Great input :)

@barbasour Год назад

Sennheiser IE600 for that ultimate coherency and dynamic playback. just audition first before purchase, if possible

@conrad9race1 Год назад

@@barbasour unfortunetly not possible, im from poland there are no store in my area that offer test playback ;/

@barbasour Год назад

@@conrad9race1 if you want more "fun" than transparency, get U4s. but if you want neutrality without losing too much "fun", get IE600. I believe it's more dynamic and coherent

@Synflood-dot-txt Год назад

Just picked one up with the Ifi Go Pods (I absolutely cannot believe the sound bluetooth 5.2 + LDAC (source has it as well) and I LOVE it I have a few expensive IEMS (EE Odyssey @ 3800$, Legend X, Campfire Trifecta etc etc ) and tbh the comfort on this one + the alumininum shell (but I use a de-humidifier when its not resin and using a metal shell, more moisture which is awful for the drivers) tbh this was my "cheap on the fly/travel" purchase after dropping my Odyssey and having Astell and Kern tell me they want to replace it, Charge me full price (1700 for one ear bud) but had to surrender/give them my "damaged unit". That unit only had a cracked shell, the drivers and electronics were easily re-usable/fixable Charge me MSRP, take my barely damaged broken unit (claiming they cant have a repair market and parts circulating -_-) so they can re-shell and sell it (for sure who throws away 2000$ of not broken drivers because the shell is damaged?) So i said fuck it ill go mid/low-fi bought this not expecting much and i fucking love it Also 1200 is a lot of money idc how much I make that will never be insignificant but I do wish I didnt buy the EE/A&K , pocked 1800, bought these because I know they wouldbt have broken from a little drop (like those did @ 3800 that is just not worth investing I didnt drop it hard or far) mid-fi best fi Big ups everyone

@jaynayy Год назад

Thanks for the review, IEMs for 1,100 usd is insanity.

@PrinceZirconium Год назад

Lol that's mid-fi. Look at the Oriolus Trailli or Subtonic Storm

@jaynayy Год назад

@@PrinceZirconium I bought headphones for 2k and here I am complaining 🤣

@renecastillo5667 Год назад

@@PrinceZirconium You mean "mid-fi" for audiofools with huge pockets, which fortunately are not the ones that define the entire market (only these absurd price niches).

@walsin4999 Год назад

What's the most you'd pay for an iem?

@resottolamontagna904 Год назад

@@walsin4999 I guess 500 euros for the best iem. Other than that price looks like a rip-off. 1dd + 3ba at 1100 dollars? Ask to yourself how much costs to produce 1dd + 3ba + the shell. It is pretty impossible that it worth 1100 dollars. You can buy two good speakers for that price.

@barbasour Год назад

I've tried EQ-ing Monarch MKii to IEMs like Unique Melody MEST/MKii & FATFreq Maestro SE and boy the imaging & presentation is something else. I know that from the moment I listen to MEST/MKii, I could achieve that kind of "holographic" imaging by EQ-ing to that kind of FR with a capable IEM. it's not as "sharp" as stock Monarch MKii's imaging, but however the separation & "air" between instruments is more perceivable and easier to "see". the tonality is also more palatable and smoother without sacrificing the neutrality & transparency. it's musical and engaging from end to end. from that point, I don't think that I need another IEM and at the same time I feel like I understood why Precog sold his U12t for the U4s. and I also realized that tuning is always "better" than technical performance. ergo, use EQ for better life quality (only with capable IEM - copium) 🤡

@michaelp.3485 Год назад

I have a Monarch mk2. Loved it. Then I got the U12t. Now I want to get rid of the Monarch mk2.

@barbasour Год назад

@@michaelp.3485 I have U12t and I liked it. then I get Monarch MKii and it made me sold my U12t. U12t sounded “unnatural” regardless of its amazing detail. it sounded “forced” than natural to my ears. and the BA timbre/grain is a bit annoying at times especially at certain loudness level. well, different IEMs for different ears for sure

@Lead_Foot Год назад

@@michaelp.3485 I personally prefer both the monarch mk2 and u4s over the u12t. U12t is just missing some of that sharp attack in bass that both the monarch and u4s have, but the u4s still has the sparkly treble of the u12t.

@ezrabrownstein3237 Год назад

Talk about a glow up holy lawd

@nikolaygramchev Год назад

90 % of the video is around Nio..., U6..., U12t... and U4s. But in the end - MMk2 is not fun! Do I have to say how with one tick of the finger I can bring any fun I want in an iem!? And if that U4s bass is so good why there is no comparison vs ie600, Z1R, ie900, FatFreq... Very selective, looks like a direct attack.

@neurokinetik Год назад

Yeah, "not fun" is definitely not how I would describe my experience with the MMk2. More like "jack of all trades, and somehow a master at all of them".

@nikolaygramchev Год назад

@@neurokinetik I think that Precog knows very well that MMk2 is not bought for bass and fun but for balance, neutrality, vocals, timber and that twist is unfair for me. And it was obvious from the very beginning in Head-fi from how it all started and was flavoured that this is a hype.

@Precogvision Год назад

Hey, there’s a number of other comparisons in the description of the video. The IE600, FFMM, and IER-Z1R are all in separate price brackets which is why I chose not to compare them. Re the IE900, I have not heard that set in a long time but it shares some characteristics. The distinctions would be that 1) it has better bass, 2) it has a stronger upper-midrange scoop, 3) it’s more sparkly in the mid-treble, and 4) its soundstage is significantly worse than the U4s from memory.

@nikolaygramchev Год назад

@@Precogvision You know, from what I see/hear like: 1) FR graph; 2) type and number of drivers; 3) your in-b/n-lines; 4) other reviews; I would say that U4s suffers not only in technicalities and female soprano replay but also in male vocals which might be too warm or husky. I see an iem that is to be compared to Meteor, FatFreq (you guess which), ie600. It cannot touch the bass benchmark - just to share that Z1R cam be found less than $1.4k, and that ie600 and Meteor are twice cheaper; these are the bass ones.

@dmora2386 Год назад

Why does your face look wierd?

@dmora2386 Год назад

You like went backwards to like 16 years old but with earrings.

@resottolamontagna904 Год назад

@@dmora2386 please stop. You have to comment about what he says not about his face.