1964 Ears Owners Group

[Fun Size Nick]

I still want something high quality that will last me a few years though.

For sure. I'm just saying that there are less expensive options out there, many of which are also of high quality, which might be worth checking out. I would suggest that you don't just get the A2e because you've decided that it's 64 or nothing and it's their least expensive offering - have a look at what else is out there in that price range as you might be surprised at what is available.

64 audio made their name by selling a great product at a less expensive price point - their business model has shifted to selling a premium product at a premium price point, and many of their models are aimed more at audiophiles than musicians - makes sense given the audiophile market out there. I don't know what the sound profile of the A2e is like but it would be worth finding out if it's suitable for bass.

Other brands have moved into that price-performance bracket that 64 used to occupy. It's great that there are lots of options nowadays! Just something to keep in mind when you are considering what is available to you.

 

[Seacow]

For sure. I'm just saying that there are less expensive options out there, many of which are also of high quality, which might be worth checking out. I would suggest that you don't just get the A2e because you've decided that it's 64 or nothing and it's their least expensive offering - have a look at what else is out there in that price range as you might be surprised at what is available.

64 audio made their name by selling a great product at a less expensive price point - their business model has shifted to selling a premium product at a premium price point, and many of their models are aimed more at audiophiles than musicians - makes sense given the audiophile market out there. I don't know what the sound profile of the A2e is like but it would be worth finding out if it's suitable for bass.

Other brands have moved into that price-performance bracket that 64 used to occupy. It's great that there are lots of options nowadays! Just something to keep in mind when you are considering what is available to you.

Do you have any suggestions for brands? Im struggling to find anything besides westone.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Do you have any suggestions for brands? Im struggling to find anything besides westone.

Inearz, Eartech, and Alclair are all manufacturers that I hear good things about as less expensive options. Personally I am strongly considering Alclair for my next IEM purchase - they have three dual driver models, one of which is designed specifically for bassists & drummers.

 

[g4string]

Selling my MIPRO 909TR. Its a great wireless IEM system. If you're looking to go wireless, here's a GREAT unit to do so with. For Sale - MIPRO 909TR....digital wireless IEM system. Sorry for the shameless plug.

 

[adamaarts]

For sure. I'm just saying that there are less expensive options out there, many of which are also of high quality, which might be worth checking out. I would suggest that you don't just get the A2e because you've decided that it's 64 or nothing and it's their least expensive offering - have a look at what else is out there in that price range as you might be surprised at what is available.

64 audio made their name by selling a great product at a less expensive price point - their business model has shifted to selling a premium product at a premium price point, and many of their models are aimed more at audiophiles than musicians - makes sense given the audiophile market out there. I don't know what the sound profile of the A2e is like but it would be worth finding out if it's suitable for bass.

Other brands have moved into that price-performance bracket that 64 used to occupy. It's great that there are lots of options nowadays! Just something to keep in mind when you are considering what is available to you.

It’s a sad story but it’s true. It seems every 6 months their prices go up and they offer more expensive options. It’s getting harder and harder to ‘recommend’ them to others although I love mine, but they don’t even have the model anymore and are like 2-3 ‘technolgies’ past it.

The saddest part is that this is a common part of business in general. Take the wedding industry, DJs that charge $500 or less can hardly get work, while the same DJ could turn around and charge $3000 for the same service and get more work. The consumer market is obsessed with expensive tastes and it is just terrible.

Shoot when I did recommend them to my friends, almost every single one of them went to Ultimate Ears and spent twice the amount on a lesser product.

 

[bucephylus]

Well, I will just chime in to say that once my fit issues were addressed, my A4’s have been awesome!

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

I'm torn on getting a set of A6t or A8's the treble will be better on the A6t's with the tia driver but the bass will be better on the A8's. The price is pretty close between them. If money was no issue I'd just go for broke and just get the A18t but its abit hard to scrape $3k together sadly.

 

[s0c9]

I'm torn on getting a set of A6t or A8's the treble will be better on the A6t's with the tia driver but the bass will be better on the A8's. The price is pretty close between them. If money was no issue I'd just go for broke and just get the A18t but its abit hard to scrape $3k together sadly.

I own both the old Qi's (quads) and the A8's.. seriously you can get stupid, silly amounts of bass in either set. @Geri O can attest to the bass on the Qi's.
Of note tho' is your mention of the A18's.. I have to wonder (and I'm a 1964 artist) whether the additional drivers are really going to make that much difference.. There are subtle differences in the LF range between teh Qi's and A8's.. there's more definition in the sub-bass region, but is the extra cost worth it? Idk.. I'm really happy with the A8's.. but I can't see spending the extra to go with 18's is going to provide a geometrically better audio experience. I'm of the opinion that [today] the upper end in IEM's is a "keeping up with the jones" effort between vendors.. See how many BA's we can squeeze into the space!!
Regardless...with the A8's, I can EQ anything coming in - to taste.
But remember.. even with something like the A18's.. you need pristine audio sources to get pristine sound in yours ears. The number of drivers ain't going to matter as garbage in = garbage out. There's no magic there.
For bass, I'd definitely go with the A8's over the A6's...
My $0.02

 

[Fun Size Nick]

I own both the old Qi's (quads) and the A8's.. seriously you can get stupid, silly amounts of bass in either set. @Geri O can attest to the bass on the Qi's.
Of note tho' is your mention of the A18's.. I have to wonder (and I'm a 1964 artist) whether the additional drivers are really going to make that much difference.. There are subtle differences in the LF range between teh Qi's and A8's.. there's more definition in the sub-bass region, but is the extra cost worth it? Idk.. I'm really happy with the A8's.. but I can't see spending the extra to go with 18's is going to provide a geometrically better audio experience. I'm of the opinion that [today] the upper end in IEM's is a "keeping up with the jones" effort between vendors.. See how many BA's we can squeeze into the space!!
Regardless...with the A8's, I can EQ anything coming in - to taste.
But remember.. even with something like the A18's.. you need pristine audio sources to get pristine sound in yours ears. The number of drivers ain't going to matter as garbage in = garbage out. There's no magic there.
For bass, I'd definitely go with the A8's over the A6's...
My $0.02

Yeah, definitely. I would say that most of those double-digit driver models in most brands lineups are being sold to audiophiles rather than musicians. The audiophile market is way bigger and they’re more willing to spend big money on earbuds (partly that’s just cos they’re not also having to budget for instruments, amps, effects etc!). There’s also a long history of snake oil in audiophile land You see some crazy stuff on head-fi and other audiophile forums.

As for which one to go for - frankly the response curve of the A18 (and the A6) doesn’t even look that suitable for bass - most bassists won’t prefer a dead flat monitor like that (some do I’m sure), and would prefer the hyped low end of the A8 to help bring out the bass and (importantly) deal with big kick drum transients with clarity.

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

For my needs personally clarity and instrument seperation are my most important needs i play in a symphonic black metal band with a very dense mix it is very easy for things to get muddy and hard to hear. I dont want boosted bass either I want a accurate representation so I know how it sounds in the front of house mix. I also know more drivers is more to reduce the amount of distortion so you are able to push them harder and louder. Im eyeing the new nathan east N8T models over the A8's currently.

 

[s0c9]

For my needs personally clarity and instrument seperation are my most important needs i play in a symphonic black metal band with a very dense mix it is very easy for things to get muddy and hard to hear. I dont want boosted bass either I want a accurate representation so I know how it sounds in the front of house mix. I also know more drivers is more to reduce the amount of distortion so you are able to push them harder and louder. Im eyeing the new nathan east N8T models over the A8's currently.

Yeah, but you have to look at the output profiles used by each.. boosted bass in your ears can be rolled off to match FOH as needed. However, unless you are actually running FOH then I'm not sure of the relevance as you give up control of that if someone else is running it, and you will never hear exactly what FOH sounds like.
On the A8's you have 4 bass drivers, and 2 Mids and 2 HF drivers... ALl BA's..
On the N8T's you have a dynamic for LF, SIX mid BA's, 1 High mid BA and a TIA driver for the HF.
Not sure how the audio differs.. or the price point.. couldn't find anything on the N8T's on the website.

And.. remember one key factor with IEM's.. it doesn't matter how good your IEM's are.. if you are getting garbage IN (unclear, distorted, over "effected" audio, etc), then you are going to be acutely aware of how bad it sounds. Sadly, I've seen too many folks junk their IEM system believing it's the IEM's and not realizing it's what they are being fed that is the problem!
The converse is also true.. good audio and crappy/cheap IEM's often ends in the same manner.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

On the A8's you have 4 bass drivers, and 2 Mids and 2 HF drivers... ALl BA's..
On the N8T's you have a dynamic for LF, SIX mid BA's, 1 High mid BA and a TIA driver for the HF.
Not sure how the audio differs.. or the price point.. couldn't find anything on the N8T's on the website.

Wow, I hadn't seen the makeup of the N8Ts...those sound like completely different monitors than the A8s! Would be interesting to hear for sure. I am aware of another IEM brand that uses a mix of dynamics and BAs but I can't remember it off the top of my head.

For my needs personally clarity and instrument seperation are my most important needs i play in a symphonic black metal band with a very dense mix it is very easy for things to get muddy and hard to hear. I dont want boosted bass either I want a accurate representation so I know how it sounds in the front of house mix. I also know more drivers is more to reduce the amount of distortion so you are able to push them harder and louder. Im eyeing the new nathan east N8T models over the A8's currently.

I've found personally that mixing IEMs well makes an enormous difference when it comes to clarity & instrument separation - even with cheap earbuds! I understand the desire to 'hear everything' but I personally find that it helps me to focus on what I need to hear and filter out things that are less important, and use panning wisely. My IEM mix sounds nothing like the FOH mix e.g. for me BVs are very low in the mix and panned hard one side or the other; lead vocal is panned slightly less and is loud enough to follow but not dominant; guitars are panned one side or the other; kick, snare, hats, and bass are the ONLY things in the centre.

And.. remember one key factor with IEM's.. it doesn't matter how good your IEM's are.. if you are getting garbage IN (unclear, distorted, over "effected" audio, etc), then you are going to be acutely aware of how bad it sounds. Sadly, I've seen too many folks junk their IEM system believing it's the IEM's and not realizing it's what they are being fed that is the problem!
The converse is also true.. good audio and crappy/cheap IEM's often ends in the same manner.

Quoted for TRUTH.

 

[s0c9]

I've found personally that mixing IEMs well makes an enormous difference when it comes to clarity & instrument separation - even with cheap earbuds! I understand the desire to 'hear everything' but I personally find that it helps me to focus on what I need to hear and filter out things that are less important, and use panning wisely. My IEM mix sounds nothing like the FOH mix e.g. for me BVs are very low in the mix and panned hard one side or the other; lead vocal is panned slightly less and is loud enough to follow but not dominant; guitars are panned one side or the other; kick, snare, hats, and bass are the ONLY things in the centre.

and in my case .. I pan based on stage position.. one guitar stage left panned about 10am, the other stage right panned about 2pm. Lead vox center, my BV's panned about 12:30 and slightly lower in the mix, other vox (stage left) panned about 11am and below my levels - so as to not distract but audible if he talks between songs. Pedal steel/fiddle panned about 10 and 2 and about the same level as the guitars.
Bass, kick, hat and snare centered.
There are NO toms or cymbals in my mix.
I can live with a mono mix, but stereo gives that separation!!

 

[s0c9]

Ok ..my custom shielded cable is after 2 yrs of use.. on its last legs.
I don't want another factory cable... I have one of those as a spare now.
Any 1964 users have recommendations on NON-HIFI (not one of those high end headfi suggestions) replacement 2 pin cables?
I'm OK with another custom cable but wanna stay under $100.
The ones I have now had a 6+ week lead time.

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

I can't remember if 64 audio iems are .75 or .78 two pin but yinyoo make a decent cable for about $50 on amazon

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Ok ..my custom shielded cable is after 2 yrs of use.. on its last legs.
I don't want another factory cable... I have one of those as a spare now.
Any 1964 users have recommendations on NON-HIFI (not one of those high end headfi suggestions) replacement 2 pin cables?
I'm OK with another custom cable but wanna stay under $100.
The ones I have now had a 6+ week lead time.

It's sad that you have to specify 'under $100'...audiophile snake oil has ruined the IEM market

 

[s0c9]

It's sad that you have to specify 'under $100'...audiophile snake oil has ruined the IEM market

I know.. some of the prices on cables that I found over at headfi make the mind boggle..
The downside is also that the $35 replacement cables are junk.
I spent $85 on mine (from BTG audio) about 2.5 yrs ago.. Same one is now $125. 2yr warranty.. figures
It was well worth it back then - thick, sheathed, straight (not angled) 3.5m stereo jack.
I may have to buy another if this one goes out..

 

[bucephylus]

The cost of giving away our manufacturing base.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

The cost of giving away our manufacturing base.

The cost of musician’s tools becoming hobbyist’s playthings.

 

[bucephylus]

The cost of musician’s tools becoming hobbyist’s playthings.

Perhaps. But, you have to ask how supply and demand are working. It may be that cats you consider to be lower life forms are buying the cables and jacking up the demand. But, supply typically tends to respond; unless it is controlled by non-free market forces.

I honestly don’t know where all this stands. It’s complicated. But, allowing our manufacturing to go to non-free market economies has a high probability of being a poor long term decision.