[Joseph Lin]

I just received the kit an hour ago. U18t has two M15 for replacement I think, but Forte does not have any. There is an extra set of Comply grey tips comes with the box. Forte is missing one Black Comply tip. I am not dare to use any of the tips came with the kit, instead I use my own.

The first impression: U18t is more to my taste:smooth, balanced, and neutral. It sounds very similar to Andromeda but with stronger bass, I like it very much. I have T8IE MKII as well. I always dream if I can combine Andromeda's mid-, high with T8IE MKII's low end into a single IEM then it will be a perfect IEM. It is realized in U18t! However, U18t exceeds what I dreamed of, it provides punchy, solid bass unlike T8IE MKII's soft, rumble bass. I like U18t because it reminds me the sound of Utopia which I listen to everyday. Openness of U18t is not as good as Utopia. You can feel that it is kind of a "closed" sound, this is expected for IEMs and nothing is wrong with it. However, U18t and Forte are the most open IEMs I ever hear of. Andromeda is very close to them but not as open, just a tiny bit behind them.

Forte's treble is too harsh to me. Forte reminds me of T1 with stronger bass. Don't get me wrong, T1 has a very good bass when driven by WA8. However, when pairing it with iFi iDSD Micro, the treble is a bit harsh and Forte reminds me of T1 driven by iFi. It also sounds like missing a band of frequency, like the sound is discontinued somewhere around mid. It is very hard to describe, but it could be because of my failing ears. Forte is like U18t but amplify most frequency 2x more, however some frequency are left behind.

Both of them are very analytic, which I like very much. Utopia, T1, and Andromeda which I own are all very analytic, resolving. The resolution of U18t and Forte both fall inline with those headphones.

For my initial impression, I listen to these two earbuds with Fiio's newly released Q5 portable dac/amp, upscaled to 24bit/192Khz. I'll pair them with WA8 and iFi iDSD later.

 

[kernel8888]

I agree with you on the tia fortes mids and treble, the transition from bass to mids to treible on the tia forte isn't the most cohesive, but man it works though. I did have the impression going from u18 to forte that there was some dips in the mids of the forte that were just the slightest bit masked by the treble. While the treble of the forte is quite brite, I did find it smooth and satisfied the treble head in me better than anything ive heard. Despite the more cohesive and smooth sound of the u18, the INCREDIBLE bass and exciting treble of the forte won me over.

 

[Joseph Lin]

Mmm, I dont know. Forte's bass is kind of fake or too exotic. Of course, I am comparing it with Utopia and using Utopia as the baseline so I am biased in the beginning. It feels like heavily V shaped sound.
I don't know how is it possible that the more I listen to it the more coherence the sound becomes. Maybe it is my brain that got used to it. However, immediately after switching back to Utopia and/or rest of my collections, the interrupted transition in Forte becomes significant again. I think I'll skip Forte and go with U18t instead.

 

[Joseph Lin]

BTW, the boxes came with strong smell that makes me dizzy. I am not familiar with that smell so the next recipient be warned.

 

[rantng]

I did prefer the U18t. There was something about the fourte sound, almost overwhelming as if it was always "on" if you know what I mean.

 

[koven]

My impressions were the same. Did not like the Fourte, loved the U18t. I'd rank U18t > Andromeda > Fourte.

 

[SilverEars]

Put me on the U18t camp as well. I don't understand the Forte sounding bright statements though. I thought U18t's treble had more of a lift, and therefore the Forte sounded dark in comparison, but I agree that Forte's upper-mids has audibly recognizable dip. U18t sounded more spacious as well, and liked the clarity of the mids to upper and smoothness of it's lower treble. It sounds just about balanced, more bass above neutral, but it doesn't bleed.

I listened to Forte first, and then the U18t, and then I listened to a lot of U18t.

 

[ericr]

Listen to the Fourte for two days; then go back to the A18 (or any other C/IEM).

Your opinion could very well change.

 

[lotech]

I listened to the Fourte first and was wowed by the speed of the bass, it was enticing to say the least. I was not impressed with the U18t to begin with it just didn't
do much for me. Then I switched to the M15 apex module and for me it was a world of difference. Everything opened up for me. I felt the U18t was much more smooth
than the Fourte, after that I hardly listened to the Fourte. As a comparison I used the M15 in my U4SEs and surprizingly it had a similar effect, I thought the U4SE with
M15 sounded closer to the Fourte than with ADEL modules.
All in all I'm squarely in the U18t camp, that's not to say I would turn down a Fourte. FWIW I didn't find the Fourte to be excessive in the highs but that
may be a function of my 60+ year old ears.
Looking forward to testing the U12t and possibly the Trio...

 

[Joseph Lin]

I am about to place U18 order, before hitting the "Place Order" button, I thought, maybe I should give this a try:
Does anyone know usable promotion code? Will calling salesperson help?
Thank you for your advise.

 

[jscmd2000]

I received the kit yesterday. Everything looked good... just a few missing ear tips, but most of us will be using our own anyway.
After signing up for the tour last year, I purchased the A18s on sale based on some comparisons and reviews.
Very excited to find out what the fourtes sound like and also to find out if I made the right decision.
I will also compare the A18 with the U18 as well.

Thank you Barra, for arranging the tour.
Also, thanks to 64 Audio for their generosity.

 

[Joseph Lin]

I received the kit yesterday. Everything looked good... just a few missing ear tips, but most of us will be using our own anyway.
After signing up for the tour last year, I purchased the A18s on sale based on some comparisons and reviews.
Very excited to find out what the fourtes sound like and also to find out if I made the right decision.
I will also compare the A18 with the U18 as well.

Thank you Barra, for arranging the tour.
Also, thanks to 64 Audio for their generosity.

Glad you got it.

 

[Land-O-The-Free]

Hey all,

My wife picked up the kit from the post office yesterday afternoon and I just had the chance to open it up and check it out in the last hour. All looks well and I will reach out to the next 3 on my side of the list here shortly. Thanks @Barra and 64audio!

 

[jscmd2000]

I've been enjoying the tour kit for the last several days now. Both the U18t and Fourte are fantastic. I can confidently say that both iems are technically superior to most of the full size headphones available out there. I don't think there is a pair of closed cans out there that can outperform, imo.

I was not looking forward to tip rolling, however. I stopped, after getting my A18s about 5 months ago and have not missed at all. I've got a drawer full of them that I got for my universal encores... spinfits, spiraldots, all different versions of comply foams, symbios, double flange, triple flange, black ones, white ones, not to mention no/can't remember name tips from ebay, amazon, etc. Getting a good seal is crucial with these, which means they have to slightly larger than the size of your ear canal, which means at least uncomfortable if not painful. You can get used to them, believe it or not, and be able to tolerate for few hours. Not having to deal with them for a while, my tolerance had declined to almost zero. The pain sets in after about 20-30 minutes and I was done. They had to come out.

I opted for the universal encores because... same as most reasons out there. Too lazy to go see an audiologist, lower resale value of customs, etc. Customs are not completely trouble free either, I hear people having pain, not getting good seal, etc. I got lucky and everything worked out the first time. You have to find an audiologist that doesn't have the dexterity of a drunken sailor, that's all. I am not a big photographer, but there is a saying in picking the right camera "the best camera is the camera that you have on you" obviously implying the importance of portability. Well, the best iems are the ones you can listen to, not be done in 20 minutes! I think if you enjoy this hobby, you owe it to yourself to experience customs. It is a game changer.

I will post some more thoughts at a later time. Thanks for reading~

 

[jscmd2000]

After purchasing the A18s over the Fourtes about 5 months ago purely based on reading reviews and comparisons, I was curious to find out if I made the right decision.

The first thing I noticed about the Fortes is how clear they sounded. I think this is largely due to the tubeless technology, because with my other iems with tubes, I hear considerable distortion especially in the upper range that sounds sort of honky and like elephant trunk. This tube distortion is virtually nonexistent not only in the upper register but throughout the spectrum. Everything sounds natural, clear, and very inviting from the very first listen.

The bass is definitely north of neutral, and 64Audio is not secretive about it. It is not only clear, but tremendously thunderous with very impressive sub-bass that resonates not only the air in your ears, but also the air in your upper throat and back part of your sinuses. It would be a personal decision if this quantity is too much, but it is quite impressive.

The treble is also prominent compared to the U/A18s. I wouldn't say to the point of being sibilant personally, but I wouldn't call it smooth... the energy up there might be too much for some sensitive ears.

Overall, the Fourtes are quite impressive from the first moment and technically unmatched. There aren't any major weaknesses to point out, but if I was to be overly critical, because of the elevated bass and prominent treble, the perception of the sq is slightly V shaped. I personally get most enjoyment and get into that magical zone when I listen to music without emphasis to any part of the spectrum. When I am in that "zone", the music sounds very accurate with lots of energy as if all cylinders are firing at the maximum throughout the entire audible spectrum without neglecting anything. When I get into that zone, I wonder why anyone, including myself, would just enjoy just the lows, or mids, or highs and throw out the rest? There is so much right there to enjoy everywhere!