64 Audio is one of our favourite brands here at the store. The US-based company always pushes
the envelope, with complex driver arrangements and venting schemes in each of their designs. In terms
of pricing 64 Audio currently occupies the top end of the market, with their universal lineup,
though recently they have started to creep further down the price brackets with their new releases.
Case in point are the new U6t and Duo. The U6t is the universal version of 64 Audio's A6t, a popular
six driver custom stage monitor. The Duo meanwhile is a new creation, joining the Trio and Fourte
in a lineup of hybrid earphones that's aimed more at music lovers rather than professionals. Both
earphones debut at under 2000 Australian dollars. The U6t shares basic geometry with the rest of
64 Audio's universal lineup: a metal earpiece with gentle curves and a long nozzle. The Duo
is a little more unique. While the earpiece has the same body, this time in gunmetal blue, the
face plate on the Duo is a heavily vented grille which makes this earphone a semi open design. Now
we've found that among high-end designs, some of which are quite large and quite heavy, 64 Audio's
earpiece design stands out as one of the most consistently easy to fit amongst our customers.
A welcome improvement that comes with these new releases is a new stock cable, which features a
thicker, sturdier braid, and a new soft rubber jacket that offers better tangle resistance.
The U6t, like it's higher and cousins, features 64 Audio's proprietary Apex module system. The
Apex system is a pressure relief valve that allows you to swap out the valve module.
This lets you change both the tuning of the sound as well as the amount of noise isolation you get
with the earphone. You get three modules, the M20 and M15 and M10. The higher isolation M20 module
offers 20 decibels of isolation and a warmer bassier sound. While on the opposite end,
the M10 module offers 10 decibels of isolation and a brighter, clearer sound. The U6t ships with
the M15 module installed by default. With the M15 the U6t offers a typical stage monitor sound with
a slightly warmer tone in the lower mid range than what we would consider to be totally neutral. This
tuning slightly emphasizes vocals without being harsh. While bass on the U6t is a little slower
and slightly boomier than what you would expect from a balanced armature, this also results in a
more tactile low-end with decay that is actually somewhat closer to a dynamic driver earphone.
Though the U6t still has faster, punchier bass than the Nio. The high-end on the U6t is clear,
and I would say even a little reserved in presentation. With the stock M15 module, you get
a little more lower treble than upper treble, and as a result, the U6t can sound a little muddled in
the highs without as much effortless detail you would hear in things like the Nio or U12T. If
you use the M10 module with the U6t, the overall sound tilts brighter. Surprisingly, I found that
rather than making the sound too aggressive, the M10 module just restores some upper treble energy
and layering with the U6t. I actually found myself enjoying the sound with the M10 module a lot.
It's not as fun as the other modules, but it's accurate, fast, and with just a hint of warmth.
Now, if you really like that open feeling the M10 module gives, but you wanted a warmer,
richer sound, here's where the Duo comes in. The Duo is a very interesting product since it's one
of the few heavily vented in ear designs. This venting scheme gives the Duo a fixed
12 decibels of isolation, which means that the Duo is not a good earphone for a noisy commute,
but it's the perfect level of isolation to lounge around at home with. The minimal pressure on the
ear canal combined with the low weight of the Duo helps this earphone really just disappear
in your ear. It's the same story with the sound of the Duo. The hybrid driver Duo delivers a rich
warm tone in the bass with its dynamic driver, while the BA unit delivers musical and clear
highs. The Duo can't convey the same sense of holographic layering as 64 Audio's other
earphones, and when you compare the bass driver in the Nio, compared to the bass driver on the Duo,
the Duo is slow and lush in the bass, rather than fast and punchy. But at the same time,
the Duo always sounds cohesive and easy, while offering an expansive open soundstage. The whole
design of the Duo, from the venting scheme to the light weight, to the easy to listen to tuning,
makes this earphone, in one word, effortless. You have the choice of great technical performance
that still has a little bit of fun flavor with the U6t, and with the Duo, you have comfort food
for the ear. Come in and have a listen and let us know what you think, or you can order
online at minidisc.com.au. This is Lachlan for MindiscTV and we'll catch you next time.