Select comparisons
FIR Audio Xe6 ($3,899, reviewed here). While it’s not strictly fair to pitch a flagship custom IEM that costs more than twice as much against N8, FIR’s Xe6 is the one IEM in my collection that comes closest to N8’s warmer, fuller tonality. It’s also the one IEM I’d consider a direct upgrade to N8 in terms of technical performance, although that’s not fair either given some people might genuinely prefer N8’s more relaxed, mellower tone to Xe6’s livelier and more dynamic delivery.
The above pretty much sums up what I consider the main differences between the two. Xe6 attacks you with a more visceral bass punch, where N8 pulls its punches just a touch by comparison. N8 extends further down, with more sub bass rumble and texture, where Xe6 rolls off the sub ever so slightly and lifts up the midbass instead.
While Xe6 has fuller lower mids, N8 somehow sounds fuller still, although that’s likely the result of Xe6’s more resolving and slightly more forward midrange. Treble is not too far off one from the other, Xe6 injecting a touch more air with its e-stat tweeter, and N8 sounding weightier up top with more sparkle.
Technically Xe6 is a step or two ahead of N8, but only in some aspects. It’s more resolving for sure, with better clarity through upper mids and treble. It’s more dynamic, more explosive with fast dynamic swings, but also less forgiving as a result. Being the more aggressive IEM, I find Xe6 a good complement for when I’m in the mood for an engaged listen, while N8 is something I’d pick to kick back and relax with a glass of wine and easy-going music to match.
FIR Audio Rn6 ($3,299, reviewed here). FIR’s co-flagship, limited edition Radon 6 is the Ying to Xe6’s Yang in terms of warm, lush tuning, but is similarly lively and even more aggressive through the upper mids and lower treble. As such it’s a more contrasting sound to N8, more neutral across the board (though not strictly neutral), and like its sibling Xe6, technically just ahead of N8.
Unlike N8 and Xe6, Rn6 has its bass more focused and extended into the sub-bass region, with a leaner midbass leading into leaner (but not lean) upper mids. The bass here is rumbly but not as punchy, although FIR’s Kinetic Bass makes it more physical than even N8 on occasion. Midrange notes are thinner compared to N8, but still sound natural and are also more resolving. Upper midrange can be fractionally shouty on Rn6, something N8 won’t ever be, and treble can also stray towards sibilance, which N8 is virtually immune to.
As with Xe6, I’d generally pick Rn6 over N8 when I want a more engaging, active listen, for cutting through thicker tracks, or when I don’t feel like a warmer listen overall.
64 Audio U12t ($1,999). Wait, what, I’m comparing a bass-first dynamic driver hybrid like N8 to an all-BA, warm-neutral, tonally balanced IEM like U12t? Surprisingly – or not to those familiar with this classic IEM – U12t has elements of N8 and both FIRs too, and makes a compelling argument as either a complement or even an alternative to any or all of them, depending on your preferences.
Tonally, U12t is tuned with a generous bass shelf, especially if, like me, you use it with the m20 Apex module. That said, you’re not going to get the same texture and drive in the bass compared to N8’s physically-superior dynamic driver, even though U12t uses four dedicated BA bass woofers on each side. That said, U12t is more resolving than N8 down low, similarly resolving to the FIR IEMs in fact, and maintains that resolution advantage right through the mids and treble too.
U12t’s midrange is neutral compared to N8 and Xe6, roughly comparable to Rn6, but again more resolving than all three. It has an upper midrange dip that increases the perception of stage, which incidentally is about the same in size as N8 and the FIRs, and yet I still hear more clarity in female vocals than I do with N8. Treble is more filled in too, although that’s likely more a factor of reduced bass amplitude and physicality compared to its sibling.
Overall, I find the U12t less aggressive than the FIRs, but equally dynamic. It has a fatigue-free tonality very similar to N8, and like with N8 I can listen to it for hours on end. For me, N8 and U12t are ideal complements, and there’s a reason I keep all four of these brilliant IEMs in my permanent collection.
Continue to closing thoughts…
