Introduction

1964 Ears, 1964 Audio, 64 Audio. The company has been known by different names in the past, although only two of those are accurate. The US-based audio brand may have only begun in 2010, but has a reputation that leads many not to question whether it actually has 58 years of experience. Such is the power the words "64 Audio" hold in the realm of in-ear monitors, especially when it comes to working with artists, including Beyonce, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, the Black Eyed Peas, and many more. The company started in a bedroom and now occupies a large studio with satellite outfits and distributors around the world, with its A and U series of IEMs still regarded as a benchmark for personal audio. Through a series of fortunate events, I had the opportunity to put not one, but two different samples of the company's flagship all-balanced armature set through the paces, so let's thank 64 Audio for helping arrange this for coverage on TechPowerUp!


The U18 Tzar, which is now simply referred to as the U18t, was announced in late 2016 along with the custom IEM version of the same titled the A18t. As such, this is certainly long in the tooth in a market where new releases are seemingly outdated after just a month the way Chinese manufacturers go about releasing IEMs. The first sample I had on loan from 64 Audio's UK distributor was one of the very first ever made, which also meant that subsequent updates to the packaging, cable, and other accessories weren't present. Once that became clear, it went back and I reached out to 64 Audio directly who arranged a new sample that was made just after an extremely recent set of updates to the whole packaging late last year. Amid all this, the U18t IEMs themselves have remained the same, and there has even been a newer U18s at the same price and similar driver configuration, too. Does the U18t still merit a place in 2022? Let's find out in our review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications