Audio Signature Acoustics Elements C12 IEMs

Thanks for the review and wonderful images nish_pinto. We really love some of your images. Do post more impressions once you spend some more time with the earphones.

Other than Nish, santhoshr and Nalin , No one else has posted any feedback or impression in the thread yet even though more than 20 TE members have already bought the C-12 for early bird price . We urge all other buyers to please post your impressions /feedback and review along with images if possible.

Giridegr8 , alekhkhanna Sudarshan_SMD , fLUX gamingstill , @msankadi, sarang

You need not be an audiophile but just your impressions and experience with the product compared to your previous or current IEMs is something you could start with .
 
@PristineNote: I'm pretty sure I wrote a review (albeit a rather small one) somewhere on this forum and on IVG as well, but cannot find it now.

Nevertheless, been more than a month with the IEMs and they indeed sound heavenly. Clear, crisp sound. The bass is not overwhelming, but tight as it should be. Sorry, I ain't an audiophile so cannot really compare it with others. But all in all, very happy with the purchase.

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@PristineNote
I have just shifted my house ,i get to access TE only at office , no internet at home :) .
Will write a impression as soon as i manage to get hold of MTS
 
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Here is small review from my side.

I am not a audiophile, however have gone through lot of IEM’s(Sound Magic PL11, Head Direct RE2, Brainwavz M1, M2, M4). As I don’t have trained ears, don’t expect accurate explanation for sound quality.

Before getting C-12, I had Brainwavz M4. Although I liked detailing of M4 it lacked in bass department, and I always desired to get M2. Deal on mp4 nation made me get M2 and within a week of getting M2, C-12 was up for grabs. I was preety aware of C-12 before head due to PristineNote’s posts, so jumped onto the initial offer and got it.

Sound Signature:

Comparison to Brainwavz M2 and M4:
M2 is famous for bass. I had got M2 with bass in my mind. However, after listening to M2, I didn’t liked them much. I started missing the details which M4 gave me. M4 has good details but lacks bass.
I can say C-12 has got better of both M2 and M4. The bass is lower than M2, but I kind of like bass of C-12 over M2. Bass of M2 sounds bit boomy to me. Comparing to M2, C-12 is way ahead in terms of details. I have stopped using M2.
Treble/vocals in C-12 leave something more to be desired. I prefer M4 for vocals than C-12. C-12 has been my preferred IEM, given it’s good at both bass and treble.

C-12 offers good bass, great details. C-12 come with alternate filters. Maybe the filters will improve treble/vocals. C-12 has acted as replacement for both Brainwavz M2 and M4, providing very good combination of bass and treble.

Are C-12 the best IEM I have ever heard? Certainly it ticks all points for a good IEM. I’d prefer Brainwavz M4 purely in case of vocals over C-12 though.

Build Quality:
Build Quality of C-12is very good. Cable is sturdy and does not tangles. Although IEM’s are light with wooden casing, they feel sturdy.

Accessories:
The included brass casing[CEB-01] is beautiful. It adds beauty to your table or anything you put it on, and the casing feel good to behold. The brass casing is some unique accessory and feels very premium.
This casing though is not something you would like to carry in you pant pocket, as it would get uncomfortable.

3 tips are included with no foam tips. With most IEM’s providing multiple tips, at least foam tips are expected for IEM in it’s price bracket.
 
PristineNote I received a PM from you guys, but don't know whether my reply is reaching you, it reverts back to itself when I post. Please confirm whether you guys got my reply in PM.
 
Sudarshan_SMD said:
C-12 offers good bass, great details. C-12 come with alternate filters. Maybe the filters will improve treble/vocals. C-12 has acted as replacement for both Brainwavz M2 and M4, providing very good combination of bass and treble.

Are C-12 the best IEM I have ever heard? Certainly it ticks all points for a good IEM. I’d prefer Brainwavz M4 purely in case of vocals over C-12 though.

3 tips are included with no foam tips. With most IEM’s providing multiple tips, at least foam tips are expected for IEM in it’s price bracket.
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Thank you for your feedback Sudarshan . We are glad you like the C12s so much . Regarding the foam tips we haven't made that part of the standard accessories because it will decrease the treble to a good extent and the result may not be very good .We will consider adding it in the future for other models.

blkrb0t said:
PristineNote I received a PM from you guys, but don't know whether my reply is reaching you, it reverts back to itself when I post. Please confirm whether you guys got my reply in PM.
Click to expand...


We have received your reply , will get back to you shortly.
 
PristineNote said:
Thank you for your feedback Sudarshan . We are glad you like the C12s so much . Regarding the foam tips we haven't made that part of the standard accessories because it will decrease the treble to a good extent and the result may not be very good .We will consider adding it in the future for other models.
Click to expand...
Can you educate me a bit on, how would the sound quality be affected if the filter on C12 is changed?
 
Impressions of C12 from my end ...

Packaging :- Packing is really good , as good as any IEM offered in the sub 4k category . The case offered looks really beautiful , but i always feel it would be more helpful in protecting me from stopping a bullet hit at me rather than carrying IEM's. The weight of the casing is too heavy to be carried in pocket , having said that design wise i find it to be absolutely wonderful but i would prefer a Brainwavz type case for any IEM . Packaging - 4/5 and Case 3/5

Accesories :- S,M,L tips are provided along with a alternate pair of filters , a 6.5 mm connector is provided as well if am not mistaken . For the price its offered accesories are totally VFM , would have liked to have a biflange tip as well along with this 3 . Would rate accessories provided at 4/5

Sound Signature :- One can always forgive every other aspect of the IEM if it performs exceptionally in this department because this is ultimately the main reason one buys an IEM , for top notch SQ .
I have owned and listened to quiet a variety of mid-tier IEM's so far Brainwavz R1, M1 and M3 , Nuforce NE-7M , Sennheiser CX-180 , RE-262 , PL11 , EP630. Vsonic GR02 is one i always wanted to try listening to but have not yet got the opportunity to try it .

When i compare the C12 to IEM's like M1 , R1 , CX-180 i would say it performs outrightly better than any of these be it mids , highs or lows .
Nuforce NE-7M is one IEM if would be available again from anywhere i would like to try it once again . Had a really fun signature , mids used to be recessed but the bass and treble used to totally make up for it .

Bass:- C12 has very good tight and punchy bass which extends deep enough to my satisfaction .If you ask me to rate IEM's excluding TF10 and RE-262 on bass quality i would rate C12 > CX-180 > R1 >PL11 > M3 > M1 > EP630 .
When compared to TF10 i feel C12 has a bass which can give the TF10's a run for their money . RE-262 used to just give about adequate bass for a song upon using a amp else bass was totally lacking in it so wont even compare the two on bass. If you are looking for quality bass in a sub 4k IEM go for these eyes closed .

Mids:-Now coming to the mids , the mids of C12 are pretty much present (not recessed) but i dont think are very warm sounding or lush . It becomes a positive as well as negative depending on the type of track you listen to . Sounds like Hale Dil (from Murder 2) , Someone Like You (by adele) need warm lush sound to sound great..Other than songs of these type where vocals are predominant the C12 performs pretty good in rest of the tracks w.r.t mids . The bass in no way causes the mids to get recessed which is a very good thing , as that might sound good initially but ultimately you end up getting irritated finding bass at points you would not like to listen to .
Mids wise i would rate M3 > C12 >R1 > M1 > CX-180 > >PL11 > EP630 .
Among the top tier IEMs RE262 > c12 ~ tf10 . Personally i dont find TF10 mids to be recessed to a extreme extent . The c12 has more forward mids than TF10 but i like TF10's presentation more but heck these cost like 3/4 times my C12 .

Soundstage:-Talking about soundstage , i normally like to test the soundstage on rockstar songs and Ek Main Aur Ek Tu title song . For the price i am getting C12's soundstage is way better than any of my sub 4k IEM's . But TF10 and RE262 have much better presentation .

Instrument Detailing/Seperation:-Talking about instrument detailing and separation , i am able to make out different instruments playing at the same time so its pretty good . Cant compare with other IEM's as i dont remember this aspect of other iems very well , but i feel m3 performs better than c12 in this department .
TF10 and RE262 also are pretty well known for their Instrument seperation and are much better than C12 . The way guitars sound on my TF10/HD 598 in Challa de lab de phire song is too amazing , but then look at what is price at which both the earphone/headphone are offered C12 handles it pretty well l .

Personal Ratings

Brainwavz M3 Bass :- 3/5 , Mids :- 4/5 , Instrument Seperation/Detailing :- 4.25/5 , Soundstage :- 3/5 VFM:- At current price of 4k+ i would not really recommend this over C12
Signature Acoustics C12 Bass :- 4.5/5 , Mids :- 3.75/5 ( something between good and very good) , Instrument Seperation/Detailing :- 4/5 , Soundstage :- 4/5 VFM:- Value for money as long price stays sub 3-3.5k .
TF10 Bass : 4.25/5 (Maybe coz of the foam tips i use), Mids :- 4/5 , Instrument Seperation/Detailing :- 4.5/5 , Soundstage :- 4.5/5 VFM:- You get a a slight quality increase over a 4k IEM for almost twice the price but once you get addicted to it you wont mind paying for these .
RE262 Bass : 3.5/5 (With amp) 2.75/5 (Without) , Mids :- 4.75/5 (with amp) 4/5 (without amp) , Instrument Seperation/Detailing :- 4.5/5 (with amp) 4/5 (without amp),Soundstage:- 4.75/5 (with amp) , 4.5 (without amp) . VFM:- Totally value for money but need for an amp acts as a major issue for portable use.

Disclaimer : These are purely my views , if your views contradict these you can voice the same but dont pounce upon me for the same :p .
Let me know if some things are not clear or i need to elaborate more on some part since this is my first detailed impression.
 
Here are some pictures of the new hand made genuine leather case with suede leather inside , they are available in multiple colours. The C-12 will start shipping with these beautiful leather cases in the coming few days.

Also we are excited about the International launch of C-12 as we have received some very positive feedback from the prominent Head-Fi reviewers. Head-fi reviews should be online in the coming weeks.




 
The leather case is beautiful. It's very nice touch/addition to your product.
As with brass case, leather case feels premium and gives more practicality being pocketable. Great work.
Best of luck for your international release.
 
Wow.. so many shades & textures:cool:. As said above, looks absolutely premium & now more practical.
good to hear the news about the international launch. All the best guys:).
 
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