64 Audio Volür Review: A Nio Evolution?

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So a couple things I would like to point out:

  1. The m12 module (assuming you mean m12, not m15) originally shipped with the U4s so it’s not necessarily something that was meant specifically for the Volur. I had forgotten it was included with the U4s when I first put up the review since they don’t ship with it anymore, my apologies. I’ve fixed the article since.

  2. The Volur is meant to be the successor to the Nio AKA a “Nio 2”. Every review of the original Nio uses either the m15 or m20 module (which only have about a 1 dB difference in subbass). Hence I’m using the m20 here. 64 Audio touts it as a basshead IEM. It makes sense to review it as a basshead IEM.

  3. If I reviewed the Volur solely with the m12 module, this review would’ve been more negative. The addition of bass presence is important to balance out the upper mids and upper treble.

  4. I’d consider myself to be one of the most treble tolerant reviewers around. A lot of my prefered IEMs are quite bright e.g. the Thieaudio Monarch MkIII, Symphonium Helios, or Sennheiser IE 900. I like headphones like the HiFiMan Arya and HD800S. The difference is that the Volur is not what I would traditionally call “bright”. It’s peaky. In some of the 64 Audio IEMs, the implementation of the tia drivers is fairly refined e.g. the U12t and U4s. In others, like the Volur or U18s, it’s raw. It comes off as overly exaggerated as if you took an upper treble EQ filter and cranked it up to max and breaks instrument timbre.

  5. The reason I talk about the treble being a point of contention is because there are a lot of people where it’s a problem. It’s the number one complaint I see when people talk about headphones/IEMs, that the treble is too fatiguing. It’s actually the opposite here - I didn’t say “I may be sensitive to treble but I can see to others this being fine” because in general, I can live with the Volur’s treble. It’s others that are probably not fine. I only mention hearing up to 18 kHz to give context for the sine sweep.

  6. I’m glad you don’t find the Volur’s treble offensive. Genuinely. Enjoy it, it’s a good IEM. It’s an important point to remember in reviews that it all really depends on what music you listen to. There are many tracks where it isn’t an issue for me. There are many that it is. To points 4 and 5, I’m considering a wider audience where it might be a problem so I have to mention it. If I don’t mention it, people will get upset and accuse me of shilling the Volur despite an “obvious flaw” to sell units for Headphones.com.

It’s fine if you disagree with my thoughts. We’re all different and that’s what makes the hobby interesting. But I think you’ve misunderstood where I’m coming from with this review. I strive to be fair to every product. If it has good, I’ll talk about the good. If it has bad, I’ll talk about the bad. I believe that’s what I’ve done here.

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