SIGNATURE ACOUSTICS C-12 Elements Wooden IEMs review/impressions

[Nanducob]

Even mine is the same. Brass loses sheen over time due to oxidation. There are foul smelling liquid cleaners available in the market that you can use to get the sheen back. I prefer the antique looks

exactly,you dont see brass utensils everyday and now most of them belong to museums.So the brass case is a one good collectible.And if you try to clean it shines for somedays and again it oxidises.

 

[5fusion]

Btw, that reminds me, there is no way right now to easily distinguish the left one from the right - I have resorted to using a whitener. Its a definite area of improvment for your next IEM (judging by my experience so far with the C-12, I'll be buying that one

agree on that part, everytime you need to focus on those tiny letters

They should put colour on iems like in E30.Red for right ear..no confusion and saves time in looking at small L and R's.

yeah that.. or the ring like groove on the buds can be color coded. would that go well with the classy wooden shade of buds?

@SignatureAcoustics:
I have a couple of suggestions if you dont mind

1) Color coding the left and right earpieces

2) There is something not quite right with the comfort levels that I cant quite point out. I have tried atleast three tips already (including the smallest size that comes with the E10, which is my personal favourite outside of the super-comfy foams of the PL50) And I always get a funny feeling that one ear is bit too tight or too loosely fitting. Apologies for putting it in this very vague fashion. It might well be a pesonal thing, but I am yet to notice it in the others :>

3) Foam tips as an option (Hell, I`ll pay another 200 rupees extra for that)

4) If possible, a slightly smaller body too.

well pointed out but what i think about it--
1) yeah something definitely needs to be done to clearly state that.

2) quite true thats a personal thing and i never experienced any issues related to fit. i dont insert them deep but a shallow fit gives me a good seal. may be some more different tips can be included or made optional.

3)now thats what i thought back then as i even stated in review but then realised that its only going to make the already warm sounding iem more warmer which may not sound as good as its tuned to deliver.

4) a change in size of buds gonna affect the whole soundscape of the iem, inturn leading to change quite a lot of other things and would be a huge rework IMO.

 

[Nanducob]

yeah that.. or the ring like groove on the buds can be color coded. would that go well with the classy wooden shade of buds?

good point

 

[SignatureAcoustics]

C-12 review'ed by ClieOS on head-fi ,
"It is however still slightly ahead of that of Brainwavz M2 or M3 in drawing out detail. With a few dB of treble boost however, C-12 can really shines. Despite restricted air, soundstage is still very good, and better on width than depth."
“Firstborn IEM of Indiaâ€￾ - ClieOS’s Review of Signature Acoustics Elements Series C-12
Unboxing video on youtube ,

 

[Faun]

Nice one, ClieOS review helped me out in choosing RE272.

Quite similar to mine. I did notice the veil and relaxed presentation. Depth of soundstage too.

I would really like to see an alternate version without veil.

 

[anirbandd]

HEAD FI reviews: Signature Acoustics Elements Series C-12 Reviews

 

[Cool Buddy]

A question for those who've used these IEMs. Did you people notice any improvement in sound over time?

I bought these last week and have been leaving them running overnight. However, I do not notice too big a difference from PL11. The sound is better, cleaner, but not too different. I'm almost regretting buying them coz I don't think the upgrade was worth spending 2800 over. For one-fourth the price of C12, PL11 was almost as good in sound quality.

 

[pranav0091]

A question for those who've used these IEMs. Did you people notice any improvement in sound over time?

I bought these last week and have been leaving them running overnight. However, I do not notice too big a difference from PL11. The sound is better, cleaner, but not too different. I'm almost regretting buying them coz I don't think the upgrade was worth spending 2800 over. For one-fourth the price of C12, PL11 was almost as good in sound quality.

I havent used the PL11, so I would not comment on the comparison. However I do own a pair of E10 which I believe are definitely better than the PL11. I'd actually find these to be better sounding than the E10 (which cost me 1.3k and 1.8k, I have a pair). It all depends on the music - I you are the type that wants the music bass heavy then E10s are a better bet. But if you like some sparkle at the high/upper-mid end, then the C12s are the better choice.

No, I didnt really notice an improvement over time.

Two things I need to ask you -
1. Are your music equalizer bars still set to suit your PL11 ? If yes, you are doing the C12 a grave injustice.

2. How do you like your music ? Slightly mushy-powerful bass versus Moderate base and a sparkly high end ?

I hope you do understand that the incremental gain in music as the price paid increases is a diminishing curve... But then given the right music, an earphone can make all the difference between you 'listening to music' and the 'music taking over you' - That IMHO is all what the upper end is all about and worth paying money for.

Infact I am very satisfied with my C12s and to give you an idea of the gear I own, just look at my signature. The only issue I seem to have with them is related to comfort :<

 

[Desmond]

I have observed that the C12s sound better than my old Vsonic GR02. And the GR02 is better than the PL11 from reviews. So, I think the C12s are better.

 

[Cool Buddy]

Well, I guess it's just my misplaced expectation. I was expecting the same kind of difference between PL11 and c12 as there is between a cheap 100 rupee pair and pl11. As Pranav0091 said, it's a diminishing curve and my expectation was totally wrong.
And I do understand that C12 is better. But how much better, I don't know, to me it seemed very little. But maybe this is it.
I read somewhere that on switching IEMs one needs to get used to the sound of the new one. Maybe it's just that and over time I'll start to appreciate the subtle differences more.

To answer Pranav's questions :
I never tinkered with the equaliser on my PL11, partly because it was too difficult to do on my old Nokia 5800. However, I've been trying different settings on my Xperia L and I think I'm getting a hang of it now.

I like my music with clear vocals and sparkly highs. The bass should be there but should not be overpowering. For instance, i tried creative ep630 which had a similar sound quality to PL11 but had a slightly bass heavy nature. I found I liked PL11 more. A natural sound appeals more to me.

 

[Desmond]

Perhaps you do not find it adequate to your taste in sound (not using "music" on purpose). Still I find the vocals of the C12 to be pretty good, especially female vocals. You will have to play with the eq to get the male vocals right. I had to adjust my mids to little less than full to get the proper tone of Mikael Akerfeldt's (vocalist of Opeth) vocals. But my preference is the fuzzy guitar tone and punchy blast beats, for this I find the C12s pretty good.

 

[pranav0091]

Well, I guess it's just my misplaced expectation. I was expecting the same kind of difference between PL11 and c12 as there is between a cheap 100 rupee pair and pl11. As Pranav0091 said, it's a diminishing curve and my expectation was totally wrong.
And I do understand that C12 is better. But how much better, I don't know, to me it seemed very little. But maybe this is it.
I read somewhere that on switching IEMs one needs to get used to the sound of the new one. Maybe it's just that and over time I'll start to appreciate the subtle differences more.

To answer Pranav's questions :
I never tinkered with the equaliser on my PL11, partly because it was too difficult to do on my old Nokia 5800. However, I've been trying different settings on my Xperia L and I think I'm getting a hang of it now.

I like my music with clear vocals and sparkly highs. The bass should be there but should not be overpowering. For instance, i tried creative ep630 which had a similar sound quality to PL11 but had a slightly bass heavy nature. I found I liked PL11 more. A natural sound appeals more to me.

Try boosting the 1k-4k frequencies by a tiny bit. That may be more to your tastes

Yes, cannot stress enough, how it takes time to get used to a new IEM. A couple of weeks atleast, I guess.

If thats any comfort, let me tell you this - When I got the E10 the first though that struck me was this: Why on earth did I get the SR60 before it ? The E10s were very similar (not the same, just very close) to the Grados and costed one-fourth the price. I was disappointed to say the least. And then gradually over time I noticed how the SR60i redeemed itself given the right piece of music and volume. I have now come to know why so many people (including me) revere the Grados. Its not much, the difference between the E10 and the SR60 in a casual listen, but the differences exist and they are significant - just takes you time to recognise. Same is the case with the C12 versus the E10 (and hence the PL11s).

Give them a more serious listen and yourself some more time to get used to.

PS: try "We were lovers" by The Analog affair and lets know of what you feel about the C12.

 

[Cool Buddy]

When I got the E10 the first though that struck me was this: Why on earth did I get the SR60 before it ? The E10s were very similar (not the same, just very close) to the Grados and costed one-fourth the price. I was disappointed to say the least. And then gradually over time I noticed how the SR60i redeemed itself given the right piece of music and volume. I have now come to know why so many people (including me) revere the Grados.

Must be the same case with me. Nice to hear that this has happened with other people too and with someone who has more experience with audio hardware than me. So I'll forget the comparison from now on and just enjoy my music. C12 do sound good

Will try that song you suggested.

P.S. The quote button is not working, it just keeps rotating, that's why posted like this.

 

[Cool Buddy]

Tried that song (we were lovers). I can see what you mean. The reverb effect sounds so much better on the c12. In fact, just yesterday I was listening to some of my favourites and multiple times I noticed sounds that I'd never noticed before. Slowly getting a hang of this.
C12 sounds so much more natural than pl11.

 

[SignatureAcoustics]

Tried that song (we were lovers). I can see what you mean. The reverb effect sounds so much better on the c12. In fact, just yesterday I was listening to some of my favourites and multiple times I noticed sounds that I'd never noticed before. Slowly getting a hang of this.
C12 sounds so much more natural than pl11.

C-12 is also somewhat source dependent and scales up with a better source. From our experience it usually doesn't sound anywhere close to its true potential with most mobile phones (baring few like iPhone / S4 etc) . In such cases using apps like Power amp + EQ helps to get a desirable sound.

C-12's true potential can be best experienced with a good Mp3 player like iPod/ Clip+ and quality music files (320kbps or higher ). With such a setup most users and reviewers have found it to be better than Brainwavz M2 , M3 which cost 4-5k respectively.

 

[Cool Buddy]

C-12 is also somewhat source dependent and scales up with a better source. From our experience it usually doesn't sound anywhere close to its true potential with most mobile phones (baring few like iPhone / S4 etc) . In such cases using apps like Power amp + EQ helps to get a desirable sound.

I use poweramp. As soon as I bought my phone I knew I had to invest in this app if I had to enjoy my music to the fullest.

C-12's true potential can be best experienced with a good Mp3 player like iPod/ Clip+ and quality music files (320kbps or higher ). With such a setup most users and reviewers have found it to be better than Brainwavz M2 , M3 which cost 4-5k respectively.

I mostly use V0 MP3 files. Some of my favourites are in flac though.

Not willing to buy a separate device for a PMP now.

 

[anirbandd]

im on a Clip Zip and it sounds like heaven through the C12.