# Signature Acoustics C12 - Brielfy compared with TF10/RE262/M3



## sukant (Mar 21, 2013)

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

*Source* :- Sansa Clip Zip , Sony Vaio->e17 , Samsung Galaxy S2


*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  .[/I][/B]
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.*


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## anirbandd (Mar 23, 2013)

a very useful review!! 

cheers!


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## sukant (Mar 29, 2013)

thanks mate


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## anirbandd (Mar 29, 2013)

btw, can you elaborate on the amp??


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## 5fusion (Mar 30, 2013)

thanks for a short comparo. surely gonna help some for someone looking for iem in that budget. but i see no treble part or i missed it?? the bass is really great on these, round and punchy with a nice rumble


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## SignatureAcoustics (Apr 29, 2013)

5fusion said:


> thanks for a short comparo. surely gonna help some for someone looking for iem in that budget. but i see no treble part or i missed it?? the bass is really great on these, round and punchy with a nice rumble



Looks like Sukant  missed out on the treble part .  The overall treble is well detailed without being overly bright or shrill in a way that they do not cause fatigue even with very extended listening sessions. I guess C-12 users would second that.  The C-12 by default comes with thinner 180 microns filters on top of the ear tip nozzle . These can be replaced with a slightly thicker filter (provided in the packaging ) just incase someone wants less treble .  Incase you don't like the sound of thicker filter you can always move back to the stock one (1 extra pair provided).


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## anirbandd (Apr 30, 2013)

^i'd second that. 

btw, are those filters one time use only?? if i peel them up, it there anyway i can reuse them?


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## abhidev (Apr 30, 2013)

nice comparison @sukant....also can you please add SM e10 to the comparison if possible?


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## Nick007 (Jun 18, 2014)

Can I get that audio file you used for burn-in


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