Short answer: the qdc Emperor. It ranks #967 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.3/5, at $2,831; the 64 Audio U18S ranks #1021, rated 3.1/5, and costs $2,999, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
The case for the qdc Emperor: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. The catch: About 3 dB less bass than the Harman target below 150 Hz, which can sound thin on pop, hip hop and electronic music.
What the 64 Audio U18S does well: Eighteen balanced armature drivers per side deliver a warm, relaxed tuning with bass about 1.6 dB above target and sub-bass within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz. The catch: Across seven hobbyist measurements on squig.link, the 3 to 6 kHz presence region sits about 6 dB below target with a 9 dB dip near 5.8 kHz, so vocals and guitars lose bite and fine detail sounds veiled.
Buy the qdc Emperor. It is rated higher for sound quality than the 64 Audio U18S and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
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A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
Elise Audio $2,831.00 eBay
Eighteen balanced armature drivers per side deliver a warm, relaxed tuning with bass about 1.6 dB above target and sub-bass within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz.
64 Audio $2,999.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| qdc Emperor | 64 Audio U18S | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2,831.00 | $2,999.00 |
| Ranked | #967 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #1021 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 65 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 63 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.92 dB standard deviation | 2.78 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | +0.10 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.81 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-4.4 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.7 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Driver Type | Tribrid | Balanced armature |
| Drivers | 15 drivers (1 dynamic driver + 10 balanced armatures + 4 electrostatic drivers) | 18 x balanced armature (1 tia high + 1 high-mid + 8 mid + 8 low) |
| Impedance | 15 ohms | 8 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 106 dB SPL/mW | 106 dB/mW |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 70kHz | 10Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Built-in Microphone | - | No |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the qdc Emperor from dchpgall, eliseaudio and sl0the; the 64 Audio U18S from aftersound, dchpgall, precog, recode, superreview, theaudiostore and treblewellxtended, all via squig.link.
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