DISCLAIMER: This was a review tour unit provided by Fiio.
Fiio has become an interesting beast in the headphone community, chiefly for their ability to pack a lot of fairly high-quality features into low-cost products. They've been tearing things up with their various portable amps and DAPs, so when they decided to dip their toes into the IEM world with the F9 and F9 Pro, I was excited to hear what they'd come up with.
The end result? Good, but not great.
I'm going to be stacking these alongside the KZ ZS6, 1More Quad, Mee Pinnacle P1, and iBasso IT03, and I realize the F9 Pro is lower in cost than three of the four (and nearly half the price of the IT03), Fiio is usually known for punching above their price class so I don't think this is terribly unfair. Plus, that's what I have lying around for points of comparison.
The presentation is solid. A simple small box, the units held in foam with a little carrying case holding the cable and a handful of plastic baggies with an array of tips. I really like this, truth be told. I find some brands go way overboard with these huge boxes and all this needlessly fancy appearance. I'm buying headphones, I'm not buying a box. Keep it classy, keep it simple.
The F9 Pro looks very sharp. Plastic housing is a bit underwhelming, but I'm a big fan of the ripple appearance. They just look cool, for lack of a better word. There are tips of varying kinds, Fiio has the silicones broken down into "balanced," "bass," and "vocals," along with a bunch of foams, all of varying sizes. This is pretty awesome, normally you get generic tips and foams, this is really nice on Fiio's part.
As a side note, the F9 cable is my favorite IEM cable ever. No microphonics, the phone controls are well placed and designed, and man I love how they hang over the ear. No memory wire, but it sits perfectly.
Okay, time for the sound. All the above is great and all, but what matters is what happens when they're stuck in your ears. I'm a big fan of hybrids, they tend to have a different character of sound compared to a single DD or all BA array. So I threw on the balanced mediums and turned on some music. The fit, by the way, was perfect for me. Deep insertion, comfy as anything. I have pretty roomy ears, though, so it's rare for an IEM to give me fit issues.
Whew lads, that treble.
I should note that my listening habits trend toward more aggressive music (a lot of metal and hip-hop), which means the volume is a touch higher than many others will use. Certainly not blisteringly loud, but boosted up a bit. With that said, the treble on the F9 Pro with the balanced silicones was unbelievably zingy, sibilant as anything I'd heard in a long time. It reminded me quite a bit of the KZ ZS6 in that regard. Hi hats sounded like they were inches from my ears while the rest of the band was a normal distance away.
Trying to be charitable, I gave myself an entire day of listening to various music with these, trying to let my ears adjust. It was actually a serious disappointment because under the treble I could tell there was some good stuff going on. Impact of the bass was good, soundstage had that right balance between being spacious and staying tight, but wow that treble.
Finally, I threw some comply foams on there and oh hey how about that, now they're listenable. I had come dangerously close to just sending them to the next person on the tour after the first two days, but with a set of foams, the treble is tamed, and now I can really evaluate the sound.
The bass is good. Like, really good. It's not huge, but it has that powerful impact that makes the rhythm section in music sound visceral. This is a big reason I like DDs in hybrid setups on IEMs. As good as a BA can be, there's just an intangible quality that a good dynamic gives that I prefer. The bass sounds smooth, extending way down into the sub-bass territory with no struggle. I threw on a few hip-hop tracks that I know dip below 30Hz and I was impressed that there didn't appear to be any severe drop off. Yes, there's a small bump in the midbass, but that's to be expected and usually preferred because that's where all the impact is.
Mids are a bit hard for me to evaluate here largely because of the treble. Vocals of all kinds are fairly smooth, I got no problems here. The frequency response shows a slight dip in the mids, but it's certainly not severe. The vocals never sound buried, and female vocals in particular have the right amount of meat to them that keeps them from sounding overly thin and weak. I actually think if you're listening to mid-centric vocal music, these will really work for you.
And then there's the treble. Yes, the foams tamed the treble quite a bit, but even then it was a problem. I readily concede that part of this is in my choice of music. Metal tends to have a lot happening with the drum kit, and the cymbals are going to be doing a lot. When I swapped genres to more "gentle" music and pulled the volume back, it became less of an issue. A bit of hiss, but nothing unpleasant.
Soundstage and imaging are good. The music doesn't sound like it's cramped into your head nor do you feel like you're in a cavern. I'm not the world's best judge of soundstage so that one I'll leave to people better suited to evaluate it.
I dislike trying to break the sound down into components, so let's take a moment to talk about overall coherency because this is a spot where the F9P really shines. Despite the hot treble, the F9P's total is greater than the sum of its parts, and even when I found myself grumbling at harsh cymbals, I didn't want to pull them out of my ears (again, using the foams as opposed to silicones), because the dynamics of the F9P are just so damn good. The F9P has an energy to it, the music moves as opposed to resting back. The bass's fullness without sounding bloated meant rhythm sections had weight to them.
Onto some comparisons:
KZ ZS6: This turned out to be a better head-to-head than I expected because both of them have that hot treble in a hybrid setup, but unsurprisingly the F9P is better top to bottom. The sound is more coherent, more full, not as severely V-shaped, plus far more comfortable. I'm more charitable with the ZS6's sibilant treble because they're about $30 as opposed to $130, but obviously the ZS6 is inferior. Was fun to compare, but aside from that treble giving me fits there wasn't anything to say.
Mee P1: This is an interesting comparison because it's a single dynamic versus a hybrid. The first thing to notice is that the P1's emphasis moves more towards the mids than the treble. The bass is less impactful and they just sound more "neutral" as opposed to "big" overall. The F9P wins on the "fun" front, but the P1 wins in having no big imbalances. This isn't terribly surprising, sometimes being competent across the boards is also boring. This was the one I had to struggle with the most because after getting fatigued from the F9P's treble issues I'd go to the P1, but then I'd miss the F9P's energy.
1More Quad: Here's a contrast. I've discovered that people's opinions of the Quads are really varied. Some call them unbearably bassy, others say the bass is lacking. To my ears, the Quads have one hell of a midbass hump that seems to vary between really working in the music and really not. The treble on the Quad is less up front, however, the F9P's treble is smooth. So even though the Quad isn't as sibilant, its treble sounds more brittle in comparison. Oddly enough, the Quad is what I found myself the least inclined to swap to in this head to head.
iBasso IT03: This one almost doesn't feel fair because the IT03 is my favorite IEM of the moment and it's twice as expensive as the F9P. It's a beast. A sub-bass tilt gives the IT03 a reach that none of the others here have, and the sound is just powerful overall. It does have a minor treble lift alongside the F9P, but it's more subdued and less troublesome. If anything, the IT03 can be too bassy by comparison, but I found this to be no issue. There's little to say here, as I did these comparisons, the IT03 was the one I wanted to listen to most.
In conclusion...
The F9P definitely works better with the volume kept more conservative, and I can see how other reviewers praise it for being clear and detailed into those applications. Reviewing headphones is as much about evaluating them in the "generic" case but also in a given use case. For someone who listens to relaxed music at low volumes, the F9P is going to tick a whole lot of boxes really well. Spotify has a "Songs to Test Headphones With" playlist and listening through that with the F9P and foams in at a fairly low volume truly was a great experience. The silicones were still a no-go.
HOWEVER, when I review headphones, I review them in "real world" scenarios, because I feel that's the only way to get an honest appraisal. I review them by listening to headphones how I listen to headphones day in and day out, because otherwise what's the point? If I have a great experience listening to music I never listen to at low volumes, that's not helping me when I fire up my favorite albums.
So the end result is a headphone that I find it difficult to affix a number to, because on one hand there's how well they fit me personally, and on the other there's how I could see them fitting others. For me personally, they're above average, but the treble spike keeps me from being able to listen to them for long periods. When I try out other music, their strengths become far more apparent. In a way, it bums me out, because when I do listen to music that works with them, it really works, but then I go back to my chosen genres and that hot treble comes flying out again.
I suppose the summary then is that the F9P is a very competent, well-made headphone with a lot of stuff going for it, but like some full size headphones with a similar issue (Senn HD700, Beyer DT990), it has that treble that, depending on what you listen to and how you listen to it, may or may not spoil the whole experience. If that's not something you think will be an issue, then there is absolutely no reason not to get the F9P.
Sources: Dell Inspiron Laptop (with and without Audioquest Dragonfly Red), LG v30, desktop rig with Questyle CMA400i.
Fiio has become an interesting beast in the headphone community, chiefly for their ability to pack a lot of fairly high-quality features into low-cost products. They've been tearing things up with their various portable amps and DAPs, so when they decided to dip their toes into the IEM world with the F9 and F9 Pro, I was excited to hear what they'd come up with.
The end result? Good, but not great.
I'm going to be stacking these alongside the KZ ZS6, 1More Quad, Mee Pinnacle P1, and iBasso IT03, and I realize the F9 Pro is lower in cost than three of the four (and nearly half the price of the IT03), Fiio is usually known for punching above their price class so I don't think this is terribly unfair. Plus, that's what I have lying around for points of comparison.
The presentation is solid. A simple small box, the units held in foam with a little carrying case holding the cable and a handful of plastic baggies with an array of tips. I really like this, truth be told. I find some brands go way overboard with these huge boxes and all this needlessly fancy appearance. I'm buying headphones, I'm not buying a box. Keep it classy, keep it simple.
The F9 Pro looks very sharp. Plastic housing is a bit underwhelming, but I'm a big fan of the ripple appearance. They just look cool, for lack of a better word. There are tips of varying kinds, Fiio has the silicones broken down into "balanced," "bass," and "vocals," along with a bunch of foams, all of varying sizes. This is pretty awesome, normally you get generic tips and foams, this is really nice on Fiio's part.
As a side note, the F9 cable is my favorite IEM cable ever. No microphonics, the phone controls are well placed and designed, and man I love how they hang over the ear. No memory wire, but it sits perfectly.
Okay, time for the sound. All the above is great and all, but what matters is what happens when they're stuck in your ears. I'm a big fan of hybrids, they tend to have a different character of sound compared to a single DD or all BA array. So I threw on the balanced mediums and turned on some music. The fit, by the way, was perfect for me. Deep insertion, comfy as anything. I have pretty roomy ears, though, so it's rare for an IEM to give me fit issues.
Whew lads, that treble.
I should note that my listening habits trend toward more aggressive music (a lot of metal and hip-hop), which means the volume is a touch higher than many others will use. Certainly not blisteringly loud, but boosted up a bit. With that said, the treble on the F9 Pro with the balanced silicones was unbelievably zingy, sibilant as anything I'd heard in a long time. It reminded me quite a bit of the KZ ZS6 in that regard. Hi hats sounded like they were inches from my ears while the rest of the band was a normal distance away.
Trying to be charitable, I gave myself an entire day of listening to various music with these, trying to let my ears adjust. It was actually a serious disappointment because under the treble I could tell there was some good stuff going on. Impact of the bass was good, soundstage had that right balance between being spacious and staying tight, but wow that treble.
Finally, I threw some comply foams on there and oh hey how about that, now they're listenable. I had come dangerously close to just sending them to the next person on the tour after the first two days, but with a set of foams, the treble is tamed, and now I can really evaluate the sound.
The bass is good. Like, really good. It's not huge, but it has that powerful impact that makes the rhythm section in music sound visceral. This is a big reason I like DDs in hybrid setups on IEMs. As good as a BA can be, there's just an intangible quality that a good dynamic gives that I prefer. The bass sounds smooth, extending way down into the sub-bass territory with no struggle. I threw on a few hip-hop tracks that I know dip below 30Hz and I was impressed that there didn't appear to be any severe drop off. Yes, there's a small bump in the midbass, but that's to be expected and usually preferred because that's where all the impact is.
Mids are a bit hard for me to evaluate here largely because of the treble. Vocals of all kinds are fairly smooth, I got no problems here. The frequency response shows a slight dip in the mids, but it's certainly not severe. The vocals never sound buried, and female vocals in particular have the right amount of meat to them that keeps them from sounding overly thin and weak. I actually think if you're listening to mid-centric vocal music, these will really work for you.
And then there's the treble. Yes, the foams tamed the treble quite a bit, but even then it was a problem. I readily concede that part of this is in my choice of music. Metal tends to have a lot happening with the drum kit, and the cymbals are going to be doing a lot. When I swapped genres to more "gentle" music and pulled the volume back, it became less of an issue. A bit of hiss, but nothing unpleasant.
Soundstage and imaging are good. The music doesn't sound like it's cramped into your head nor do you feel like you're in a cavern. I'm not the world's best judge of soundstage so that one I'll leave to people better suited to evaluate it.
I dislike trying to break the sound down into components, so let's take a moment to talk about overall coherency because this is a spot where the F9P really shines. Despite the hot treble, the F9P's total is greater than the sum of its parts, and even when I found myself grumbling at harsh cymbals, I didn't want to pull them out of my ears (again, using the foams as opposed to silicones), because the dynamics of the F9P are just so damn good. The F9P has an energy to it, the music moves as opposed to resting back. The bass's fullness without sounding bloated meant rhythm sections had weight to them.
Onto some comparisons:
KZ ZS6: This turned out to be a better head-to-head than I expected because both of them have that hot treble in a hybrid setup, but unsurprisingly the F9P is better top to bottom. The sound is more coherent, more full, not as severely V-shaped, plus far more comfortable. I'm more charitable with the ZS6's sibilant treble because they're about $30 as opposed to $130, but obviously the ZS6 is inferior. Was fun to compare, but aside from that treble giving me fits there wasn't anything to say.
Mee P1: This is an interesting comparison because it's a single dynamic versus a hybrid. The first thing to notice is that the P1's emphasis moves more towards the mids than the treble. The bass is less impactful and they just sound more "neutral" as opposed to "big" overall. The F9P wins on the "fun" front, but the P1 wins in having no big imbalances. This isn't terribly surprising, sometimes being competent across the boards is also boring. This was the one I had to struggle with the most because after getting fatigued from the F9P's treble issues I'd go to the P1, but then I'd miss the F9P's energy.
1More Quad: Here's a contrast. I've discovered that people's opinions of the Quads are really varied. Some call them unbearably bassy, others say the bass is lacking. To my ears, the Quads have one hell of a midbass hump that seems to vary between really working in the music and really not. The treble on the Quad is less up front, however, the F9P's treble is smooth. So even though the Quad isn't as sibilant, its treble sounds more brittle in comparison. Oddly enough, the Quad is what I found myself the least inclined to swap to in this head to head.
iBasso IT03: This one almost doesn't feel fair because the IT03 is my favorite IEM of the moment and it's twice as expensive as the F9P. It's a beast. A sub-bass tilt gives the IT03 a reach that none of the others here have, and the sound is just powerful overall. It does have a minor treble lift alongside the F9P, but it's more subdued and less troublesome. If anything, the IT03 can be too bassy by comparison, but I found this to be no issue. There's little to say here, as I did these comparisons, the IT03 was the one I wanted to listen to most.
In conclusion...
The F9P definitely works better with the volume kept more conservative, and I can see how other reviewers praise it for being clear and detailed into those applications. Reviewing headphones is as much about evaluating them in the "generic" case but also in a given use case. For someone who listens to relaxed music at low volumes, the F9P is going to tick a whole lot of boxes really well. Spotify has a "Songs to Test Headphones With" playlist and listening through that with the F9P and foams in at a fairly low volume truly was a great experience. The silicones were still a no-go.
HOWEVER, when I review headphones, I review them in "real world" scenarios, because I feel that's the only way to get an honest appraisal. I review them by listening to headphones how I listen to headphones day in and day out, because otherwise what's the point? If I have a great experience listening to music I never listen to at low volumes, that's not helping me when I fire up my favorite albums.
So the end result is a headphone that I find it difficult to affix a number to, because on one hand there's how well they fit me personally, and on the other there's how I could see them fitting others. For me personally, they're above average, but the treble spike keeps me from being able to listen to them for long periods. When I try out other music, their strengths become far more apparent. In a way, it bums me out, because when I do listen to music that works with them, it really works, but then I go back to my chosen genres and that hot treble comes flying out again.
I suppose the summary then is that the F9P is a very competent, well-made headphone with a lot of stuff going for it, but like some full size headphones with a similar issue (Senn HD700, Beyer DT990), it has that treble that, depending on what you listen to and how you listen to it, may or may not spoil the whole experience. If that's not something you think will be an issue, then there is absolutely no reason not to get the F9P.
Sources: Dell Inspiron Laptop (with and without Audioquest Dragonfly Red), LG v30, desktop rig with Questyle CMA400i.
