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ayecee said:

Damn that's a shame... Yeah that's understandable. You should get the Merlin ; P

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Or, someone else with the Merlin should pick up these bad boys 

Just out of curiosity, since these are huge dynamic driver IEMs, how do they measure up to the AS-1B which have a 15mm driver, that also has a bass vent?

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average_joe said:

 
Or, someone else with the Merlin should pick up these bad boys 

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True, but if you get them, I can be guaranteed a thorough and in depth review and comparison! 

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dnullify said:

Just out of curiosity, since these are huge dynamic driver IEMs, how do they measure up to the AS-1B which have a 15mm driver, that also has a bass vent?

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The way I heard my AS-1b was with a rolloff on both ends of the spectrum.  The i9pro is not rolled off on the bottom end and has a good deal more more treble energy as well as a more spacious sound due to the FST technology.  I really didn't explore the capability of the AS-1b with EQ, as I want to compare without EQ, but I do know many musicians that EQ their equipment, and the AS-1b is more suited to  musicians.  
 
Both are smooth and musical, but the AS-1b (I did have version 1.2) was thicker and more mid-forward while the i9pro was more detailed.  I am looking forward to the AS-2.
 
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ayecee said:

True, but if you get them, I can be guaranteed a thorough and in depth review and comparison! 

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I was thinking of changing my review format to one that uses between 5 and 10 pictures and a paragraph for each picture 
 
Really, with all I have heard, the i9pro is a very nice performer for someone that wants bass and space.  I would like to see an i9pro vs. mg6pro review.

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average_joe said:

I was thinking of changing my review format to one that uses between 5 and 10 pictures and a paragraph for each picture 

 
Really, with all I have heard, the i9pro is a very nice performer for someone that wants bass and space.  I would like to see an i9pro vs. mg6pro review.

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I do not doubt that the i9Pro will deliver, however with UM having a dealer in Australia, it saves me money on shipping, which is a big plus for getting refits. Also we all know that UM are renowned for their impeccable craftsmanship, and If I am only planning to buy on pair of customs for the foreseeable future, I might as well get the better product.

I see your point, but I think they are quite different really, but I just can't say.  The i9pro does have nice craftsmanship.  Does UM Australia have anything to do with custom-IEM (UM USA), and custom-IEM carries the i9pro?

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average_joe said:

I see your point, but I think they are quite different really, but I just can't say.  The i9pro does have nice craftsmanship.  Does UM Australia have anything to do with custom-IEM (UM USA), and custom-IEM carries the i9pro?

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I don't think so. On UM Aus website they only have their products, and reshells available. If I were to order the i9pro I would have to buy if from the US, which I don't really want to do.

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ayecee said:

I don't think so. On UM Aus website they only have their products, and reshells available. If I were to order the i9pro I would have to buy if from the US, which I don't really want to do.

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Yeh I think if you live in Aus it's a no brainer to go with UMAus. The merlins would have to sound pretty horrible to give up the convenience of ordereng them... and they sound amazing. Also UM offer lots of customisation option for free like recessed/flush sockets, canal colours etc. 
 
By the sounds of this review the i9pro might have even more bass than the merlin(does anyone know?). 

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wahu said:

Yeh I think if you live in Aus it's a no brainer to go with UMAus. The merlins would have to sound pretty horrible to give up the convenience of ordereng them... and they sound amazing. Also UM offer lots of customisation option for free like recessed/flush sockets, canal colours etc. 
 
By the sounds of this review the i9pro might have even more bass than the merlin(does anyone know?). 

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Exactly, that's the main reason I want to go with UM. its convenient, and the shell options I want are all available at no extra cost (having canal colour different, recessed sockets, UM logo insert).
 
To my knowledge, There isn't a single person on head-fi who owns both the Merlin and the i9pro, unfortunately.

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ayecee said:

Exactly, that's the main reason I want to go with UM. its convenient, and the shell options I want are all available at no extra cost (having canal colour different, recessed sockets, UM logo insert).
 
To my knowledge, There isn't a single person on head-fi who owns both the Merlin and the i9pro, unfortunately.

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I'm listening to my merlins now and I can't imagine being disappointed in them. They have sub bass that gives the same feeling of needing to equalise when scuba diving. It's pretty addictive. I don't have any opinion in general on burning in but with the merlins they changed dramatically after about an hour of use and tightened up.
 
I can't help but be curious of what other customs sound like though and would like to hear more from any i9pro owners. The soon to be released as-2 also looks interesting.

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wahu said:

I'm listening to my merlins now and I can't imagine being disappointed in them. They have sub bass that gives the same feeling of needing to equalise when scuba diving. It's pretty addictive. I don't have any opinion in general on burning in but with the merlins they changed dramatically after about an hour of use and tightened up.
 
I can't help but be curious of what other customs sound like though and would like to hear more from any i9pro owners. The soon to be released as-2 also looks interesting.

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Awesome, you're making me jealous! I would purchase some Merlins right now if I had the money, but I will have to wait I guess :'( And as for the as-2, again, UM being local beats it!

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wahu said:

I'm listening to my merlins now and I can't imagine being disappointed in them. They have sub bass that gives the same feeling of needing to equalise when scuba diving. It's pretty addictive. I don't have any opinion in general on burning in but with the merlins they changed dramatically after about an hour of use and tightened up.
 
I can't help but be curious of what other customs sound like though and would like to hear more from any i9pro owners. The soon to be released as-2 also looks interesting.

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I am interested in hearing both the Merlin and the AS-2 and would like to review the LSX5 as well.  I have heard 4 total custom IEMs with dynamic drivers and 2 demos, but the Merlin demo I have heard didn't sound right and wasn't representative of the real thing.  Overall the i9pro bass has a very good mix of texture, punch, depth, and rumble with excellent integration within the sound signature.  The FST technology is excellent for most genres, but especially electronic and pop, giving the music extra spaciousness compared with what I have heard below $1K. But, I am sure the Merlin is good.  The bottom line is the CIEMs discussed on head-fi are going to give a great experience if you want better sound and match the sound signature to what you are looking for, so you really can't go wrong IMO.

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average_joe said:

 
I am interested in hearing both the Merlin and the AS-2 and would like to review the LSX5 as well.  I have heard 4 total custom IEMs with dynamic drivers and 2 demos, but the Merlin demo I have heard didn't sound right and wasn't representative of the real thing.  Overall the i9pro bass has a very good mix of texture, punch, depth, and rumble with excellent integration within the sound signature.  The FST technology is excellent for most genres, but especially electronic and pop, giving the music extra spaciousness compared with what I have heard below $1K. But, I am sure the Merlin is good.  The bottom line is the CIEMs discussed on head-fi are going to give a great experience if you want better sound and match the sound signature to what you are looking for, so you really can't go wrong IMO.

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I think you make a good point about the sound signature. Part of the reason I was happy with the merlin was that I bought it with a specific sound signature in mind. I tried most of the JH lineup in universal form beforehand and while impressed with the bass impact of the jh16, I felt like I would prefer a deeper bass emphasis and less mid bass. I get carried away talking about the merlins bass but I wouldn't consider it to be a bass monster. It has a very classy presentation not unlike my miracles with a little bit more "punctuation" in the bass and a little bit more of an infrasound sensation. The mids also seem a little more laid back on the merlin.
 
Could you explain more about the FST technology in the i9pro? What does it do exactly?

average_joe said:

 
I am interested in hearing both the Merlin and the AS-2 and would like to review the LSX5 as well.  I have heard 4 total custom IEMs with dynamic drivers and 2 demos, but the Merlin demo I have heard didn't sound right and wasn't representative of the real thing.  Overall the i9pro bass has a very good mix of texture, punch, depth, and rumble with excellent integration within the sound signature.  The FST technology is excellent for most genres, but especially electronic and pop, giving the music extra spaciousness compared with what I have heard below $1K. But, I am sure the Merlin is good.  The bottom line is the CIEMs discussed on head-fi are going to give a great experience if you want better sound and match the sound signature to what you are looking for, so you really can't go wrong IMO.

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Yes you also make a good point in your last sentence. IEM's at this price range are not bad, so long as you get an IEM that suits your sound signature 99% of the time you won't be disappointed; as you said, you can't go wrong. 
 
 

wahu said:

I think you make a good point about the sound signature. Part of the reason I was happy with the merlin was that I bought it with a specific sound signature in mind. I tried most of the JH lineup in universal form beforehand and while impressed with the bass impact of the jh16, I felt like I would prefer a deeper bass emphasis and less mid bass. I get carried away talking about the merlins bass but I wouldn't consider it to be a bass monster. It has a very classy presentation not unlike my miracles with a little bit more "punctuation" in the bass and a little bit more of an infrasound sensation. The mids also seem a little more laid back on the merlin.
 
Could you explain more about the FST technology in the i9pro? What does it do exactly?

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Exactly why I want the Merlins, they have bass emphasis, but it is not excessive. 
Also I would also like to know more about the FST technology in the i9pro? Honestly I don't even know exactly what it is.

I never did receive an official explanation of FST (frequency suppression technology), but it somehow expands the corners of the soundstage, changing it from oval to more of a rectangle, which with many recordings sounds more space and natural, while others don't change much.  For the most part, the improvement is nice and really adds to the presentation, but every once in a while with very spacious tracks, the FST sounds like it is overcompensating and can adjust where things are placed within the soundstage.  If you don't compare directly, then this isn't really that big of an issue.  
 
The only other CIEM I have heard with similar proportions is the Spiral Ear 5-way, although it is different in many ways with the 5-way.  Some of the differences include that the 5-way doesn't seem to have as much of an effect and never has any placement issues.  It is really nice when most of the soundstage matches with other CIEMs, but then something is thrown quite far to a corner where with another CIEM the sound is closer, as if it is rounded off.