[Fahim Foysal]

Here you go Theo - you'll have to take them as they are, because I didn't save them.



First up - Crystal foam at review time (a few weeks ago when I first got them) vs measuring today (I did the left earpiece in case wondering). See how consistent the rig is



Next is Comply vs Crystal - nulls the 7 kHz a bit (pretty well actually)



Spiral dots - almost same as Comply



Spinfit - PITA to get a good seal on - took me quite a few tests. Similar to Crystal foam but with less sub-bass (probably the coupler)



Sony Hybrid (Isolation tips) - similar to Crystals



Ostry Blues - likewise



No tip must have finally got the seal right or the bass would have measured differently.

Wow brooko, the difference is huge with both the spiral dot and comply foam. Is it just on the graph or is the taming down of the 7khz peak acutally very audible?
Atleast according to the graph this brings it much more closer to a reference iem.

 

[Fahim Foysal]

Here you go Theo - you'll have to take them as they are, because I didn't save them.



First up - Crystal foam at review time (a few weeks ago when I first got them) vs measuring today (I did the left earpiece in case wondering). See how consistent the rig is



Next is Comply vs Crystal - nulls the 7 kHz a bit (pretty well actually)



Spiral dots - almost same as Comply



Spinfit - PITA to get a good seal on - took me quite a few tests. Similar to Crystal foam but with less sub-bass (probably the coupler)



Sony Hybrid (Isolation tips) - similar to Crystals



Ostry Blues - likewise



No tip must have finally got the seal right or the bass would have measured differently.

I notice something amazing. With the spiral dots your frequency graph is much much closer to the official fiio f9 graph

This is the official fiio graph

This is brooko's measurement.

 

[Brooko]

Sorry - haven't heard the EX1000. Quite a few IEMs tend to have a lift in this area. The designers do it to lift the presence of cymbals etc. Even the Andromeda has peaks around 7 and 9 kHz, so its not a bad thing. In my personal opinion its just been slightly over done with the F9. Easy fix though = EQ and/or tip choice

 

[Brooko]

Wow brooko, the difference is huge with both the spiral dot and comply foam. Is it just on the graph or is the taming down of the 7khz peak acutally very audible?
Atleast according to the graph this brings it much more closer to a reference iem.

Yep - thats here tip choice is so important. Normally insertion depth also plays a part - but with a shallow fitting earphone its less of an issue. I'd normally use Shure Olives with a shallow fitting earphone, but with both them (and Crystal foam too) the 7 kHz peak was still there. Comply did the trick for me. Sadly I can't get much of a seal with the Spiral Dots and this particular earphone.

 

[Selenium]

Sorry - haven't heard the EX1000. Quite a few IEMs tend to have a lift in this area. The designers do it to lift the presence of cymbals etc. Even the Andromeda has peaks around 7 and 9 kHz, so its not a bad thing. In my personal opinion its just been slightly over done with the F9. Easy fix though = EQ and/or tip choice

Thanks! Curious regarding how you think they stack up versus the LZ-A4. I'm still considering getting that one despite it probably not being a great choice when it comes to ergonomics.

 

[Brooko]

Tough one - I really like the LZ-A4. I think LZ did a top notch job with them. But comfort is important, and I'd give up flexibility of tuning for a more balanced all round package. I think the LZ-A4 is very good for its price. I think the F9 is exceptional at half the cost. I already told Sunny they could have easily charged more for it. It's up there with the Pinnacle P1 IMO.

 

[griff06]

Heres hoping the F9 Pro is is special that might sway my decision on what iem to buy

 

[Ahmad313]

Heres hoping the F9 Pro is is special that might sway my decision on what iem to buy

Is any Pro version is also available or am not understand correctly ,?

 

[griff06]

Is any Pro version is also available or am not understand correctly ,?

I think, but i could be wrong, that Fiio said later on this year the Pro will be out

 

[Selenium]

Tough one - I really like the LZ-A4. I think LZ did a top notch job with them. But comfort is important, and I'd give up flexibility of tuning for a more balanced all round package. I think the LZ-A4 is very good for its price. I think the F9 is exceptional at half the cost. I already told Sunny they could have easily charged more for it. It's up there with the Pinnacle P1 IMO.

Thanks. I'm really leaning towards the F9 now....even though they're coming out with a Pro version with different drivers. :|

 

[dkstott]

I'm not a fan of memory wire. Will the Westone epic cables fit on the F9? I've heard that the Shure cables interfere.

 

[Brooko]

Unfortunately never been called on to review any Westone IEM, so not something I can advise on. Suggest maybe checking with @twister6 to see if he has the F9 as I know he has plenty of Westone experience.

 

[dkstott]

Thanks. I've got a very old Westone UM2. Love the cable. I like what I have read about the F9. But I'm not a fan of memory wire, so I'm hoping that my Westone cable with mmcx will fit with no interference.

Unfortunately never been called on to review any Westone IEM, so not something I can advise on. Suggest maybe checking with @twister6 to see if he has the F9 as I know he has plenty of Westone experience.

 

[SAPCOR1]

Was looking for new IEM’s since my 7/8 year old Klipsch’s gave up the ghost in one channel. Set myself a budget of approx £100 and bought these on the strength of this review and a few on Amazon.co.uk.

Arrived today’s and very impressed with the packaging and the what actually comes in the box. The ‘phones are well made a beautifully finished.

Took a wee while to get the cable to click into one of the ‘phones but all secure now. Comfortable fit in the ears using the middle clear bud.

Let them play for a few hours before trying and so far had a quick blast on iPhone, iPad and Pionner XDP-100R and really pleased with how these sound. Far superior to my old Klipsch and looking forward to more listening over the coming days.

Many thanks for your initial review

 

[Brooko]

No problems - they really are an easy recommendation in the sub $100 price point. What impresses me most is that finally someone managed to get practically everything right - build, fit. comfort, and SQ. Just that little hot peak at 7 kHz (easy fix with EQ) and they would actually be perfect.