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BROOKO'S REVIEW & DISCUSSION - FIIO F9 IEM
Oct 15, 2017 at 1:24 PM Post #47 of 70
Brooko said:
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.
Click to expand...
Which version of spiral dots were you using for this test? Did it have the waxguards?
 
Oct 15, 2017 at 7:04 PM Post #48 of 70
No - just the standard ones.
 
Oct 21, 2017 at 9:23 PM Post #49 of 70
Hey Brooko - can you post a song you find that the F9 portrays in a harsh fashion? Not a song that always sound harsh but rather one that bugs you with the F9 in particular.

I'm curious because I've had no such issues with my F9 mk2.
 
Oct 21, 2017 at 9:59 PM Post #50 of 70
Selenium said:
Hey Brooko - can you post a song you find that the F9 portrays in a harsh fashion? Not a song that always sound harsh but rather one that bugs you with the F9 in particular.

I'm curious because I've had no such issues with my F9 mk2.
Click to expand...

You listen to metal?

Try something with a lot of cymbals, like Eskimo Callboy - Party At The Horror House.

I enjoy F9 and I don't really mind the spikey spike. In fact, I love it. Makes them nice, clear and treble-happy as I like my IEMs :darthsmile:
 
Oct 21, 2017 at 10:21 PM Post #51 of 70
Dobrescu George said:
You listen to metal?

Try something with a lot of cymbals, like Eskimo Callboy - Party At The Horror House.

I enjoy F9 and I don't really mind the spikey spike. In fact, I love it. Makes them nice, clear and treble-happy as I like my IEMs :darthsmile:
Click to expand...

Been listening to a lot of Katatonia lately. Love their latest album! And I just listened to that song. No issues.

:ksc75smile:
 
Oct 22, 2017 at 1:55 AM Post #53 of 70
Selenium said:
Hey Brooko - can you post a song you find that the F9 portrays in a harsh fashion? Not a song that always sound harsh but rather one that bugs you with the F9 in particular.

I'm curious because I've had no such issues with my F9 mk2.
Click to expand...

Sure - Pearl Jam "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town" from the Album Rearview Mirror - it has a lot of cymbal action.

But here's the rub - if you're used to the F9, and your preference is for a lot of lower treble (like George), you may not notice it. The secret is to listen to the track with an earphone that is relatively neutral. I often use my HD600 to recalibrate my hearing (basically to reset it to what i know is tonally correct). Take careful note of the cymbals. Note that with a neutral IEM/headphone, you'll get a nice soft "tish" with natural decay which trails off. then use the F9. The tish becomes a tizzz, and the decay becomes quite harsh. Thats not how a real cymbal sounds.

Try the F9 with any decent jazz tracks as well - Portico Quartet's album is good for this.

Now try it with about 3-5 dB reduction at 7-8 kHz. Notice the difference in presentation.
 
Oct 22, 2017 at 2:20 AM Post #54 of 70
Brooko said:
Sure - Pearl Jam "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town" from the Album Rearview Mirror - it has a lot of cymbal action.

But here's the rub - if you're used to the F9, and your preference is for a lot of lower treble (like George), you may not notice it. The secret is to listen to the track with an earphone that is relatively neutral. I often use my HD600 to recalibrate my hearing (basically to reset it to what i know is tonally correct). Take careful note of the cymbals. Note that with a neutral IEM/headphone, you'll get a nice soft "tish" with natural decay which trails off. then use the F9. The tish becomes a tizzz, and the decay becomes quite harsh. Thats not how a real cymbal sounds.

Try the F9 with any decent jazz tracks as well - Portico Quartet's album is good for this.

Now try it with about 3-5 dB reduction at 7-8 kHz. Notice the difference in presentation.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I guess I need to reset my hearing as you say because I have no issue with how the cymbals in this song sound. I'm using foam tips though.

Maybe I don't listen to enough live music or something.

@Ahmad313 https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fii...-5mm-audio-cable.855281/page-46#post-13781011

They made a few revisions to the design.
 
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Oct 22, 2017 at 3:38 AM Post #55 of 70
I'm using foam tips as well - without the EQ I can listen to it and even become accustomed to it - but it does not sound natural
 
Oct 23, 2017 at 1:11 AM Post #58 of 70
Different earphones, I prefer the B400 out of the box, but yes they are at similar levels technically IMO. I think the B400 is better balanced throughout the frequency though.
 
Oct 25, 2017 at 3:39 PM Post #59 of 70
Brooko said:
I'm using foam tips as well - without the EQ I can listen to it and even become accustomed to it - but it does not sound natural
Click to expand...

I realized after the fact that you probably thought I was dumb for using foam and saying I don't notice the cymbal harshness when you said foam might solve it in the first place... So anywho, I have silicon on my F9s now and again have no problem with how they sound or otherwise notice any spikiness - even when I'm listening for it. Yay for me I guess.:deadhorse:

Edit - On and unrelated note, I think I'm starting to appreciate Pearl Jam. I find the cymbals on the next track(Immortality) of that album to be slightly piercing though.
 
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Oct 26, 2017 at 5:20 AM Post #60 of 70
If you'd like an interesting take ion the track Immortality (I love PJ's version) - try Seether's, particularly from their unplugged album "One Cold Night". Its one of the few times I've preferred a cover to the original.

 
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