[dkstott]

I asked this question earlier, but it may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Can anyone tell me if the Westone epic mmcx cables will work without any interference on the F9?

Thanks

 

[397324]

This is their website address: http://www.fiio.net/fiio You are on their official website when you are visiting their forums.

Holly

Sorry, I was referring to someone asking if a particular IEM, which I've never heard of, had been compared to the F9 and not FiiO's own forum.

 

[OakIris]

LOL! It's pretty awesome to see that if you search "fiio f9 eartips" in Google, one of my images is the first result.

Anyways, regarding your question......you've got the F9, so you've got both sets of tips. So why not listen to each for yourself and see which gives you an elevated bass response?

+1 And then let us know!

 

[OakIris]

Sorry, I was referring to someone asking if a particular IEM, which I've never heard of, had been compared to the F9 and not FiiO's own forum.

DOH! Sorry, I misunderstood.

Holly

 

[397324]

I found something on FiiO's Facebook page that shows a picture stating the Black and Red tips are the EQ sound versions and the opaque tips with the larger bore are the bass versions. I find the opposite as the opaques don't fit me as well.

 

[sjb57]

I have never had iem's with mmcx connectors until today when my F9's arrived, so this is all very strange to me. I was shocked to find how hard it was to attach the cable to the iem and then detach it again. It took some force. Is this right? Also, there is a gap between the iem and the shoulder of the cable - maybe to get your finger nails in to prise them apart. Is this right, too? I'm a bit worried that I could damage my brand new F9's. Thanks.

 

[TheoS53]

I have never had iem's with mmcx connectors until today when my F9's arrived, so this is all very strange to me. I was shocked to find how hard it was to attach the cable to the iem and then detach it again. It took some force. Is this right? Also, there is a gap between the iem and the shoulder of the cable - maybe to get your finger nails in to prise them apart. Is this right, too? I'm a bit worried that I could damage my brand new F9's. Thanks.

It's normal. After a little wear and tear the cables do become more manageable

 

[Static shock]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and this is my first posting. First posting on any forum period.

TLDR: Will these fit ppl with smaller than average ear canals?
Are they easy to power?

Long version: I've been looking for new IEMs and stumbled upon the f9 and this forum. I've had the Sony xba-1 for a few years now and the cable gave out. So I need a replacement quickly lol.

My main question is about the fit. I guess I seem to have smaller than average ear canals. I'm using the smallest tips on my xba-1, and they barely go into my canals, so they sometimes pop out of my ears.
Would the f9 w/ smallest tips be smaller than the xba-1?
Would 3rd party tip be a better option?

The xba-1 was my first quality iem. I liked the way they sounded but don't have anything to compare them to.
However, I did find them easier to power. Was able to listen on lower volume, which saved me battery life.
Will the f9 have the same benefit?

I'm mainly listen off my phone. On public transit during rush hour and sometimes at work.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

 

[Griffith]

TLDR: Will these fit ppl with smaller than average ear canals?

I have average sized ear canals but I don't find the nozzle for the F9 particularly large so I think they should fit fine provided you used the correct tips.

Are they easy to power?

Yes.

Would the f9 w/ smallest tips be smaller than the xba-1?

No idea.

Would 3rd party tip be a better option?

Earphone tips and earphone comfort are something that varies from person to person. This is something that only you can tell. What I can tell you is that the Fiio F9 sits comfortably inside your inner ear and that in itself should keep them from popping out. They are one of the most comfortable earphones I have ever used.

The xba-1 was my first quality iem. I liked the way they sounded but don't have anything to compare them to.

From what I could discern from the Frequency Response of the XBA-1 I think the Fiio F9 will offer a similar'ish type of sound with a couple of differences. If I'm not mistaken I think the XBA-1 would have stronger bass than the F9 but less treble response, or less aggressive treble response. The Fiio F9 should sound more balanced and the highs a bit brighter but this is a bit speculative in my part since I was unable to find measures. If you like the warmness and strong bass of the XBA-1 I think that there are options that you might appreciate more than the F9, but if you would prefer a bit more balanced sound signature, the F9 should please you.

However, I did find them easier to power. Was able to listen on lower volume, which saved me battery life.
Will the f9 have the same benefit?

Yes.

I'm mainly listen off my phone. On public transit during rush hour and sometimes at work.

In my experience the F9 seal extremely well, are very comfortable and can be used comfortably even lying down sideways or under a helmet.

If you want recommendations on an earphone or line or earphones that might sound a bit more similar to the XBA-1, I would point you towards the TFZ line of earphones which has some models that are well regarded for that characteristic.

I hope this answers your questions.

 

[Suneerat]

"Griffith"..just want to say this:

Awsome reply,you took the time and effort to comply a very thoughtfull answer to this new Boardmember,good on you Griffith.I hope this new member feel the "warmth"this Board can offer new AND old members.Have an awsome day everyone.....Me back to get my first cup of Java this morning..

 

[JamesFiiO]

I get so frustrated with the official FiiO forum. They always seem to misread your question. Here's the question I asked:

"There is a bit of a discussion on Head-fi.org going on regarding F9 tips. The question is, which tips are the bass tips? Is it the colour matched tips (Red or Black) or the opaque tips?"

Pretty straightforward, don't you agree. Here's the answer:

"The all black ones should have more bass, and the matched colored ones should be more balanced."

Right. The red and black tips ARE the colour matched tips! You get either colour depending on the colour of your IEMs. Then both colours of F9 get the opaque tips that have slightly larger openings. So I still don't know the answer!

Just for clarity, here are the tips I got with my red F9's. Notice the total lack of black tips!!!!

when we talking about the SQ it is always a subjective issues so we are try to not to put more word about this on our website, but for the tips, yes, we may wrong and just believed what you feel . it is just for reference.

 

[Selenium]

Just got paid and ready to spring for the F9... Annnnnd its out if stock, at least as far as I can tell regarding US suppliers(and I don't want the SE version).

 

[Dobrescu George]

Received F9 - I'll only leave quick thoughts for now:

- Much smaller than expected
- Much more comfortable than expected
- Black color - I LOVE IT!!
- Box is nice, has more than enough accessories
- The build quality is really good
- I'd like to see 2 Pin connectors next time, but thje mmcx implementation is really good this time
- Black Color!
- Balanced cables

About the sound now:
- Energetic
- Lively
- Dynamic
- Impressive
- Revealing
- Only competitor in this price range is Kinera H3, all the other competitors that have a similarly good sound are from 300$ and up.
- There is NO PEAK, it sounds very natural. HiFiMAN RE-800 has a peak that I can hear, F9 has none, F9 does not sound fatiguing at all, it is just energetic and lovely
- Female voices sound awesome
- Electronic sounds awesome
- Metal sounds awewome
- Rock sounds awesome

@FiiO - HOW IS THIS JUST 100$ OR SO?! Sound and package is much better than this price range. Please keep this tonality for all your IEMs, this is how music should sound like!!!

I apologize, but F9 is not peaky, it is energetic and lively at most, Kinera H3 is already bright and can be a bit harsh with certain materials, especially J-pop and K-pop, but F9 is not peaky nor harsh, it is just lively and energetic to those ears. Subjectively speaking, I love them!

On the cons, isolation is ok, but not as extreme as it was described.

I mean, they isolate well from the outside noise, but they leak sound, at least enough to be audible for someone who is sitting next to me, while I'm wearing them.

 

[Brooko]

George

Might pay for you to qualify this a bit. Saying there is no peak is misleading - as I know you like treble a lot of us find too intense. Unless you got a pair with vastly different QC / tuning to others, the peak is there, and its measurable. Do a tone sweep, and you'll hear it. It may be tolerable to you - but saying there is no peak is wrong.

Also - how loud are you listening and what tips are you using? I can sit beside my wife (who has incredible hearing), and at 70-75dB in a relatively quiet room (just an aircon in the background) she can't hear them. I have to be well over 80dB for it to be audible. Tips used are Comply.

Oh and here is the measured peak:

You are welcome to use the graph in your review if you want.

 

[Dobrescu George]

George

Might pay for you to qualify this a bit. Saying there is no peak is misleading - as I know you like treble a lot of us find too intense. Unless you got a pair with vastly different QC / tuning to others, the peak is there, and its measurable. Do a tone sweep, and you'll hear it. It may be tolerable to you - but saying there is no peak is wrong.

Also - how loud are you listening and what tips are you using? I can sit beside my wife (who has incredible hearing), and at 70-75dB in a relatively quiet room (just an aircon in the background) she can't hear them. I have to be well over 80dB for it to be audible. Tips used are Comply.

Oh and here is the measured peak:

You are welcome to use the graph in your review if you want.

Thank you, Paul!

You are very helpful as always!

I am using the included red-white tips, right now powering F9 from Opus #2 and the volume is really loud - cannot measure it in dB, but loud. I wouldn't expect anyone to hear them at low and normal listening volumes, but for example, ER4-XR aren't audible from the outside at high listening volumes either

About the peak, while I see it on the list, it doesn't sound like it does on RE-800. F9 sounds bright, energetic and lively at most, but doesn't have that peaky sound where it comes in as hot and leaves a fatigue after long sessions of listening at high volumes, rather, its signature is like that. I think that it is comparable with ie800, which might have a similar peak, but is never fatiguing nor does it sound peaky.

To get a better idea of what means peaky to me, when cymbal crashes sound very metallic and they leave a tizzing / ringing in one's ears, that is peaky to me. When something juyst has a virbant top end, even if it looks peaky on the graphs, as long as it doesn't come off as metallic, I have a hard time naming it peaky. Maybe bright if you want to give it a negative interface.

Like the original HD800 was really peaky - and where HD800S solved that issue.

Oh yes, I wanted to bring this in the conversation actually - RE-800 has a similar graph, but to those ears it sounds vastly different.

I wonder if the difference lies in the relative difference from the midrange.

At any rate, I am sensitive to metallic sounds and to peaky uncomfortable sounds, but F9 comes off as rather modest in this aspect, although the signature is not on the relaxed treble side, like F5, DK-3001, ONP, EN700Bass and so on, all of those being relaxed in the treble.