[Brooko]

Balls. Does this mean the FiiO F9 sounds similar to the Kinera H3?

Just a week ago I bought the Kinera H3 and found they had very lean bass to my liking, or more precisely the highs were very more prominent than the bass, so to get to hear the bass the way I wanted the highs were blasting, making them a very fatiguing experience for me (although they were *very* comfortable). I sold them a few days ago and ordered the FiiO F9's after deciding between them and the Simgot EN700 Bass.

If the FiiO F9's are anything like the Kinera H3's I will be selling them with a discount at the blink of an eye.

Any thoughts on compareing the sound of the FiiO F9's with that of the Kinera H3's?

Thanks.

I think Kinera is using other reviewers (their choice). I haven't heard them. I have a pair of Simgot EN700 Pro (can't release review on that until they tell me I can). When they do, I can compare those two.

 

[vyogan]

I don't have the X1 gen2 earphone, but I have a Titan 1 which should be pretty similar (I could be wrong on this - I didn't get to test the EX1ii)

The F9 is in red.



Both should sound similar with the F9 having a slight edge in the upper treble (it can get a bit hot especially with cymbals). If you're sensitive in that area it might be a bit peaky. Otherwise, much better fit, comfort and isolation. Its easily the best sub $100 earphone I've tried to date.

Thanks for the comparison! Don't think I'll be needing this then. I'm trying to look for a less bright, warmer & smoother IEM with good isolation.

I've had the Dunu Titan 1 before, and now I have the Fiio Ex1-ii, they are extremely similar but I find that the Ex1-ii is less sibilant, the treble is more tolerable and there's no treble fatigue. It could be that my ears have gotten used to brighter sound signature, or that I've learnt to listen to music at a lower volume. In any case, they are seriously amazing at the price, so getting the Fiio F9 would only mean getting better isolation but very similar sound looking at the graph.

 

[Suneerat]

Thanks for the comparison! Don't think I'll be needing this then. I'm trying to look for a less bright, warmer & smoother IEM with good isolation.

I've had the Dunu Titan 1 before, and now I have the Fiio Ex1-ii, they are extremely similar but I find that the Ex1-ii is less sibilant, the treble is more tolerable and there's no treble fatigue. It could be that my ears have gotten used to brighter sound signature, or that I've learnt to listen to music at a lower volume. In any case, they are seriously amazing at the price, so getting the Fiio F9 would only mean getting better isolation but very similar sound looking at the graph.

.."they are seriously amazing at the price"..Totally agree,now have bought the 1Moore and with only 4-5 hours of listening i can say they give me moore bass and vider soundstage..they are for sure worth the 47US i bought them for..Have a nice day everyone..Thailand out

 

[cristobalroy]

I notice that the cable don't have slider. Hoping Fiio will make an upgrade cable for f9 with slider. I liked the balance cable. It is very soft. Using it with my Andromeda.

 

[citizen17blr]

Btw the F9s have come to the official Fiio India store. Sold out though.

https://www.fiio.co.in/collections/earphones

 

[nervana]

When will F9 be available on Amazon ?

 

[Amiinn]

Hello,
I tested EX1 II a while ago, I love the sound of it but my main problem with it was the sound leakage. I cannot use them in the office. Even with half of vol all of my colleague can hear the music. How is F9? the sound quality is comparable? what about leakage? My DAP is N3 cayin and I am mostly listen to rock and hard rock.

 

[robervaul]

Nice color

 

[mrjimmybob]

Just got my pair of FiiO F9. I am pleased to say that, to my ears, they do NOT sound like the Kinera H3. The Kinera H3 had a very lean bass, and was very fatiguing to listen to for even short periods of time due to the spike in the highs. (this is my opinion from my experience of course). One thing I must say is that I find the Kinera H3 more comfortable that the FiioF9's.

I am listening head to head to the FiiOF9 and the KZ ZS5, I find the sound very similar, I think I prefer the FiiO F9 a little bit over the KZ ZS5, but the competition is very tight. Given the price difference if I would have known this before I would have just stuck with the KZ ZS5's. The FiiO F9 are more premium, aluminium shell, balanced cable, hard shell case. I am feeling a tiny bit of uncomfort with the FiiO F9, but they are a nice fit and rather comfortable. The KZ ZS5 are a tiny bit more comfortable, but bother me in other aspects, the way the cable wraps around your ear is a bit weird, not as good as the FiiO.

Very nice sound so far, but still I have the feeling there could be something better. I hope I can hold off the feeling at least until next month. Already got the KZ ZS5 and FiiO F9 in less than two weeks. Maybe the Simgot EN700 Bass... Fuuuuuuuu

I am using a Cayin N3 as source.

Another nice addition is the inclusion of a 2.5 balanced cable with the FiiO F9's. Maybe I should update my DAP to one with a balanced output. That should take me out of my misery for sure.

 

[mike138]

Just got my pair of FiiO F9. I am pleased to say that, to my ears, they do NOT sound like the Kinera H3. The Kinera H3 had a very lean bass, and was very fatiguing to listen to for even short periods of time due to the spike in the highs. (this is my opinion from my experience of course). One thing I must say is that I find the Kinera H3 more comfortable that the FiioF9's.

I am listening head to head to the FiiOF9 and the KZ ZS5, I find the sound very similar, I think I prefer the FiiO F9 a little bit over the KZ ZS5, but the competition is very tight. Given the price difference if I would have known this before I would have just stuck with the KZ ZS5's. The FiiO F9 are more premium, aluminium shell, balanced cable, hard shell case. I am feeling a tiny bit of uncomfort with the FiiO F9, but they are a nice fit and rather comfortable. The KZ ZS5 are a tiny bit more comfortable, but bother me in other aspects, the way the cable wraps around your ear is a bit weird, not as good as the FiiO.

Very nice sound so far, but still I have the feeling there could be something better. I hope I can hold off the feeling at least until next month. Already got the KZ ZS5 and FiiO F9 in less than two weeks. Maybe the Simgot EN700 Bass... Fuuuuuuuu

I am using a Cayin N3 as source.

Another nice addition is the inclusion of a 2.5 balanced cable with the FiiO F9's. Maybe I should update my DAP to one with a balanced output. That should take me out of my misery for sure.

I found my F9s a little uncomfortable at first too, but I've gotten used to them now. I found adding Comply tips helped, and I like the sound better.

Now I'm just waiting for the Q1 mkII to come out. That has a balanced output, so added to my phone I can have a pretty good portable rig with balanced output for $200. Not bad at all.

 

[OakIris]

Now my interest is caught, but it seems they are not available for sale anywhere in the USA; Aliexpress says they are not available - is this their way of saying out of stock?

Bummer - I want instant gratification but apparently I will have to be patient. lol - plenty of time for more reviews to come out, I suppose, and perhaps they will make me change my mind! My wallet would appreciate that...

Holly

 

[Griffith]

Now my interest is caught, but it seems they are not available for sale anywhere in the USA; Aliexpress says they are not available - is this their way of saying out of stock?

Bummer - I want instant gratification but apparently I will have to be patient. lol - plenty of time for more reviews to come out, I suppose, and perhaps they will make me change my mind! My wallet would appreciate that...

Holly

Right now Fiio is having trouble keeping stock because there is high demand for the F9, they advise people to try to obtain them from the local resellers but, in any case, I have an order with them through their Aliexpress store and they told me they would have the normal F9 with removable cable back in stock around mid September, so in a couple of weeks more or less. Though I'm not sure if those orders will go towards filling orders like mine that are waiting for stock or if any units will make it to the store. Either way, when my unit ships I will check the store. If there are units in stock again I'll let you know in this thread.

 

[mike138]

Now my interest is caught, but it seems they are not available for sale anywhere in the USA; Aliexpress says they are not available - is this their way of saying out of stock?

Bummer - I want instant gratification but apparently I will have to be patient. lol - plenty of time for more reviews to come out, I suppose, and perhaps they will make me change my mind! My wallet would appreciate that...

Holly

I ordered mine from Penon Audio and got it in a few days in the US.

 

[OakIris]

I ordered mine from Penon Audio and got it in a few days in the US.

I am going to check them out. Thank you, mike 138!

Holly

 

[TheoS53]

Just got my pair of FiiO F9. I am pleased to say that, to my ears, they do NOT sound like the Kinera H3. The Kinera H3 had a very lean bass, and was very fatiguing to listen to for even short periods of time due to the spike in the highs. (this is my opinion from my experience of course). One thing I must say is that I find the Kinera H3 more comfortable that the FiioF9's.

I am listening head to head to the FiiOF9 and the KZ ZS5, I find the sound very similar, I think I prefer the FiiO F9 a little bit over the KZ ZS5, but the competition is very tight. Given the price difference if I would have known this before I would have just stuck with the KZ ZS5's. The FiiO F9 are more premium, aluminium shell, balanced cable, hard shell case. I am feeling a tiny bit of uncomfort with the FiiO F9, but they are a nice fit and rather comfortable. The KZ ZS5 are a tiny bit more comfortable, but bother me in other aspects, the way the cable wraps around your ear is a bit weird, not as good as the FiiO.

Very nice sound so far, but still I have the feeling there could be something better. I hope I can hold off the feeling at least until next month. Already got the KZ ZS5 and FiiO F9 in less than two weeks. Maybe the Simgot EN700 Bass... Fuuuuuuuu

I am using a Cayin N3 as source.

Another nice addition is the inclusion of a 2.5 balanced cable with the FiiO F9's. Maybe I should update my DAP to one with a balanced output. That should take me out of my misery for sure.

After spending a bit more time with the F9 I too can confirm that it doesn't share the same weakness as that of the H3. However, I always find it amusing (interesting) how people's perceptions can differ of a product. Personally I think the H3 has a bit more bass, and I think the F9 wins in the comfort department. Overall I think the H3 has the more "fun" signature, but I also agree that the H3 has a rather fatiguing signature.

The F9...man, Fiio, you guys did a fantastic job here. With the smoke tips the F9 is a little bright for me, where as the red tips (or whatever colour comes with the black version) seem to reign in the highs a bit, leaving me with what seems to be a more well-balanced sound. But for me personally where the F9 really shines is when using the JVC Spiral Dot tips. The just seem to give the F9 that little extra refinement. And really, that's what it comes down to for me between the H3 and the F9. The H3 has the more "fun" sound, whereas the F9 (Spiral Dots) offers a more mature, refined, coherent sound. For me the F9 feels as close to a REFERENCE sound as I you're gonna get around this price point..heck, perhaps even a few price points above too! It just feels like the F9 isn't trying too hard, like it's able to give you a genuinely refined sound without coming across as artificial.

Once again, FANTASTIC job, Fiio!