[mochill]

Yes - you can use 3rd party cables, and no - no-one else does a similar cap to Fidue. That's where true leaders show innovation, and that's one of the ways you can build a standard though. By supporting a good idea. The more who adopt, the more it will be recognised. Even the longest journey starts with a single step.

I think Sony was the first to adopt the screw on mmcx cable scene

 

[enragedlemon]

Please don't include a better cable. I believe that one of the strongest points of the f9 is the price. There are many excellent iems, but they cost a lot, so you should strive to keep the price as low as possible, to stay in the "affordable but high quality" niche.

I like the fact that the f9 doesn't have boomy bass, but keeps it almost at reference level, with a slight boost. The main issue for professional use, is the peaks it has, especially at 8khz. The 30017 may solve the issue, but what can a cable do except increase the price even more? Maybe add 0.3db from 18khz to 40khz? The f9 has the crispiness that many like for consumer use, but with the pro you should try to achieve a frequency response as flat as the price range permits.

I would hope it would be something along the lines of their balanced cable range which look beautiful but aren't that expensive.

 

[enragedlemon]

James - whichever the most premium version will be - would you consider switching to 2-pin instead of MMCX?

Have you had the opportunity to try out the F9 with FiiO's separate balanced cable series? I am wondering how this will impact the sound curve; whether it will make the 8khz bounce better, worse, or no change. I adore that cable series so I have one on order to use with the F9. I don't mind using EQ to null it out but it makes changing outputs a PITA... I would much prefer a physical solution like a cable change.

 

[JamesFiiO]

Please don't include a better cable. I believe that one of the strongest points of the f9 is the price. There are many excellent iems, but they cost a lot, so you should strive to keep the price as low as possible, to stay in the "affordable but high quality" niche.

I like the fact that the f9 doesn't have boomy bass, but keeps it almost at reference level, with a slight boost. The main issue for professional use, is the peaks it has, especially at 8khz. The 30017 may solve the issue, but what can a cable do except increase the price even more? Maybe add 0.3db from 18khz to 40khz? The f9 has the crispiness that many like for consumer use, but with the pro you should try to achieve a frequency response as flat as the price range permits.

the cable will not cost so much and of course we will control the price .

 

[datranz]

@James, how much will the f9pro cost? depending on price, I have a few college kids who would love very nice Christmas presents.

 

[JamesFiiO]

Please don't include a better cable. I believe that one of the strongest points of the f9 is the price. There are many excellent iems, but they cost a lot, so you should strive to keep the price as low as possible, to stay in the "affordable but high quality" niche.

I like the fact that the f9 doesn't have boomy bass, but keeps it almost at reference level, with a slight boost. The main issue for professional use, is the peaks it has, especially at 8khz. The 30017 may solve the issue, but what can a cable do except increase the price even more? Maybe add 0.3db from 18khz to 40khz? The f9 has the crispiness that many like for consumer use, but with the pro you should try to achieve a frequency response as flat as the price range permits.

also about the peaks at 9 khz, it is comes from the 2BA and very similar with 30017, we have compare with a lots of famous IEM which used 30017, there are not big different during the range.

 

[JamesFiiO]

@James, how much will the f9pro cost? depending on price, I have a few college kids who would love very nice Christmas presents.

@James, how much will the f9pro cost? depending on price, I have a few college kids who would love very nice Christmas presents.

We have not accurate M.S.R.P right now ,but it should be around $150 in U.S

 

[JamesFiiO]

here is the different between current 2BA and Knowlege ( blue )

 

[Brooko]

Nice James - what are you using for measuring kit if you don't mind me asking? Your 7-8 kHz peak is a bit smaller than I'm measuring, but rest of the curve is quite similar to my measurements on my budget set-up.

 

[ryanjsoo]

Received the X7 II and F9 and have been putting them through their paces. I will save the X7 II for another time but thought some impressions of the F9 would be good since the attention seems to have been directed more towards Fiio's new players.

The F9 is a triple driver hybrid priced at $100, it's a step up from the single dynamic driver based F5 and is the first in the series to assumes an over-ear fit. It has a similar unboxing and accessory set to the F5 with the same Pelican inspired hard case, 6 pairs of tips and 2 cables, one braided with a 2.5mm balanced connection and a regular 3.5mm TRS cable with a 3-button remote.

The F9 is immediately a lot nicer than previous Fiio earphones in terms of build and aesthetics, they have a completely aluminium clad housing with a really intriguing ripple texture that propagates along their outer face. They are a little on the larger side though their inner face and rears are very smooth, resulting in quite a comfortable fit without no hot spots. I didn't notice any issues with the MMCX connectors, my F9 is noticeably tighter than my F5 which had some issues with the cables falling out. That being said, due to the design of the housings, 3rd party cable options are quite limited since the housings on the plugs are too large for the F9.

As for sound, with that price and driver setup, the F9 is in direct comparison with models like the K3 HD/Pro and Kinera H3 but also competes with earphones of other driver types like the TFZ King and Exclusive 5. The F9 is more on the dynamic, engaging side, it has a modestly V-shaped sound with a focus more on the higher frequencies with the black tips installed. Bass is sub-bass orientated but a bit loose and mids are very spacious and clear though somewhat unnatural in voicing. Highs are very crisp and quite aggressively detailed without sounding too thin, they're in the same ballpark as the Kinera H3. Resolution immediately stood out to me, they layer and resolve pretty well for the price, only accentuated by their clear tuning. From first impression, they are a sort of hybrid between the bassier Exclusive 5 and more immediate, raw sounding King though time will tell whether they can compete on a technical level. So far I'm pretty impressed with their quality though the tuning seems a bit wonky. Please note that these are very brief first impression, I'll be putting them through some burn-in and try swapping the tips and cables before writing up my full review.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

I mean that there are not 3rd party cable supports such design although they all can be used in Fidue's MMCX.

The current connect system is just fine for most users. I think reviews will note the treble peak and strength though. A pinch of EQ and these are amazing in sound and quality but that peak...is gonna get criticism.

 

[ryanjsoo]

The current connect system is just fine for most users. I think reviews will note the treble peak and strength though. A pinch of EQ and these are amazing in sound and quality but that peak...is gonna get criticism.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of eQ since the results can be quite inconsistent between devices and the user really should not have to adjust on their end, Fiio should have worked out some form of dampening to address the issue to begin with. That being said, I didn't find the F9 to be unbearable, compared to other similarly priced earphones, they are far from the worst I've heard. I also didn't experience any issues with the MMCX connectors though the angle and position of the plug does prevent the use of a lot of 3rd party cables.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

That being said, I didn't find the F9 to be unbearable, compared to other similarly priced earphones, they are far from the worst I've heard.

That is high praise lol

I didn't say the user had to do anything. I said what I did and what might become a noted "con" in the reviews which is the treble peak. I think they are great. I do not think the TFZ KING or Exclusive 5 are very good at all really. I wouldn't rec them anyway so we have different opinions which is good for Head-Fi and the folks who read the site but don't join. I rec the F9 and make note of treble and if EQ is acceptable...then they can be fantastic in sound and comfort. They can decide if that caveat is too much for themselves.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of eQ since the results can be quite inconsistent between devices and the user really should not have to adjust on their end, Fiio should have worked out some form of dampening to address the issue to begin with. That being said, I didn't find the F9 to be unbearable, compared to other similarly priced earphones, they are far from the worst I've heard. I also didn't experience any issues with the MMCX connectors though the angle and position of the plug does prevent the use of a lot of 3rd party cables.

That is high praise lol

I didn't say the user had to do anything. I said what I did and what might become a noted "con" in the reviews which is the treble peak. I think they are great. I do not think the TFZ KING or Exclusive 5 are very good at all really. I wouldn't rec them anyway so we have different opinions which is good for Head-Fi and the folks who read the site but don't join. I rec the F9 and make note of treble and if EQ is acceptable...then they can be fantastic in sound and comfort. They can decide if that caveat is too much for themselves.

The peak everyone is talking about, is it a RE-800 type of peak, or even less of a peak than that?

 

[ryanjsoo]

That is high praise lol

I didn't say the user had to do anything. I said what I did and what might become a noted "con" in the reviews which is the treble peak. I think they are great. I do not think the TFZ KING or Exclusive 5 are very good at all really. I wouldn't rec them anyway so we have different opinions which is good for Head-Fi and the folks who read the site but don't join. I rec the F9 and make note of treble and if EQ is acceptable...then they can be fantastic in sound and comfort. They can decide if that caveat is too much for themselves.

No worries, I respect that, having more impressions is always a good thing even if they don't all align, it's better for the community. I honestly just briefly touched on the F9, I actually spent more time photographing them hehe. The other Chi-fi stuff is for another time, good for the price is honestly the most anticlimactic thing anyone can write in a review so inevitably they tend to get a bit hyperbolized and hyped. There also seems to be a misconception where best in class become best in world haha. Basically, if you want audio advice, don't go to Reddit and if you're giving a recommendation on Head-fi, try to keep it grounded.