Okay I want to start posting some thoughts about the M5 now, I’ve been keeping mental notes of what I am hearing but if I don’t start writing I will lose track!
I’m not a reviewer by any means but I will try to get my thoughts across while being as generic as possible. Apologies in advanced if I sort of ramble/go off track but I’m just writing from what’s in my head.
The build quality of these IEMs is fantastic, they feel up on par if not superior to the 64 audio universal IEMs. Just holding them you can feel the quality of the materials used and how well they have been put together. Easily some of the best there is to offer that I have gotten to experience.
I did not get to use the stock FiR provided cable with the M5 as I do not own a 4.4 to 2.5mm adapter, so all listening was done with my PW Audio 1960s 4 wire and 1950s cable with the provided 2-pin to RCX adapter, so unfortunately i cannot provide any comparisons to the FiR provided cable.
My right ear canal is also rather narrow so the seal is not as good there as my left ear but I didn’t really find it to be an issue in terms of comfort or notice any sound imbalance.
These IEMs are very special. A fully tubeless IEM possesses something about them that is just so pure sounding, I am getting very similar vibes to the tia Fourte with the M5 although the tuning is very different in a positive way. I also find these IEMs to be some of the least fatiguing I have ever heard, I don’t know how to describe it in words well but it just makes me feel like the sounds are floating around in the air around me.
I opted to use symbio w tips with my listening sessions as they’re the most comfortable for me. I am struggling a bit to find a “sound profile” for these IEMs, and by that I mean I can’t really tell if I consider them to be balanced or maybe ever so slightly U-shaped. There are some tracks where I hear the bass and treble to be slightly more present but never do I feel the mids are recessed? It’s hard for me to explain. I think part of this is coming down to how well the bass and treble extends on both ends as well as the genre of music that is being played. It is also a very coherent IEM considering it has 3 different types of drivers at play here. Vocals sound absolutely fantastic and give you the feeling that you have someone sitting there just singing to you personally just a few feet away. Specifically female vocals sound absolutely amazing and may be one of my highlights of these IEMs. The bass is some of the cleanest bass I have heard in quality while also giving you enough quantity to satisfy any bass needs without bleeding into the other frequencies. The treble presence packs a lot of details and extends superbly with a lovely velvety smooth sound to it. I am sure this is with the help of the e-stat driver but with albums I am beyond familiar with such as Ascend by Illenium I am finding myself picking out more details in the higher frequencies than I am used to hearing with my A18t, which is saying quite a lot! There is also plenty of air moving around in the higher notes which sounds absolutely fantastic.
These are rather sensitive IEMs so driving them is no issue even with my iPhone but I do hear quite a bit of hiss with something such as my iBasso DC01, to where I would say it’s not a pleasurable listen unless I turn the volume up loud enough to drown the hiss/waterfall noise out. Obviously with something like my SP2000 it’s relatively quiet and sounds superb. I can also confirm that between both the DC01 and the SP2000 SS I noticed no differences in the actual sound signature and presentation, but obviously the SP2000 provides a much wider stage with better dynamics and a way blacker background.
As a quick cable comparison I found the 1950s to smooth out the M5 sound far too much, I felt it hurt the top end of the IEM which to me is one of the showcase aspects of the M5. Something just sounded a bit off.
The 1960s 4 wire with the M5 is an absolutely stunning pairing. I find the 1960s to be a slightly more revealing and sound extending cable over the 1950s so it just matched so well with the M5. With all that being said, I didn’t notice an immediate difference when I cable swapped. It took about 3 days of listening with the 1960s and then one day with no listening at all, then a day with the 1950s to finally realize that the 1960s pairing was much better.
Overall these IEMs are on the top of my wish list, I told myself I wouldn’t buy another CIEM after being so content with the A18t but these offer something so special that I am considering getting a custom one made in the future depending on some things.
Really looking forward to seeing other people’s impressions who are demo’ing the M5. Hopefully this mini review/impression is useful, it’s the longest I’ve wrote about an IEM and I’m a complete amateur at it. XD I will be sure to post back in this thread of anything relevant I feel the need to share that I did not cover. I am sure I forgot some things.
Happy listening!
