[mykeldg]

Just modded the Stock Silicone tips. I removed the fins underneath the medium & large tips. The results are positive. It seals better now and its alot more comfortable. Before I can only use the small tips. Now I can even use the large with no issues in comfort & seal. Due to the better seal and appropriate bore size, sound improved as well, much better than all silicone & foam tips i've tried. almost all aftermarket foam & silicone tips have less than 6mm nozzle size. IMO fitting a smaller bore size tip affects resolution & subtleties in the treble.

 

[loomisjohnson]

my (favorable) impressions are now posted on aproear. you'll find phones at this price point which are more refined/resolving, or have a bigger stage (and certainly nicer build), but the ch9t is ideal for how most real people (which excludes most of us freaks) will use it, which is to say listening on-the-go or at the gym with a mobile phone--it's pretty easy to drive, sounds good with lower-quality files and not especially source-sensitive. for that reason, i think i might like it better than the technically superior peers like the k3, although the simgot and fidue a73 are my current faves. the pioneer notches the similar-sounding pmv a01, which i also really like.

 

[jant71]

What do you mean "certainly nicer build"? Having the Pioneer before anyone and using them for outside exercise use they are certainly above average to me. Things like the PMV or Fidue can't have better build and I have read more than a few posts of Fidue A73 crapping out after a while. MMCX is in there good, the metal housing is very solid, and the cable is sturdier than it looks. Mine have been through drops and yanks and sweat and plenty of use and don't have a mark on them, no cable hardening around the ear or unraveling or other issues. No promises of them being military grade but "certainly nicer build" like it is easily found at the price point doesn't fit to me

 

[loomisjohnson]

What do you mean "certainly nicer build"? Having the Pioneer before anyone and using them for outside exercise use they are certainly above average to me. Things like the PMV or Fidue can't have better build and I have read more than a few posts of Fidue A73 crapping out after a while. MMCX is in there good, the metal housing is very solid, and the cable is sturdier than it looks. Mine have been through drops and yanks and sweat and plenty of use and don't have a mark on them, no cable hardening around the ear or unraveling or other issues. No promises of them being military grade but "certainly nicer build" like it is easily found at the price point doesn't fit to me

it's more of a visceral/aesthetic thing, which is of course subjective and probably stupid on my part, but compared to my other >$100 iems the pioneers come across as more plasticy, esp. the cable, though they are solid enough. the sq, where it most matters, is vg.

 

[Lurk650]

Im sorry Loomis, I don't agree with your review on the bass in these. They are well suited for EDM, I listen to it all the time at the gym. You have had them for less than 48hrs and put out a review, that's a bit rushed before they have time to cook and settle and get used to their sig.

 

[loomisjohnson]

Im sorry Loomis, I don't agree with your review on the bass in these. They are well suited for EDM, I listen to it all the time at the gym. You have had them for less than 48hrs and put out a review, that's a bit rushed before they have time to cook and settle and get used to their sig.

lurk, i've used these exclusively since i got 'em (unprecedented for me), so before posting i had three or so separate sessions of a few hours each; also tried 'em with both my mobile and a topping nx1s and with stock tips as well as complys. i don't mean to suggest that these are bass-deficient, but when i listened to stuff like the prodigy or kraftwerk i hear the bass rather than feel it--stated another way i'm hearing emphasis on the mids rather than on the lowend. by no means a bad thing, btw, it's my perception of the sound sig. all that said, as you advise i'm gonna spend more time and revise as necessary.

 

[Lurk650]

lurk, i've used these exclusively since i got 'em (unprecedented for me), so before posting i had three or so separate sessions of a few hours each; also tried 'em with both my mobile and a topping nx1s and with stock tips as well as complys. i don't mean to suggest that these are bass-deficient, but when i listened to stuff like the prodigy or kraftwerk i hear the bass rather than feel it--stated another way i'm hearing emphasis on the mids rather than on the lowend. by no means a bad thing, btw, it's my perception of the sound sig. all that said, as you advise i'm gonna spend more time and revise as necessary.

Ok that makes sense, I can agree to that though some songs I can feel it though, my CM5 though can be quite visceral though without the texture and tightness of the CH9T

Interested to see how, or if, they change at all for ya!

 

[Aphex72]

The Pioneer has an excellent bass IMO. I really like listening electronic music and techno with CH9T.

 

[zeroing in]

I just got mine today through amazon prime for $113. My first impression out of the box was...I am sending these back, no bass abd highs are shrill, little to no isolation, real disappointed.

I decided to switch out tips to the larger ones and that solved all my complaints. Bass is plenty, isolation is good, no longer shrill, my only complaint now is the tips are hurting my ears

With comfortable tips and maybe better cables these would be great. I recently listened to an audio technica ls50i's and I also liked those a lot and they were real comfy right out of the box with good isolation, very secure fit no discomfort and to me sounded just as good. I think I would go for the ls70i and i may do that if these continue to hurt my ears.
These do sound real Nice though it would be a shame to return them.

I am running a v20 using tidal hifi.

 

[Lurk650]

I just got mine today through amazon prime for $113. My first impression out of the box was...I am sending these back, no bass abd highs are shrill, little to no isolation, real disappointed.

I decided to switch out tips to the larger ones and that solved all my complaints. Bass is plenty, isolation is good, no longer shrill, my only complaint now is the tips are hurting my ears

With comfortable tips and maybe better cables these would be great. I recently listened to an audio technica ls50i's and I also liked those a lot and they were real comfy right out of the box with good isolation, very secure fit no discomfort and to me sounded just as good. I think I would go for the ls70i and i may do that if these continue to hurt my ears.
These do sound real Nice though it would be a shame to return them.

I am running a v20 using tidal hifi.

These are pretty easy to tip swap, foamies and Spiral Dots are my go to. Though I did switch back to the Large stock tips and besides being kind of shallow so they don't stay super secure at the gym, I have no complaints about sound.

Cable swap is also easy, I listened one I got for cheap on Amazon a few posts back.

 

[zeroing in]

So officially i am really loving these...A LOT!

Definitely keepers, can not imagine what i am actually missing with others?

Still havnt solved the comfort issue but i suspect its just new tips and I'll be good to go.
Streaming tidal hi-fi has been a revelation!

Some go to tracks:
1. Elysium (original mix) Eekkoo
2. Toto (i will remember)
3. Fleetwood Mac (Rhiannon)
4. Cake (war pigs)
5. Take it all back (judah & the lion)

 

[loomisjohnson]

I have edited my aproear review to characterize the bass as rich-textured and well-defined but not basshead boosted. Some here have commented that they enjoy these with EDM and bass-heavy genres.

 

[aertus]

how do these compare to Sony and Sennheiser competitors.

 

[loomisjohnson]

i actually enjoy the senn momentum, which is very v-shaped, with a big stage and is easy to listen to for long periods; but the pio is much better technically--more coherent and natural sounding, esp. in the treble. i'd also rate the pio higher than the sony xba h1/h2, which also sound big and image well, but sound overbright to me. bass is also better detailed on the pio.

 

[mykeldg]

I also used to have sennheiser ie8 and in a nutshell, based on memory, i prefer the CH9T especially after SPC cable and decent tips.