[sp33ls]

Fingers crossed, I had very high hopes for these...

I will say, I had the same first impressions when I picked up a pair of IE 900. Turns out they were just super fakes.
Sounded exactly as described... rolled off top-end, yet sibilant. Muffled. Lacking definition. Just, not good.

Then, I picked up a pair directly from HP.com and it's been a completely different experience.

I hope your buddy didn't somehow end up with a fraudulent pair -- i.e., someone buys both a fake and a legit pair, then returns the fake pair but keeps the legit pair. The retailer has no idea, and the super fakes look nearly identical, so they list it as "open box" or something.
It's sad, but there are a lot of fake IE 900s out there from what I've seen. And, they sound like sh!t.

So your evaluation of the iem is correct. And if you don't like that, then that's okay.

Also true.

 

[s4tch]

These are original, bought brand new from an official retailer a week or two ago.

Stock tips (sorry owner, I'll try to clean them lol), AK XB10: completely different sounding earphones. The weird, both sibilant and rolled off treble is still there, but much less pronounced, and at least the bass isn't that bloated. Mids are still a bit recessed to my liking, still, it's night and day, factory tips do these some justice. And I've tried like 4-5 pairs of tips before, neither of them sounded anything close to this.

Now I get some of the hype. And they kick ass with bassdrums. Lamb of God is proper tight. From 3/10 to an easy 7.5/10 in a second. Phew lol, that's some relief. Thanks guys, I thought something wasn't right. I'm still not utterly impressed and considering the price these wouldn't be my first choice to replace the P1's, but at least I know that there's potential here.

As for the sources, the Powerdac is still too warm for these, the AK XB10 is a better pairing when it comes to tonality. Benjie's fine too, damn, that thing was like 20 bucks ages ago.

 

[Peti]

Man, it drivers me nuts to read these conflicting reports on the IE900!

 

[dgjl]

These are original, bought brand new from an official retailer a week or two ago.

Stock tips (sorry owner, I'll try to clean them lol), AK XB10: completely different sounding earphones. The weird, both sibilant and rolled off treble is still there, but much less pronounced, and at least the bass isn't that bloated. Mids are still a bit recessed to my liking, still, it's night and day, factory tips do these some justice. And I've tried like 4-5 pairs of tips before, neither of them sounded anything close to this.

Now I get some of the hype. And they kick ass with bassdrums. Lamb of God is proper tight. From 3/10 to an easy 7.5/10 in a second. Phew lol, that's some relief. Thanks guys, I thought something wasn't right. I'm still not utterly impressed and considering the price these wouldn't be my first choice to replace the P1's, but at least I know that there's potential here.

As for the sources, the Powerdac is still too warm for these, the AK XB10 is a better pairing when it comes to tonality. Benjie's fine too, damn, that thing was like 20 bucks ages ago.

Tip rolling can be a long journey with any IEM. Search this thread for some good ideas. Personally stocks don't fit my ears. I get terrific results from Spinfits and AZLA SednaEarfit MAX.

 

[s4tch]

Tip rolling can be a long journey with any IEM. Search this thread for some good ideas. Personally stocks don't fit my ears. I get terrific results from Spinfits and AZLA SednaEarfit MAX.

Yeah that's what I've been doing in the last few hours. Spinfit works, Spiral Dot doesn't, some cheapo $1 chinese stuff works, neither of the foam tips are tolerable (way too bassy), etc. These are probably even more sensitive to tip rolling than the P1, and that's already a proper bitch in that regard lol (only works with some foams for me, but that's nirvana)

 

[Voltriant]

AZLA SednaEarfit MAX

I second the Azlas.
I really enjoy my IE900 with them. For me they are better than the stock tips.

 

[sp33ls]

These are original, bought brand new from an official retailer a week or two ago.

Stock tips (sorry owner, I'll try to clean them lol), AK XB10: completely different sounding earphones. The weird, both sibilant and rolled off treble is still there, but much less pronounced, and at least the bass isn't that bloated. Mids are still a bit recessed to my liking, still, it's night and day, factory tips do these some justice. And I've tried like 4-5 pairs of tips before, neither of them sounded anything close to this.

Now I get some of the hype. And they kick ass with bassdrums. Lamb of God is proper tight. From 3/10 to an easy 7.5/10 in a second. Phew lol, that's some relief. Thanks guys, I thought something wasn't right. I'm still not utterly impressed and considering the price these wouldn't be my first choice to replace the P1's, but at least I know that there's potential here.

As for the sources, the Powerdac is still too warm for these, the AK XB10 is a better pairing when it comes to tonality. Benjie's fine too, damn, that thing was like 20 bucks ages ago.

Sounds like the tuning may not be for you. I find it quite enjoyable because my ears are quite sensitive to more forward mids and upper-mids.
Plus, you still can't beat the coherency, dynamics, and timbre of a single, dynamic driver. I prioritize these over some other traits (like detail retrieval, soundstage, etc).

Seems like you'd be happier with some IEMs which have more mid-range energy.

 

[Infoseeker]

Man, it drivers me nuts to read these conflicting reports on the IE900!

IE900 has its gimmicks, and what it does; it does great. That mid-bass will make any drum feel well-rounded.

Use it for a rock band & heavy metal genre, and you won't notice any lacking edge to instrumental tones for that genre.

Use it for more intrumental genres you'll notice it's missing some upper harmonics of many instruments.

Comes down to what you listen to (and what you prioritize).

 

[FcConstruct]

If anyone's interested in IE 600 vs IE 900, here's my review comparing them: https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/sennheiser-ie-600-comparative-review-a-cheaper-ie-900

 

[Tybot]

I'm sure this has been covered ad nauseum, but what material is the stock cable made of?

If someone wants to sell theirs, mine is about to break. Thanks.

 

[roadrat]

I'm sure this has been covered ad nauseum, but what material is the stock cable made of?

If someone wants to sell theirs, mine is about to break. Thanks.

Get the Linsoul Amber cable. I got mine last week and am very happy with it.

 

[Infoseeker]

Tripowin Amber cable you mean to say.

 

[Tybot]

Get the Linsoul Amber cable. I got mine last week and am very happy with it.

Thanks! Just ordered one. I also found my Plussound MMCX connectors fit the IE900.

 

[roadrat]

Tripowin Amber cable you mean to say.

Thank you

 

[Danieru Senpai]

A bit out of context but I'm visiting Japan in June and would love to compare my beloved IE 900 to other IEMs and also trying headphones I've always been curious about.

I'm particularly interested in hearing the IER-Z1r/M9 in person (have a soft spot for Sony products so I'm curious). Anyone know if Dynamic Audio, Yodobashi Camera or another store near Tokyo has these Sony IEMs available for testing?