[FooFighter]

Have you tried M8 with bass-emphasized and warmer headphones and IEMs? How do they handle its warmth and midbass emphasis?

Denon AH-D9200: excellent
MEST MKII: excellent
Trailliis: good but could do better as I think it needs more air to sing to its full potential
Elysium: dream pairing for relaxed lullaby listening especially vocals are on Trailli level but overall better synergy with M8 than the birds
Susvaras (double amping needed through Flux FA-10 or Ferrum OOR): non fatigueing and more meat to the bones but less resolving and airy than M30 on same power amps.

 

[gLer]

Denon AH-D9200: excellent
MEST MKII: excellent
Trailliis: good but could do better as I think it needs more air to sing to its full potential
Susvaras (double amping needed through Flux FA-10 or Ferrum OOR): non fatigueing and more meat to the bones but less resolving and airy than M30 on same power amps.

Yeah I meant more bass-focused IEMs like Legend X and EVO. I just feel a midbassy source with a midbassy IEM would be too much of a good thing (as you discovered with Traillii, adds a veil that dulls the treble extension). Will be interesting to see if they carry the same M8 sound to the M9, and if the Sabre M9 will change the sound from the AK limited edition.

 

[FooFighter]

Yep, I feel you might be right.
Interested myself in the new signature

 

[jlemaster1957]

Yeah I meant more bass-focused IEMs like Legend X and EVO. I just feel a midbassy source with a midbassy IEM would be too much of a good thing (as you discovered with Traillii, adds a veil that dulls the treble extension). Will be interesting to see if they carry the same M8 sound to the M9, and if the Sabre M9 will change the sound from the AK limited edition.

Would be great to read some A/B comparisons for those IEMS or also U12T (as a BA contrast) between M9 and other reference DAPs like R8.

 

[blotmouse]

(deleted, off topic enough)

 

[Damz87]

Yeah I meant more bass-focused IEMs like Legend X and EVO. I just feel a midbassy source with a midbassy IEM would be too much of a good thing (as you discovered with Traillii, adds a veil that dulls the treble extension). Will be interesting to see if they carry the same M8 sound to the M9, and if the Sabre M9 will change the sound from the AK limited edition.

I didn’t like LX/M8 pair up at all. Way too much bass warmth and not enough air for me.

 

[Alien HP]

I wonder how warm the new M9 gets with the AKM chips and if it has a similar heatsink kind of design as the M8.

 

[Whitigir]

I wonder how warm the new M9 gets with the AKM chips and if it has a similar heatsink kind of design as the M8.

Heatsink design was a brilliant idea. Shanling should not stick with removable sockets because they are the same as adaptable plugs from Dunu or Fiio, except that with Dunu or Fiio, you can opt for a straight cable and get rid of the adaptor. The adaptable socket from Shanling can’t be rid off.....unless you modify the player

 

[littlexx26]

Heatsink design was a brilliant idea. Shanling should not stick with removable sockets because they are the same as adaptable plugs from Dunu or Fiio, except that with Dunu or Fiio, you can opt for a straight cable and get rid of the adaptor. The adaptable socket from Shanling can’t be rid off.....unless you modify the player

so affect sound quality?

 

[Whitigir]

so affect sound quality?

Every additional solder joints and wires will effect sound quality. The craziest things is that while the resistors and capacitors do effect sound quality, they are essentials in a circuits! The Adaptable wires and joints are not essentials, and can be eliminated. The only essential factor here would be “internal wires or chassis wires”, and not only Portable players, but also high end Desktop systems, they are all using “cheap/generic grades of Copper”, in the mean whiles all the upgraded cables externally are in the thousands of dollars from headphones to power to speakers cables, you name it......but all of the devices chassis wires are freaking cheap internally. I guess, out of sight, out of mind, and if those makers can rip you off, then they will. This is the main reason why even as far as my amplifier go, I DIY, and or portable player, I modify it.....to the least, the chassis wires should be of good quality.

Now, why use additional cheaply made wires for an immovable adaptable socket systems ? As I mentioned, Dunu and Fiio adaptable plugs can be eliminated, but Shanling sockets can’t be rid off, unless modifying it

 

[littlexx26]

 

[Whitigir]

Nice ! What about the adaptable socket lol

 

[littlexx26]

fiio m15 for comparison

 

[Whitigir]

That possibly means the adaptable sockets are happening again

 

[littlexx26]

That possibly means the adaptable sockets are happening again

I think Shanling already mentioned adaptable socket will be used in m9 with 'improvements'