Just to offer a different perspective, my impression is here. The biggest difference between M9 and M7 to my ears is that M7 has a treble glare, very noticeable with CD quality recordings.Which one sounds smoother in the upper-mids and treble between the M7 and M9? Also, which one has a better quality to those regions (more refined, less metallic texture)?
Ok I get to spend some time with M9 and M7 side by side, with the same cable (Nobunaga Labs Supreme) and same eartip (Final E black).
Bottom line: M9 is far superior to M7 in terms of imaging and soundstage. Well worth the price premium in my opinion.
Both are tuned to be neutral (in my opinion), but M9 is less veiled. M7 has a slight treble glare that makes things sound metallic; M9 does not have that. M9 has a deep soundstage; M7 sounds hazy in comparison. With the improved imaging, Sony seems to have the confidence to add more subbass to M9 than to M7; to me this is the only difference in tuning.
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