Sony IER-M9 impressions thread
Feb 23, 2022 at 3:40 AM Post #1,698 of 3,139
With all the talk about the EPNI1000 I ordered them from amazon.de and received them within 1 day.
They are indeed very interesting and very good with the M9.

Coming from the Moondrop Spring tips they sound like moving from a regular room with lots of hard surfaces and reflexions to an acoustically very well treated (dampened) room. This makes the M9 sound darker, but at the same time very clean with even more refinement, detail and texture. It's like resonances are eliminated, making the inherent detail come through better and quite significantly increasing separation. Background is darker too.

One potentially negative effect is that this damping seems to soften some sounds a bit, almost sounding a touch muffled in the lower midrange. An example for that was Neil Diamond's "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes" where the vocals sound drier and almost a touch nasal with the EPNI1000 tips, while they are clearer, more floaty and shimmering with the Moondrop Spring tips. Also the brass at 3:50 is sharper and more energetic with the Spring tips. But again - this comes at the cost of separation and detail.

In terms of staging, the spring tips show some reverberation and diffusion of the individual sounds. This creates a good sense of space, but more like a "sound cloud", separation and position accuracy suffer.
The EPNI1000 have more accurately focused and cleanly separated elements in the soundstage, with dark space between them. This defines the elements, especially at the edge of the soundstage more clearly, making it appear bigger. The EPNI1000 also takes some sharp edges off the presentation of the M9, it makes me turn up the volume a little to have a similar perceived loudness. A good example for these effects is "Chan Chan" from Buena Vista Social Club.
(These effects are much easier to detect with the Hugo 2, the Mojo does not have the same, accurate and deep sound stage)

And yes, the foam really does solve the pressure issue completely and isolation is better as well.
Comfort is good, although the expanding foam creates some pressure in my ear which I find a little less comfortable.
Downsides are that noises caused by jaw movements and cable microphonics are a little emphasized by these tips.

I also pulled out my JVC Spiral Dot ++ tips, which do sound a little darker than the Spring tips, but if you take a scale where 0 is the sound of the EPNI1000 and 10 is the signature of the Spring tips, the SD++ are quite close to the spring tips, maybe around 8.

Thanks @Vamp898 for bringing these to our attention, they are definitely a super interesting pairing with the IER-M9

All testing done with CEEMA PS aftermarket cable, CHORD Mojo and Hugo 2 with FLAC files or Tidal Hifi from iPhone
 
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Feb 23, 2022 at 11:06 AM Post #1,699 of 3,139
With all the talk about the EPNI1000 I ordered them from amazon.de and received them within 1 day.
They are indeed very interesting and very good with the M9.

Coming from the Moondrop Spring tips they sound like moving from a regular room with lots of hard surfaces and reflexions to an acoustically very well treated (dampened) room. This makes the M9 sound darker, but at the same time very clean with even more refinement, detail and texture. It's like resonances are eliminated, making the inherent detail come through better and quite significantly increasing separation. Background is darker too.

One potentially negative effect is that this damping seems to soften some sounds a bit, almost sounding a touch muffled in the lower midrange. An example for that was Neil Diamond's "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes" where the vocals sound drier and almost a touch nasal with the EPNI1000 tips, while they are clearer, more floaty and shimmering with the Moondrop Spring tips. Also the brass at 3:50 is sharper and more energetic with the Spring tips. But again - this comes at the cost of separation and detail.

In terms of staging, the spring tips show some reverberation and diffusion of the individual sounds. This creates a good sense of space, but more like a "sound cloud", separation and position accuracy suffer.
The EPNI1000 have more accurately focused and cleanly separated elements in the soundstage, with dark space between them. This defines the elements, especially at the edge of the soundstage more clearly, making it appear bigger. The EPNI1000 also takes some sharp edges off the presentation of the M9, it makes me turn up the volume a little to have a similar perceived loudness. A good example for these effects is "Chan Chan" from Buena Vista Social Club.
(These effects are much easier to detect with the Hugo 2, the Mojo does not have the same, accurate and deep sound stage)

And yes, the foam really does solve the pressure issue completely and isolation is better as well.
Comfort is good, although the expanding foam creates some pressure in my ear which I find a little less comfortable.
Downsides are that noises caused by jaw movements and cable microphonics are a little emphasized by these tips.

I also pulled out my JVC Spiral Dot ++ tips, which do sound a little darker than the Spring tips, but if you take a scale where 0 is the sound of the EPNI1000 and 10 is the signature of the Spring tips, the SD++ are quite close to the spring tips, maybe around 8.

Thanks @Vamp898 for bringing these to our attention, they are definitely a super interesting pairing with the IER-M9

All testing done with CEEMA PS aftermarket cable, CHORD Mojo and Hugo 2 with FLAC files or Tidal Hifi from iPhone
interesting observations...
how the tip size compare... about the same as a corresponding Spring TIps?
 
Feb 23, 2022 at 3:31 PM Post #1,700 of 3,139
I am a bit curious about the pressure issue I've read about multiple times. How long on average is it before people start to experience this? I tried the new silicone tips I got last night, listened for about 45mins before switching back to the foam tips. I couldn't keep the left ear sealed with the silicone. The right side was sealed no problem and I didn't seem to experience any pressure issue. I did however notice a pressure in my right ear from the foam tip. It was a different kind of pressure tho, just the pressure of the tip sealing. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it was present.

I also since found that I had 3 other sets of foam tips that came with my Monarchs. Idk what type/brand they are, I bought the iem's 2nd hand. Funny enough in the listing when I bought them I saw the tips in the pic but when I got them I thought the tips hadn't come, so for the last almost year I didn't even know I had these tips. lol. They are slightly larger than the ones I got on the weekend, and I had noticed the same slight pressure in my left ear when I tried them. I assume this means they are fitting good and snug.

Anyway, I'm really loving my new M9's. I think of all the songs I've listened to so far I've only thought 1 or 2 songs sounded 'better' on my Monarch's. I do not find the M9's as comfortable in ear as all the reviews and comments I've read. To me they feel about equally comfortable as the Monarch's, which is to say completely fine. I could wear either for several(3-4max) hours, but I don't think I could wear either for more than that. Which again is fine for me.
 
Feb 24, 2022 at 10:58 AM Post #1,701 of 3,139
I am a bit curious about the pressure issue I've read about multiple times. How long on average is it before people start to experience this? I tried the new silicone tips I got last night, listened for about 45mins before switching back to the foam tips. I couldn't keep the left ear sealed with the silicone. The right side was sealed no problem and I didn't seem to experience any pressure issue. I did however notice a pressure in my right ear from the foam tip. It was a different kind of pressure tho, just the pressure of the tip sealing. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it was present.

I also since found that I had 3 other sets of foam tips that came with my Monarchs. Idk what type/brand they are, I bought the iem's 2nd hand. Funny enough in the listing when I bought them I saw the tips in the pic but when I got them I thought the tips hadn't come, so for the last almost year I didn't even know I had these tips. lol. They are slightly larger than the ones I got on the weekend, and I had noticed the same slight pressure in my left ear when I tried them. I assume this means they are fitting good and snug.

Anyway, I'm really loving my new M9's. I think of all the songs I've listened to so far I've only thought 1 or 2 songs sounded 'better' on my Monarch's. I do not find the M9's as comfortable in ear as all the reviews and comments I've read. To me they feel about equally comfortable as the Monarch's, which is to say completely fine. I could wear either for several(3-4max) hours, but I don't think I could wear either for more than that. Which again is fine for me.
I think they're referring to pressure on the ear drum - it's something you'll feel immediately when you push it in. The cavity gets pressurized so that the air pushes on your eardrum and pulls on it when you pull the tips out. This doesn't really happen with foam tips, but I've found it definitely happens when using the sony hybrid tips that are too large a size. As somebody else mentioned on this thread, the tips should be big enough to create a seal but not so big that you feel this type of pressure.

Also had the experience that the M9s are relatively comfortable, but not as comfortable as the reviews had led me to believe.
 
Feb 24, 2022 at 11:07 AM Post #1,702 of 3,139
I am a bit curious about the pressure issue I've read about multiple times. How long on average is it before people start to experience this? I tried the new silicone tips I got last night, listened for about 45mins before switching back to the foam tips. I couldn't keep the left ear sealed with the silicone. The right side was sealed no problem and I didn't seem to experience any pressure issue. I did however notice a pressure in my right ear from the foam tip. It was a different kind of pressure tho, just the pressure of the tip sealing. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it was present.

I also since found that I had 3 other sets of foam tips that came with my Monarchs. Idk what type/brand they are, I bought the iem's 2nd hand. Funny enough in the listing when I bought them I saw the tips in the pic but when I got them I thought the tips hadn't come, so for the last almost year I didn't even know I had these tips. lol. They are slightly larger than the ones I got on the weekend, and I had noticed the same slight pressure in my left ear when I tried them. I assume this means they are fitting good and snug.

Anyway, I'm really loving my new M9's. I think of all the songs I've listened to so far I've only thought 1 or 2 songs sounded 'better' on my Monarch's. I do not find the M9's as comfortable in ear as all the reviews and comments I've read. To me they feel about equally comfortable as the Monarch's, which is to say completely fine. I could wear either for several(3-4max) hours, but I don't think I could wear either for more than that. Which again is fine for me.
As tmoss said, you should feel this instantly when putting them in. They are sealed that means you are pressing the air in your ear as soon, as you put them in.

What i mean is air pressure, not the pressure from the tips. The pressure from the tips is not dangerous and as long you dont think its uncomfortable, you can ignore it.

The Air pressure can be dangerious, especially when you get stuck with the cable and they get ripped out of your ear, or just when you use them longer because you constanctly have your ear drum under pressure.

So the pressure you feel from the foam, that is not important. As long it doesn't annoy you, everything is okay
 
Feb 24, 2022 at 12:21 PM Post #1,703 of 3,139
Thanks for the reply tmoss and Vamp898, I figured it was air pressure due to the seal, I just wasn't sure how long after it took to build up the pressure.

Using the foam tips again last night at work I had even more pressure, exclusively in my R ear. It started about 10-15mins after putting the tip in. I didn't think the foam tips had this air pressure issue but after last night I've been wondering if that's what I experienced. The pressure was more intense than the night before and did become rather uncomfortable. I had to take the tip out and reinsert it less tightly, at which point all seemed fine.

I ended up putting these same tips on my sleep earbuds last night/this morning, trying to drown out a crying/barking puppy, anyway I had no pressure when using the tips on the earbuds.
 
Feb 24, 2022 at 1:53 PM Post #1,704 of 3,139
Thanks for the reply tmoss and Vamp898, I figured it was air pressure due to the seal, I just wasn't sure how long after it took to build up the pressure.

Using the foam tips again last night at work I had even more pressure, exclusively in my R ear. It started about 10-15mins after putting the tip in. I didn't think the foam tips had this air pressure issue but after last night I've been wondering if that's what I experienced. The pressure was more intense than the night before and did become rather uncomfortable. I had to take the tip out and reinsert it less tightly, at which point all seemed fine.

I ended up putting these same tips on my sleep earbuds last night/this morning, trying to drown out a crying/barking puppy, anyway I had no pressure when using the tips on the earbuds.
The foams create some level of pressure, but not enough to be bothersome in my experience. I do get discomfort from the foam pressing against my earwalls (is that a word?) though. I suspect that some of that is just how the body of the M9 inserts in my ear, may be that it's not sitting centered in the ear canal so that the foam is pressing harder against my ear on one side versus the other. I wouldn't lie down in these either, if anything is pushing on the outside of my ear it angles the earbud so that the nozzle pushes against my ear canal even harder. Maybe this would be less of an issue with a smaller iem or narrower nozzle 🤷
 
Feb 24, 2022 at 2:30 PM Post #1,705 of 3,139
The foams create some level of pressure, but not enough to be bothersome in my experience. I do get discomfort from the foam pressing against my earwalls (is that a word?) though. I suspect that some of that is just how the body of the M9 inserts in my ear, may be that it's not sitting centered in the ear canal so that the foam is pressing harder against my ear on one side versus the other.
earwalls, it's a word now if it wasn't before. xD I know exactly what you mean though so it sounds like you experienced the same thing. It probably is just the pressure of the foam fitting tight.
I wouldn't lie down in these either, if anything is pushing on the outside of my ear it angles the earbud so that the nozzle pushes against my ear canal even harder. Maybe this would be less of an issue with a smaller iem or narrower nozzle 🤷
Indeed, I would never laydown or sleep with the M9's. Even if they were comfortable I wouldn't risk it. I do sleep with earbuds each night though, soundcore life p2 mini tw buds- they are super tiny and cheap. Normally I just use silicone tips to sleep with but I was only trying the foam today as I figured they would isolate better(they did), as it was too loud to sleep with the puppy who is visiting.
 
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Mar 1, 2022 at 2:31 AM Post #1,707 of 3,139
earwalls, it's a word now if it wasn't before. xD I know exactly what you mean though so it sounds like you experienced the same thing. It probably is just the pressure of the foam fitting tight.

Indeed, I would never laydown or sleep with the M9's. Even if they were comfortable I wouldn't risk it. I do sleep with earbuds each night though, soundcore life p2 mini tw buds- they are super tiny and cheap. Normally I just use silicone tips to sleep with but I was only trying the foam today as I figured they would isolate better(they did), as it was too loud to sleep with the puppy who is visiting.
There seems to be a new Earphone for that use case btw
 
Mar 1, 2022 at 11:21 AM Post #1,708 of 3,139
I got a new cable for my M9's, the Fiio LC 2.5mm non modular. It certainly fits nicer and more snug around my ear than the stock cable. I tried to compare it to the stock cable last night, just to see if I could hear any audible difference. It was almost impossible to take off the M9's, I almost gave up as it took me several minutes to get them off, so I won't be swapping again anytime soon. As for sound, idk, I thought maybe I heard the tiniest difference, but I could be crazy. lol. Regardless with the balanced plug I am getting more volume now via the BTR5, more than I need tbh.

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Mar 3, 2022 at 6:32 AM Post #1,709 of 3,139
I got a new cable for my M9's, the Fiio LC 2.5mm non modular. It certainly fits nicer and more snug around my ear than the stock cable. I tried to compare it to the stock cable last night, just to see if I could hear any audible difference. It was almost impossible to take off the M9's, I almost gave up as it took me several minutes to get them off, so I won't be swapping again anytime soon. As for sound, idk, I thought maybe I heard the tiniest difference, but I could be crazy. lol. Regardless with the balanced plug I am getting more volume now via the BTR5, more than I need tbh.

i plan to buy the 4.4mm one. so it confirmed will fit with ier-m9
 
Mar 3, 2022 at 11:11 AM Post #1,710 of 3,139
I used the LC-4.4D with my IER-M9 for a while and they fit better than the stock cable, thats true. But i found them to have higher microphonic which started to annoy me over time. But other then that, i liked it.
 

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