[Redcarmoose]

I have not heard the original 7Hz Timeless, but I have 6 other planar IEMs........the Crinacle Salnotes Dioko, Planar Stellaris, TANGZU Zetian Wu, TINHIFI P1 Max, RAPTGO HOOK-X, Kinera Celest Gumiho. So I do know and understand planar sound. I have not heard the IER-M9............but have the IER-Z1R, XBA-N3 and XBA-Z5.

They are going to be different, and I can only guess the M9 is going to be slightly more of BA timbre. The 7Hz has its own "off" timbre, and more “off timbre” due to an aggressive treble section. They have come out with a new model of the 7Hz Timeless this week.......called the AE. It's $239.00 USD.


Other than that I can't really offer that much advice. Meaning the new Timeless AE offers slightly more bass than the original Timeless and that off-sets the treble intensity a little........but that intensity is still there I hear. The M9 is not going to have supper authoritative bass as it's BA bass. You need to find a listener who has both the 7Hz and the M9, they can explain the difference in treble for you.

Even though the M9 has BA bass, I bet it’s great, some of my favorite styles of IEMs have only BA bass. You really need to read older reviews from reviewers who have already reviewed an IEM you like and have heard...........find out if their views match-up to your own. Then go with maybe what they say. The 7Hz Timeless is famous for a reason, yet that was at the beginning of the year.........now there is a bunch of planar IEMs which have come along due to that fame. The S12, and Timeless started the planar popularity. But newer stuff like the TANGZU Zetian Wu have a more sophisticated toned-down treble, that some like better.

Hello everyone, reading through this thread a few months ago is costing me a fortune

After my faithful iPod from 2010 finally gave up the ghost it was time to find a replacement. Ended up buying a a55 and getting it from Japan then flashing with Mr Walkmans firmware - superb. Have been using it with some Bose Quietcomfort buds for the gym and at home on a Phillips 2XHR.

As is always the way, mission creep started. Waiting for a Wm1a to be delivered over the coming days and will use this at home.

Question, earbuds - I need some balanced so have narrowed it down to 2 options. Both are completely different both in technical and £££ so which direction should I go, are the expensive ones 'worth' the extra? I know diminishing returns etc. but would like the Sony, don't like the price though, believe the Timeless are good bang for buck.. choices.

Options are:

a) 7hz timeless (~£180)
b) ier-M9 (~£900)

It may come down to if you like the Sony treble better than the forward treble the 7Hz Timeless does. You may like or dislike the way the planar sounds, they are two very different IEMs, but both famous for what they do. But the Timeless has always been known for providing an incredible level of resolution for the price!

 

[Mörchingen]

The ier-m7 can be a less expensive alternative than the ier-m9. I've been using the m7 pretty much daily since 2019 and still love them. Both musical but with a good level of detail. Very good passive insulation. Bass present although only BA. However, they require a good level of power. With Sony DAPs, I find them better with high gain on. Although entry level model of this series, the ier-m7 are delivered with many tips and two excellent cables.

 

[baskingshark]

Hello everyone, reading through this thread a few months ago is costing me a fortune

After my faithful iPod from 2010 finally gave up the ghost it was time to find a replacement. Ended up buying a a55 and getting it from Japan then flashing with Mr Walkmans firmware - superb. Have been using it with some Bose Quietcomfort buds for the gym and at home on a Phillips 2XHR.

As is always the way, mission creep started. Waiting for a Wm1a to be delivered over the coming days and will use this at home.

Question, earbuds - I need some balanced so have narrowed it down to 2 options. Both are completely different both in technical and £££ so which direction should I go, are the expensive ones 'worth' the extra? I know diminishing returns etc. but would like the Sony, don't like the price though, believe the Timeless are good bang for buck.. choices.

Options are:

a) 7hz timeless (~£180)
b) ier-M9 (~£900)

Different price brackets and different transducers, but the M9 kills the 7Hz Timeless in technicalities, timbre and tonality, and it is not even close.

Timeless has very good resolution for a midFI pair, but it has a very unnatural timbre (YMMV, some are particular about this, especially for genres that focus on acoustic instruments), the fit is iffy, and the soundstage depth is almost zero (soundstage width is good, but the sound seems like 2D in a single plane). Timeless has some treble spikes too. For a bit less resolution (but a much cheaper planar), I would advise the Shouer S12, or for a similar price, the DUNU Talos is a better planar (with a hybrid switch option).

The M9 even though it is a pure BA set, the timbre is very natural and organic. M9 has excellent technicalities and imaging, and has no harsheness, very smooth, warm neutral. Fit is better, isolation is better and it is a much more refined set. But for TOTL priced IEMs like the M9, there are diminishing returns to be had, so from midFI -> TOTL, maybe u get 20% or so improvement, but pay 10x more, that's par for the course in this hobby.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Different price brackets and different transducers, but the M9 kills the 7Hz Timeless in technicalities, timbre and tonality, and it is not even close.

Timeless has very good resolution for a midFI pair, but it has a very unnatural timbre (YMMV, some are particular about this, especially for genres that focus on acoustic instruments), the fit is iffy, and the soundstage depth is almost zero (soundstage width is good, but the sound seems like 2D in a single plane). Timeless has some treble spikes too. For a bit less resolution (but a much cheaper planar), I would advise the Shouer S12, or for a similar price, the DUNU Talos is a better planar (with a hybrid switch option).

The M9 even though it is a pure BA set, the timbre is very natural and organic. M9 has excellent technicalities and imaging, and has no harsheness, very smooth, warm neutral. Fit is better, isolation is better and it is a much more refined set. But for TOTL priced IEMs like the M9, there are diminishing returns to be had, so from midFI -> TOTL, maybe u get 20% or so improvement, but pay 10x more, that's par for the course in this hobby.

Great post! Also remember Sony has achieved the better timbre you speak of by offering their own home-made BA drivers! I’m curious, really it sounds like you like this Sony M9, and find it very special, yet for a quick easy purchase....you don’t think the Wu, would be also another option? We both admire the Wu!

Really you are saying go all out for the M9! Spend the money and get it! Also that’s a great point taking about the Timeless fit!

 

[benjeuk]

Thanks for chipping in here everyone, this mission creep is a dangerous and expensive game.

Will have a think and keep an eye out for options, one of the problems is of course that being in the UK Sony don't for some reason sell the IER directly so trying them out is not possible, hassle to get a set.

Tempted to splash on the M9's as they don't seem to get a negative word from their owners.

Do like my Phillips 2XHR but they are not practical to use outside being a) massive and b) open back

Seems that the only easy choice was getting a WM1A after trying the A55!

 

[baskingshark]

Great post! Also remember Sony has achieved the better timbre you speak of by offering their own home-made BA drivers! I’m curious, really it sounds like you like this Sony M9, and find it very special, yet for a quick easy purchase....you don’t think the Wu, would be also another option? We both admire the Wu!

Really you are saying go all out for the M9! Spend the money and get it! Also that’s a great point taking about the Timeless fit!

Yep, Sony has their own propietiary BAs, but I realize Sony's secret tuning sauce is actually contributed a lot by the foam they put in the nozzle of their IEMs. Take out the foam and the treble harshness and BA timbre returns. I've actually tried to source for a few online shops on Aliexpress which purportedly sell Sony foams, but I can't seem to replicate the sound from their stock foams.

The M9 was released like a few years back, but I still think it is competitive against today's TOTL IEMs. Granted some might find it a bit boring, but it replays music faithfully, and is also a very useful stage monitoring IEM due to the good fit, isolation and technicalities.

Ah yes, I forgot the Zetian Wu is a good planar to consider too, I think it is the most balanced in tonality, with the best timbre of the current midFI CHIFI planars of this year. Though it is not the most technical of the lot. Most planars seem to have an issue with timbre, possibly cause of the very fast transients and decay, but the Zetian Wu sounds very natural. Good fitting too.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Hello everyone, reading through this thread a few months ago is costing me a fortune

After my faithful iPod from 2010 finally gave up the ghost it was time to find a replacement. Ended up buying a a55 and getting it from Japan then flashing with Mr Walkmans firmware - superb. Have been using it with some Bose Quietcomfort buds for the gym and at home on a Phillips 2XHR.

As is always the way, mission creep started. Waiting for a Wm1a to be delivered over the coming days and will use this at home.

Question, earbuds - I need some balanced so have narrowed it down to 2 options. Both are completely different both in technical and £££ so which direction should I go, are the expensive ones 'worth' the extra? I know diminishing returns etc. but would like the Sony, don't like the price though, believe the Timeless are good bang for buck.. choices.

Options are:

a) 7hz timeless (~£180)
b) ier-M9 (~£900)

Well, the great part is finding baskingshark who actually has the M9! That’s the thing, I’ve never heard the M9/M7 but I’m a fan of Sony so....you know what that means. You will love the Sony WM1A when it comes, adding MrWalkmans firmware will be the other advantage that helps you achieve your dreams!

But baskingshark knows and understands the boundaries that the price brackets represent here, with that said, while planars are cool and bring value, like he said, they can’t touch the realism that the Sony M9 brings to the table!

Cheers! Good luck!

 

[proedros]

Hello everyone, reading through this thread a few months ago is costing me a fortune

After my faithful iPod from 2010 finally gave up the ghost it was time to find a replacement. Ended up buying a a55 and getting it from Japan then flashing with Mr Walkmans firmware - superb. Have been using it with some Bose Quietcomfort buds for the gym and at home on a Phillips 2XHR.

As is always the way, mission creep started. Waiting for a Wm1a to be delivered over the coming days and will use this at home.

Question, earbuds - I need some balanced so have narrowed it down to 2 options. Both are completely different both in technical and £££ so which direction should I go, are the expensive ones 'worth' the extra? I know diminishing returns etc. but would like the Sony, don't like the price though, believe the Timeless are good bang for buck.. choices.

Options are:

a) 7hz timeless (~£180)
b) ier-M9 (~£900)

take a look here at those 2 , on huge SALE prices , and shipping from EU (warehouse in Poland)

re-600
re-800

https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/earphones.html

 

[benjeuk]

Thanks for all the advice - so many choices and ideally we would sit down with them all and test over the course of a few days to see what works best with the WM1a.

Decided to give in the temptation in the end, other option was to stress for weeks and 'hmmm' and 'aaaaa' and then give in eventually anyway! Ordered a set of the M9 from across the water so in a week or 2 will be able to give them a test.

Figured that worst case if they don't suit me then won't have a problem selling them on as they are comparatively rare here in the UK. Also had a gut instinct that Sony must have tuned their reference walkmans and IEM vaguely in sync so as to pair well.

Now just have to be patient .. would never have thought that the a55 and firmware would have set this train of (expensive) events in flow

 

[Redcarmoose]

Yes, the way the portable Sony players sound can be a slippery slope into a financial descent or accent, depending on who is doing the selling! Let’s us know how the 1A/M9 work out!

Thanks for all the advice - so many choices and ideally we would sit down with them all and test over the course of a few days to see what works best with the WM1a.

Decided to give in the temptation in the end, other option was to stress for weeks and 'hmmm' and 'aaaaa' and then give in eventually anyway! Ordered a set of the M9 from across the water so in a week or 2 will be able to give them a test.

Figured that worst case if they don't suit me then won't have a problem selling them on as they are comparatively rare here in the UK. Also had a gut instinct that Sony must have tuned their reference walkmans and IEM vaguely in sync so as to pair well.

Now just have to be patient .. would never have thought that the a55 and firmware would have set this train of (expensive) events in flow

 

[benjeuk]

Progress so far .. got the ier m9 which do sound good through the a55, even better through my dragonfly cobalt.

Wm1a is still in the works, got a unit from Japan however bit of a problem with it .. back to Japanese eBay seller it goes.

Keeping an eye out for one though and will update in due course

 

[musicinmymind]

I have problem installing the external tuning, it always prompt for connecting device with USB even though it is connected.

After installing with Walkman_One_WM1_(19_09).exe, the WM1Z restarted and I can see the mass storate icon. I did try to install Bright_external_tuning but it keeps prompting connect device even though it is already connected.

Please suggest

 

[nc8000]

I have problem installing the external tuning, it always prompt for connecting device with USB even though it is connected.

After installing with Walkman_One_WM1_(19_09).exe, the WM1Z restarted and I can see the mass storate icon. I did try to install Bright_external_tuning but it keeps prompting connect device even though it is already connected.

Please suggest

You first need to edit the settings.txt file and then reboot before you can install the external tuning otherwise the dap is not in the correct state to recognize the tuning

 

[musicinmymind]

You first need to edit the settings.txt file and then reboot before you can install the external tuning otherwise the dap is not in the correct state to recognize the tuning

Let me try that

 

[musicinmymind]

I want to install Bright_external_tuning and SIG is already set to 2. But I am able to install only Neutral_&_Warm_external_tuning, what change I need to do for Bright_external_tuning install.

I find this value in settings.txt file.

SIG=2