[CasioPSX]

ok, they just arrived and WOW. i have not had that feeling of wow since i first went from gas station earbuds to my first real IEM, the KXXS. THIS is the iem i have been looking for since i started this hobby, i literally cannot say how happy i am with these. i have spent the last 5~ months buying iems that are way more expensive than these and either reselling them and returning them because i really did not like them. this is it chief. this is it. i think the only better sounding iem to this is the IER-Z1R and that costs almost 2000$ and i do not see myself spending that kind of money anytime soon. im using these with my WM1A with J region, 3.02, and Jupiter T1 firmware mod. i unplugged the cable 3 times, one to put on the balanced cables with adapters, one to put back the stock cables, and one to put back on the balanced cables, and yes, the left jack is already loose. i seriously hope they dont break anytime soon, i might buy another pair just incase next time i get a good bonus from work honestly. anyways, great iem even in 2020

 

[Tawek]

strange xba -z5 straight from my Wm1z sounds terrible one of the worse former flagships
from Sony

 

[CasioPSX]

strange xba -z5 straight from my Wm1z sounds terrible one of the worse former flagships
from Sony

do you like the IEM from other sources though? might just not be your sound sig. also is your 1Z J region and are you using any of the whitgir (I think it was?) mods? doing that changed alot of IEMs I didn't like that much into IEMs I really liked.

 

[gerelmx1986]

strange xba -z5 straight from my Wm1z sounds terrible one of the worse former flagships
from Sony

Did you try it SE or balanced?

 

[cfc7]

i have spent the last 5~ months buying iems that are way more expensive than these and either reselling them and returning them because i really did not like them.

Can you name a few?

 

[Damz87]

strange xba -z5 straight from my Wm1z sounds terrible one of the worse former flagships
from Sony

Are you using balanced? The Z5 seems to need the extra power to clean up the mid bass and bring out that massive soundstage. Also try using a smaller tip with a deeper insertion. I noticed a big improvement after changing tip size

 

[CasioPSX]

Can you name a few?

s8 freedom (bggar said it had good bass, I was lied to), moondrop s8 (very nice technically, great fit in my ears, I loved everything but the dead boring sound sig.), demoed some Andromedas (big nope from me, I need that good low end) and ier-m7 (meeeehh). haven't tried ier-m9 but people say that it's just an m7 with much better high end, and the Low end is what I didn't like on it and it's presumably the same.
those are the expensive ones I bought. as you can probably see, Im not a fan of BAs but I love their clarity, so a hybrid was the clear choice.
also I have weird outer ears, so sometimes one iem fits snug and the other fits too tight or won't go as much in as the other side, and I love that with these that isn't really a problem

 

[Damz87]

.

 

[JoshG1217]

Tips make a huge difference. Medium comply (round), and final E and my favorites. Symbol are decent too but don't dit as well as the final E large for me. With stock tips I think they sound blah. Balanced from m11 is a thing of beauty though

 

[jant71]

Tips make a huge difference. Medium comply (round), and final E and my favorites. Symbol are decent too but don't fit as well as the final E large for me. With stock tips I think they sound blah. Balanced from m11 is a thing of beauty though

Yep, Sony is known for this and I have experienced it. Even a "flagship" model can sound anywhere from wonderful to disappointing based on the tips. Plus if the Z5 needs the right power I am not surprised to see a few "this sounds bad for a flagship" comments.

 

[JoshG1217]

From my phone in SE it still sounds dope. From m11 in SE sounds better. Balanced from m11 sounds legen... wait for it...dary.

 

[shampoosuicide]

Sold my Z5 some time ago because I caught the upgrade bug again. Picked up an AK T8iE MKII (RRP $999). Wasn't wowed by it the way I was with the Z5. Traded it back for a Z5. I'm a happy man again. That is all.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Highly recommend the IER-M9 cable.

Does that cable give a nice solid fit?
I am starting to fantasise about having them in my ears again but I remind myself that I gave up on them because they wouldn't sit in my ears and it drove me nuts.

 

[Damz87]

Does that cable give a nice solid fit?
I am starting to fantasise about having them in my ears again but I remind myself that I gave up on them because they wouldn't sit in my ears and it drove me nuts.

The M9 cable fits really well. It’s like it was made for the Z5. I think it fits even better on the Z5 than the M9 itself haha. On the M9, the cable extends above the ear and doesn’t actually provide much support. On the Z5 it curls around the top of my ear and sits comfortably. Here’s photos, apologies for the ear close ups lol...

 

[Hinomotocho]

The M9 cable fits really well. It’s like it was made for the Z5. I think it fits even better on the Z5 than the M9 itself haha. On the M9, the cable extends above the ear and doesn’t actually provide much support. On the Z5 it curls around the top of my ear and sits comfortably. Here’s photos, apologies for the ear close ups lol...

Thanks a lot for that, especially the pics - looks like an ideal solution. I'll have a serious think about that. I just got a WM1A and wonder how superb they would be together.