[davidmolliere]

It is fantastic. I was really worried it was going to be “overpriced” due to AKM 4499 premium, which I’m sure that is factored in, but the sound is great and it actually exceeded my expectations. I hear it as warm neutral with great textures and dynamic ability. Great holographic staging ability without just making the sound overly large. I’m very impressed. Totally don’t care for this modular plug stuff though. I wish it was just 4.4mm and a 3.5mm but it’s entirely a first world problems thing.

Did you audition M8 / own it?

I'd be curious to get your take against M9...

 

[aaf evo]

Did you audition M8 / own it?

I'd be curious to get your take against M9...

I did demo M8 briefly, I really liked M8 as well but I wasn't a fan of the UI. It felt just right at that point to where it was a little too sluggish for a newly released DAP. I know I owned the N6ii Ti for a while (which was even slower) but I was okay with that since it was a 2019 DAP and not something that came out at the end of 2020.

M8 from memory was richer and warmer, with bigger bass presence. Almost leaning towards an L shaped type DAP without actually quite getting there, that is how I heard it. I don't hear the M9 to be the same, seems like relative to the M8 the treble is better balanced with the bass. Of course, this is just going off of memory and there's a large gap between both (June 2021 for M8 demo and now for M9) so take all of that with a grain of salt. I also auditioned M8 with Traillii which I no longer have anymore.

 

[blotmouse]

That being said, the Erlkonig LE's note weight and density is really something else.

Yeah, that note weight... Eden has ruined my ears now, and it's in an all silver shell as well. Breath is even heavy. I love it.
Piano is just otherworldly with that density and timbre, to what I've heard before.

 

[Scubadevils]

The Mail Man arrived earlier than expected..

Oh can't wait for more impressions!

 

[ian91]

Another unsolicited earbud post from me I'm afraid...

I received my second bud from Earbud CustomArt today. This one is from a previous model line 'Garuda', taking inspiration in its design from its namesake, the mythological bird-like garuda of South East Asian cultures.

It has a midforward signature that reveals tonnes of detail in vocals/guitar/strings. It has a noticeable midbass emphasis that can kick when it needs to and gives body to percussion/cello/viol. Very resolving from top to bottom, excellent timbre and a lovely spacious stage. Subbass is rolled off (not uncommon in earbuds), but this isn't egregious and rarely becomes an issue with my library. The M8 also helps lift the bass as it always does with my IEMs.

Honestly, nothing tops the timbre, tonality and staging of a good quality earbud. This one is a keeper and I'll probably start letting some of my others go.

 

[Scubadevils]

Another unsolicited earbud post from me I'm afraid...

I received my second bud from Earbud CustomArt today. This one is from a previous model line 'Garuda', taking inspiration in its design from its namesake, the mythological bird-like garuda of South East Asian cultures.

It has a midforward signature that reveals tonnes of detail in vocals/guitar/strings. It has a noticeable midbass emphasis that can kick when it needs to and gives body to percussion/cello/viol. Very resolving from top to bottom, excellent timbre and a lovely spacious stage. Subbass is rolled off (not uncommon in earbuds), but this isn't egregious and rarely becomes an issue with my library. The M8 also helps lift the bass as it always does with my IEMs.

Honestly, nothing tops the timbre, tonality and staging of a good quality earbud. This one is a keeper and I'll probably start letting some of my others go.

Very interesting design - are they heavy? With the exception of Chaconne, my buds have been neglected lately - I must revisit soon.

In other news, my love for Gryphon was short-lived. The 4.4mm connection had been quite stiff and while bothering me, I felt it would be ok - unfortunately I was wrong, while unplugging Traillii earlier, a metal circular piece came out of the unit with the PW jack, my heart when I briefly thought the PW jack had broken! Turns out it is from inside the Gryphon, a guide of some sort. iFi have been helpful and quick to provide RMA details, packed up and ready to return. With the one month wait and now this, I feel like maybe not meant to be! Torn between trying another or just getting a refund - there have been other complaints of this issue.

 

[ian91]

Very interesting design - are they heavy? With the exception of Chaconne, my buds have been neglected lately - I must revisit soon.

In other news, my love for Gryphon was short-lived. The 4.4mm connection had been quite stiff and while bothering me, I felt it would be ok - unfortunately I was wrong, while unplugging Traillii earlier, a metal circular piece came out of the unit with the PW jack, my heart when I briefly thought the PW jack had broken! Turns out it is from inside the Gryphon, a guide of some sort. iFi have been helpful and quick to provide RMA details, packed up and ready to return. With the one month wait and now this, I feel like maybe not meant to be! Torn between trying another or just getting a refund - there have been other complaints of this issue.

Not overly so, much lighter than the King Lion model previously. They're probably equivalent to your Chaconnes. Thankfully the smaller neck on these sits between the tragus really well and it's a very secure fit in concha bowl.

Very sorry to hear about the Gryphon...I can't say I'm surprised unfortunately. Sounds as though it's an issue accepting the width of certain 4.4 jacks, including the Pentaconn? It seems like a bit of an oversight to be honest. I hope things get sorted quickly, especially after that painful wait.

 

[Scubadevils]

Not overly so, much lighter than the King Lion model previously. They're probably equivalent to your Chaconnes. Thankfully the smaller neck on these sits between the tragus really well and it's a very secure fit in concha bowl.

Very sorry to hear about the Gryphon...I can't say I'm surprised unfortunately. Sounds as though it's an issue accepting the width of certain 4.4 jacks, including the Pentaconn? It seems like a bit of an oversight to be honest. I hope things get sorted quickly, especially after that painful wait.

How is the King Lion going actually? Yeah I find the weight of Chaconne absolutely fine.

I've found all 4.4mm have been stiff to insert and take out, some more than others but especially the PW on Traillii. DUNU ZEN PRO an issue also in that I had to position it to the right to ensure a signal to both channels - I probably could have lived with that but clearly not the other! I do love the product, shame about this defect.

 

[discord]

In other news, my love for Gryphon was short-lived. The 4.4mm connection had been quite stiff and while bothering me, I felt it would be ok - unfortunately I was wrong, while unplugging Traillii earlier, a metal circular piece came out of the unit with the PW jack, my heart when I briefly thought the PW jack had broken! Turns out it is from inside the Gryphon, a guide of some sort. iFi have been helpful and quick to provide RMA details, packed up and ready to return. With the one month wait and now this, I feel like maybe not meant to be! Torn between trying another or just getting a refund - there have been other complaints of this issue.

I’m pretty iffy on that device from a QA/QC standpoint with all the things I’ve seen on the main thread for it at this point.

 

[gLer]

All of this said if you could get the fit EXT would blow your mind imho.

...and your wallet...to smithereens

Man I'm excited to read this whenever it happens. Sounds like a very fun format for a review/shootout---a wrestling match type of thing haha.

BAE (From VE's Insta)

Yikes...that bump looks positively phallic in that pic. My ear canals just did a little involuntary clench.

I wish they’d consider an EXT CIEM, I don’t care about the fancy aluminum shell or venting. Give me a traditional CIEM with a small pinhole vent (if possible) and I’d buy an EXT CIEM.

Yep, like FiR, their latest uni and customs are virtually completely different IEMs. Not sure if the EXT distance to nozzle ratio and semi open grille vent is part of the sound design though, and if it is, could be difficult to replicate in a CIEM.

 

[ian91]

iffy

 

[gLer]

I’m pretty iffy on that device from a QA/QC standpoint with all the things I’ve seen on the main thread for it at this point.

As someone who loves the product I agree it has way too many teething issues. Thankfully the early adopters stood on the bigger landmines for the rest of us to follow, and I haven't had any of the other issues in mine, like the too tight plugs. Definitely not as smooth going in or out as my DAPs, but not an issue if I'm careful with them and disconnect gently. That said, you shouldn't have to be so gentle with cables in a device designed to be used on the go. Hopefully iFi learns from this and we see notable improvements in future products.

 

[ian91]

How is the King Lion going actually?

It's a solid bud overall and worth the price given the work that's gone into it. It has great detail retrieval (I think by virtue of the driver he's using) and nice stage but tonally I prefer a little bit more midbass to keep things warm and embodied - which is what I'm hearing from the Garuda.

I've found all 4.4mm have been stiff to insert and take out, some more than others but especially the PW on Traillii.

I hope you're the only person with this issue. Vaguely, I remember a similar situation on a previous portable amp from ifi with the inputs being stiff to work with...

 

[Tristy]

...and your wallet...to smithereens

​

Yikes...that bump looks positively phallic in that pic. My ear canals just did a little involuntary clench.

A small price to pay for such a high calibre of IEM if you ask me, it’s such an enjoyable, unique tuning and such a textured sound that I really think it’s worth the price… and it’s a fraction of the price of some of the heavy hitters… saying that, didn’t you pay more than what EXT costs for EVO only a short while ago?

Also, regarding the nozzle size, I actually have more of an issue finding a good fit with the Z1R than with EXT. EXT is much more ergonomic for me.

 

[ian91]

A small price to pay for such a high calibre of IEM if you ask me, it’s such an enjoyable, unique tuning and such a textured sound that I really think it’s worth the price… and it’s a fraction of the price of some of the heavy hitters… saying that, didn’t you pay more than what EXT costs for EVO only a short while ago?

Me happily enjoying my chump change earbuds...